Homeowners sell up because they are bored of their area or dislike their neighbours, poll claims

Property owners are putting their homes on the market because they are bored of the area or dislike the neighbours, according to a poll.

A poll of 2,000 adults looking to sell up in the next six months also found one in 20 were so annoyed by glare on their TV screen, they were planing to buy a whole new house.

Another one in 10 were worried they currently live in a “ropey” neighbourhood, while a similar number thought crime rates around them were going up.

More than one in 20 wanted to move because they were too far away from their nearest pub while the same number planned on moving because their cat or dog “doesn’t seem to like” where they currently live.

Sam Mitchell, CEO of online estate agent Strike, which commissioned the research, said: “People move for all sorts of reasons.

“Some are more pressing than others — not getting on with your neighbours can be a real emotional drain, particularly if you’re spending much more time at home currently.

“But some of the other reasons that turned up in our survey were definitely a bit more frivolous.

“Our results found there’s a level of uncertainty around moving to a new house at the moment — people aren’t sure if prices are going to go down or up for example.

“However, with so many reasons pushing us to move home, and exaggerated by the extra time we’ve spent at home recently, clearly this uncertainty isn’t enough to deter people from selling.”

The poll also found that after lockdown measures were introduced, half of prospective movers said their priorities for a home had changed.

Four in 10 wanted a bigger garden or outdoor space, while three in 10 wanted to be closer to their friends and family.

With working from home being the new normal, one-quarter said not having a home office has become a dealbreaker and three in 10 are now looking to move further away to get more for their money.

And more than 36 per cent expected house prices in their area to go up as millions across the nation looked to buy and demand dialled up.

Just one-quarter thought there was a chance their property value could go down, but 62 per cent did not believe buying or selling could be more stressful now due to the pandemic.

Half of respondents said that Covid-19 would not stop them doing what they want to, according to the OnePoll figures.

Mr Mitchell added: “Property demand in the UK is back and interest from buyers has returned to pre-coronavirus levels far quicker than expected.

“We’re currently seeing at least a 25 per cent increase in demand from buyers now versus before lockdown began.

“Meanwhile, the backlog of sellers who need to move has never been greater.

“Brexit uncertainty stunted plans for many long before Covid-19 and now patience is wearing thin.

“This has only been exaggerated by the fact we’ve all been locked inside our homes and our priorities for what we want in a home have changed.”

SWNS