TL;DR
Zillow’s annual home trends report tracks how often features and design terms appear in for-sale listings, identifying seven themes it says buyers may be seeking in 2027. Listing mentions are rising for AI, analog rooms, flexible work and hobby spaces, multigenerational features, wellness amenities and catios; the figures measure listing language, not buyer preferences or resale value directly.
Zillow’s 2027 home trends report identifies seven themes appearing more often in for-sale listings, including catios, hobby and wellness rooms, flexible spaces and features designed for comfort and safety. The findings track changes in listing descriptions over the past year; they do not establish that buyers will choose homes with these features or that the features will increase a home’s resale price.
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The report shows a split between technology and unplugged living. Mentions of AI rose 119%, the largest year-over-year increase in the report, while app-controlled home systems rose 34%. At the same time, listings mentioning analog spaces such as libraries and music rooms were 34% more common than a year earlier. Zillow describes the latter as a possible signal of interest in tech-free spaces, though the listing data alone cannot confirm why sellers are highlighting them.
Design language also shifted toward more polished interiors, according to Zillow. Mentions of “elevated” rose 71%, while “cozy” fell 22%, “eclectic” fell 19% and “boho” fell 13%. The report also found more mentions of color-drenched rooms, up 84%, painted brick exteriors, up 27%, and board-and-batten siding, up 24%. These are changes in listing mentions, not measures of completed renovations or buyer decisions.
Some of the reported gains relate to infrastructure that may not be apparent in listing photos. Mentions of whole-home batteries rose 43%, battery backup 25%, and fresh-air ventilation systems—including energy-recovery and heat-recovery ventilators—52%. Zillow also reported increases for air filtration, water filtration and radon mitigation. Meanwhile, the terms “sustainable” and “green” each appeared 26% less often, suggesting sellers may be emphasizing specific systems rather than broad environmental labels.
For room use, mentions of home offices rose 42%, media rooms 37% and flex spaces 35%. By comparison, “chef’s kitchen” mentions fell 21% and “gourmet kitchen” mentions fell 15%. Zillow says open-concept layouts were holding steady, while its report points to greater listing emphasis on spaces with defined uses, such as working, exercising or relaxing.
Other increases include multigenerational living, up 58%, and accessibility-related details: grab bars rose 18%, wider doorways 13% and nurseries 9%. Wellness and recreation amenities also featured more often, with spa-inspired bathrooms up 60%, cold plunge pools up 44%, golf simulators up 29% and home gyms up 18%. Jacuzzi and jetted tubs were down about 9%. Catios—screened outdoor spaces for cats—appeared in 32% more listings; dog parks were flat and dog-grooming stations fell 16%.
What homes may highlight for 2027
Zillow tracked year-over-year changes in home features and design terms in for-sale listings. The figures show listing language, not proven buyer demand or resale value.
Seven themes in the listings
The report groups changing listing language into seven broad themes.
Quiet tech and analog spaces
AI mentions rose as listings also highlighted libraries and music rooms.
Elevated interiors
“Elevated” rose, while “cozy,” “eclectic” and “boho” appeared less often.
Safety and efficiency
Listings more often mentioned batteries, ventilation, filtration and radon mitigation.
Flexible, accessible spaces
Work areas, multigenerational features and accessibility details gained attention.
Wellness and hobby rooms
Spa-inspired bathrooms, cold plunge pools, gyms and golf simulators appeared more often.
Catios
Screened outdoor spaces for cats gained listing mentions; dog parks were flat.
Spaces with a defined purpose
Listing mentions rose for home offices, media rooms and flex spaces, while kitchen labels declined.
What the numbers mean
The percentages compare how often selected terms appeared in listings with the prior year.
- Which features sellers mention more often
- Ideas to consider against your needs and budget
- Whether buyers will choose homes with those features
- Effects on offers, sale time or resale price
What Listing Trends Can Tell Buyers
The report offers buyers and homeowners a snapshot of what sellers are choosing to highlight, from dedicated work areas to backup power and pet-friendly outdoor spaces. That can help people planning a renovation think through which features may make a home more useful to a range of households. The findings also reflect changes in listing language, which can be influenced by marketing choices and the types of homes put on the market.
For sellers, the trends may provide ideas for describing existing features or deciding which improvements suit their circumstances. But Zillow’s percentages do not show whether a feature attracts more offers, reduces time on the market or returns its installation cost. A rising mention rate should not be treated as a guarantee of higher resale value. Buyers should also weigh maintenance, installation costs, local conditions and their own needs rather than treating a trend as a checklist.
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How Zillow Counted the Trends
Zillow’s annual report compares how often selected terms and features appear in its for-sale listings with their frequency in the prior year. The resulting percentages describe changes in listing mentions. They are not survey results, a count of all homes with a given feature, or a forecast of sales performance.
The findings span several different kinds of details: design words such as “elevated,” room labels such as “media room,” and physical systems such as batteries or ventilation. Those categories do not necessarily measure the same thing. A listing may mention a feature because it is newly installed, because it is seen as a selling point, or because the listing is written differently. The report presents the trends as clues about what may catch buyers’ attention in 2027, not proof of buyer demand.
““the largest year-over-year jump in this year’s data””
— Zillow’s 2027 home trends report
What Listing Mentions Cannot Prove
The report does not provide evidence here that buyers have purchased homes because of these features, nor does it quantify any effect on sale prices, offers or time on the market. It is also unclear how many listings mention each feature in absolute terms, since the reported figures are percentage changes rather than counts. The report’s trend descriptions should therefore be read as changes in listing language, not as a direct measure of the share of buyers seeking each feature.
It is not clear whether the patterns will continue through 2027 or vary by region, home price or buyer group. Zillow’s report identifies categories that appeared more or less often over the past year, but the provided findings do not offer a regional breakdown or a forecast for individual markets.
How Buyers Can Use the Findings
Buyers can use the report as a prompt to ask about features that affect everyday function—such as backup power, air and water filtration, accessibility or a separate work area—then verify what a home actually has. Sellers considering updates can compare the report’s themes with local conditions and their budget, rather than assuming a national listing trend will translate into a return in their neighborhood.
Zillow’s report does not specify a next release date or provide a follow-up measure of buyer behavior. Whether these listing patterns persist, and whether they translate into measurable demand or resale gains, remains to be seen.
Key Questions
What are the seven home trends Zillow highlights for 2027?
The themes are quiet tech and analog spaces, elevated interiors, safety and efficiency, flexible spaces, aging in place, wellness and hobby rooms, and catios.
Does Zillow’s report prove buyers will pay more for these features?
No. The figures track how often terms and features appeared in for-sale listings compared with the prior year. They do not show that a feature raises a home’s price or improves its sale prospects.
Which trend had the largest increase in listing mentions?
AI mentions rose 119%, which Zillow’s report called the largest year-over-year jump in its data. App-controlled home systems rose 34%.
What is a catio?
A catio is a screened outdoor space for cats. Zillow reported that catios appeared in 32% more for-sale listings than in the previous year.
Are these trends the same across every housing market?
The reported findings do not provide a regional breakdown. The figures describe listing mentions overall, so buyers should not assume the trends apply equally to every market or price range.
Source: veranda.com
