A new study into what the British public are looking for when buying a house has found that a quarter of potential home buyers are put off a property because of the size of the kitchen. The study conducted by kitchen worktop specialist Mayfair Granite found that 25% of people are put off a property by small kitchens, with a lack of storage and no natural light also high on the list.
In a bid to find out what put people off in regards to the kitchen when looking at properties, Mayfair Granite surveyed 1,006 UK residents who were actively looking for a new home. They asked, “What do you find most off-putting in a kitchen when buying a house?” and asked participants to choose from a list of possible answers; the results are below:
- Kitchen Size (too small) – 25%
- Grease/fat stains/mould – 20%
- No natural light – 17%
- Lack of storage – 13%
- Outdated cabinets and worktops – 10%
- Awkward kitchen layout – 8%
- Broken fixtures and fittings – 7%
Small kitchens were voted the number one reason not to put an offer in on a property, with grease and fat stains coming in second with 20% of the vote. High up on the list was a lack of natural light, as well as no storage space.
Outdated kitchen designs and awkward layouts didn’t seem to deter homebuyers, although many stated that these types of problems would lead them to put in a lower offer if they liked the property on the whole. In fact, some stated that they would offer up to £15,000 less than the asking price if they felt that the kitchen needed replacing.
Looking deeper into the results, Mayfair Granite found that those looking to buy in London were more likely to be put off a property because of a small kitchen (38%), while a fifth of Londoners stated that no natural light would be a big concern.
Other interesting results found that first time buyers were more likely to be unfazed by out dated or badly designed kitchens, especially if the size was right, while older generations were more likely to be put off a property by a lack of storage and natural light.
Neil Beard from Mayfair Granite commented on the survey results, saying:
“From the survey, it’s plain to see that people still regard the kitchen as one of the most important rooms in the house when it comes to buying a property, and in many cases a bad kitchen can put people off putting in an offer entirely. In this volatile housing market it is important that home sellers create the right impression to potential buyers.”
He added, “Home sellers cannot do anything about the size of their kitchen, but simple things like cleaning the kitchen, removing any clutter and fixing broken fixtures and fittings can make a big difference to potential buyers and can help them achieve an offer on or as close to the asking price as possible.”
Check out the full survey at WhatHouse.