Men are from Mars, women from Venus, housing style poll finds

When it comes to relationships it is well known that men and woman have very different ideas but now research suggests they also have different priorities when it comes to choosing a home.

When it came to buying their dream home some 14% of men wanted a cinema/screening room and 12% wanted a wine cellar. In contrast, 24% of women rated an AGA oven and 18% wanted a kitchen island, according to research from real estate firm Strutt & Parker.

The top ideals when it comes to moving from women were being near a good schools, access to shops and amenities, a short commute to work and wanting more space as well as being close to family and friends, the poll of buyers, sellers and tenants also found.

But men’s top list for reasons for moving home were tax changes, retirement, pension support, a smaller home, the political environment and mobile telephone coverage.

While both sexes agreed that a traditional British home was what they wanted, certain styles scored much more highly with women than men including a loft style, simple Scandinavian, classical French and exotic Indian. On the other hand, 1950s/60s/70s retro was preferred by men.

Men preferred stark, grand, imposing and cool characters for their home while women were more attractive to a quirky, creative, calm and relaxing ambiences.

When it comes to outside space, men are far more interested in living on or near water than women, and homes with sporting facilities such as a gym, pool and tennis were also more popular with men, although more women were keen on equestrian amenities.

When looking at a managed apartment block or unit, men tended to be far keener on convenience and practical amenities. Having a porter or doorman, in-house cleaning services, car sharing, banquet services and refrigeration drop off storage were all far more popular with male respondents. For females, it was important that pets were allowed and disabled accessibility was also a priority.

Environmental features appeared to be of more importance to men than they were to women. Code Level 5 ratings, renewable energy, living walls, grey/potable water and green roofs were all markedly more popular with male respondents.
 
‘Our overall analysis points towards elements such as broadband connectivity and access to amenities being very important for buyers. However, men and women appear to have a slightly different interpretation on what these might mean,’ said Stephanie McMahon, head of research at Strutt & Parker.

‘When referring to private rental, for example, for men amenities and services might mean concierge services and grocery drop off, for women it might mean ability to bring pets and disabled accessibility,’ she explained.

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Source: Property News Spain