What Makes a Dream Home?

Many of us will spend hours dreaming about our perfect home and what it would look like, but what is the image of everyone else's ideal property? A new piece of research has highlighted what property owners would want in their dream home, and some of the elements might be surprising.

Peace and Quiet

The Strutt and Parker Housing Futures survey shows that the majority of people see their dream property as a traditional farmhouse situated in a countryside location. 65.7% of people surveyed aspire to a detached cottage or farmhouse-style property. Ideally, this would be in a quiet setting but not be too remote. Proximity to shops and other local amenities was important, with 49.2% of respondents marking this as an important point.

Other components of the ideal home include having at least three bedrooms, being warm and insulated to reduce energy costs, having an Aga installed and benefiting from a good broadband service. The top location for this dream home was in the South East, with the South West and the Midlands second and third choices. A rural setting was also an important factor in people's ideal home, followed by being in a village or market town.

Modern Living

The survey shows how the average person wants a combination of the traditional ideal alongside the modern comforts that we have become used to. Broadband connectivity was a new addition to the yearly survey, and 35.8% of those who were asked said this was important to them.

The main reason people would want to move to their dream property would be to change their lifestyle (49.3%). This has long been the key motivation behind moving house and continues to dominate. We also don't feel that this dream is out of our reach. 79.4% of those surveyed hoped to achieve this ambition within five years.

The Housing Futures survey questions those property owners who are considering moving in the coming five years. It produces a list of the top ten elements that would make up the perfect home. Also on this wish list were a walled garden and a great view. If you're looking for a home with an outstanding view, you can make the most of this by installing a steel balcony.

People's idea of a perfect home will always vary, but this research shows that there are some areas that are the same for property owners up and down the country.