COVID-19 has changed the real estate landscape in many ways—including shifting buyer priorities.

But what, exactly, are buyers looking for in today’s market? A recent article from realtor.com outlined the home upgrades buyers are looking for:

Outdoor upgrades. Many people are spending the majority of their time at home these days—and that can lead to a serious case of cabin fever. To escape that cabin fever (without having to leave their homes), buyers are looking for homes with functional, relaxing, and well-designed outdoor spaces. Sprucing up your outdoor space (for example, by refreshing the landscaping or adding a patio) before listing your home can help make the property more attractive to buyers.

A functional home office. More people than ever are working from home—which has made home offices a must-have for many buyers. If you don’t currently have a home office, staging a guest bedroom as an office can help potential buyers see the home’s potential for a functional workspace.

A spruced-up laundry room. COVID has increased many people’s cleaning habits—which, for many, has translated to more time in the laundry room. Making minor updates to spruce up your laundry room (like adding wallpaper, a fresh coat of paint, or extra storage) can help to up your home’s value in the eyes of cleanliness-concerned buyers.

If you’re planning on selling your home, these upgrades can make your home more appealing to buyers—which may help you sell your home faster and more profitably.

Renovating your kitchen can be a pricey endeavor. And while you might be tempted to embrace the latest trends in your kitchen renovation, if you want to ensure you’ll love the look of your kitchen as much 10 years from now as you do today, the best thing you can do? Choose a kitchen trend that will never go out of style.

In a recent article, home improvement website LifeRejoice highlighted 40 of the most timeless trends in kitchen design, including:

Pairing whites and cools. If you want to create a streamlined, organized look in your kitchen, consider pairing white with a cool neutral (like gray).

Statement tile. Intricately designed tiles can add visual interest to your kitchen and make for a unique (yet timeless) design. Just make sure to keep other design elements, like paint and fixtures, more understated to keep your kitchen from veering into “visually overwhelming” territory.

Using lighting or color to define the kitchen. If your home has an open floor plan, strategically using lighting or color can be a great way to define your kitchen space and separate it from your living area.

If you’ve been thinking about renovating your kitchen (and you want that renovation to have serious staying power) embrace one of these timeless design trends.

Autumn is here! And while fall is always a cozy time, this year, coziness has officially emerged as one of the biggest interior design trends of the autumn season.

A recent article from remodeling website Houzz highlighted the biggest trends from the 2020 Atlanta Furnishings Market—including cozy decor and design. Things like camping-inspired pillows, plush throw blankets, and earth tones were definite players at this year’s market…which makes sense…

As people anticipate spending more time in their homes than usual this fall and winter, there is a desire to make their spaces as comfortable and inviting as possible—making cozy design the go-to trend as we move into the last few months of the year.

So, what does this mean for you? If you’re thinking about doing a bit of redecorating to get your home ready for the fall, make sure you’re on trend (and super comfortable!) by embracing all-things-cozy in your decor and home design.

Thanks to COVID-19, the first half of 2020 saw many people hunkering down and spending more time at home—which has led to a huge surge in home design projects. But which projects and trends have been the most popular?

The Wall Street Journal asked design experts for their insights into the hottest design trends for the first half of 2020. According to the experts (whose responses were outlined in a recent REALTOR Magazine article), the hottest interior design trends of 2020 so far include:

Going two-toned in the kitchen.

Mixing and matching different tones in the kitchen—like using a darker color for your bottom cabinets and a lighter wood or paint for the top—has emerged as an on-trend way to add new life to your kitchen in 2020.

Sprucing up the home office…

With so many people working remotely, redesigning home offices has been one of the most popular interior design projects of the year. Many people are investing in structural pieces to make their home offices more functional, like built-in desks.

…and the outdoor space.

All the at-home time has prompted many homeowners to renovate their outdoor space to make it more comfortable and functional with elements like fire pits, pools, and outdoor dining areas.

Urban areas have long been the hottest real estate markets in the country. But the pandemic and stay-at-home orders left many people longing for more space, both indoors and out—and now that restrictions are being lifted, many of them are leaving the cities and heading to rural destinations to find the space they’re looking for.

And as interest in properties in rural areas is increasing, so are prices.

According to data outlined in a recent article on REALTOR Magazine, rural homes experienced an 11.3 percent increase in sales price year-over-year during the four weeks ending August 2—which is higher growth than in the suburbs (9.2 percent) and significantly higher than growth in urban areas (6.7 percent).

So, what does this mean for you? If you live in a rural area and have been thinking about selling your home, now is a great time to take advantage of increased demand and fetch top dollar for your home.