The "Hyacinth Bucket" phenomenon is alive and well
A fifth of Britons visit properties to keep up with their neighbours
One in five people visit properties for sale despite having no intention of buying, according to new research from PropertyLive.co.uk, the UK’s first regulated property website.
It found that Britons obsessed with keeping up with the Joneses routinely make appointments to look at property even when they are not in the market to buy.
The findings reflect the so-called “Hyacinth Bucket” phenomenon, named after the suburban snob in the BBC’s Keeping Up Appearances played by Patricia Routledge, who obsessively strives to outdo her neighbours and climb the social ladder.
Of those who admitted visiting properties they could never afford, one in eight (12%) said they could not resist the temptation to nosey around other people’s houses, while a further one in 14 (7%) confessed to stealing ideas for their own homes.
A regional breakdown (see chart below) found that people in London were more likely than the rest of the UK to visit properties outside of their budget (27%), while those living in Liverpool were the least likely (6%).
The findings come only weeks after research from PropertyLive.co.uk found that more than one in 10 (12%) people deliberately use property websites to find out the value of their friends’ and neighbours’ properties.
Peter Bolton King, the Chief Executive of the National Federation of Property Professionals, which oversees PropertyLive.co.uk, said: "It’s no secret that Britons are obsessed with looking at property, but what this research suggests is that for some people it has become a full-time hobby.
"The current downturn has seen sellers going all out to make their property more attractive – now more than ever before they are filling their homes with the aroma of brewed coffee and placing freshly cut flowers in vases throughout their homes.
"However, the truth of the matter is that this could be wasted on some visitors. These figures clearly show that Hyacinth Bucket is alive and well and most probably lives in a street near you."
The NFOPP is the umbrella organisation for the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) and the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA).
Regional breakdown
| City |
Percentage of people who have visited a property for sale which they could never afford to buy |
| Birmingham |
19 |
| Brighton |
7 |
| Bristol |
15 |
| Cardiff |
18 |
| Edinburgh |
23 |
| Glasgow |
18 |
| Leeds |
18 |
| Liverpool |
6 |
| London |
27 |
| Manchester |
11 |
| Newcastle |
16 |
| Norwich |
9 |
| Nottingham |
18 |
| Plymouth |
22 |
| Sheffield |
16 |
| Southampton |
17 |
For further information or case studies please contact:
Nicole Martin
Mandate Communications
Tel: 0203 128 8172 or 07768 695 087
Email: Nicole.martin@yourmandate.com
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Orva Smith
Mandate Communications
Tel: 020 3128 8151 or 07763 609 318
Email: Orva.Smith@yourmandate.com
|
Brits have given up hope of ever owning a home
Almost 70% of first-time buyers think they will never get on the ladder
Almost seven in 10 first-time buyers in the UK have given up hope of ever owning their own home, according to new research published by PropertyLive.co.uk, the UK’s first regulated property website.
Despite falling house prices and record low interest rates, 65% of non-homeowners in the UK still believe that they will never have enough money to get on the property ladder.
Of those still living in hope, one in 20 (5%) think they will have to wait more than five years to get a mortgage. One in 7 (14%) estimate they could be on the ladder in between two and five years’ time, while one in 10 (10%) think it will be between one and two years; and one in 20 (5%) in between six months and a year.
A regional breakdown of the figures (see chart below) found that:
- First-time buyers in Norwich are the most pessimistic about their chances of buying a home, with 92% doubtful that they will ever have enough money to get a mortgage.
- People in Sheffield are the most optimistic, with only 47% per cent of them believing they will never get on the property ladder.
Peter Bolton King, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Property Professionals (NFoPP), which regulates PropertyLive.co.uk, said: “With banks still refusing to lend and the Government doing practically nothing to help first-time buyers, it’s little wonder that so many people have given up hope of every owning their own home.
“First-time buyers are the bedrock of a healthy housing market. It’s a real shame that Alastair Darling missed an opportunity to help them by extending the stamp duty holiday to the rest of the market and by scrapping Home Information Packs. In failing to do that he dashed the hopes of thousands of hard-working people who are saving in the hope of getting the keys to their own home.”
Regional breakdown
| City |
Percentage of people who think they will never own a property |
| Birmingham |
62 |
| Brighton |
81 |
| Bristol |
71 |
| Cardiff |
67 |
| Edinburgh |
63 |
| Glasgow |
69 |
| Leeds |
83 |
| Liverpool |
68 |
| London |
62 |
| Manchester |
63 |
| Newcastle |
75 |
| Norwich |
92 |
| Nottingham |
53 |
| Plymouth |
65 |
| Sheffield |
47 |
| Southampton |
50 |
For further information or case studies please contact:
Nicole Martin
Mandate Communications
Tel: 0203 128 8172 or 07768 695 087
Email: Nicole.martin@yourmandate.com
|
|
Orva Smith
Mandate Communications
Tel: 020 3128 8151 or 07763 609 318
Email: Orva.Smith@yourmandate.com
|
Britain: A nation of property snoopers
One in 10 wants to know what their neighbours’ homes are worth
Britain is a nation obsessed with house prices, according to new research from PropertyLive.co.uk,, which shows that seven in 10 people (69%) look at property online even when they are not in the market to move.
The research revealed a nation of nosey neighbours, with more than one in 10 (12%) admitting that they deliberately use property websites to find out the value of their friends’ and neighbours’ properties. A further one in 20 (5%) said they were keen to know how much their colleagues’ homes were worth.
When it comes to snooping, Londoners emerged as the most prolific property snoopers. Almost one in six (16%) logged on to find out the value of their friends’ and neighbours’ homes, compared with 12% in Newcastle, 7% in Brighton and 6% in Liverpool (see regional breakdown below). One in eight (13%) also said that they wanted to know how much their colleagues’ properties were worth.
Those aged between 25 and 34 were the most fixated with the property market, with eight in 10 regularly looking at property, despite having no intention of buying or renting. They were also the nosiest age group, with more than one in six (17%) checking the price of their friends’ and neighbours’ homes, and one in eight (13%) snooping on their colleagues’ properties.
With the average first time buyer age now at 34, it is perhaps no surprise that 63% of this age group stated that this was out of curiosity, whilst 29% wanted to know when would be a good time to move.
The survey of 1,399 people, conducted by independent research company also found that one in 10 people logged on to keep an eye on how their house was positioned in terms of investment. The same number looked at properties online to find out if it was a good time to move home.
On average people spent 55 minutes per month looking online at property, with more than a quarter (29%) looking at between 3 and 5 homes a month, one in seven (14%) between 16 and 20, and a fifth between six and 10.
It is not just home owners who are obsessed with house prices. The research reveals that almost six in 10 (58%) of people renting a home keep a watchful eye on property online.
Peter Bolton King, Chief Executive of the National Federation of Property Professionals, which launched PropertyLive.co.uk, said: “It is no secret that Brits are always concerned about the value of their own properties. But property surfing on the internet has become a hobby for those of us who are just as interested in snooping on the price of neighbour’s and friends’ homes.
“In the digital age, property portals are the internet equivalent of spying on the neighbours from behind net curtains. It is the modern way of keeping up with the Joneses.”
For further information or case studies please contact:
Nicole Martin
Mandate Communications
Tel: 0203 128 8172 or 07768 695 087
Email: Nicole.martin@yourmandate.com
|
|
Orva Smith
Mandate Communications
Tel: 020 3128 8151 or 07763 609 318
Email: Orva.Smith@yourmandate.com
|