What Will House Buyers Be Looking for in 2021?

When the first lockdown ended in May, the housing market experienced a mini-boom as people rushed to buy and sell properties after the three-month freeze on house sales. This month, house prices hit a record high for the fourth month in a row and the number of properties marked as “sold” on Rightmove exceeded the number of new properties coming to the market.

However, post-lockdown buyers have new priorities. The locations and property features topping the list of “must-haves” have dramatically changed as people reassess their lifestyles and consider a future that involves more time spent at home for both work and leisure. So, what are house buyers looking for in 2021? If you’re hoping to sell a property before the stamp duty ends on 31 March 2021, you’ll need to tap into buyer trends by highlighting key features in your home to sell your house fast.

A Home Office

More people are working remotely than ever before due to government-imposed restrictions on people’s movements in response to the coronavirus pandemic. And this trend is predicted to continue long after COVID-19, lockdowns and social distancing are a distant memory. A growing number of buyers are adding a home office, or space to create one, to the top of their list of “deal breakers” when it comes to buying a new house. 

Creating a designated space for home working could help you to find a buyer more quickly and to achieve a higher sale price. Consider staging a spare room as an office for viewings. If you only have a few bedrooms and don’t want to risk putting buyers off by “losing” a bedroom to an office, consider converting “dead” space – such as under the stairs – into a working area. If you have the time and the budget, a garden office is a fantastic way to create a separate workspace. However, this is not a cheap option. Calling a drafty, damp summer house a “home office” will not fool buyers. You will need to invest in a solidly constructed, fully insulated building with windows and access to fast wi-fi. A garden office is only worth considering if you have a space that is large enough to accommodate a studio and leave a decent sized garden for the new owners to enjoy.

A Garden

With people spending more time at home, having access to an outdoor space has become increasingly important for British house buyers. While large gardens will always be in demand by people seeking the ideal family home, many are happy with a roof terrace, patio or balcony.

If you’re selling a property that has its own outside space, make sure this feature is highlighted in your marketing. Get professional photographs taken that show the space looking its best. Make the most of your garden by removing clutter or landscaping that makes it seem smaller than it is — tidy away children’s toys and playsets before viewings. Consider removing large garden ornaments and cutting back overgrown trees that block out the light. Make sure that everything is neat and tidy — mow the lawn, paint the fencing and remove weeds from the patio. The same goes for the walls, roof, and gutters — a company like Clean Pro Gutter Cleaning Sylva could help you remove dirt and plant matter from these areas. If you only have a small outside area, such as a courtyard garden, balcony or roof terrace, seek advice from a professional gardener on how to present the space to show its full potential. 

If you don’t have a garden or any private outside space, do not despair. Some buyers, especially those looking for property in city-centre locations, will be content with access to nearby green spaces. If you have a wonderful local park or garden close to your home, be sure to mention this in your property listing.

Fast Wi-Fi

It stands to reason that if a buyer is looking for a property that will allow them to work comfortably from home, a fast wi-fi connection will be on their list of “non-negotiables”. Many buyers use online tools to check the average internet speed in the local area before making an offer on a property. Even before the coronavirus landed on our shores, slow broadband could reduce the value of a property by as much as 20 per cent. 

Do your research and find out what’s the best broadband speed you could achieve at home. If you live in a rural area you may want to look at the best rural internet options to ensure you get the best connection for your home. Even if you’re not motivated to switch providers or rearrange your routers before moving, you’ll be armed with all the information a potential buyer needs for peace of mind that their work will not be slowed down by a poor internet connection. If you’re installing a garden office, be sure to factor in the wi-fi provision. This may entail wi-fi extenders or running an ethernet cable from the house to the garden studio. A home office is fairly useless to most people if getting online is impossible.

A Rural Location

According to research by Rightmove, the number of city dwellers enquiring about village properties has more than doubled since the first COVID-19 case in the UK was confirmed in January. The most popular locations offer the countryside idyll while also being within a commutable distance of the biggest cities. Buyers in Liverpool, Edinburgh, Birmingham and London have shown the most interest in transitioning from city to village life — in June, enquiries from Liverpool-based homeowners about village properties rose 275 per cent, compared to a  63 per cent increase in enquiries about town properties. 

If your home is not on one of the new property hotspots, there is little you can do about it. However, if you’re lucky enough to own a property that ticks the “village life idyll” box, make the most of this when marketing your property. Include details of local amenities and attractions in your property listing — proximity to a village school and pub, access to walking trails and “best kept village awards” — to tap into the “village life” dream that many buyers are chasing. One thing to consider if you live in a rural location is the smells that are associated with the countryside, fertilising and spraying of crops, pollen from crops and if you have one nearby a sewage treatment plant. You can put prospective buyers at ease when they ask the dreaded question “do sewage plants smell” by doing some research first. This is something that might put buyers off but it doesn’t have to if you can answer any questions they might have.

If you’re eager to secure a quick house sale ahead of the stamp duty holiday deadline on 31 March, take your buyer’s expectations into account when marketing your property. Property experts are warning vendors that traditional house sales on the open market are taking up to a month longer to process than usual, due to the surge in demand from buyers and sellers post-lockdown. You’ll need to act fast if you want to sell in the first few months of 2021.

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