These are the top searches by Zillow home shoppers in Pa., N.J., and beyond in 2025

This year, home shoppers on Zillow looked to make the most of spaces they could afford instead of looking for bigger and more luxurious homes, according to the company’s analysis of millions of searches.

Zillow shoppers focused less on size than in the past and more on how flexible, comfortable, and livable a home would be, according to Zillow’s most popular search terms of 2025. Affordability likely helped drive this trend as homes have gotten more expensive.

In 2025, Zillow saw fewer searches for mansions, acreage, and other terms tied to luxury living and more searches for smaller and cozy comforts, such as fireplaces, gardens, and fenced yards.

Searches for accessory-dwelling units, guest houses, and in-law suites increased this year, reflecting buyers’ desire for properties that can meet evolving needs, including space for aging parents and potential for rental income.

Zillow also saw more searches for outdoor features such as pools and yards and access to lakes and beaches.

“2025 was the year people stopped searching for more home and started searching for more meaning at home,” Amanda Pendleton, Zillow’s home trends expert, said in a statement. “Across the country, buyers want homes that can flex for family, offer access to nature, and deliver small daily comforts that make life feel easier and more joyful.”

In other words, buyers are looking for homes “that work harder,” Zillow spokesperson Claire Carroll said in a statement.

“That shows up in growing interest in adaptable layouts, multiuse spaces, and lifestyle-driven features that make a home feel more intentional and functional,” she said.

In Pennsylvania, the top-searched word on Zillow was historic. In New Jersey, it was patio.

In addition to historic homes, shoppers looking for Pennsylvania properties in 2025 also most often searched for cabins and farms and properties with a fireplace or lake this year.

Shoppers in the Garden State were focused on the outdoors this year. They most often searched not only for a patio but also for yard, ranch, pool, and waterfront. The number of waterfront searches grew nationally this year.

New Jersey shoppers also were fans of brick.

And they, along with shoppers in New York, were most likely to search for mother-daughter homes, which are single-family properties made for multigenerational living. These homes have separate living areas and often separate kitchens and bathrooms.

The popularity of these homes among Zillow shoppers reflects “growing interest in living arrangements that support aging parents, adult children, or extended family while still allowing for privacy and independence,” Carroll said.

Zillow anticipates that cozy and personalized homes will continue to be in high demand next year.

Reading nooks are on the rise in Zillow home listings, according to the company’s latest report on home trends. And so are wellness features and spalike bathrooms.

Golf simulators and pickleball courts also have gotten more prevalent in home listings.

More sellers also are mentioning features that make their homes resilient and sustainable, including flood protection, fire safety features, zero-energy capability, and electric-vehicle chargers.

Zillow expects that one of the boldest trends of 2026 will be color drenching. Homeowners cover a space — including walls, ceilings, trims, and doors — with the same color to create spaces that are dramatic and immersive.