One in three Brits regret buying their home, with noisy neighbours the biggest causes

A great financial deal, the property’s condition and the local amenities are the top factors that convince Britons to purchase their dream homes, yet as many as one third realise it’s not their dream home soon after moving in.

Noisy neighbours, unexpected issues in the home and even heavy traffic can be enough to ruin the dream.

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After realising that their dream home isn’t everything they initially thought it might be, one third of property owners have considered selling up and moving on, as well as 5% who have already begun the proceedings.

The study was conducted by home interior specialist Hillarys, www.hillarys.co.uk, as part of their ongoing research into British home life. 2,470 Britons aged 18 and over, all of whom stated that they purchased and moved into their current home within the past two years, were quizzed about their new home, their decision to buy and their current feelings towards the purchase.

Initially all respondents were asked ‘How long did the process take from finding your home, to purchasing it and moving in?’ to which the average response was revealed as 10 months. All respondents were then asked ‘What was it that convinced you to buy this house?’ to which the top responses were revealed as ‘a great financial deal’ (27%), ‘the condition of the property’ (26%) and ‘the local amenities’ (23%).

All respondents were then asked ‘After moving in, were you still convinced that the home was perfect for you?’ A third of respondents (35%) confessed that ‘no’ there were issues that arose that made them regret buying their home. When asked how long it had taken for them to realise their home wasn’t as perfect as they’d thought, the average response was revealed as 5 months.

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Wanting to delve a little deeper, all respondents were asked to reveal the top reasons why they regret purchasing the home that they currently live in. When provided with an extensive list of reasons why and told to select all that applied, the top reasons were revealed as follows:

Noisy, disruptive neighbours - 41%House in a worse condition than initially realised - 36%Heavy traffic outside the house - 33%Parents parking everywhere when dropping kids at nearby schools - 24%Litter everywhere on the streets - 20%

When asked how they dealt with noisy, disruptive neighbours, 73% confessed that they didn’t say anything to their neighbours out of fear of making the situation worse.

According to the poll, one third of respondents (32%) confessed that they’ve considered putting their house on the market after discovering these issues with their home, whereas 5% of respondents have already begun searching for a new home.

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Tanya Irons, spokesperson for www.hillarys.co.uk, commented on the findings: "There’s nothing more exciting that finding your dream home, but then there’s nothing worse than moving into your dream home and realising it’s not as much of a dream as you had hoped. Whether your neighbours are unbearable, the house is falling down around you or the traffic outside is loud and constant – the smallest thing can make the dream come crashing down. It’s always worth being realistic – nothing’s ever perfect and you need to make the most of the situation.”

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