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Bedrooms: Two of mine are a good size, 12x10 and 13x16; the 8x7 room could be a bit bigger. I'd like the minimum to be 10x10.
Bathrooms: A bathroom is a strictly utilitarian room for me. I'd like it to be big enough so that I don't get goosed by the doorknob when I'm standing at the sink, but the cavernous bathrooms the size of my old studio apartment that you see in some homes are not for me.
Kitchen: I prefer an eat-in kitchen, with a separate dining room (separated by walls, thankyouverymuch, so that I don't have to look at pots and pans while I'm eating dinner). I don't care about islands or breakfast bars. My kitchen is 12x15, and that's a good size.
Living room: Yes, please.
Basement: That, too. Mine is partially finished -- the best of both worlds. I have a nice den/family room, and unfinished space for storage, laundry, etc.
I will echo that I think huge kitchens are overrated-- to me they are a waste of space. Also, I don't like the open concept. I lived in a very fancy open concept and LOVED it until I had to actually LIVE in it. Much better on paper for me.
I tend to appreciate a more formal lay out--big living room, dining room, bigger bedrooms. I also LOVE a big bathroom but also couldn't care less about a double vanity.
Basements don't exist in many parts of the US. I grew up with them and find them a little creepy.
Kitchen size and function is most important. It needs to have at least 12 feet or more of open counter space.
Living room/family room is important
Basement is very important to me (midwest)
Bathrooms and Bedrooms are last on my list. There are a few necessities (furniture fits nicely, master bath with two sinks is critical), but I'm not really picky about the size.
How would you rank the 5 things above based on your preference? How do you think the market perceives them?
A basement would be at the top of my list, as long as it is a walkout basement to the yard. I've never had one, sadly, though my parents' house did. If just a conventional basement with little or no natural light, it goes to the bottom of the list.
After the basement, I want a functional kitchen. It doesn't have to be large, but has to be big enough to move around in, easy to maintain, and sanely designed. Eat-in is nice.
After that, I pretty much don't care.
What does the market want? If you believe all the HGTV shows (and HGTV must be financed by the granite, travertine and stainless appliance industries) it's a dark wood, dark floor, insanely expensive kitchen that's gloomy and impossible to keep clean. After that it's "spa baths" that look luxurious but are kind of a waste of space. I guess I'm not very trendy!
I'll throw a vote towards a large MBR being important to me. My bedroom furniture is large - king sized sleigh bed, plus night stands, plus an armoire plus a long dresser. When you have accumulated nice things, you look for a space to accommodate them. I don't like the idea of having to get smaller furniture to fit into a home. Or splitting up a set across multiple bedrooms.
I love to cook so no kitchen for me is too big. However, I've lived in a home with a kitchen smaller than one in an RV and managed to do just fine.
Family room/bathroom - for me, the bigger they are, the more I clean. If I can fit a sofa, a chair or two, and hang a TV on the wall, that's adequate for a family room. If the bathroom has a vanity for storage, then I don't need anymore space than that.
For me it is the kitchen. Unlike OWS, I found a house with an enormous kitchen. If only it were better planned and appointed more nicely! But I have workspace.
I was really bummed by seeing a lot of unimproved older kitchens in 2012. I think if your kitchen is over 16 years old, and you want to sell your house, you should upgrade at the very least.
The other stuff is not as important. But I don't want to have to remodel a bath. The bathrooms should look fresh and modern. If they don't then I would pass if I were looking for a house.
An extra large land lot is more important than the home, IMO.
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