Bold, geometric designs like chevrons, sunbursts, zigzags and stepped shapes are making a huge comeback as of late — and Houzz said that will continue into 2026.

At the same time, the average age of the first-time buyer hit an all-time high of 40, according to the 2025 Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers. 

At the top of the list? WaterSense fixtures — the plumbing solution, which claims to reduce water use by more than 20%, increased in popularity by 289.6%.

NAR’s report — which surveyed nearly 5,000 Realtor members — also found that the typical agent took on 10 transactions in 2024, the same as a year prior.

T3 Sixty said the difference between real estate agents who subscribe to MLSs but are not Realtors and Realtor-subscribers hit 25%, the highest on record. 

Homes that are professionally staged not only attract more attention from potential buyers — they also sell faster and for more money, according to data from the National Association of Realtors’® 2025 Profile of Home Staging.  

“In a plot twist, baby boomers have overtaken millennials — the largest U.S. population — to become the top generation of homebuyers,” said Jessica Lautz, NAR’s deputy chief economist and vice president of research.

Young homeowners are the most likely to regret their home purchases: 94% of Gen Z and 86% of Millennial sellers acknowledged buying mistakes, compared to 48% of baby boomers.

Furthermore, 13% of homeowners said they’d take their home off the market if they learned their ex was considering buying it.

Homeowners and buyers will prioritize nostalgic, old-world design sensibilities juxtaposed with modern sustainability technologies next year, according to Zillow.

A growing number of renovating homeowners now classify their primary bathroom as a “wet room,” according to the 2024 Houzz Bathroom Trends Study.

The amount a homebuyer needs to earn to afford a median priced starter home is down 0.4% from last year, marking the first annual decline since August 2020.

Realtor was the most desirable job in 49 of the 50 states, the study found.

While the average monthly housing payment in the U.S. fell to its lowest level since the start of the year, it isn’t improving sales, as potential buyers are holding out for lower mortgage rates.

Communities in the Northeast and Midwest dominated this year’s rankings, with Massachusetts standing out by placing three towns in the top 10.

There are plenty of ways to upgrade a home without knocking down walls or hiring a whole construction crew.