Revealed! What buyers want from their homes and estate agents

Energy efficiency, gardens and garages as well as speedy sales are top of buyer’s wishlists, Zoopla claims.

The portal has published the findings of a consumer insights survey that highlights what buyers want from housebuilders and estate agents in 2022. 

The survey of more than 2,600 respondents captured the views of those who have either bought a home in the past 18 months or intend to buy one over the next 18 months. 

Almost 70% of new-build respondents said energy efficiency was an ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ important factor in their decision to buy a new home. 

That compares with 41% of resale respondents.

However, the majority of respondents underestimate the cost savings of moving to a highly-rated EPC home, Zoopla said.

A third of respondents estimated a new home offered annual savings of 20% or less compared to an average resale house.

One in ten respondents simply ‘didn’t know’ what the savings might be. 

The correct figure is 52%.

The majority, 94% of all respondents, wanted some form of parking at their new home, with off-road parking – either a garage or a driveway a preference for the majority. 

Outdoor space also remains a key consideration for buyers with 84% of respondents saying they wanted a garden - and 45% of this group saying they would like a large garden. 

Zoopla said ‘gardens’ and ‘garages’ have been the top two keyword searches on its portal among new home and resale buyers over the past 3 years.

Speed of sale remains a big factor in buyer satisfaction, Zoopla found.

Buyers who had a 'very good' or 'good' experience typically saw the process between offer accepted and exchange take less than half the time compared to those who had a ‘poor’ experience at 65 versus 138 days.

The purchase process also varies by buyer group, with older households taking 240 days from initial search to exchange and families taking just 160 days in comparison.

Alex Rose, director of new homes at Zoopla, said: “Our consumer insights survey provides agents and builders with a range of actionable insights to inform new homes strategies and the marketing of new homes. 

“One key take-away is the importance of energy rating to new home buyers at a time when energy bills are rising. We see a real opportunity for builders to push the green credentials of homes compared to the wider resale market which is one of the key benefits of buying a new home.”