Today’s homebuyers cannot stand clutter. Millennials and Gen X buyers, the two largest groups in the market, are far less interested in storing things “just in case” than Baby Boomers were. They want their belongings accessible but out of sight, in efficient, organized storage, not stacked ten boxes deep in a dark attic.
The data backs this up. In the National Association of Home Builders’ What Home Buyers Really Want study, buyers rated more than 200 home features. Several storage spaces landed in the top tier, rated essential or desirable by at least 80 percent of buyers. When asked what they would shrink to buy a smaller home, buyers pointed to the home office and dining room. They would not give up kitchen or closet space.
Here are the top storage features buyers look for, and how to judge them before you commit to moving to a new home.
1. Mudroom
If you have kids or pets, the biggest clutter magnet in the house sits right inside the front door. That is where shoes come off and backpacks, coats, and sports gear pile up, along with wet and muddy boots.
A mudroom gives you a transition space between outdoors and indoors where all of it stores out of sight. In West Michigan, this matters more than it does in most markets. Between lake-effect snow, salt, and spring mud, a drop zone with hooks, cubbies, and a bench earns its square footage six months a year.
2. Walk-in Pantry
A walk-in pantry ranks among the most wanted kitchen features, rated essential or desirable by roughly 80 percent of buyers in the NAHB study. Only a double sink and table space for eating rank higher in the kitchen.
The appeal is simple. A pantry holds ingredients, small appliances, cleaning supplies, and recycling bins in one place, which keeps counters clear. Buyers who cook regularly treat it as a requirement, not an upgrade.
3. Closet Space
Homes short on closets get cluttered fast. Guest rooms in particular turn into dumping grounds for anything without a home.
Buyers want closet space, especially where it makes sense: a walk-in in the primary bedroom, linen closets in the bathrooms, and a coat closet by the entry. This is one of the few areas buyers refuse to compromise on. NAHB found that buyers willing to accept a smaller house would shrink the office or dining room first, and would not cut closets.
4. Garage Storage
Garage storage sits in the top tier of wanted features, rated essential or desirable by about 81 percent of buyers in the 2024 NAHB study. Some buyers want a three-car garage not for a third vehicle but for the extra room.
Most buyers today prefer garage space over outdoor storage like sheds, because a garage is easier to reach and stays dry. What matters is whether the space is organized and accessible. Shelving, cabinets, and overhead racks turn a garage from a dumping ground into real storage.
One Michigan caveat. If you plan to store anything temperature-sensitive in the garage, remember it is unheated. Electronics, paint, canned goods, and some furniture finishes do not handle a Michigan January well.
5. Laundry Room
The laundry room is the single most wanted feature in the entire NAHB survey. In the 2024 edition, 86 percent of buyers rated it essential or desirable, tying it with a patio at the top of the list.
Part of the appeal is storage. A dedicated laundry room holds clean and dirty loads, detergent, an ironing station, and space for line-dried or dry-cleaned items, instead of pushing all of it into a hallway closet.
How to Evaluate Storage on a Home Tour
Listings oversell storage constantly. “Ample storage” means nothing. Here is how to check for yourself, from people who load and unload these houses for a living.
- Open every closet. Agents keep them closed for a reason. Look at depth, not just width.
- Measure the primary closet and compare it to your current one. Bring a tape measure.
- Count the linen and coat closets. Many older West Michigan homes have almost none.
- Check basement access. A narrow stairwell or tight turn means large items will not go down there, no matter how big the basement is.
- Look at attic access. A pull-down ladder limits you to what one person can carry overhead.
- Measure the garage. Two cars plus storage needs more depth than a standard two-car footprint.
- Photograph each storage space so you can compare homes later. They blur together fast.
Take these measurements before you make an offer, not after. It is the difference between a smooth move-in and a garage full of boxes you cannot place.
What to Do If the New Home Has Less Storage
Plenty of buyers trade storage for location, schools, or price. That works, as long as you plan for it.
- Declutter before you pack, not after. Moving items you will discard anyway costs you time and money on both ends.
- Measure your large furniture against the new floor plan. An armoire that fit the old bedroom may not fit the new one.
- Decide what goes into storage before moving day so it can be routed once instead of twice.
- Add vertical storage early. Overhead garage racks and closet systems cost far less than square footage.
Our guide on getting rid of junk before moving walks through the sorting process. If you are moving into a smaller space, downsizing tips will help you decide what makes the cut.
Contact Big Lake Movers
What is on your priority list for a new home? Once you find the right place, we will get you into it.
Big Lake Movers handles residential moves across Grand Rapids, Holland, and Kalamazoo. Contact us today or request a free moving quote to get started.
