Revealed: The 20 features that will sell your home
Good broadband and mobile signal strength are the biggest movers in this year’s list, along with a good energy efficiency rating
- Efficient central heating systems, double glazing, and secure doors and windows top UK home-buyers’ lists of ‘must-have’ home features;
- ‘Friendly neighbours’ and a parking place slip down the list;
- Open plan living spaces, highly rated schools and period features all fail to make the top 20.
Central heating, double glazing, home security and a garden top the nation’s list of top 20 ‘must-have’ property features, according to new research* by GoCompare Home Insurance.
A reliable broadband connection has moved up into the top five home essentials from 8th last year, while a clear mobile signal and a good energy efficiency rating are both in the top 10 for the first time. However, ‘friendly neighbours’ (9th last year) and access to a dedicated parking place (5th last year) have both dropped down the list.
Other property features on buyers’ ‘must-have’ lists include plenty of electrical sockets and easy access to local shops and other amenities.
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Top 20 property must-haves |
||
|
1. |
Central heating |
82% |
|
2. |
Double glazing |
80% |
|
3. |
Secure doors and windows |
74% |
|
4. |
A garden |
69% |
|
5. |
A good, reliable broadband connection sufficiently strong to stream films and TV |
59% |
|
6. |
Plenty of electrical sockets |
59% |
|
7. |
Local shops and amenities |
58% |
|
8. |
A driveway or dedicated parking space |
53% |
|
9. |
A reliable, clear mobile phone signal |
53% |
|
10. |
A good energy efficiency rating |
52% |
|
11. |
At least 2 toilets |
52% |
|
12. |
Friendly neighbours |
51% |
|
13. |
A bath tub |
50% |
|
14. |
A shower cubicle |
49% |
|
15. |
Cavity wall insulation |
46% |
|
16. |
A living room big enough for a large, flat screen TV |
42% |
|
17. |
A garage |
41% |
|
18. |
A dining room |
40% |
|
19. |
A landline telephone |
39% |
|
20. |
A new boiler or central heating system |
37% |
At the other end of the spectrum, fewer buyers considered a conservatory (19%), wood floors (13%), good local schools (13%), open plan living spaces (9%) and period features (5%) a high-priority in a new home, with all of them failing to make the top 20.
GoCompare Home Insurance is warning home buyers that buildings insurance should also be on their ‘must-have’ list. Buildings insurance covers the cost of repairing damage to the structure of a property. Buyers become legally responsible for a property the day they exchange contracts, rather than the day they move in. Therefore, to protect their financial interest against any damage to the building they need buildings insurance from that date.
Ben Wilson, spokesperson for GoCompare Home Insurance said, “Buying a home is the biggest financial commitment most people will make. So, before viewing properties it is helpful to have an idea of the type of area and property you’d like to live in and think about your real ‘must-have’ priorities.
“Connectivity and energy efficiency are two massive factors for anyone thinking about a move at the moment, while the number of electrical sockets is now more important than access to local amenities. Likewise, a broadband signal fast enough for streaming, and a reliable and a clear mobile phone signal are deemed home essentials today and sellers need to be wise to these new priorities.
“Once you have found a property you wish to buy, you take on legal responsibility for it on the day you exchange contracts, not the day of completion. After that date, you are liable for any damage to the building, for example, if it’s damaged in a fire or a flood. So, to avoid the property being uninsured, it’s advisable to arrange buildings insurance cover from the day you exchange contracts.”
Follow the link for more information on how to sell a home.
-Ends-
For further information please contact:
Anders Nilsson or Martyn John at GoCompare on 01633 654 054 / 01633 654 725
Gordon, Jason or Liz at MAW Communications on 01603 505 845
Keep up-to-date with GoCompare on Twitter; @GoCompare
Notes to editors
*On the 19 March 2018, Bilendi conducted an online survey among 2,046 randomly selected British adults who are Maximiles UK panellists. 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.
About GoCompare
GoCompare 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 does not charge people to use its services, and it does not accept advertising or sponsored listings, so all product comparisons are unbiased. Gocompare 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 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 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 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).
For more information visit www.gocompare.com and www.gocomparegroup.com