The ideal ‘forever home’ for people in Northern Ireland is a four-bedroom, detached house by the sea, worth £376,630 – and just down the road from family, it has emerged.
A new study also found that we hanker after a property with a driveway, a play room – and somewhere to hang the washing.
Other must-haves include a large kitchen and breakfast room, an ample lounge, utility room and dining room.
A double garage and conservatory are also essential, as is a study and cloakroom. Ideally, we want to live in a location just 10.8 miles from the office.
Good transport links and a pub within a mile and a half are also vital elements.
An ambitious 45 percent even went as far as to suggest their ‘forever home’ would include a swimming pool and sauna.
The detail emerged from a study of 2,000 homeowners carried out by Origin, manufacturer of bespoke aluminium bi-folding doors, residential doors and windows.
Ben Brocklesby, Director at Origin, said: “We wanted to find out more about the concept of the forever home and whether it still existed. Years ago it was not unusual for people to live in the same house for their entire lives, but we’ve certainly seen a shift in this trend as we now live in an average of seven homes throughout our lifetimes.
“Interestingly, almost 90 percent of people in Northern Ireland still believe in the concept of a forever home, which shows that the clear majority of homeowners are constantly climbing the property ladder, striving to find a home to live in for the rest of their lives.”
Over half of people chose the sea as the perfect view from their windows, followed by a countryside view of either rolling hills or a field of cows. Britain’s least chosen view from the home was, perhaps unsurprisingly, a football stadium.
