The Thanksgiving test for today’s new homes

Americans looking for a new home have their must haves – a renovated kitchen, perhaps, or plenty of storage. But Realtor.com found that potential buyers also want a home that has the large spaces needed to accommodate Thanksgiving hosting.

A survey conducted with 1,000 adults last month found that more than half (52%) said that hosting Thanksgiving dinner played into their new home searches. The generational break down found 60% of both Gen Z and Millennials felt this way, compared to 47% of Gen X and 30% of baby boomers.

In particular, the home needed to have large spaces to allow them to host. Most respondents named a big kitchen and large family room (92% for each) as either a “must-have” or it “helps a lot,” with a guest bathroom (87%) and large dining room (86%) close behind. Other key features included a large outdoor space (76%), guest bedroom (73%) and double oven (61%).

Outside of Thanksgiving, the respondents were split on whether they’d prefer having a spare bedroom (44%) or an extra bathroom (45%). Gen Z was the only group that was leaning more towards a bathroom (48%) over a bedroom (39%).

When it came to the ideal number of bathrooms in a home, respondents said that depends on the household size. One- and two-person households prefer two bathrooms, the survey found, while homes with three or more people want three bathrooms.