The Hot and the Not

"Prices doubled in the last five years, and people are tentative when they buy," Aronheim said. "They need to be sure it's a good deal with all the basics in place," including updated and fashionable kitchens, baths and closet space.

So what are the new basics?

That's a concept that Theo Thompson, a private chef to a corporate husband-and-wife team, wrestled with as he made his final decisions on the features to be included in the new house he had built for himself a year ago in Vienna.

"You want something that in 10 years will still be desirable," Thompson said. "There are some trendy things that are kind of cool, but look at the houses that were built in the 1980s and 1990s -- people think they need to redo the whole thing now."

Spiral staircases are a fad whose time has passed, according to the survey and many local real estate agents. They are generally installed in small homes, permitting access to precious loft space or converted attics, but they are becoming less popular as the population ages. Now they are a distinct turnoff for baby boomers who make up much of the market for urban condominiums, because they find them hard to climb and descend. They also make it hard to shift furniture from room to room.

Wood floors, however, are high on everyone's list these days, said Jane Fairweather, an agent with Coldwell Banker in Bethesda. But a particular variety -- bamboo, with its variegated honey tones and unique grain patterns -- is losing popularity in single-family houses, though not in condos that house only adults. The problem? They just aren't as durable as some other kinds of floors.

"People see them as a wonderful new thing, but their day-to-day utility is less than hardwood," Fairweather said. "They're not as sturdy, they're much softer than hardwoods, and if you're raising children, they're not so good. But they are a nice feature for older people who aren't as worried about the wear and tear."

Ginger Harden, a real estate agent with the Bryan Group in Vienna, said a buyer who was purchasing an almost-new condo in Reston loved the beautiful bamboo floors. When the transaction closed and the seller's furniture was removed, though, it became apparent that the flooring had faded with exposure to the sun.

"You could see where every piece of furniture had been," Harden said. "It was a negative to my buyer. . . . [Bamboo] is a nice idea, a renewable resource, and it's new and different, but I wouldn't recommend it," she said.

Fairweather, and many of the real estate agents surveyed, aren't too keen these days on those cool-looking bowl-style sinks, also known as vessel sinks. They look great in powder rooms, they say, but water can splash out on the floor, leaving the owner mopping up over and over, particularly during parties when they are getting a lot of use. Several of Fairweather's clients have ripped out their vessel sinks and replaced them with standard cabinets.

"These fancy sinks are great, wonderful, but when it comes to utility, where do you put the toilet paper and the things you don't want people to see?," said Mark Gude, an agent with Continental Properties in Northwest Washington, who specializes in the D.C. market. "Bowl sinks are on the way out. Shaving in them is not fun -- the gunk, the soap scum, gets everywhere."

But Harden disagreed. "I see them as an 'awe' factor," she said, adding that they remain a valuable selling point in Northern Virginia.