The British love affair with period homes is over, poll suggests

British home buyers no longer aspire to live in a period homes, and would prefer a new build home post-pandemic, data from the New Home Buyer Survey shows.

Key points from the survey:

• 67% of all UK home hunters, across all regions and buyer types, would prefer to buy a new build home VS second hand home
• ‘Next-Stepper’, ‘Forever Home Hunter’ and ‘Empty Nester’ buyers all state that energy efficiency is ‘important’ in their next home move, with smart thermostats and lower running costs a priority
• A designated home office space is the 2ndmost important feature desired in a new home, followed by access to high quality green space, whether private garden or public realm

According to the poll, from whathouse.com the UK’s leading new home audience platform, when it comes to buying a property, two thirds of all UK home hunters, across all regions and buyer types, would prefer to buy a new build home VS second hand home.

Data suggests that 2022’s cost-of-living crunch and buyer sentiment around carbon reduction means that, when it comes to selecting a new home, buyers place energy efficiency/lower running costs top of their criteria, closely followed by a dedicated home office and access to green space.

The findings place the UK’s residential developers at the forefront of meeting public demand for post-pandemic living.

Daniel Hill, Managing Director, whathouse.com, comments:

“The way we use our homes has changed so much during the pandemic. The results of the whathouse.com New Home Buyer Survey show that we’ve entered a new era of lifestyle-savvy home buying. As, given a choice, the vast majority of people now consider the benefits of a new build home to be far more desirable than that of second-hand or period property. 

“With more time now spent at home, whether working from home or entertaining, and with energy bills only set to rise further, it’s never been more important for home buyers to weigh up the pros and cons of new VS old. 

“This research highlights the crucial role the UK’s residential developers will play in meeting public demand for post-pandemic living. As an industry we have already adapted quickly to respond to the changing lifestyle needs of buyers throughout the pandemic, and continue to progress the building of energy efficient, sustainable homes at pace.   

“It’s no surprise that for home hunters in 2022 a new build home the obvious choice.”  

Kindly shared by WhatHouse?

Main article photo courtesy of Pixabay