Cars and dining up North books and bedrooms down South

New home buyers in the north expect to have a garage attached to their home and place an emphasis on having a large kitchen breakfast room, while home buyers in the south cite having a study and big bedrooms as must haves in their new homes.

The findings from SmartNewHomes.com reveal preferences of new home buyers searching for a family home on their site, reflecting regional differences and varying lifestyles across the UK.

The availability of more greenfield sites in the north of England gives homebuilders more scope for including garages with most new, out of town family homes, where the emphasis in the north is still focused on building out rather then up.

The combined kitchen breakfast/dining room, linked with a more open plan style of living is a trend that has been led by northern homebuyers, although is now being picked up across the country, with buyers in this region happy to sacrifice a smaller dining room and lounge to accommodate this preference.

The combined kitchen and dining room appeals to more family orientated home buyers in the north, where relatives are more likely to live within close proximity of each other than in southern England.

A pattern that is very much evident in the south of England is the emergence of the study. With more residents in the south, particularly those living in and around the outskirts of London, opting to spend more time working from home, to avoid tiresome daily commutes.

David Bexon, Managing Director of SmartNewHomes.com comments: “It is clear that developers have to vary the spec of new homes being built in the north and the south considerably. However, despite the various external factors impacting on the development of residential housing, the personal preferences of the consumer are still deeply influential, and clearly play a vital role in dictating the trends of the future.”

The lack of a garage and increasing trend towards three floors in the south is representative of the lack of the available land in this region. With developers having to focus on higher density developments a garage is a luxury that is no-longer a reality for many new homeowners.

The focus of new homes in the south is very much on the main living area with a smaller kitchen and a great deal of importance placed on having a separate dining room - with many home buyers making flexible use of this space, often converting it into a playroom when families are young.

Bexon concludes: “The emergence of a study is a trend that looks set to continue with new homes in the south. In fact, I would expect many new homes of the future to incorporate up to two studies to meet the changing needs of working parents.”