One in five Manchester locals will stretch finances to move home as quickly as possible

One in five Manchester locals (20 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.

While one in five are inclined to fast track their house buying decisions by stretching their finances in Manchester, Sheffield residents were the UK’s most likely to with one in four people (25 per cent) saying they would. The least likely to do so were Plymouth residents where only one in 10 (10 per cent) would.

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.”

The survey also revealed regional variations when it comes to buying a home. Across the whole of the North West just over one in six (16 per cent) are inclined to fast track their house buying decisions by stretching their finances,

Those in Greater London (21 per cent) and the West Midlands (22 per cent) were the most likely to. The least likely to were people in Northern Ireland, where it was just one in ten (11 per cent), followed by residents of the East of England (12 per cent) and the South West (13 per cent).

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.”