Homebuyers 'go for green'

11-Apr-2007

A majority of home buyers - which may include first time home buyers - would rather opt for a house with environmentally-based features, new research suggests.

According to a study by Nationwide Building Society, 82 per cent of home buyers would prefer to purchase a new house that contained features such as solar panels, which may be of interest to would-be first time buyers looking to reduce their carbon footprint.

Home buyers were least likely to purchase a property on the basis of a wet room or Jacuzzi.

"It's great to see that, given the choice, most of us would opt for a green home," said Fionnuala Earley, chief economist at Nationwide.

"It is inevitable that environmental home improvements will have some impact on house prices over the long term," she added.

Other features that proved to be important to home buyers included the house being located in a good area (97 per cent) and the inclusion of walk-in wardrobes (62 per cent).

The survey data was based upon a the responses of 1,000 participants.

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Nationwide Building Society offers a number of financial products and services, including mortgages and credit cards.

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