A new survey revealed that one can fall head over heels in love - with a property.
According to a survey conducted by Realtor.com, a majority of people looking for a house end up getting smitten by a property and fantasize about it. Their little crush extends to taking a second, third or maybe even a fifth look at it, either in person or online.
"We conducted the survey to see how searching for 'the one' in real estate correlates to searching for 'the one' in love, and we found that they are very similar. Buyers have to evaluate crushes based on turn-ons and turn-offs and whether the home is in their league, so they often find themselves spending a good amount of time checking out their crush online," Barbara O'Connor, chief marketing officer at realtor.com®, said in a statement.
The survey questioned 1000 people and 69 admitted they had crushed on a house while home hunting. The researchers also found interesting disparities between what men and women were attracted to in a house.
Here are some fascinating facts found in the survey:
Comparative Stats:
- Women are more likely to crush on homes that are 'financially' out of their league than men. About 41 percent said they fantasized about a home out of their budget while only 30 percent men said their dream home was out of their price range.
- Men fell in love with different houses more often than women. About 36 percent of the men cultivated a new crush on a house per week when opposed to 29 percent women.
Love-lure Stats:
- Outdoor living attracted more women than men with 54 percent females saying it drew them to the property compared to 46 percent males.
- More women fell hard for open floor plans when compared to men - 42 percent against 30 percent.
- Men were more attracted to the property's curb appeal with 35 percent saying it was a major turn-on opposed to the 29 percent of women.
Women loved homes with modern fixtures, fittings and appliances while men loved properties that had swanky garages.
But how does one find out if it's just another crush or 'True Love'? "You have to make sure you know what's really out there. You evaluate what is a turn-on and turn-off, and perhaps you'll fall in love," Leslie Piper, consumer-housing specialist at Realtor.com and an agent with Pacific Union in Lafayette, told the Wall Street Journal.
"You have to be realistic. When you're looking at homes outside of your price range, the last thing you want to be is disappointed. It would be like falling in love with someone on the other side of the country," she added.
Trulia.com has some tips on how to look for the perfect home. The website suggests you look for a place where you can see yourself living in for a long time. Also always choose a house that provides room for expansion and growth. Think it out before you splash a huge amount of money on a property and consider other factors like neighborhood, access to public amenities etc.
