What Home Selling Points Will You Look For In 2023?

Covid completely changed the British buyer’s (or renter’s) perspective on what makes up a good home. With seclusion, came the need for larger gardens and balconies. With work-from-home, came larger, more flexible and open plan living spaces.

Now, with Covid restriction a distant memory for most of us, but environmental and energy crises looming, smart design and technology have joined these key selling points and stuck. 

Back to Nature

The benefits of being surrounded by nature have always been with us. But the science has caught up. With our mental and physical health directly impacted by our natural surroundings and supported by reams of the latest research, we are even more a nation of gardeners, of toddler footballers, of ‘must put the bike somewhere’ peddlers, and of sunning ourselves by a barbecue lazy dayers than ever before.

And as Zoom and Teams and Meet have become staples of our home-office day, having space to swing our cats and then post them on YouTube in between meetings is now more important than living next to a tube station for millions of us.

Open-Plan Rules

In 2022, homebuyers also moved away from a lust for a separate dining room to open-plan layouts as flexible home-work space has become the new priority. 

Kieran McCloud, Head of Marketing at Stirling Ackroyd, says: “Covid had a huge impact on how we perceive a ‘good’ home. Buyers are more granular about what they are looking for in a house or flat, with maximum space, greenery and flexibility in design key new elements.

“Sustainability has also become a major decision point for a large number of people. Whereas before the pandemic smart-home design and technology was seen as a ‘nice to have’, today, things like underfloor heating, bi-fold doors and solar panels are desired for both their environmental and energy saving qualities.”

Here is a breakdown of what makes a house saleable and rentable today:

The Garden (Office)

Double Everything

This four double bedroom detached house in Woodham is a perfect example of how our approach to gardens has changed. They need not just be bigger and greener spaces, but, for those with an eye for opportunity, will already have a garden office and studio – or enough space to build one. 

This property has more of everything: Large kitchen/breakfast room and adjacent day room, utility room, cloakroom, living room, study, plus four double bedrooms with a family bathroom. The main bedroom offers a walk-through dressing area and ensuite bathroom no less.

But most of all, it has an enormous garden.

Underfloor Heating (& Bi-fold Doors)

Energy & Environment 

Another house with four double bedrooms that is ready for sale exists opposite Figges Marsh Common – in Mitcham – a short walk from Tooting Station.

But for those that have embraced work-from-home, it is the underfloor heating that will warm the cockles of your heart as you pad around barefoot while dressed from the waist up.

It also has solar panels, which in this age of rising energy prices will allow you to feed back into the grid while feeling smug about your contribution to the environment.

More than this, it’s bi-fold doors lead straight out into a small private garden. So sunlight, a breeze, and your own little nature reserve are on the cards.

Space, Light, Heat

Grand Designs

This three-bedroom, duplex, penthouse apartment lives on the third and fourth floors of a beautiful Grade II listed building. 

At 1,600 square feet, it is enormous, and the double height ceilings, floor to ceiling windows and open plan layout make great use of it, with bundles of light sparkling through some stunning city views. 

Not only does it possess its own private terrace, but the the property has underfloor heating throughout both floors.

Oh, and its right next to the epicentre of British culture: The Barbican Centre.

If you are looking to sell you property or buy a new home in the months ahead, click here to speak to Stirling Ackroyd.