Women Have Final Say On House Buying
New survey reveals what men and women think
Moving house is frequently listed as one of the most stressful experiences in life, along with having a baby and changing job.
A new survey by
'for sale by owner' website The Little House Company showed that whilst most women questioned believed a house purchase is a shared decision more men reckon it's women have the final say...
Key Findings:
- 75% of women think a home purchase is a joint decision
- But 80% of men think a home purchase is ultimately the woman's decision
- Women value the importance of emotional features such as the “wow-factor”
- Men value the importance of practical and functional features, such as how much work the property needs doing to it
- Recurring themes across both men and women were the importance of location, natural light and originality or unique features
- Men and women both had practical ideas when it came to preparing a house for viewings. The top tip here was to place some furniture in storage to de-clutter the home
The Importance of Emotion
68% of female respondents said that intangible factors such as the 'feel' of a property and the initial 'wow-factor' were important. Female respondents tended to focus less on practical features or the condition of the building itself.
Instead, women said that a property must feel warm and welcoming, and that a 'cold' or 'dark' feeling from a property would make the purchase a non-starter. Only 15% of men mentioned emotional factors as being important in the home-buying process.
Practical and Pragmatic
85% of male respondents mentioned practical concerns or features that influenced the home-buying process. Men were much more focused on the structure of the actual building, looking for:
The majority of men surveyed also said that the condition of the property and the amount of work it would require were key concerns. Another recurring theme was the importance of security and safety in the home. Only 5% of female respondents mentioned safety and security as important factors.
How to Prepare for Viewings
When asked what they would do to prepare a home for viewings, our respondents gave a wide variety of answers and tips.
A consistent trend among both men and women was that a deep clean and tidy up were essential. A large proportion of respondents recommended 'de-cluttering', or removing some of the furniture, to allow potential buyers to focus on the property itself.
Apart from the usual cleaning and tidying we received a variety of tips and tricks including:
- If you own a pet, take it out of the house for at least 2 days before the viewing to get rid of the smell.
- Provide refreshments for potential buyers
- Fix any minor DIY jobs you can before the viewing
- Put out fresh flowers
- Put a small handful of coffee beans under the grill before the viewing and the house will smell of fresh coffee when they arrive
Nick Marr, founder of The Little House Company said
”Our grass-roots survey has provided interesting insights into the minds of 'real people' from a wide variety of socio-economic backgrounds, representing a broad cross section of society. The survey revealed some consistent themes and trends that have both affirmed our thoughts, and questioned our assumptions.”
“Interestingly emotions are playing a larger part in the decision process this is despite men being more practical, they end up siding with the female decision maker who has often made a decision on feelings.'
“Vendors who prepare the house for sale and conduct their own viewings should remember that emotions help sell homes. Communicating how happy they were in the home or speaking about positive experiences could well be the emotional pull that may clinch a sale.”
What do you think? Do women have the final say?
22nd July 2014
