Britain's perfect property - a new detached house in the countryside
The nation's ideal home is a new build, detached property located in the countryside, according to new research from Halifax mortgages.The survey found that half of people preferred detached and new builds were preferred by 22 per cent of those questioned.Phil Jenks, head of mortgages at Halifax, said: "Although many of us live in towns or cities, there is no disputing that a house in the country is what the majority of us aspire to. "The preference for new build detached properties shows that people want their home to be personal to them and that space and privacy is also important." The ideal house would have three bedrooms, with a lounge, study, kitchen-diner, conservatory, playroom, family bathroom and toilet. Other key features identified included central heating, double glazing, a fitted kitchen, modern bathroom, an enclosed garden, off-street parking, a garage and a home security system.Almost a third said they would rather live in the countryside, but another survey by Halifax revealed that rural properties were an average of 14 per cent more expensive than the national average, meaning that the perfect home is just that little bit more unaffordable.Martin Ellis, chief economist at Halifax, said: "Those living in rural areas face particularly tough housing market conditions. "In general, higher average property prices, together with lower earnings, mean that housing is less affordable than in urban areas. "Many young people, in particular, are therefore finding it tough to find a foot on the property ladder. "This difficult situation is compounded by lower levels of provision of social housing in rural areas."
Share this..
Related stories
900 sacked at Lindsay oil refinery
In a follow-up to our earlier post regarding the unofficial strike at the Lindsay oil refinery it has this evening been confirmed that 900 of the 1200 contract workers who walked out early this week have been sacked by Total. While the workers are said to believe that there was an agreement that no UK workers would be made redundant before foreign workers at the site, Total has confirmed that no s...
Read MoreBoris Johnson highlights problem for UK hedge funds and private equity firms
Boris Johnson, the Mayor of London, has today highlighted the fact that UK hedge funds and private equity firms could be up to €3.2 billion a year worse off if a European directive becomes law. In a blatant attempt to grab a slice of the UK financial market, EU regulators have introduced a new directive which will increase the cost of running hedge funds and private equity firms via a number...
Read MoreCo-op launches mix-and-match mortgage
The Co-op has this week launched a mix-and-match mortgage which allows customers to fix parts of their outstanding balance at a predetermined rate and allow the balance to track the base rate. This tool on the surface appear to give customers the best of both worlds, the ability to mix and match the two alternatives, and with only one application fee it does seem to be something of a useful option...
Read MoreDepartmental spending cuts of up to 20%
George Osborne has today announced that a number of departments within the UK government could see their budgets slashed by up to 20% as the need to shave £60 billion from the UK budget in the short-term begins to become a reality. Departments such as welfare, tax credits and pensions are likely to be hit hardest with a major crackdown on benefit fraud and benefit cheats likely to be announced in...
Read MoreHow did the Bank of England get it so wrong?
This week will see Mervyn King write again to the Chancellor of the Exchequer to explain why UK inflation is currently 3.2% against the 2% limit which the Bank of England introduced sometime ago. Many are now starting to question the quality of forecasts from the Bank of England and wondering how the Bank got it so wrong regarding the UK economy and inflation. The truth is that the Bank of Engl...
Read More