A  large garden and swimming pool are the top two features people over 18 years old  in the UK would most like in their dream new home according to research conducted by BLP Insurance, the specialist residential warranty and commercial latent defects insurer, with  29 per cent of people making those their most sought after requirements. A luxury kitchen came third (26 per cent), followed by walk in wardrobes (16 per cent), a garage or parking space (15 per cent), an open plan kitchen (15 per cent) and conservatory (15 per cent).

There were some regional variations with people from Brighton more likely to choose a luxury kitchen (41 per cent) over any other feature, while respondents from Bristol (34 per cent) and Sheffield (35 per cent) held a preference for a swimming pool. Age also proved to be a key determinant of preference with those aged 55 or over (31 per cent) considerably more likely to want a luxury kitchen than those aged 24 or under (21 per cent). Those aged 55 or over were nearly twice as likely (20 per cent vs 12 per cent) to choose a garage or parking facility.

The survey, conducted by Gorkana, also found more than a third (35 per cent) of people aren’t willing to make any sacrifices when purchasing a new home. Older respondents were less likely to compromise on their living situation with 45 per cent of those aged 45 or older unwilling to sacrifice on any element when purchasing a home; in comparison, 77 per cent of 16 to 34 year olds would be willing to make some compromises when buying a new home.

Men and women differed in what they were least willing to sacrifice, with privacy being the number one priority for men (10 per cent) and fire safety (10 per cent) for women; respondents from Plymouth were almost three times as likely to choose privacy (29 per cent) than the rest of the UK.

When it came to the location of their new home, more than a fifth (21 per cent) viewed reputation of an area as the most important, followed by a rural setting (11 per cent) and proximity to amenities (10 per cent), with pollution levels ranking last, chosen by only three per cent of respondents.

Kim Vernau, Chief Executive Officer at BLP Insurance, said:

“Owning an extravagant home with features such as a swimming pool, large garden and luxury kitchen is a dream for many people. However, housing shortages and prohibitive pricing mean not everyone in the UK can buy a home and those that can may have to compromise to get on the property ladder. The results of this survey demonstrate that younger people looking to purchase their first home need to align their expectations closer with the reality of today’s housing market and be more willing to make sacrifices.”