Garages, gardens and parking: What prospective homeowners want
Prospective house-buyers’ desires for their new home have been revealed, with garages, gardens and parking coming top of the list.
This is according to property marketplace Zoopla, which has shared its analysis of the top searched terms on its website in the last year.
Regional differences
‘Garage’ was the most popular term across the UK, coming top of the list of preferred property features everywhere but London and Scotland. In those regions, green space was the most desired aspect of a new home, with prospective buyers searching for gardens.
Parking in general was the third most in-demand feature in the country, highlighting the shortage of appropriate spaces to leave vehicles.
Meanwhile, different regions had different preferences for property styles. Cottages were particularly popular in Scotland, the north of England, the Midlands, the south west and east England.
Bungalows proving popular
After secure parking and green spaces, property styles were the next most important factor for buyers. Perhaps surprisingly, ‘bungalow’ was the fourth most searched for term, while ‘detached’ came in fifth.
Buyers are also looking for annexes, with that the sixth most looked for feature of a new home. Perhaps as a result of the well-publicised troubles leaseholders face, freeholds were the seventh most in-demand type of property.
Zoopla consumer expert Laura Howard said: “The once unfashionable bungalow continues to make a comeback, highlighting an ageing population that wants to enjoy the benefits that single-floor living provides.”
The rural dream
Buyers also had particular wishes for the locations of their new homes. The most requested location was ‘rural’, while homeowners were also looking for a property found on an acre of land.
A sea view was the 10th most looked for feature of a new home. Whether these were realistic must-haves for buyers or simply wishful thinking is unclear, but they may reveal a common desire to give up the city for a country life.
The top 10 most searched for terms on Zoopla were:
- Garage
- Garden
- Parking
- Bungalow
- Detached
- Annex
- Freehold
- Rural
- Acre
- Sea view
From garages to sea views, whatever you’re looking for in a new home, First4Lawyers can help make the process of buying a house simpler.
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