Househunter Survey Reveals What Makes A Potential Home Desirable

Nov. 19, 2012 - PRLog -- Peace and quiet is top of the list for Brits when it comes to finding a new home, it emerged yesterday.

Research carried out among 2,000 adults who have moved in the last two years or who are currently house hunting revealed a string of plus points and no-no's for those hoping to sell a house, with a quiet street topping the wish-list.

Good parking, a nice car on the driveway and a well-manicured lawn are also big attractions for potential homeowners. A garden shed and big double glazed windows are also likely to help in improving opinions on a property.

The study, commissioned by Planitherm glass, found the biggest turn- offs include garden gnomes, overgrown hanging baskets and bins left out.

Yesterday Craig Dodsworth, market manager for Planitherm glass said: “It’s clear that when it comes to finding the right place to live, noise levels and outside appearance are the most important factors’

“It seems certain items can have a big influence on the feel of a house and whether people warm to a place or not.

“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.”

Seeing a pebbledash exterior or security bars on the windows of a house is likely to put people off and have them turning back up the garden path.

While other housing grumbles that just missed out on the top 20 were big satellite dishes, garden windmills and missing cat signs.

The survey also revealed that a proud six in ten Brits worry about what the outside of their home looks like – and most were worried that others might judge them.

In fact, the majority of people surveyed regarded the outside of a house as more important than its interior – with seven in ten reasoning that this is because the inside can be improved much more easily.

Indeed, 63 per cent believe it’s the view from the curb that creates the strongest impression when first viewing a home.

And that impression doesn’t take long – with the average house hunter knowing if a place is for them within just five minutes. Those currently house hunting had already dismissed at least four properties, purely because they didn’t like the look
of them from the outside.

And many Brits suss out the quality of the neighbours’ properties when weighing up a new home – with a fifth rating the standard of nearby houses as crucial.

Criag Dodsworth from Planitherm glass added: “Of course, everyone has different tastes and varying ideas of what they think is and isn’t appealing.

“What matters most is the look of a home, as it seems most people feel that this is a good representation of the tastes of the person living there.

It seems that good quality windows are one of the most important factors in making the outside of a house look more desirable, with half of those surveyed saying good quality windows were top of their list.

Craig continued: “New windows not only make a home look more appealing, they can save homeowners money in the long term too. Fitting new windows with a next-generation, energy saving glass like Planitherm can cut a home’s energy bills by up to 28% - a homeowner could look to using those savings to spruce up the inside of their new house!”

For information on Planitherm glass, go to: www.planitherm.com

BIGGEST PROPERTY POSITIVES
1. A quiet street
2. Good parking
3. Big windows with double glazing
4. Neighbours house looks well maintained
5. Neighbours seem friendly
6. Well-maintained lawn
7. Conservatory
8. Patio
9. Flowers and hanging baskets in the garden
10. Fruit trees in the garden
11. A garden shed
12. Large trees in the garden
13. Garden furniture
14. A nice car on the driveway
15. Barbecue
16. Solar panels
17. Recycling bins
18. Vegetable patch
19. A big chimney
20. Water butt in the garden

BIGGEST HOUSING TURN-OFFS
1. Security bars on the windows
2. Sheets hanging in windows instead of curtains
3. Long or untidy lawn
4. Caravan in the garden
5. Overgrown bushes
6. Caravan in the neighbour's garden
7. Beware of the dog sign
8. Bins left out
9. Fading or broken exterior lights
10. Stickers in window
11. CCTV camera
12. Trampoline in the neighbour's garden
13. Pebble dash
14. Overgrown hanging baskets
15. Emergency service sirens audible nearby
16. Garden gnomes
17. Old car
18. Posters in window
19. Trampoline in the garden
20. Net curtains

ENDS

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About Saint-Gobain:
Saint-Gobain, the world leader in the habitat and construction markets, designs, manufactures and distributes building materials, providing innovative solutions to the challenges of growth, energy efficiency and environmental protection. With 2010 sales of €40.1 billion, Saint-Gobain operates in 64 countries and has nearly 190,000 employees.
In the UK and Ireland, some of the best known and respected companies in the construction industry are part of Saint-Gobain. Alongside Saint Gobain Glass these include British Gypsum, Isover, Solaglas, Weber, Saint-Gobain PAM, Pasquill, Ecophon and Saint-Gobain Solar. Together they offer a range of high performance energy-saving products and solutions to help create a more sustainable built environment.

For more information on Saint-Gobain visit www.saint-gobain.co.uk.