The Internet looks set to become the house hunters favourite method of finding a dream home according to the latest annual survey from the New Homes Marketing Board and the Halifax.
The latest New Homes Today 2003 report published today reveals 36% of house hunters now use property websites and the number is growing all the time.
But it is the effectiveness and convenience of the internet as a property-finding tool that is the key to its continuing success, with 73% of respondents rating it as effective, whilst the survey also reveals that 37% of buyers are likely to use the internet as their main source of information the next time they move whilst 82% would make some use of it.
Websites geared to new homes proved particularly popular, with www.new-homes.co.uk , which has just registered its millionth visitor, being rated as either effective or very effective by 71% of respondents and individual new homes developer websites proving just as popular.
Pierre Williams, spokesman for the New Homes Marketing Board, said: The Internet was always set to become the ideal way of house hunting. But for the new homes industry it is proving a real winner. Many of those choosing to buy new, do so for job re-location reasons. Being able to browse for a new home anywhere in the country and at any time is obviously ideal.
The survey also reveals that the stress traditionally associated with moving home is less prevalent that previously thought perhaps because the information sources detailing what homes are available have improved so much in recent years.
The overall process of finding and buying a new home was felt to be fairly ot totally straightforward by 52% of respondents with a further 22% expressing no opinion on the subject.
Obtaining a mortgage, financing the purchase and finding out wjhat properties were available were rated as the least stressful aspects of moving home being rated as totally or fairly straightforward by 65% and 62% of respondents respectively.
The most stressful part was selling the old home and handover/moving in day both of which were rated as stressful or very stressful by 35%.
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