Homes with nature-inspired design features sell for as much as 3.5% more

By: Treh Manhertz

New Zillow research identifies the serene and sophisticated finishes that boost a home’s sale price.

• Homes sell for more when they have soapstone countertops (3.5% sale premium), white oak floors (3.2%) and Venetian plaster walls (3.0%). 
• Buyers pay more for functional outdoor features, such as an outdoor shower (2.8%), outdoor kitchen (2.2%) and bluestone patio (2.2%). 

Today’s home buyers are willing to pay more for homes with bold, nature-inspired design choices. Zillow research finds that homes with statement finishes and natural materials like soapstone and onyx, herringbone and cork floors, and Venetian plastered walls sell for as much as 3.5% more than expected, adding approximately $12,500 to a typical U.S. home’s sale price. 

Organic modernism, a design style characterized by natural stone, wood flooring and cabinetry, and textured walls, has gone mainstream. Today’s buyers appear to be seeking out and competing for homes with raw but refined finishes, putting upward pressure on prices.

New materials are boosting resale values more than old favorites. Soapstone outperforms quartz as the countertop material of choice, contributing to a sale premium of 3.5% versus 2.6%. A wet room is now more desirable than other spa-inspired bathroom features, helping a home sell for an additional 3.3%, compared to 0.6% more for a spa-inspired bathroom. 

Functional outdoor space continues to help homes sell for more. Listings mentioning an outdoor shower selling for 2.8% more, while outdoor kitchens and bluestone patios can both help boost resale value by 2.2%. Remodeled homes command the highest sale premiums of all the keywords analyzed, selling for nearly 4% more than expected (3.7%).

Methodology:

Zillow conducted this analysis by looking for the presence of more than 350 listing keywords across more than two million homes listed for sale in 2024. Sale price premiums were calculated by comparing the home’s final sale price with its pre-listing Zestimate, controlling for factors such as the home’s age, size, and when it was sold.