Concierge and rental services, work-from-anywhere amenities and local community support top consumers' list of must-haves, according to a new survey from John Burns Real Estate Consulting's New Home Trends Institute—and master plan and rental community developers would be wise to rethink "once-standard" amenities in favor of these lower-cost, higher-impact alternatives.

"Services that ease the responsibilities of everyday life give residents time to attend to other priorities. Such services also encourage participation in the sharing economy, allowing residents to defer ownership of big-ticket items," John Burns' Maegan Sherlock writes in an analysis of the firm's trend tracking research. She points to personal assistant service Hello Alfred, which uses professionally trained staff to perform tasks like laundry and pet care, and seasonal outdoor equipment rentals that allow residents to use bulky equipment like skis and kayaks when they need them as examples. 

And with nearly 40% of workers planning to work from home at least one day a week this year, the firm says coworking spaces that go beyond the standard conference room and desk setup will attract consumers.