The South East is the most desired location for a new home of people planning to move in the next five years, Strutt & Parker’s latest Housing Futures survey revealed.
The survey among 2,000 UK adults shows that the largest proportion of homebuyers (26.1 per cent) want to purchase a property in the South East.
The South West was named as the second-best location to settle down, with 15.6 per cent of respondents saying they would like to buy a home there. The West Midlands were the third most popular with 9.6 per cent of prospective homebuyers picking the region as a desired location to live.
For the second consecutive year, lifestyle change was the biggest motivation for moving (49.3 per cent), followed by access to shops and amenities (39.3 per cent). A new category for the survey this year was broadband connectivity, which has shot in as the third motivation at 35.8 per cent and highlights the desire to be technologically connected.
The ideal home, according to the compiled results of the survey meets these top 10 requirements:
1. South East location
2. Rural setting
3. Less than a mile from the shops
4. Detached farmhouse or cottage with three bedrooms or more
5. Traditional British interiors & cosy ambience
6. AGA oven
7. Broadband connectivity
8. A walled garden
9. An outstanding view of the countryside
10. Good insulation for energy saving
*
Other findings Include:
*The ideal home for the majority of respondents (65.7 per cent) is a detached house
*It will be either a farmhouse or in a cottage style
*It will be 1,500-2,499 sq ft and have a minimum of three bedrooms
*The least desired home was a terraced house with just 6 per cent of respondents choosing it
*A flat, regardless of whether it was above a shop or a penthouse, was the second least desired option (9 per cent)
Inside features
**One in five of respondents said they wanted an AGA oven in their new home (20.5 per cent).
**The top two most desired feature in the home was a kitchen island/breakfast bar (15.9 per cent)
**A wet room/rain shower was coveted in third place (13.4 per cent).
**Cinema room was in fourth place (9.3 per cent)
**A wine cellar was fifth (8.7 per cent)
Interior design
***The most popular interior design style was ‘Traditional British’
***Second place was for ‘Rustic’
***’Modern’ style ranked third
Outside features
****The most people wanted a walled garden as a dream outside item (21.6 per cent)
****Second-most desired outside item was an outdoor entertainment terrace (12.7 per cent)
****A swimming pool was in third place (12.3 per cent)
== Tennis courts, vegetable patches and orchards were also high on wish lists.
== Insulation and glazing featured as the most important environment requirements.
