More outdoor space? On-site fitness centers? Rooftop pools? Which amenities do renters want today as the COVID-19 pandemic continues?
The researchers at apartment search site Zumper wanted to know. And yesterday, they released a summary of the amenities renters have been searching for most often during the pandemic. And in little surprise, the top amenity today is outdoor space.
According to Zumper, six out of the 10 most frequently used terms in online apartment searches during the last year are related to outdoor areas. Again, this shouldn’t be surprising: In the early days of the pandemic, cities across the country shut down indoor dining, movie theaters and gyms. Renters, then, turned to the outdoors to safely gather and spend their non-working hours.
When comparing search terms from before the pandemic and during it, Zumper found that the term “outdoor space” saw a growth of 143 percent in searches. That made this the term that saw the greatest percentage increase in online searches during the pandemic.
Other outdoor-related amenities that have seen big jumps in online searches are “roof deck,” which jumped 91 percent when compared to a year go; “balcony,” which increased 87 percent; “garden,” with a jump of 86 percent; “swimming pool,” which rose by 78 percent; and “deck,” which increased by 73 percent.
In a bit of a surprise, the amenity that saw the second biggest increase in online searches was storage, which appeared in 92 percent more searches when compared to a year ago.
But which amenities did the most to boost the price of apartment listings? Zumper looked at that, too, and in-unit laundry topped the list. According to Zumper, having laundry inside a unit boosted the listing price of that living space by an average of $170.
Other amenities that increased listing price include garage parking, which provided an average listing price jump of $149; a garden, which increased the listing price by an average of $144; and package services, which provided a $116 average bump.
