A Detached House, Not a Castle, Is the Real Dream

As children we’re often led to believe that the dream property to buy would be our very own castle or a grand mansion. However, a new survey has found that the reality is often much simpler, with the majority of people dreaming of owning a detached home rather than anything larger.

The research, conducted on behalf of OceanFinance.co.uk, found that almost 20% of British people think a detached home would be their ideal property. Over the past few years it has become much harder to put down a deposit and get on the property ladder, so it would seem our aspirations have become a little more grounded. Being able to afford any home of our own can sometimes be a dream enough for some people today.

Even with all the fairy stories we read as children, most of us now realise that aspiring to live in our very own castle is not particularly grown-up. Only 5% have a dream of buying a mansion or a castle at some point in their lives.

Modest Dreams

The ideal detached property is too high up the chain for some people and, according to the data, their dreams have an even stronger base in reality. Around 13% of people would consider a bungalow as a dream property, with just 6.5% aspiring to own an apartment. A few years ago, television programmes romanticised the image of living in a converted building with steel handrails, such as a church or barn. The reality, though, is that fewer than 6% of home buyers actually want to live in one. However, even these types of properties are above the castle and mansion dreams.

While the majority of us currently live in a city or other urban location, we all secretly have ambitions to move out into the open countryside. When we’re thinking about our dream property, 17% of people aspire to owning a small home in the country. Following this were the 15% who dream of owning a farmhouse, and fewer than 5% would see a townhouse in the city as an ideal home.

Whether we currently own a home or are still trying to get on the property ladder, this research has shown that we’re mainly modest in our aspirations. Maybe the effect of the financial crisis has had an impact on people’s dreams, making us more grateful for what we can achieve rather than wanting more.