If you’re wondering what makes the ideal home, the top searches for UK property hunters in 2023 have been revealed, according to new data.
“Garage” topped the list of property features that home buyers were searching for last year using Rightmove’s keyword tool.
Faced with higher mortgage rates, there were signs that buyers were looking to get more space for their money as this was closely followed with “annexe”, “acre”, “garden” and “land” among the popular searches.
It seems many renters were looking for a home for their animals as well as themselves, as “pets” was the top choice among rental property searches.
With cost-of-living concerns still running high, “bills included” was the second most searched-for term among renters in 2023, followed by “furnished”.
Top keyword searches for UK home buyers and renters in 2023
Here are the top keyword sort terms used by prospective home buyers in 2023, according to Rightmove:
- Garage
- Annexe
- Acre
- Garden
- Land
Here are the top keyword sort terms used by prospective renters in 2023, according to Rightmove:
- Pets
- Bills included
- Furnished
- Garage
- Garden
More findings from Rightmove’s property round-up showed some other moving trends that shaped 2023, including the increase in average asking prices for houses.
Overall, national average asking prices at the end of 2023 were 1.1% lower than at the same time in the previous year.
However, with Great Britain being made up of thousands of different local markets, with different dynamics of supply and demand, some areas saw an increase in asking prices.
Most expensive UK cities to buy a house in
The UK’s biggest house price hotspots in 2023 revealed
- Sandbanks, Poole, Dorset - 20% increase in average asking house price (£1,909,943)
- Hulme, Greater Manchester - 16% increase in average asking house price (£275,886)
- South Moor, County Durham - 15% increase in average asking house price (£106,671)
- Chobham, Surrey - 14% increase in average asking house price (£1,062,483)
- Walsgrave, Warwickshire - 14% increase in average asking house price (£257,320)
- Dunblane, Stirlingshire - 13% increase in average asking house price (£324,158)
- Hockley, Birmingham - 13% increase in average asking house price (£255,121)
- Stepps, Glasgow - 13% increase in average asking house price (£252,156)
- Shotley Bridge, County Durham - 13% increase in average asking house price (£252,334)
- Brotton, Cleveland - 13% increase in average asking house price (£174,837).
Sandbanks in Poole, Dorset is 2023’s price hotspot, with average asking prices increasing by 20% compared to 2022, from £1,586,349 to £1,909,943.
Recommended reading:
- This new AI tool can tell you how much your house is really worth
- The 'overlooked' detail that will sell your house fast, according to Phil Spencer
Tim Bannister, Rightmove’s property expert said: “Even in the more muted market of 2023, many areas across Great Britain saw an increase in asking prices last year.
“Many traditionally popular areas maintained their allure amongst buyers, whilst cheaper areas were also high on the list for buyers last year with affordability stretched.
“Whilst a garden, garage and more land remain high priorities for those searching for a move, we also know from our research that more intangible factors are key to home-hunters when deciding on a move.
“A strong sense of community, friendly neighbours and an area people can feel happy in are some of the most important things movers are looking for.”
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel