Which Features Help a Home Sell for More?

By Sally Deneen

If subway tile graces your Philly home, you stand to sell your home faster and at a higher price — nearly 7 percent more than expected, an analysis shows. It's an example of how certain terms used in a real estate listing appear to help boost the final sales price.

"Words matter," according to Zillow's analysis of more than 2 million real estate listings. The real estate website rearched how particular words used in the home descriptions may have affected the ultimate sales price. The homes sold between January 2014 and March 2016.

Here are some keywords that could add thousands of dollars to your home's sale price, according to the research:
- "Hardwood floors." The term boosted the sales price by 2 percent above expected values, the analysis states, but mentioning "new carpets" in a listing surprisingly had zero effect on the sales price of the home.
- "Subway tile." The term is most common in Philadelphia, the research found. Listings that boasted the feature sold two months faster than expected.
- "Backsplash." Also used most commonly in Philly, the term drove up the ultimate sales price by 4.1 percent.
- "Exposed brick." If you have it, tell the world — this keyword increased the sales price by about 5 percent.
- "Barn doors" — a rustic-look sliding door used on bedroom closets, kitchen pantries and garages, or in place of interior French doors — brought the highest sale premium (13 percent) among 60 analyzed terms.

"If your home has these, play them up, because today's buyers want them," advises real estate expert Brendon DeSimone. "Even if you don't have time for renovations, you might luck out and already have some of the items on buyers' wish lists."