Tag: Dream Home

Still Looking For Your Dream Home?

Posted on by colin_williams

What is your dream home? At Williams of Petersfield, we are committed to helping people make the most of their property ambitions. If you have a dream home, we are here to assist you any way that we can.

As we have found in many studies in the past 18 months, people are looking for detached homes. Buyers want space, and this means this style of house is a priority for many. Some of the key requests made by buyers looking for a new home include:

  • Two living rooms
  • A garage
  • A garden
  • A utility room

For buyers aged between 18 and 34, a home office is the top priority when it comes to an additional room. It is only when you consider the needs of buyers aged 65 or older that conservatories feature. This age group is also looking for a bungalow more than a larger home.

For buyers aged between 18 and 24, a dining room is important, while for buyers aged between 25 and 44, a third bathroom is a top priority.

What supermarket comes out on top?

When asked what supermarket people want close to their home, Tesco nudged past Waitrose by a mere 1%.

There is of course a Waitrose in Petersfield, located at 8 Rams Walk, Petersfield GU32 3JA. For Tesco, we have the Tesco Superstore at The Causeway, GU31 4JR while there is also the Tesco Express store, located at 11 Charles St, GU32 3EJ.

Looking at all property listings on Rightmove, Tesco is the supermarket that is mentioned most by estate agents in listings, followed by Waitrose. Waitrose does over-index though when you consider how many more stores Tesco has around Great Britain.

People love a pint

The most important establishment property buyers want close to their home is a pub! The order of vital establishments were as follows:

  1. Pub
  2. Local corner shop
  3. Coffee shop
  4. Local market
  5. Bakeries
  6. Restaurants
  7. Local greengrocers
  8. Local butchers

Some of the finest pubs in Petersfield include The Old Drum, The Good Intent, The Square Brewery, George Petersfield and The Half Moon.

Tim Bannister, Rightmove’s property expert comments: “The study paints a fascinating picture of what a ‘dream home’ really means to people. Usually, you might think a dream home is a mansion with swimming pools and other luxuries, but the British sense of thinking practically comes through very clearly with garages, utility rooms and home offices the order of the day. Perhaps it’s the thought that if you have a dream home you want to make sure you’re going to make use of everything. Rather than choosing an outdoor swimming pool only to realise you can only use it a few weeks of the year, you think of a utility room that you know you’ll be using every day.”

Tim Bannister continued by saying; “Earlier this year detached homes hit over half a million pounds nationally for the first time, aided by increased demand for more space. This means that many people looking to move right now are likely to be looking for a smaller home, but some will have their mindset on how they could eventually achieve the four-bed detached home with a garden. Others will be thinking about what living the coastal life in a cottage could be like, and for some that will mean their daily search on Rightmove turns into picking up the keys to their new life a few months down the line.”

At Williams of Petersfield, we aim to support the Petersfield community as much as we can, and we know this is an extremely trying time. A lot of people are looking for support and guidance, and if you have any property or housing related questions, we are more than happy to assist you, so contact us today.

Do You Dream Of Owning Your Home?

Posted on by colin_williams

We know the past year has been a challenging one, and it has left many people wondering if they will ever own property. However, the lockdown period has reinforced the need for space, and recent studies indicate many people have serious dreams about owning property one day.

If you would like to discuss your property plans or ambitions, contact Williams of Petersfield. We are here to assist you as best we can, and we look froward to helping you achieve your property dreams.

What is your property dream?

Research from Aldermore has revealed that almost half of the UK’s renters have not given up on their dream of being a homeowner.

Aldermore spoke with 2,000 private tenants in the UK, and 45% say “owning a home is a life goal”, and 26% are actively saving for a deposit.

The areas which saw the most significant level of intent from renters to buy were:

  • Northern Ireland
  • Greater London
  • South East of England

There are challenges to overcome

Some of the biggest challenges cited by prospective buyers were:

  • 38% of respondents said they were actively looking to upgrade their credit score
  • 30% of respondents were concerned about raising a deposit
  • 28% of private tenants cited their credit history as a concern
  • 17% of respondents cited affordable house prices
  • 13% said high rental costs was a concern
  • 8% of respondents said securing a mortgage was their biggest obstacle

Credit issues cause problems

If you are looking to buy a home, you need to feel confident about your credit score, and what mortgage offer you will likely receive. If you have concerns regarding your credit score, and how it will impact you, you are not alone. We are also happy to advise as best we can.

The main credit issues experienced by respondents include:

  • Their overdraft, said by 26% of respondents
  • Credit card debt, said by 25% of respondents
  • Employment gaps, said by 21% of respondents
  • Being responsible for dependents was cited by 17% of respondents
  • Missed bill payments was listed by 15% of respondents
  • 8% of respondents save said their account has been handled by collection agencies
  • 7% have said they have taken out a payday loan
  • 5% have a CCJ (County court Judgment) in their past

Of course, there have also been challenges presented by the pandemic:

  • 22% of tenants have been placed on furlough or lost employment
  • 12% of tenants have admitted to missing or making a late rental payment
  • 14% of tenants say they have had to use their savings to get by

Jon Cooper is the head of mortgage distribution at Aldermore, and he said: “The experience of lockdown has focused renters’ minds to work towards owning a home more than ever before, but it is clear from the data that renters see credit issues in their past as a problem for them. And with many dealing with furlough and reduced incomes recently, it is understandable they may feel the dream of homeownership is far from reach. However, the challenges they face are not as large a barrier to buying a home as it may have been in the past. Specialist lenders, like Aldermore, consider borrowers with credit issues, including debt and CCJs, alongside those experiencing furlough, so options are open as we begin the new year for renters that previously may have been turned away from high street lenders.”

At Williams of Petersfield, we aim to support the Petersfield community as much as we can, and we know this is an extremely trying time. A lot of people are looking for support and guidance, and if you have any property or housing related questions, we are more than happy to assist you, so contact us today.