Which Amenities Are Most Popular?

Finding the right apartment is always a challenge, and compromise has been the name of the game in expensive and desirable New York City. But according to StreetEasy, apartment hunters have became pickier during the pandemic. One third of searches in 2020 made use of search filters for specific amenities, up from 22 percent in 2019. In mid-November, after receiving requests from users for more searchable amenities, the online listings site added 10 new boxes to check in its search filter.

By examining those searches between Dec. 1, 2020 and Jan. 31, 2021, StreetEasy learned exactly what people wanted most, and recently revealed the top 10 most searched amenities for both renters and buyers. An expanded list was provided to The New York Times for this week’s chart, which shows the top 20.

Central air-conditioning and an assortment of views — city, skyline, water, gardens and parks — were among the new searchable amenities. Shared outdoor space was already searchable, but private outdoor space was added and subsequently was searched seven times more than shared outdoor space — understandable in a pandemic. Shared outdoor space, the next best thing, came in 10th.

The most searched amenity? In-unit laundry, which knocked pet-friendliness out of the top spot from 2019. Other conveniences to anyone spending a lot more time at home also made the top 20: A doorman (to safeguard all those deliveries, perhaps) came in fourth, and a dishwasher (to handle those extra at-home meals) was fifth.