Quarter of homeowners aged 25 to 40 plan to move
A quarter of those in the 25 to 40 age group said they wanted to live in a better location, while one in 10 wanted to invest in a higher value property.
A small proportion (2%) said they wanted to move house because of noisy or annoying neighbours while 3% of women wanted to be nearer their families.
The average spend on a new home is just under €210,000. Achieving savings over the lifetime of the mortgage is the most important consideration for most consumers. A KBC Bank survey of 500 people found that just 7% of homeowners have recently traded up to a larger property.
For 75% of people achieving savings over the lifetime of the mortgage is more important. Eight out of 10 (81%) women looked for these better-value mortgages.
Of less importance are cash incentives (16%) and a discounted rate in the first year of the mortgage (9%).
Over half (57%) plan to spend less than €200,000 on a mortgage, with one in four (24%) planning to spend between €200,000 and €300,000. More than one in 10 (14%) had a budget of between €300,000 and €400,000.
More men (11%) than women (2%) plan to spend over €400,000 on their next property but more women (59%) than men (50%) have less than €200,000 to spend.
More men (65%) were in a better position to fund the move from their savings than women (40%). Of those planning to move home, 15% intended using a financial gift (8%) and/or their inheritance (7%) to cover the cost.
However, eight out of 10 said they were holding back on buying a a property mainly because of rising prices (44%) and being unable to find a suitable property (31%).
More women (35%) than men (20%) said they had not found a property that they liked. One in five (21%) said they had been outbid for a property and this was more common for men (30%) than for women (18%).
A further 13% highlighted a requirement for cash buyers as an issue. It was one that affected more men (25%) than women (9%).
Most (82%) of those who recently bought a property plan to renovate or decorate it. The most common jobs include small cosmetic improvements (41%) and a fresh paint job (41%). More than a third (35%) plan to install a new kitchen.
One in four said their property needed a complete makeover and this was the the case for significantly more men (33%) than women (18%), suggesting that men were more willing to buy property in need of major modernisation.
