Primelocation.com surveyed around 3,500 British homeowners to identify the attributes that would make up their ideal home if money was no object.
The results found that British understatement is alive and well with the majority of people selecting a detached house set in a rural village in South West England as their dream property.
Lawrence Hall of Primelocation.com, said: “Typical British reserve and understatement shines through in selecting of their ideal property. Forget sprawling mansions or flash penthouses, the quintessential English country house with enough room for a family is what the majority of Brits view as their dream home.
“A quiet rural retreat is preferred to city life and with numerous chocolate-box villages spread across the South West it’s little wonder the majority of Brits would position their ideal home there.”
The survey found that the countryside is far preferred to towns and cities as the dream setting for most people’s ideal home.
Whilst London is the heartland of prime property only 14% of those surveyed would choose to live in the capital.
25% of those surveyed would prefer to live in a rural village whilst 22% would choose a larger country town. 17% would like to live on the rural coast while 18% would choose a seaside town. Only 5% of those surveyed chose a large city or town other than London.
The South West was the clear winner location-wise with 30% of Brits surveyed choosing it as their ideal location, whilst 25% prefer the South East. The North East was the least-preferred location with only 1.3% of respondents selecting it as the ideal place for their dream home.
Hall said: “London is home to some of the most expensive prime properties in the world. High-spec townhouses, mansions and apartments attract some of the wealthiest buyers from across the globe.
“But the bright lights of city-life appear less attractive for the majority of Brits who see their ideal home in a rural idyll 200 miles away.”
Those surveyed were also in no doubt about what they would not like to see when house-hunting for their ideal property.
Problem neighbours were identified as the number one concern with more than half (57%) of those surveyed stating that anti-social neighbours would be the biggest put-off.
