Home owners who let heart rule head pay a premium

One in three let their heart rule their head when it comes to busting housing budgets. Picture: PA

The extra £16,645 could push up the price of an average house in Yorkshire by 10 per cent - to £179,812.

According to Zoopla, who questioned more than 1,800 home owners, one in three (34 per cent) admitted their heart strings won out over their purse strings when it came to buying their home, leading them to spend an average of £16,193 more than they had planned on average, according to property website Zoopla.

About 44 per cent of those who had gone over budget after finding a property too attractive to resist said it was love at first sight.

Fireplaces were the property features most likely to sway purchasing decisions, with nice neighbours and good decoration second and third.

Bay windows, original features such as floorboards, walk-in wardrobes and free-standing baths were also seductive to buyers.

But they could also lead to rows, with one in 12 (8 per cent) couples saying they argued when putting in an offer due to one person being more besotted with a property than the other.

Home owners in Yorkshire and the Humber were fourth when it came to the areas which pushed their budgets the most.

Those in the East of England stretched their budgets the most, paying £18,908 more than planned on average, followed by those in the North West of England, who forked out £18,436 more, and Londoners, who spent £17,386 more.

Welsh house hunters kept a tighter rein on their spending, paying around £9,591 more than planned. In Scotland, home buyers paid £14,152 more.

Zoopla spokesman Lawrence Hall said: “Buying a property is a significant financial commitment, and all house hunters want to find a home that they love, so it’s understandably a process often fraught with emotion.

“In a competitive property market where stock is low, demand is high, prices are rising and interest rates are at an historical low, it’s hardly surprising to see original budget levels creeping up.

“However, buyers need to be careful to not let their hearts take over completely. The key to the process is to do as much research as possible before making an offer and striking a balance between the heart strings and the purse strings.”