More to choosing a newbuild than simply location say homebuyers

Owners of newbuild homes are not as focused on location as the purchasers of other property, according to a revealing new survey.

More than 5,400 people who have bought a brand-new home in the UK in the last three years took part in the research for the NHBC Foundation and estate agents Savills.

And when quizzed on the features that persuaded them to go newbuild, off-street parking and energy efficiency were among the seven core priorities for homebuyers.

Having good schools, good transport links and accessible health services close by are important for homebuyers, but what the property itself offers plays a much greater role in the decision to buy.

The NHBC Foundation, established in 2006, aims to deliver research and practical guidance for the house-building industry to help deliver new homes fit for 21st-century living. Savills is one of the world's biggest estate and lettings agents.

The two organisations collaborated on the report, which analysed newbuild homes in three categories of location: high-density urban living, medium density in residential or regenerated areas of large towns and suburban homes generally situated within 3km of urban areas.

The top seven priorities for newbuild homeowners identified in the survey, in order of importance, are:

• Minimum maintenance
• Off-street parking
• Location
• New home warranty
• Size and design of living space
• Quality of the neighbourhood
• Energy efficiency

The report also looked at the priorities of different purchasers, such as first-time buyers, upsizers, downsizers and relocators. For example, first-time buyers put good transport links higher up their list of priorities than others but Help to Buy and the finance available through government schemes was their No.1 concern.

Downsizers, those moving from a large property to a smaller one, said energy efficiency was a key factor but minimum maintenance was actually top of their reasons to go newbuild.

For upsizers, off-street parking took top spot in their priority list with the size and design of their new living space a close second.

Meanwhile, relocators also thought off-street parking was important, while saying that their new home's location and neighbourhood considerations were key to their decision-making.