Some 60% said they’ve been put off moving by the stress of change.
Despite moving home an average of four times in a lifetime, one in four homeowners said that moving home made them thoroughly stressed out and over a third (34%) were left feeling anxious, Yopa has found.
Some 60% said they’ve been put off moving by the stress of change. When it came to the barriers on finding a new home, concerns over high crime rates put off 53% of potential movers, while noisy neighbours (46%), traffic (41%) and litter worried a surprisingly high 38% of people thinking of moving.
Ben Poynter, chief executive of Yopa, said: “This is the first piece of in-depth research into the state of homeowner attitudes to moving in more than three years - especially timely, considering current political and financial uncertainties.
“Our survey proves that moving home can really take it out of you, with more than a third of people left feeling anxious by the whole process.
“Britons know that moving will make them happier in the end, but there are so many perceived barriers that put people off – from noisy neighbours to panic over paperwork and moving mishaps.
“We want to help home movers feel empowered rather than lose sleep over the thought of moving home. At Yopa we’re committed to keeping Britain moving smoothly.”
Other warning signs for buyers included a bad smell (40%), a lack of parking (38%) and high council tax (38%).
Brits found moving home more stressful than getting divorced (34%), having a baby (31%), starting a new job (27%) and getting married (25%).
Some 40% were left feeling depressed and ill by the process and nearly two-thirds of people (65%) said they had lost sleep over moving home.
However, despite this, 62% of Brits believe moving home could ultimately make them happier and 82% admitted that they’ve spent time looking at the likes of Zoopla and Rightmove, dreaming of finding an ideal home.
When it comes to actually moving, the cost was the most stressful part of the operation, with over half (53%) of the homeowners saying it was the worst part of moving home.
The average cost of the move, not including the home but including legal and estate agents’ fees, was estimated in total to be a massive £6,600.
For its latest campaign, ‘A Smooth Move’ Yopa is delving into the barriers that UK property owners face when looking to move home.
The hassle of packing is hated by 50%, with 38% hating unpacking and 36% disliking the level of paperwork.
To help combat these barriers, Yopa has a partner concierge service, Just Move In, to make every single detail that much smoother including sorting out the best utilities offers for homeowners.
In terms of making the move easier, smaller estate agents fees came top (42%), followed by more transparency (37%) and a free utility switching service (34%).
