The high-performance home is becoming easier to describe, even when its most important systems remain invisible in photographs.
In its November 10, 2026 Home Trends Report, Zillow analyzed feature mentions across millions of for-sale listings. Mentions of fresh-air ventilation systems rose 52% year over year, whole-home batteries rose 43%, air filtration rose 25%, water filtration rose 22%, and radon mitigation rose 18%. Meanwhile, the terms “sustainable” and “green” appeared 26% less often.
The Systems Behind the Sales Pitch
The change goes beyond efficiency. Listing mentions of spa-inspired bathrooms rose 60%, cold plunges 44%, and home gyms 18%. Multigenerational living rose 58%, with more references to grab bars and wider doorways.
Taken together, the numbers suggest sellers and agents are increasingly naming specific equipment and functional spaces, rather than relying on broad claims about a home being healthy or sustainable. A ventilation system, battery, accessible doorway or filtration system is something a buyer can ask about and a builder can specify.
There is an important limit: listing language is not proof of installation, performance, buyer demand or a price premium. Zillow measured how homes are described, not whether the highlighted systems work as promised. The stronger residential signal is that once-invisible infrastructure is entering the vocabulary of home sales.