Brits travel 125 miles to find perfect home

The British property obsession is leading some homeowners on an epic journey to find a place to settle.

According to a study by leading home insurance company, Zurich, homeowners have travelled an average 125 miles to date as a result of moving house, expecting to own and live in five properties in their lifetime. The more nomadic - 9 per cent of homeowners - have travelled 400 miles or more between homes, with one in twelve (8 per cent) having lived in homes in both the UK and Europe.

Despite the fact that more than half (53 per cent) of homeowners claim not to enjoy moving house, the bid to find the perfect property wins through with respondents having already owned an average of three places. 18 per cent are currently planning to move home - with reasons why people enjoy moving including decorating and renovating new properties (14 per cent) and the prospect of meeting new people (11 per cent).

When choosing homes in the past, size mattered for the 46 per cent of homeowners who moved in favour of a larger house. A quarter (24 per cent) desired a move to a different area, while 17 per cent took the chance to move to a more rural location.

But rising interest rates and a stalling property market may have affected those currently planning to up sticks, with 23 per cent of those planning to move home opting for a smaller property, and 15 per cent hoping to move somewhere less expensive. Here again, the call of the countryside is still strong, with nearly one fifth (18 per cent) hoping to move to a property in the country.

When asked about their dream living location, British homeowners put the South West top of the list, with 25 per cent of respondents voting it the region they’d most like to live. Second most popular region was the South East with 14 per cent of the vote, with Scotland (10 per cent), the North West (8 per cent) and Yorkshire and Humber (8 per cent) making up the top five.

Londoners are the least likely to roam to find the perfect house, moving an average of just 77 miles, while Scots are the most likely to go the distance, clocking up an average of 234 miles to find the right spot.

Steve Gilbert, home underwriting manager at Zurich Insurance, said: “The British obsession with finding the perfect property is still going strong, with homeowners prepared to move hundreds of miles to find the perfect home in the perfect location.

“Homeowners should be aware that a climb up the property ladder has important implications beyond just the move itself. One in six (17 per cent) homeowners admit that making the necessary changes to their household insurance can be overlooked. We would advise everyone to make sure that they protect their perfect home with adequate cover to ensure that their property dreams don't become a nightmare.”