Seventy per cent of house hunters decide on whether or not they will buy a home as soon as they set eyes on it, a new survey has found.
Home and Garden on Female First
The results indicated that most Brits were very quick to form an impression about a potential new home, with a further 15 per cent taking just two minutes to make up their minds.
The survey, commissioned by Saint-Gobain Glass, asked over 2,000 adults who had moved house in the last two years or who are currently house hunting what made a new home most appealing.
Top of the list came a quiet street and good parking. Another key feature was large double-glazed windows, with half of those surveyed looking for these.
A well maintained lawn appealed to 42 per cent and a well maintained neighbouring house was required by 43 per cent of house hunters.
Market manager for Planitherm glass, Craig Dodsworth, says: “First impressions are always crucial and the results show that there are many pitfalls that can lead a person to feel they don’t like a house before they even step in the door.”
And as TV property programmes often say, first impressions really do count. Seventy-one per cent of those surveyed said that their gut instincts and first impressions were an important part in their decision making process.
Property exteriors proved to be more important than any interior designs as 63 per cent said they form their impression of a house from the kerb, before they even cross the threshold and see the interior.
In addition, 68 per cent believe a disappointing interior can always be changed, but an ugly exterior is much harder to alter, and that this would affect their choice of home.
Craig says: “New windows not only make a home look more appealing, they can save homeowners money in the long term too. Fitting new windows with energy saving glass like Planitherm can cut a home’s energy bills by up to 28 per cent - a homeowner could look to using those savings to spruce up the inside of their new house.”
TOP TEN FEATURES THAT MAKE A HOUSE APPEALING TO HOUSE HUNTERS
- A quiet street
- Good parking
- Large double-glazed windows
- Neighbours house looks well maintained
- Neighbours seem friendly
- Well-maintained lawn
- Conservatory
- Patio
- Flowers and hanging baskets in the garden
- A swing in the garden
TOP TEN FEATURES THAT MAKE A HOUSE UNAPPEALING TO HOUSE HUNTERS
- Security bars on the window
- Long or untidy lawn
- Sheets in the window instead of curtains
- Caravan in the garden
- Caravan in the neighbour’s garden
- Untidy overgrown bushes
- Beware of the dog sign
- Bins left out
- Garden gnomes
- Fading or broken exterior lights
Femalefirst Taryn Davies