Most people in this country would rather know their neighbours than grab a bargain when buying property.
A property located in a safe and friendly neighbourhood is the number one priority for most people buying a home in this country, followed closely by the price of the property, according to a survey of 1,000 homeowners.
The research, which set out to establish what made people fall in love with their home, shows that the local community is a particularly important selling point for 45-54 year olds – with almost three quarters of those in this age bracket citing this as a major factor in their decision-making process.
In terms of what Brits love about their living space, room size came out on top – taking more than a third of the vote.
For three in ten of participants, a good-looking garden is what got them to agree to a property purchase – and half of over-65s declared this the ultimate highlight of their homes.
Natural elements proved very popular across the board with a fifth of those surveyed saying natural light is what they love most about their property.
Somewhat surprisingly, just over half of all respondents identified the price of a property as the most important aspect when it comes to making an offer.
Generation Y are more price-conscious, however – with 18-24 (57%) and 25-34 year olds (69%) admitting the asking price was the thing that ultimately swayed their decision.
Space proved a key concern for more than a third of Brits, who said the number of rooms in a property would influence whether or not they bought the property.
When it comes to a property’s appearance, it is not just what’s on the outside that matters, but also what’s on the inside, with almost one in six of those questioned saying they are swayed by both exterior appeal and interior styling.
According to 35% of all respondents, parking availability is a key issue when it comes to deciding on a suitable property – and more than half of over-65s agree.
However, this is not so much of a concern for those living in London, with significantly fewer Londoners deterred by limited parking, which is unsurprising given the superb public transport in the city.
Mark Haskell, ecommerce manager of Flooring Republic, which commissioned the research, said: “It’s great to see just how many Brits value a welcoming neighbourhood, and it’s really interesting that most homeowners are concerned with more than the price of a property.
“Spacious rooms and beautiful gardens will always hold plenty of appeal for buyers – although they generally come with larger price tags.”
Top line results:
What do you consider to be the key factors when buying a house?
- Neighbourhood: 60%
- Price: 51.5%
- Space: 37.0%
- Parking: 34.5%
- Storage: 15.0%
- Accessibility: 14.0%
- Other: 1.5%
Top line results:
What made you fall in love with your home?
- Size of the rooms: 37.9%
- Garden: 31.1%
- Natural light: 19.9%
- Exterior appearance: 15.5%
- Interior style: 15.3%
- High ceilings: 10.7%
- Other: 8.7%