Research from whathouse.com suggests that 2022’s cost-of-living crunch and buyer sentiment around carbon reduction means that, when it comes to selecting a new home, buyers place energy efficiency/lower running costs top of their criteria, closely followed by a dedicated home office and access to green space.
The findings place the UK’s residential developers at the forefront of meeting public demand for post-pandemic living.
Daniel Hill, Managing Director, whathouse.com, comments: “The way we use our homes has changed so much during the pandemic. The results of the whathouse.com New Home Buyer Survey show that we’ve entered a new era of lifestyle-savvy home buying. As, given a choice, the vast majority of people now consider the benefits of a new build home to be far more desirable than that of second-hand or period property.
"With more time now spent at home, whether working from home or entertaining and with energy bills only set to rise further, it’s never been more important for homebuyers to weigh up the pros and cons of new VS old.
"This research highlights the crucial role the UK’s residential developers will play in meeting public demand for post-pandemic living. As an industry, we have already adapted quickly to respond to the changing lifestyle needs of buyers throughout the pandemic, and continue to progress the building of energy-efficient, sustainable homes at pace.
"It’s no surprise that for home hunters in 2022 a new-build home is the obvious choice.”
