While house-hunters have had broadly the same aims for decades – a nice garden if possible, good neighbours, a fair price and ease of access to school, work and town – the covid-19 pandemic has added a few more must-haves.
Property portal Rightmove conducted a survey recently to find out what movers want in a new property and it turns out that more than a third have changed their priorities as a result of the pandemic and lockdown.
People want a bigger home with a garden and room for an office
According to the 4,000-respondent survey, this year’s crop of house-hunters wants:
– A bigger garden than before, or at least access to one (63%);
– A bigger home than they currently have (43%);
– Easy access to a garage or parking space (36%);
– A better and bigger working space within the home (36%);
– Closer proximity to a park or green spaces (31%), and
– A rural location (30%).
In May 2020, Rightmove reports, searches for properties with gardens rose by 42% on May 2019 for buyers and by 84% for renters.
If you’re a vendor without a garden, don’t worry
If you’re about to put your property on the market and you haven’t got much of a garden, or one at all, then you don’t need to feel discouraged. If all you have is a little postage stamp of grass, then you should do as much as you can with it – landscape it, add some fairy lights and a chiminea, maybe. Making the space you have as welcoming and functional as you can will make all the difference.
If you’re in a flat with no individual access to a garden, then big up the communal outside space as much as possible, or make sure your lovely local parks feature highly in your listing. Realistically, all of these house-hunters clamouring for a garden won’t be able to find or afford one, so offer them a halfway house on the way to their dream.
