Garage, pets and bills included ‘were popular searches for home hunters in 2023’

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Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

“Garage” topped the list of property features that home buyers were searching for last year using Rightmove’s keyword tool.

And with many renters looking for a home for their animals as well as themselves, “pets” was the top choice among rental property searches.

With cost-of-living concerns still running high, “bills included” was the second most searched-for term among renters in 2023, followed by “furnished”.

Faced with higher mortgage rates, there were signs that buyers were looking to get more space for their money, with “annexe”, “acre”, “garden” and “land” also popular searches.

Tim Bannister, Rightmove’s property expert, said: “Whilst a garden, garage and more land remain high priorities for those searching for a move, we also know from our research that more intangible factors are key to home-hunters when deciding on a move.

“A strong sense of community, friendly neighbours and an area people can feel happy in are some of the most important things movers are looking for.”

Across Britain, the average price tag on a home at the end of 2023 was 1.1% lower than a year earlier.

But some areas recorded a jump in asking prices.

Rightmove said glitzy Sandbanks in Dorset was 2023’s price hotspot, with the average asking price on a home there increasing by 20% compared with 2022, to reach just over £1.9 million (£1,909,943).

This was followed by Hulme in Manchester, where the average asking price reached £275,886 – 16% higher than a year earlier.

Rosyth in Dunfermline, Fife, was identified by Rightmove as 2023’s fastest market, with the average home for sale finding a buyer in just 17 days.

Rightmove said the fastest local housing markets are typically in Scotland. The average time to find a buyer is 66 days in Britain but 37 days in Scotland.

Outside of Scotland, Redfield in Bristol was said by Rightmove to be the fastest market, with homes finding a buyer in an average of 25 days.

Here are the top keyword sort terms used by prospective home buyers in 2023, according to Rightmove:

1. Garage

2. Annexe

3. Acre

4. Garden

5. Land

Here are the top keyword sort terms used by prospective renters in 2023, according to Rightmove:

1. Pets

2. Bills included

3. Furnished

4. Garage

5. Garden