Survey reveals the “must-haves” property buyers are after in their new homes, as well as what gives them the ick when it comes to viewing these properties

  • Almost half of Brits (47%) say weird smells are the biggest turn off when viewing a property to buy, followed by cracked floors (32%) and visible stains (31%)

  • A garden trumps a spare room in list of “must-haves” for buyers, with more than half (52%) looking for an outside space and less than a third (32%) looking for a spare room

  • Brits view property websites 3 times per month on average, with 61% saying they use these sites to find their dream home even if they don’t intend to purchase

  • More than a quarter of buyers say the cost of living crisis has impacted plans to purchase property, with almost a quarter (23%) putting it off by up to 10 years

 

In a survey commissioned by conservatory installation experts ConservatoryLand it was revealed that almost two thirds (61%) of Brits regularly check property websites to find their dream home, even if they don’t intend to buy. What’s more, it seems it’s the younger generations are hunting for their dream homes more often than others, with more than three quarters (78%) of those aged 18 to 42 checking sites like Zoopla and Rightmove to try to understand how much they’d need for a deposit, or to see what their current options are in this cost of living crisis.

More than a quarter of those surveyed (28%) said they are actively looking and ready to buy their next property, but it seems that once they get to the viewing, many don’t feel confident in seeing the potential in those they do go and view. A fifth of Brits admitted that they weren’t able to see where there is an opportunity to improve the layout of a property when viewing potential homes to buy, as they were unable to see past the current decor choices and properly envision their own furniture in the space.

The UK’s Biggest Turn-Offs

When asked about the biggest icks home buyers face when it comes to viewing properties for sale, weird smells were the top turn off with almost 50% of Brits saying this was the clincher for them to disregard a potential home altogether. This was followed by cracked floors (32%), stained surfaces (31%) and pet hair and clutter (both 24%) rounding out the top five turn-offs for new home buyers.

 

While it seems that Baby Boomers care the most about pet hair (26%) and the current owners’ clutter (25%)  when viewing potential properties, Gen X are secretly critiquing your patterned wallpaper choices and state of your furniture (15%) and over 74s are being turned off by homes with small windows.

The UK’s New Home Must-Haves

Of the five most important things buyers are looking for in their next homes, more than half are after an outdoor space or leafy garden as a priority. This “must-have” is the biggest priority in the South West, with 61% of buyers there wanting this feature in their dream home. An outdoor space was the top priority for every age demographic, though the UK’s Baby Boomers are after a garden the most, with 58% of this group saying this is their top must-have versus only 27% of Gen Zs saying the same.

Following this must-have is a parking space or driveway, with 43% of buyers looking for somewhere to park a car. Buyers in Northern Ireland are looking for this more than any other, with half of buyers there looking for this as a priority in their dream home. Women have prioritised a parking space the most, with more than half wanting this in their next home, versus only 35% of men.

Rounding out the top five must-have are double glazing (39%), a spare room and lots of natural light (both 32%), and plenty of storage space (31%), while amenities like an en-suite (19%) or security cameras (8%) were less important to buyers.

The UK’s Biggest Spenders

Despite the current cost of living crisis, many are willing to pay extra to get their hands on their dream property. On average, UK buyers are willing to pay an average of £6,277 more than the listed asking price in order to buy a home that ticks all the boxes, even though Brits admit that the current financial crunch will see their home buying timeline impacted by an average of 3.78 years.

The survey revealed that almost a quarter of buyers (23%) believe the current crisis will affect their property purchases for a period of 5-10 years, while the majority (59%) believe it will be more like 1-4 years until they can now buy their dream home.

 

 

It comes as no surprise that Londoners are prepared to pay the most over asking price, with this region saying they would spend more than £10,200 extra to get their top property, while 1 in 10 Gen Z home buyers said they would pay up to £25,000 extra to make sure they could purchase the home of their dreams – despite almost two thirds of this age group (61%) saying the cost crisis has impacted their purchase timeline by up to four years.

The full study can be found here: https://www.conservatoryland.com/blog/the-uks-dream-home-must-haves/