Quarter of house buyers hate their locality

A QUARTER of homeowners wish they had never brought a property in the area where they live.

Research by First Mortgage found that more than half (51 per cent) said they had little choice in the locality they wanted to live, while 28 per cent chose to live where they did to develop their property.

David McGrail, compliance director at leading broker First Mortgage said: “A house move shouldn’t be rushed, you should be sure of where you are moving to and why you are moving there.

“The area is just as important as the property itself.”

The survey of 1,400 homeowners showed that for a third of buyers, familiarity of the area is most important when searching for a new home.

Affordability (33 per cent) and proximity to family (32 per cent) come in just behind as reasons for choosing a certain area to live.

Although the pandemic has led to many working from their kitchen table, it seems a third (27 per cent) still have an eye on post-pandemic life, when it comes to purchasing a house.

Mr McGrail added: “When looking to buy a property, you should always plan for the future.

“What is perfect now, might not be perfect in five to 10 years.

“But now more so than ever, short-term planning is just as important.

“Buying a house far away from your work might be a no brainer whilst working from home, but can quickly turn out to be a nightmare, when your office opens back up.

“Buying a property is likely to be the biggest purchase of your life, so making sure it is right is crucial.”

‘What is perfect now might not be in 10 years’