Over one in five people in the West Midlands will stretch finances to move home quickly

Over one in five people in the West Midlands (22 per cent) are prepared to move as quickly as possible if they find the right home and fall in love with it, even if it means stretching finances, according to a nationwide survey.

Commissioned by housebuilder Avant Homes, the independent survey results have been published as the housebuilder launches an online quiz where people can find out what type of house buyer they are.

The quick quiz asks a series of questions to determine how people approach buying a home and then provides handy hints and tips on house buying according to their buyer personality type.

Just over 2,000 adults across the UK took part in the survey, all of whom had purchased a home in the last five years.

With more than one in five inclined to fast track their house buying decisions by stretching their finances in the West Midlands, this percentage is slightly higher than in other regions such as Greater London (21 per cent) and the North East (18 per cent).

The least likely to were people in Northern Ireland, where it was just one in 10 (11 per cent), followed by residents of the East of England (12 per cent) and the South West (13 per cent).

To delve deeper into the findings, Avant Homes consulted behavioural scientist, Patrick Fagan, who explained: “When purchasing a home, there are, of course, rational factors such as price, size and location, but human decision-making is often heavily influenced by emotions and intuition.

“For example, people may rely on their gut instinct and their emotions, which can be influenced by factors as various as the likeability of the estate agent, or developer, the weather when viewing, the house having familiar décor or even feeling overwhelmed by the search and just wanting to get it over with!

“We put a lot of thought into buying a home but, at the end of the day, we often abandon the checklist for our gut feeling. It's a deeply personal and emotional decision, and, as the results of this fascinating survey show, a house is a reflection of ourselves and an extension of our identity.”

In terms of UK cities, residents in Sheffield were the most likely to stretch their finances to move quickly as one in four (25 per cent) said they would if they found a home they fell in love with. The least likely to do so were Plymouth residents where only one in 10 (10 per cent) would.

Avant Homes Group head of marketing, Alicia Hattersley, commented: “Our survey and online house buyer quiz both provide intriguing insights into the emotional and rational aspects of buying a home.

“As a housebuilder, we are used to helping many types of buyers – whether first timers, families, downsizers and everyone else in between – to find their ideal home.

“We are also very aware that people are often tempted to stretch their finances when they find the right home that they fall in love with.

“That’s why we always work closely with customers, independent financial advisers and lenders to assess affordability and provide bespoke deals to help people make their ideal home move a reality.”