As the Bank Holiday provides the perfect opportunity for DIY-ers and househunters to get stuck in, homeowners now look to TV programmes for inspiration and seek to match their aspirations with the reality of the UK property market and the work they’re prepared to take on to achieve the perfect living space, according to new research from Halifax.
Halifax asked UK homeowners which homes of the small screen provided the greatest inspiration for their ideal abode. The open plan living spaces of homes on Ramsay Street (Neighbours) proved to be the most popular option for most families (40 per cent).
Despite its unfortunate happenings, the quaint idyllic cottages of Midsomer (Midsomer Murders) would be the property of choice for 35 per cent of people, although the terraces of Coronation Street (eight per cent), New York loft apartments in Friends (eight per cent) and Dallas’s palatial Southfork mansion (eight per cent) hold much less sway.
With the properties on the UK market unlikely to provide much chance to match these aspirational choices, it seems families are more practical when it comes to choosing their own home.
Fewer than one in five homeowners (19 per cent) want to move in to a house that requires no work and, despite the labour involved, 62 per cent would be willing to make structural changes to their next property.
Although the communal spaces of Ramsay Street prove to be an attractive feature for most UK families, just a handful of homeowners (seven per cent) looked for open plan properties when choosing their current home.
However, partly thanks to the plethora of property programmes, the Grand Designs generation is more likely to take their home to task in order to get what they want.
• 76 per cent of homeowners between the ages of 18 and 40 would look to knock down walls to create the perfect living space in their next home
• 65 per cent of all homeowners would add extra space by converting a loft or basement in their home
• Nearly two thirds (65 per cent) of homeowners will look to add an extension when they move to their next property.
"There's often a difference between the dream home and the reality of more traditional properties on the market but now, more than ever, people are willing to take on their own project,” said Stephen Noakes, commercial director of mortgages at Halifax.
“Whether it's knocking down walls, converting unused space or extending - homeowners are less willing to compromise, and so are creating the perfect living space."
Additional findings:
• Only half of homeowners would select their other half as their ideal houseviewing partner - 15 per cent would rather rely on the expertise of Kirstie Allsopp and Phil Spencer, 12 per cent would take a friend, 10 per cent would rely on parental advice and 2 per cent would prefer the honesty of Simon Cowell.
• Location, location, location is still the key mantra for homeowners, with 41 per cent saying it's the most important thing they look for when choosing a new property. This is most important for women (48 per cent), with more men (34 per cent) willing to compromise.
• Our housing choice changes as we grow older. 43 per cent of those over 65 would choose a Midsomer cottage, compared to just 14 per cent of those between 18 and 24.
• Seeking out open plan properties is more popular in London than any other region, as homeowners seek to maximise their living space. 74 per cent of Londoners are also willing to make structural changes to their home, more than any other region.
• 62 per cent of all homeowners would be prepared to make structural changes - and the appetite does not diminish with age. 38 per cent of over 65s would still be looking to change their next property.
• Outdoor space is an important driver when choosing a property, 24 per cent of homeowners say that their garden was the most important feature when they bought their current house.
• Four in ten homeowners (42 per cent) in the North East and 36 per cent in Wales say they chose their current home because it offered a larger garden,
• More space in the home is the key driving factor in London (31 per cent), but perhaps more practical in the South West, where it's the most important factor (35 per cent)
