Maw Comms news
15 May, 17 The 20 features that will sell your home
Energy efficiency, security and good broadband top homebuyers’ property ‘must-have’ features
- Efficient central heating systems, double glazing, and secure doors and windows are top priorities for home-buyers;
- House-hunters rate a good broadband connection over friendly neighbours; gardens rather than garages, and a good reliable mobile phone signal as opposed to a landline phone connection;
- Good schools, open plan kitchens and living areas and period features all fail to make the property ‘must-have’ top 20.
Warmth, energy efficiency and security top homebuyers’ property ‘must-have’ features according to new research from Gocompare.com, while highly rated schools, open plan kitchens and living areas and period features all failed to make the top 20.
| Rank | Top 20 ‘must-have’ property features | % |
| 1 | Central heating | 69 |
| 2 | Double glazing | 68 |
| 3 | A garden | 65 |
| 4 | Secure doors and windows | 61 |
| 5 | Driveway or dedicated parking space | 54 |
| 6 | Plenty of electrical sockets | 54 |
| 7 | Local shops and amenities | 50 |
| 8 | A good, reliable broadband connection strong enough to stream TV and films | 49 |
| 9 | Friendly neighbours | 47 |
| 10 | At least 2 toilets | 46 |
| 11 | A bath | 46 |
| 12 | A good energy efficiency rating | 46 |
| 13 | A new boiler/central heating system | 45 |
| 14 | A reliable, clear mobile phone signal | 44 |
| 15 | A shower cubicle | 40 |
| 16 | A garage | 39 |
| 17 | Cavity wall insulation | 38 |
| 18 | A land line telephone | 38 |
| 19 | A living room big enough for a large, flat screen television | 37 |
| 20 | A dining room | 35 |
Several previous ‘must haves’ failed to make an appearance in the top 20 with the survey signalling the end of the period features craze. Likewise, more buyers were concerned with having a garden (65%) than a conservatory, suggesting that the traditional investment, may actually harm your chances at selling your home.
However, the biggest surprise was that only 13% of those surveyed said access to good local schools was an essential factor in buying a new home.
Matt Sanders from Gocompare.com Home Insurance commented, “Buying a home is a major investment and while most of us will only buy a house if it ‘feels right’, our survey should hopefully give those looking to sell their home a steer on what buyers are after.
“We found that many potential buyers are prioritising efficiency, security and connectivity over aesthetic features. This suggests that modern buyers are buying with their heads rather than their hearts and that investing in things like a new boiler, additional electrical sockets or modernising your home’s insulation could be a smarter investment than traditional selling points such as period features or conservatories.
“If you’re not looking to invest further in the property in order to sell, then it’s worth making small changes to the décor when it comes time to sell. Making your home seem warmer, fresher and more secure could have a positive effect on potential buyers. So, even if it’s not to your personal taste consider opting for earthy warm colours over greys, blacks and metallic colours.
“It is surprising to see previous must-haves such as good schools and conservatories fail to make the top 20. However, our research shows that buyers are becoming more financially savvy and are willing to make compromises on the finer details of a property to keep costs down and avoid expensive work in the future.”
For more information on visit: http://www.gocompare.com/home-insurance/
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For further information please contact:
Anders Nilsson or Martyn John at Gocompare.com on 01633 654 054 / 01633 654 725
Gordon, Jason or Liz at MAW Communications on 01603 505 845
Keep up-to-date with the Gocompare.com press team on Twitter; @Gocomparecomms
Notes to editors:
*On 27 March 2017, Bilendi conducted an online survey among 2001 randomly selected British adults who are Maximiles UK panelists (1,275 were homeowners). The margin of error-which measures sampling variability-is +/- 2.2%. The results have been statistically weighted according to the most current education, age, gender and regional data to ensure samples representative of the entire adult population of United Kingdom. Discrepancies in or between totals are due to rounding.
Gocompare.com is a comparison website that enables people to compare the costs and features of a wide variety of insurance policies, financial products and energy tariffs. Gocompare.com does not charge people to use its services, and it does not accept advertising or sponsored listings, so all product comparisons are unbiased. Gocompare.com makes its money through fees paid by the providers of products that appear on its various comparison services when a customer buys through the site. Gocompare.com does not sell its customers’ data.
When it launched in 2006, it was the first comparison site to focus on displaying policy details rather than just listing prices, with the aim of helping people to make better-informed decisions when buying their insurance. Gocompare.com has remained dedicated to helping people choose the most appropriate products rather than just the cheapest, and has teamed up with Defaqto, the independent financial researcher, to integrate additional policy information into a number of its insurance comparison services. This allows people to compare up to an extra 30 features of cover.
Gocompare.com is the only comparison website to be invited to join the British Insurance Brokers’ Association (BIBA) and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA).
