When it comes to next year’s home trends, energy-efficiency and sustainability are in and opulence is out, according to the Hottest Home Trends Report from Realtor.com.
The real estate site tracked the fastest-growing home trends based on the prevalence of keywords in listing descriptions in 2025 versus 2024 and found that eco-friendly features that minimize cost, waste and energy usage are among the most popular heading into 2026.
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%. While the fixtures are relatively rare now, their increasing prevalence in listing descriptions on Realtor.com suggests they’ll become much more prominent in 2026.
Among other increasingly popular trends are “net-zero ready” homes — meaning homes that produce as much energy as they consume — which increased by 100%.
And that net-zero trend isn’t just for the ultra-wealthy: the median listing price for these eco-friendly homes is $449,700, indicating that sustainability is becoming more accessible to the typical buyer or homeowner.
Other eco-friendly trends on the rise are electric vehicle charging (up 91.6%) and outdoor low-voltage lighting (up 91.1%).
“We’re seeing homeowners prioritize features that make their properties more efficient, resilient and self-sustaining,” said Anthony Smith, senior economist at Realtor.com. “Buyers increasingly view eco-friendly upgrades as both a lifestyle choice and a smart financial investment — especially as energy costs and climate concerns become part of everyday decision-making.”
Also on the rise is biophilic/indoor-outdoor living. While the trend is already widespread, Realtor.com predicts the line between interior and exterior will become even blurrier in 2026, with the keyword increasing by 162.6%.
Among luxury listings, the “coastal modern” aesthetic is quickly growing in popularity. Listings mentioning the design style, characterized by clean lines, organic materials and natural light, increased by 125.6% on Realtor.com and had a median listing price of $1,275,000.
Other up-and-coming trends for million-dollar homes include aged metal accents (up 79.8%), Zellige tile (up 68%), gas ranges with griddles (up 62.8%) and cold plunges (up 61.6%), all of which had median listing prices over $1 million.
Conversely, Realtor.com also assessed keywords that have decreased the most in popularity from 2024, indicating waning consumer interest. Opulent, high-end features are among the most discarded: mentions of formal dining rooms decreased 25.3%, infinity pools decreased 24.7%, three-car garages decreased 19.1% and “Old-World European” design decreased 18.4%.