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CENTRAL heating and double glazing top the list of home buyers’ must-haves.

But a reliable broadband connection and mobile phone signal are increasingly important to people wanting to move house.

Every year we look at the best ways to get the best possible price for your home and this week we reveal the features which will add appeal to house buyers.

In this year’s annual survey for GoCompare Home Insurance openplan living spaces, highly-rated schools and period features fail to make the top 20.

Home security and a garden share the top four spots in the list with central heating and double glazing.

Reliable broadband has moved into the top five essentials – up from 8th last year – while a clear mobile signal and a good energy efficiency rating are both in the top 10 for the first time.

However, friendly neighbours (9th last year) and access to a dedicated parking place (5th last year) have both dropped down the list. Other property features on buyers’ musthave lists include plenty of electrical sockets and easy access to local shops and other amenities.

At the other end of the spectrum, fewer buyers considered a conservatory (19%), wood floors (13%), good local schools (13%), open plan living spaces (9%) and period features (5%) a high priority in a new home, with all of them failing to make it into the top 20.

GoCompare Home Insurance is warning home buyers that buildings insurance is a must.

It covers the cost of repairing any damage to the structure of a property.

Buyers become legally responsible for a property the day they exchange contracts, rather than the day they move in.

Therefore, to protect their financial interest against any damage to the building they need to have buildings insurance from that date.