What do home buyers want?

[Dreadnaught]

Ideas please. 

 

If building with one eye on the market, what do home buyers seek in terms of layout and design? Where to spend money to the best effect? And where not to? What would a professional small-scale developer focus on?

 

This is for a top-end but small (130m²) 2 or 3 bed house in the centre of a small city outside London.

 

Here are my guesses…

• Buyers like…
  • a trendy kitchen & bathroom
  • curb appeal
• Buyers ignore energy efficiency, ASHPs, MVHR

What about…

• Kitchen: separate vs open plan?
• shower only or bath too?
• style of internal decoration? Floor coverings?
• home automation?

Anything else?

 

 

Edited October 20, 2018 by Dreadnaught

[Oz07]

Bath if family. Ensuites also very popular now. With that floor area you'd want a 4 piece bathroom and ensuite if 3 bed?

[Oz07]

Obviously bath and separate shower is what I meant

[ProDave]

What I have found is most buyers are not interested in things that are high on my list, like location, views, orientation, quiet (away from through traffic) plenty of off road parking tor trailers etc, garage, sheds etc.  So forget those if selling, they might be important if keeping.

 

When trying to sell our old house, feedback we got from viewers suggested they did not like the "old fashioned" layout of separate kitchen, dining room and living room.  These days people want a big "familly room" containing the kitchen, somewhere to sit down and eat, and a sofa and tv to lounge in.  Then a separate snug living room so you can escape the noise of "kitchen stuff"

 

Main bathroom must have a bath and a shower. A shower only is acceptable in an en-suite.

 

Hard floor coverings are popular now, but buyers can't tell the difference between cheap laminate or solid oak, so choose the cheaper, as long as it looks good.

[Ferdinand]

Small developer equals niche, so I think you need to define your idea of Buyer, especially if we are in eg Watford, Guildford or St Albans.

 

They want walkable facilities, and their current perceived needs met, plus perhaps a few obvious future needs. Flexibility for the future that does not impinge on current needs-meeting.

 

Things that matter are Perhaps kitchen, bathroom, master ensuites, integrated external space, some things better than expected to give the wow / warm fuzzies on viewing, maybe ability to choose some things, maybe storage are some other things.

 

There was a very interesting 100k Home episode on last night with a couple Building a 130sqm bungalow in Torquay. Lots of good ideas.

 

Ferdinand

 

Edited October 20, 2018 by Ferdinand

[epsilonGreedy]

This is the worst place to ask, so just produce a list of cherished self builder presumptions and then assume the general market values the complete inverse.

 

My guess would be:

 

Value for money.

Utility room.

En suite bathrooms.

Dressing rooms.

Kitchen/dinner family room.

Walk-in bedroom wardrobes.

Bijou low maintenance outdoor space with BBQ and raised beds.

Plain builders finish yellow tinged magnolia.

Edited October 20, 2018 by epsilonGreedy

[Jeremy Harris]

4 minutes ago, epsilonGreedy said:

This is the worst place to ask, so just produce a listen of cherished self builder presumptions and then assume the general market values the complete inverse.

 

Why???

 

Any evidence to support your prejudices?

[Bitpipe]

27 minutes ago, Dreadnaught said:

Ideas please. 

 

If building with one eye on the market, what do home buyers seek in terms of layout and design? Where to spend money to the best effect? And where not to? What would a professional small-scale developer focus on?

 

This is for a top-end but small (130m²) 2 or 3 bed house in the centre of a small city outside London.

 

Here are my guesses…

• Buyers like…
  • a trendy kitchen & bathroom
  • curb appeal
• Buyers ignore energy efficiency, ASHPs, MVHR

What about…

• Kitchen: separate vs open plan?
• shower only or bath too?
• style of internal decoration? Floor coverings?
• home automation?

Anything else?

 

 

 

I think you're on the right track - suggest you pop down to your nearest new build development and poke around the show houses,  or worst case get on right move and look at them there.

 

 

 

[newhome]

5 minutes ago, JSHarris said:

 

Why???

 

Any evidence to support your prejudices?

 

None at all and the posts before confirm this IMO. Still astounds me that someone so blatantly against the majority here has the cheek to keep posting, and asking for advice. 

[epsilonGreedy]

Just now, JSHarris said:

Why???

 

 

Because I have lost count of the number of posts on this forum that denigrate the average house buyer and typical pro house builder. The general market and self building operate in different universes and these parallel universes have little comprehension of each other, the OP would be better off flicking through brochures produced by pro builders in his assumed market segment.

[epsilonGreedy]

10 minutes ago, newhome said:

None at all and the posts before confirm this IMO. Still astounds me that someone so blatantly against the majority here has the cheek to keep posting, and asking for advice.

 

 

I add just as much value to this forum as you do. My questions originate from genuine onsite hands-on problems to be solved and lead to valuable threads that provide an ongoing reference point for others.

[Construction Channel]

Supposedly broadband speed and schools are top priority at the moment, not that you can design them into a house but might influence location. 

 

Personally  I recon it would be the stairs and worktops that sell houses. Possibly doors also. Howdens oak dordoigns seem to be all we fit recently. 

[lizzie]

Outside space however small

Good looking entrance way and front door

Open plan kitchen living etc but sep utility room. Kitchen needs to be well thought out for working in not necessary to have top of the range appliances, mid range such as siemens bosch etc are up market developer favourite keep the cabinetry simple no high gloss and spend a bit on the tops no cheap laminate.

En suite and bathroom ... need a bath as well as a shower in the house, plan them well and make them look luxurious with little touches..niches lighting heated towel rails etc

Decent hard flooring....laminate can be noisy. Karndean type quieter and looks good if on a budget.

Plenty of unobtrusive built in storage

Not too many quirky individual touches

Energy saving measures such as mvhr are really only of interest to the few majority of people are more interested in a good gas boiler with ufh and rads on first floor if two storey. 

[Jeremy Harris]

25 minutes ago, epsilonGreedy said:

 

Because I have lost count of the number of posts on this forum that denigrate the average house buyer and typical pro house builder. The general market and self building operate in different universes and these parallel universes have little comprehension of each other, the OP would be better off flicking through brochures produced by pro builders in his assumed market segment.

 

Give examples of any post here that denigrates average house buyers, then.

 

Yes, those of us who have looked closely at (and in my case undertaken thermal imaging surveys of) new builds are sometimes highly critical of the often poor construction standards we've witnessed.  However, that's supported by evidence, both from complaints by buyers and from published works by people like Paul Buckingham.

 

The house market in most of the UK is unlike the market for consumer goods, cars, boats or whatever, in that customers have little choice.  It is the big housebuilders who decide what gets built, and they don't need to worry too much about buyers, as many have to buy what's available within their budget in the area where they work, their family is, etc.  We've had years of experience of having where we live determined by my employer, having to move house with 6 weeks notice when posted, so know full well how that severely restricts the range of houses that were available for us to consider buying.  We're not that unusual, either, as the mass migration of people towards the South East of the UK in search of work, creating a significant element of the current housing crisis, shows.

 

As @Construction Channel says, there is evidence that proximity to good schools is significant for a sector of those looking to buy, as are good transport links (both borne out by the way house prices remain high in such areas).  The surveyor who valued our new build and the estate agent and valuer of our old house, were all of the opinion that, after location, kitchen and bathroom bling was one of the main selling points for any house.

[newhome]

Fashions seem to change, so what is desirable now may not be in 10 years. The kitchen always used to be separate mostly, then people wanted somewhere to  eat and now as @ProDave says now they want somewhere to sit and relax too, so the kitchen family room is king at present. I love having a separate living room too that is good for visitors or getting away from the hustle and bustle if more people were living here. A nice looking kitchen helps to sell especially as it’s a big ticket item to replace. 

 

People seem to be interested in location and being in the catchment area of a desirable school attracts a high premium. What the house looks like from the outside is important too. No one wants an ‘ugly’ looking house so be careful about über modern looks as they could date more quickly or appeal to a smaller group of buyers. 

 

People mostly look at superficial things IMO and aren’t interested in renewables or the amount of insulation, but they may wish to see your utility bills. 

 

An ensuite shower is very desirable even if it’s cupboard sized. Where I lived previously there was a lot of house building and even the 3 bed semis had an ensuite and family bathroom. A downstairs cloakroom is also desirable but needed to pass building regs now anyway. 

 

A utility room would be on my list too. 

 

I want a private garden but not a huge one. Something relatively low maintenance but provides somewhere to sit and entertain, with some nice doors to the garden. Bi folds seem very popular now. 

 

No gaudy colour scheme, although that is superficial of course. I also prefer hard floors but that’s changeable too. 

 

Looking round some show homes will help as others have said, but they have some clever staging techniques too. 

[Bitpipe]

25 minutes ago, newhome said:

Looking round some show homes will help as others have said, but they have some clever staging techniques too. 

 

Early in our design process we looked at loads and started to pick up on these.

 

One particular new build show home actually had no internal doors fitted upstairs as they would have got in the way of the furniture they had staged the rooms with - took a few minutes for the penny to drop.

 

I'd also call into a few local estate agents and ask frankly what sells these days - most of our local ones were good for a bit of a chat, especially if they though there was half a chance they'd get to market the end result.

 

And to the comment on self builders being 'unrealistic', as Jeremy says - the main concern for many of us is getting it built properly and then getting some things you want, budget allowing.

 

Many self builds I've seen are perfectly modest, beautifully built, comfortable to live in and will last the test of time vs the developer boxes that may look nice initially but have a host of hidden nasties (I know, I've owned one) - and they aren't particularly cheap either.

 

 

[MikeSharp01]

Do not forget the growing trend for working from home!

[Dreadnaught]

Original poster here.

 

Superb ideas. Thanks everyone! I am collating them into a list  

 

What does everyone think about space-heating and DHW systems?

• There is mains gas so a gas boiler seems an obvious choice
• UFH or radiators? It will be a concrete-raft foundation, so putting in UFH would not be a huge extra cost but is it worth it even so?
• SumAmp? Given its a small build, would the small size of a SunAmp compensate for its extra cost compared to a normal big hot-water cylinder? Would a buyer miss a normal cylinder or be put-off by SunAmp novelty?

Edited October 20, 2018 by Dreadnaught

[Mr Punter]

I think @Dreadnaught is about right with his thoughts.

 

The main things affecting £/m2 sale prices and desirability are

 

1.  Location

 

2.  Kerb appeal

 

You cannot do anything about the location if you already have the plot but the front elevation is what people will see on Rightmove so make sure it looks right.

 

For the space you have

downstairs:  open plan kitchen living dining (with divider if pos),  downstairs WC / utility (a utility with a WC), study / desk area.

upstairs:  3 beds, 1 bathroom (bath with shower screen), en suite shower (large shower).  Wall space for storage in each room.

 

Plan the layout very carefully so you don't have wasted space.

 

Floor coverings:  Hard flooring downstairs - same throughout looks sleek.  Carpets to stairs and bedrooms.  Luxury vinyl tile to bathrooms.

 

Gas CH.  Don't bother with UFCH unless you have tiled ground floor.  Combi boiler.

 

No home automation.

 

 

[newhome]

3 minutes ago, Dreadnaught said:

What does everyone think about space-heating and DHW systems?

 

I don’t think people give a stuff about them in general. My friends are looking to buy a house and sent me the details of houses they were viewing. One was a self build with ASHP, UFH, MVHR etc. They hadn’t even really noticed that but didn’t like that the paddock it came with was close to neighbours. I went with them for a second viewing of another house and they hadn’t even registered what heating it had (oil boiler, UVC and rads). I asked the vendor and he didn’t really know either. Just said ‘top of the range’. Got the same answer when I asked about insulation too. House had a D EPC rating with potential to bring it to a C but he had no clue what was suggested to bring to a C. And the estate agent in sky scraper stiletto heels (I wouldn’t have been happy for her to walk all over my solid wood floors in them but the vendor said nothing) only used one word pretty much. ‘Fantastic’ was all she said. She knew nothing at all about the house she was selling. 

[ProDave]

18 minutes ago, Dreadnaught said:

Original poster here.

 

Superb ideas. Thanks everyone! I am collating them into a list  

 

What does everyone think about space-heating and DHW systems?

• There is mains gas so a gas boiler seems an obvious choice
• UFH or radiators? It will be a concrete-raft foundation, so putting in UFH would not be a huge extra cost but is it worth it even so?
• SumAmp? Given its a small build, would the small size of a SunAmp compensate for its extra cost compared to a normal big hot-water cylinder? Would a buyer miss a normal cylinder or be put-off by SunAmp novelty?

Definitely gas boiler if gas is available.

UFH seems to be accepted but I would avoid new things like the Sun Amp as people don't know and understand them. 

 

UVC for hot water for me but again most buyers won't know or appreciate the much better hot water flow rates and would probably accept the cheapest smallest gas combi boiler.

 

The more I think about it, what you want for your forever home, the best of everything, is worlds away from what you need to sell a home. I can begin to see the thinking in building new builds to the minimum they can get away with as most buyers don' know or care about the difference.

[ProDave]

5 minutes ago, newhome said:

... I went with them for a second viewing of another house and they hadn’t even registered what heating it had (oil boiler, UVC and rads). I asked the vendor and he didn’t really know either. Just said ‘top of the range’. Got the same answer when I asked about insulation too. House had a D EPC rating with potential to bring it to a C but he had no clue what was suggested to bring to a C. And the estate agent in sky scraper stiletto heels (I wouldn’t have been happy for her to walk all over my solid wood floors in them but the vendor said nothing) only used one word pretty much. ‘Fantastic’ was all she said. She knew nothing at all about the house she was selling. 

Reminds me of the house at the top of our road. Previously marketed as an "Eco House" (I think because it had the cheapest available triple glazing) that had an EPC rating of D. It is always the first house in the road that the snow melts off the roof, and the people that bought it keep complaining at the high heating bills.

 

A friend of SWMBO down south was looking for a new house. They looked at a detached house with a small paddock. It had solar PV on the original higher rate FIT.  I advised them it was a good buy. But they then pulled out of the purchase because the survey raised doubts about the roof structure being able to support the extra weight of the PV panels. they also did not like the overhead power lines passing over the paddock.  They ended up buying a semi detached house instead. There is no accounting for buyers behavior.

[caliwag]

Re the home-working trend, I have always favoured a location overlooking the entrance, or perhaps an oriel window off a landing, big enough to take the basics of an office etc...Also part of the body of the kirk! I favour a bay off the kitchen/diner, much as Bailie Scott seemed to produce. If you can afford the operation, a bay or corner bay does add to the character. For interesting appeal I do feel glimpses (or at least opportunity of) to other activities are good for character...as are internal windows.

Getting a bit designery. but it is about character...nobody really wants just a cluster of rooms. Utility room is useful, but larders get a big plus these days...dedicated books on the theme.

 

I suppose being aware of fashion is important...I would buy a few issues of Elle Decoration for some of the latest trends. A friend who has furniture made abroad (cheap) tells me oak will soon be out, painted finishes are in...various greys of course! That's the furniture market mind, but may include kitchens and doors soon...who knows?   

[newhome]

36 minutes ago, ProDave said:

There is no accounting for buyers behavior.

 

I think that's right. It's said that you know whether it's 'the one' almost immediately and once people get that feeling they are prepared to overlook several things to secure the house. Apparently people spend approximately 27 minutes viewing the biggest purchase of their life, less time than they take to buy a smartphone, a car, or choosing a holiday. 

 

[billt]

We're trying to sell our house and the viewings have been about 1 and a half hours each. 2 couples have come back for a second hour and a half viewing, so that's 3 hours each so far. Of course that will be after hours and hours spent trawling through estate agents details trying to find something vaguely suitable.

 

For me it's location, location, location, distantly followed by floor size and amenability to be modified to suit us, be we aren't in the market for this sort of house.

 

Broadband does seem to be important; both potential buyers asked about it and I see one estate of crammed together rabbit hutches near here are making a feature of fibre connection being provided.