Your house is more than a place to call home. It is an investment in your family's future. Liken it to investing in the stock market. A bad decision in the stock market can cost you tons of money if you chose the wrong stock to invest in. The same is true if you chose the wrong house floor plan. It may look appealing in its presentation but, will it attract buyers once it is built? If the floor plan design includes the things most desired by a buying population, then the answer is absolutely!

House floor plans lay the foundation for a value packed home by including great home design ideas and being adaptable for future needs. When choosing from the thousands of plans out on the web or working with a designer on your custom home, include features in your floor plans that are not so unique to your style. Rather, consider the needs of potential future home buyers in your decision to ensure a healthy investment in your homes financial future.

Below are the top 10 features most desired by home buyers. Most house plans may not have all these features; however, the more you have included the better.

1.         Spacious kitchen with plenty of storage - Women especially hone in on this area of the home. The floor plan should indicate plenty of counter space to work on. Cabinets are also very important for use in storage. The kitchen Space planning should allow two cooks to work together without feeling conjested. Pantry's are also a must.

2.       Keeping rooms - This space is desired in larger homes with the available square footage. This room is more of a mid size family room adjoining the kitchen and breakfast rooms. For homes with 2 two story grand rooms and large family rooms, the keeping room provides a cozy spot for the family's day to day activities.

3.        Master bedroom with a sitting area - Perhaps the one space the shares the top spot with the kitchen. The master bedroom should have enough space to accommodate a queen or king size bed with room to spare. The sitting area is a bonus within the master retreat allowing a space for at minimum a couple of chairs and an end table. A more elaborant sitting room has a fireplace with shelving and place for a television.

4.        Master bath - Must have separate vanity's, tub, and shower, design to be open and bright with plenty of natural light. If the budget allows, a his and hers bath is an excellent upgrade. It should provide dual vanities, dual water closets, a shower for him with access for her and a tub for her.

5.        His and hers closet - The bigger the better, especially for the woman of the house! While a single enormous closet is a nice feature, seperate closets are much more desirable. In addition, upgrading the closets with a closet organizing system is truely a good investment.

6.        Bedroom on the main floor (applicable in 2 story home designs) - If the master is on the main floor, this is fine. A guest bed in addition to the master on the main is even better. However, if all bedrooms are on the second floor, adding a guest bed on the main floor is a wise choice. It can serve multiple needs in addition to lodging for overnight guest. Other uses could be a library or home office.

7.        Mudroom - One of the most requested features. Provides the homeowner a place to use as a buffer between the outdoors and the homes interior. The mudroom serves as a docking area to drop off keys, jackets & coats, dirty shoes, umbrellas, and other nic-nak items without dragging these things into the main part of the home.

8.        Bonus room - If the floor plan design allows for this, by all means, include this space. Bonus rooms are the wildcard's, giving homeowners the ability to personalize this room to their liking, starting from a clean slate.

9.        Covered Entrance - More and more homeowners are trending towards some sort of covered porch or covered stoop to provide shelter from weather conditions at the homes main entrance. Most come to this conclusion after living in a home that lacked this featured.

10.    Storage - Need I say more! You can never have enough.

Combining the above home design ideas in addition to the normal plan features (i.e. bedrooms, living, dining, family or keeping room), will afford you the best return on your house floor plan selection when its time to cash in on your nest egg!