WASHINGTON – Bathroom remodeling trends in recent years have focused on removing the bathtub and supersizing the shower. But that could actually hurt a property’s resale value, depending on the buyers you’re trying to attract.

First-time home buyers say they want a shower-tub combo, ranking it highest among 18 bathroom features, according to the National Association of Home Builders’ What Home Buyers Really Want, 2021 edition. The study asked first-time buyers to rate key home features, from “essential” to “do not want.”

Forty-two percent of first-time buyers surveyed call a home with both a shower stall and bathtub in the primary bath desirable; 30% called it essential and a must-have, according to the survey. They also ranked linen closets and a private toilet compartment in the primary bath to be important in their home search.

In addition, a whirlpool tub in the primary bath was considered desirable by 37% and essential by 22%; while a double vanity in the primary bath was desirable by 43% and a must-have by 25% of those surveyed.

Source: “In the Bath, First-Time Buyers Really Want Botha Shower & Tub,” National Association of Home Builders’ Eye on Housing blog (March 30, 2022)

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