Most sought-after features for home-buyers

A new study by estate agent Jackson-Stops and house building Crest Nicholson has revealed buyers’ most wanted features in their new homes.

The report asked over 2,000 UK residents what they look for when searching for property. Sustainability came top of the wish list, with 92 percent saying this was an important consideration.

Surroundings were also crucial, with 98 percent wanting local shops and businesses, 96 percent saying green space and parks are vital and 92 percent wanting paths for walking.

Half of the respondents said that they would postpone moving until these infrastructure components were in place.

Other considerations

As well as physical features, buyers are also looking for less tangible elements. Some 91 percent wanted a strong community spirit, 75 percent considered the history and heritage of an area to be important and 73 percent wanted a diverse community.

Only 41 percent of those with school-age children prioritised living near a school rated ‘good’ or ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted. Surprisingly a mere 6 percent said their new property needed to be located within a desirable postcode.

Most sought-after features

Almost all of those questioned (95 percent) wanted a home with sustainable features, with 20 percent saying that their most desirable feature was energy efficiency measures or electric car charging points. For 43 percent, private outdoor space was their top requirement. Some 98 percent said that the layout of the home was important, with 68 percent looking for a ‘forever home’.

If the property featured an extra room, 22 percent said they would use it as a guest room and 17 percent would have a home office. Some other choices were games room, workout space, cinema, bar or crafts room, accounting in total for 26 percent of replies.

Jackson-Stops chairman, Scott Black, said, “Despite the continuous disturbance within the political sphere, the property market is bouncing back as buyers start to realise that now is as good a time as any to make a move. However, we are finding that they are becoming far more particular than ever before about not only the home in which they are looking to buy, but also its surroundings – from their neighbours to the amount of green space and infrastructure accessible from their doorstep. In this current climate, they want to be certain in their decision and if a property doesn’t have outdoor space or a private or dedicated parking for example it’s a ‘no deal’ from them. These buyers are also looking for a property with longevity, with 68% stating that they are looking for their ‘forever’ home.”