What Type of House Buyer Are You?

Depending on your tastes and requirements, there are vast differences in what we look for in a property and, therefore, how we act when buying a house. The National House-Building Council has created descriptions for six different types of house buyers.

The Project Hunter takes their inspiration from the multitude of property renovation programmes. They are constantly looking for the next opportunity to create their dream home. They are likely to purchase a property if it works out as a good investment, and that generally means a house that needs plenty of work doing on it. This type of buyer is unlikely to be happy in a completed home for long and will move a number of times during their life.

In contrast, the Easy Lifer doesn’t want to do any work on their new home. They are happiest with a property that they can walk straight into and certainly wouldn’t want to take on any large-scale renovation projects. On top of this, they also want to have all the modern appliances and the latest technology already installed.

The Altruist home buyer wants to feel as if they are doing their bit for the environment. Their ideal property would be an eco-friendly home which reduces energy bills and has as little impact as possible on the environment. Features that they are looking for include solar panels and low-energy heat sources.

The Interior Designer is probably the most stylish home buyer and will read every property magazine they can find. They always want their property to look like it could have been featured in one of these magazines — from the cushions and rugs in the living areas through to the stainless handrails on the balcony. They like to do some work on a new home to make their mark on it, but this doesn’t stretch to major renovations.

With property prices increasing, there are more Co-Homers who live in a home with other adult members, whether that’s grown-up children or older parents. For them a house needs to have the right features to fit their lifestyle, including an adequate number of bathrooms and appropriate living space.

Finally, there’s the First Timer who wants to get a start on the property ladder. They don’t usually have a large budget for extras so are looking for a house that doesn’t need too much work doing to it and is fairly low-maintenance.