Do men and women look for different features when purchasing a home?

Happy wife, happy life? Well it turns out that when it comes to choosing a home, a lot of men would prefer a decked-out man cave to making their spouses happy. It’s true, men and women are different, and when it comes to choosing a house our wish lists can often look very different as well.

We’ve all heard the stereotypes concerning women wanting a big beautiful kitchen, while maybe men are expected to rank a big garage as a priority. Now thanks to a recent research study published by Harris Interactive, we can test these old theories to see if there is any truth behind our preconceived notions.

Let’s start with the ladies. A gorgeous gourmet kitchen did rank high on their list of must-haves, but surprisingly only came in at #3 overall. It seems walk-in closets (#2) and a luxurious master bath retreat (#1), have become more important for the female home buyers of today.

Surprisingly, both men and women ranked these three features in exactly the same way! Women tended to be slightly more enthusiastic about each feature. For instance, 72% of women stated that they would fall in love with a property because of a large walk-in closet. While only 55% of men felt the same way, it was still the second highest ranked feature on the guys’ list as well.

There was a break from this trend however, when men were asked about a lavish entertainment center. Also known as the “man cave”, a dedicated entertainment space has become a status symbol for many, and an absolute must-have for the movie or gaming enthusiast. 42% of men asked said that they could be swayed to purchase a home based on the “man cave”, while only 28% of women agreed.

So with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, couples looking to purchase a home may want to focus on the feature that both sexes ranked as the most important, a luxurious master bathroom. “Man caves” and walk-in closets aside, we can all agree that a relaxing master bath retreat is a feature that nobody should have to live without!

Check out our Pinterest board, Battle of the Sexes, created especially to celebrate the property features that men and women love the most.