Detached house in the South West is the dream home for many in the UK

A detached period house in a rural village in South West is the dream property that most people want to buy. It must also have a large garden and garage and walk in wardrobes, new research published today (Friday 15 March) shows.

Primelocation.com surveyed around 3,500 British home owners to identify the attributes that would make up their ideal home, if money was no object. The results show that British understatement is alive and well, with the majority of Brits selecting a detached house set in a rural village in South West England as their dream property.

To reinforce the point, those surveyed indicated that four to five bedrooms would be the ideal size, even if money was not a limiting factor. The preferred architectural style of the majority of those surveyed was Victorian or Edwardian. A large garden, multi car garage and walk in wardrobes would also be must haves for most people.
 
‘Typical British reserve and understatement shines through in selecting of their ideal property. Forget sprawling mansions or flash penthouses, the quintessential English country house with enough room for a family is what the majority of Brits view as their dream home. A quiet rural retreat is preferred to city life and with numerous chocolate box villages spread across the South West it’s little wonder the majority of Brits would position their ideal home there,’ said spokesman Lawrence Hall.

The countryside is far preferred to towns and cities as the dream setting for most Brits’ ideal home. And whilst London is the heartland of prime property, only 14% of those surveyed would choose to live in the capital.

Some 25% of Brits would prefer to live in a rural village whilst 22% would choose a larger country town, 17% would like to live on the rural coast, 18% would choose a seaside town and only 5% of those surveyed chose a large city or town other than London.

The South West was the clear winner in terms of location with 30% of Brits surveyed choosing it as their ideal location, whilst 25% prefer the South East. The North East was the least preferred location with only 1.3% of respondents selecting it as the ideal place for their dream home.

‘London is home to some of the most expensive prime properties in the world. High spec townhouses, mansions and apartments attract some of the wealthiest buyers from across the globe. But the bright lights of city life appear less attractive for the majority of Brits who see their ideal home in a rural idyll 200 miles away,’ explained Hall.

The research also found that 39% of Brits would chose a detached property for their ideal home while 23% specified a country house as their ideal choice. Farmhouses and barn conversions, both 6.8%, were the next most popular types of property.

Some 66% regard a large garden as an essential part of the ideal property, 49% would want a multi car garage and 47% say a walk-in wardrobe is a key feature for their dream home.

In terms of off negative aspects, problem neighbours were identified as the number one concern, with more than half, 57%, of those surveyed stating that anti social neighbours would be the biggest put off. And 28% felt that an unkempt garden would make it far less desirable.

‘Location, style and features are all key components of what makes up an ideal property. Homeowners should be mindful of what makes a property desirable and the must have features of a prime property when they come to sell. It would seem that you can’t go wrong if you cater to all the members of the family; a large garage for dad, a walk in wardrobe for mum and a large garden for the kids,’ added Hall.