Backyard Amenities, Such as Treehouses, Driving Faster Home Sales, Zillow Reports

Kids know what they want. Their inner Bart Simpson wants a little separation from the grownups.

They can get that with a treehouse, a secret hideout in the backyard. It’s a good getaway because parents usually have no desire to risk crawling up a rickety ladder for an unexpected drop-in.

Now, new Zillow research finds homes with treehouses are driving quicker-than-expected sales and higher prices, with listings mentioning back yard (5.2 days faster than expected), sandbox (4.5 days), and playground (2.5 days) among the quickest.

Treehouses listed in a description sell for 2.2 percent more than expected. Homes with a backyard mentioned in the listing description are selling more than five days faster. Other outdoor features that families are loving and paying extra for include a Jacuzzi (1.6 percent), swing set (0.8 percent), and pool (0.5 percent).

“Buyers looking to snag a home near a park or with a treehouse better act fast,” says Zillow economic data analyst Nicole Bachaud. “In a hot housing market like the one we’ve seen this past year, highly desirable homes are flying off the market at break-neck speeds.

“Homes with these features are being snatched up even faster, showing the intense competition buyers looking for family-friendly features are facing.”

In the Dallas-Fort Worth area, Zillow’s most popular kid-friendly feature is a backyard, with 42.9 percent of listings mentioning it in the description. Pools, game rooms, and storage are also highly sought-after in the metro, while the keywords “spacious” and “privacy” were leading descriptors.

“And while this doesn’t mean sellers should add these features before they list or that these features alone will yield a high return on investment, they should definitely flaunt them if they have them,” Bachaud says.

Zillow also found that families are prioritizing community amenities that make the neighborhood kid-friendly. According to the research, keywords indicating nearby parks, cul de sac, and community pools highlight common areas where kids can make new friends and play outside are effective and speed sales from two to five days.

“Location is everything to our buyers with children,” George Laughton, Founder of The Laughton Team in Phoenix, Ariz., says in the report. “Homes within walking distance to recreation activities, such as parks and pools, are a high priority for home shopping families. Cul-de-sacs and quiet streets are also in high demand for kids to have a safe place to play and make friends.”

An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated the percentage of Dallas-area listings mentioning backyard as an amenity.