Do Men and Women Have Different Priorities

We all know that it can be difficult to decide when it comes to moving house. Is the area right? Is it big enough? Can I afford it? Is it a good investment?

It’s hard enough to make these decisions alone – but when you have to take a partner, housemate and/or other family members into account, as many of us do, it becomes an even trickier choice. How can you please everyone?

It can be even more tough when gender politics are taken into consideration. According to research by Santander Mortgages last year, generally speaking, men and women have very different priorities when it comes to finding a new home.

It seems that women are much more likely to be swayed by the inside space on offer in a house, whereas men value being close to work more highly.

Men are also more keen on having easy access to both green space and transport, while women crave private gardens and closeness to relatives.

Perhaps stereotypically, women tend to be more concerned about school catchment areas than men, but, surprisingly, the males of the species are more bothered about having friendly neighbours than their female counterparts are.

Graham Sellar of Santander Mortgages commented, ‘men are most interested in what they can do and where they can go outside the home, whereas women are more concerned with the bricks, mortar and space within’.

Another study by Strutt and Parker, which looked at people’s home preferences, indicated that home cinemas and wine cellars were on men’s dream-home lists, and women sought AGAs and kitchen islands.

Men were more keen on managed property developments, where gardening and shared space would be taken care of for them, whereas women rated pet-friendly premises and disabled access.

Interestingly, technology was important to both sexes in these two studies, with broadband connectivity and mobile-phone coverage being priorities – perhaps unsurprisingly in a 21^st-century world.

Of course, research like this is not definitive – we are all different! But being armed with this knowledge might help us to understand the perspectives of our co-purchasers better when taking the property plunge.

Are you looking for a new home in Manchester? We have a range of new-build and resale properties available to buy or rent. Have a look at our property pages for more information.