For the majority of Britons their ideal property is a detached, Victorian house in the South West of England, according to the latest research from Primelocation.com.
The property website surveyed around 3,500 British homeowners to identify the attributes that would make up their ideal home, if money was no object.
Those surveyed indicated that four to five bedrooms would be the ideal size, even if money was not a limiting factor. The preferred architectural style of the majority of those surveyed was Victorian or Edwardian. A large garden, multi-car garage and walk-in wardrobes would also be must-haves for most Brits to consider the property as ‘prime’.
Lawrence Hall of Primelocation.com, said: “Typical British reserve and understatement shines through in selecting of their ideal property. Forget sprawling mansions or flash penthouses, the quintessential English country house with enough room for a family is what the majority of Brits view as their dream home.
“A quiet rural retreat is preferred to city life and with numerous chocolate-box villages spread across the South West it’s little wonder the majority of Brits would position their ideal home there.”
The countryside is far preferred to towns and cities as the dream setting for most Brits’ ideal home, with only 14% of those surveyed would choose to live in London. 25% of Brits would prefer to live in a rural village whilst 22% would choose a larger country town. 17% would like to live on the rural coast while 18% would choose a seaside town. Only 5% of those surveyed chose a large city or town other than London.
The South West was the clear winner location-wise with 30% of Brits surveyed choosing it as their ideal location, whilst 25% prefer the South East. The North East was the least-preferred location with only 1.3% of respondents selecting it as the ideal place for their dream home.
Hall said: “London is home to some of the most expensive prime properties in the world. High-spec townhouses, mansions and apartments attract some of the wealthiest buyers from across the globe. But the bright lights of city-life appear less attractive for the majority of Brits who see their ideal home in a rural idyll 200 miles away.”
39% of Brits would chose a detached property for their ideal home while 23% specified a country house as their ideal choice. Farmhouses and barn conversions (both 6.8%) were the next most popular types of property.
66% see a large garden as an essential part of the ideal property, with 49% wanting a multi-car garage while 47% say a walk-in wardrobe is a key feature for their dream home.