Picking a perfect home may be down to parking space
HOUSEBUYERS rank the security of a property way down on their list of priorities when it comes to choosing a new home.
Easy parking is on top of the list of the most important considerations for movers
Protection of their property lags behind easy parking, noisy neighbours and how old the boiler is on a list of the most important considerations for movers.
Although house hunters are interested in local crime rates when people move into a new home 70 per cent do not install a burglar alarm and 16 per cent leave doors and windows unlocked when they leave the house.
Now security specialists are warning homeowners to beef up their precautions if they want to protect against burglars.
We would always advise checking door locks are up to insurance standards and check windows and front doors for signs of break-ins
Nigel Fisher, managing director of home security specialist Yale, said: “We weren’t expecting home security to be the first thing on people’s minds when moving house but it has come much lower in the list than we’d have predicted.
“According to the Home Office figures have highlighted that you are almost twice as likely to be burgled in the first 12 months of being in a new home so security should be at the forefront of people’s minds when moving.
“We would always advise checking door locks are up to insurance standards and check windows and front doors for signs of break-ins.”
Property expert Sarah Beeny's TOP TIPS to first time buyers
Security specialists are warning houseowners to beef up their precautions
The survey of 2,000 UK adults who have moved house found the number one priority for buyers is whether parking outside the house will be easy, while the second biggest concern is what the council tax banding is.
The issue of home security comes below considerations such as what types of supermarkets are nearby and how much decorating is required.
Family minded Britons are also far more concerned about how close they will be to their parents than how safe they will be in the new property.
The report shows that when looking to buy a house broadband speed is a key consideration for a third of those polled. A further 48 per cent factor in how noisy the neighbours are likely to be.
Broadband speed was a key consideration for a third of the ones polled
Top choices for chosing a home:
1. Ease of parking
2. Council tax banding
3. Total cost
4. Are neighbours noisy
5. How old is the boiler
6. Local crime rates
7. Nearest supermarket
Whether the neighbours are nice or not was also a key consideration
8 Are neighbours nice
9. Do radiators work
10. Is there a bus service
11. Is there a GP nearby
12. Energy efficiency
13. How far from friends
14. What shops are near
15. Length of commute