Among the features typically thought of as desirable to the average home buyer, big back yards, good schools, and proximity to work and public transportation usually get ranked near the top of the list. But, according to a new survey from the Demand Institute, much of the conventional wisdom on what home buyers are looking for is wrong. For example, proximity to public transportation is often named as a key feature buyers want but the survey found just 25 percent of respondents said it was very important to them, while 44 percent said it wasn’t important at all. Similarly, good schools and closeness to work were more likely to be ranked as not important than very important. So what do buyers really want in a new house? Well, pet friendliness ranked highly with participants, as did big windows, storage space, and an in-unit washer/dryer. But the top rated feature respondents said would be very important to them in a new home was central air conditioning, which was named by 75 percent of surveyed consumers. The takeaway seems to be that, while proximity to the office and a large yard will always be popular with some home buyers, to others it makes no difference. In other words, there is a buyer for almost every home, with the possible exception of those without central air. More here.