Breakfast bar or swimming pool? The things people really want in their homes

Reading the pages of Country Life magazine or, even more sensibly, reading the website countrylife.co.uk, you might think you have a flavour of what is considered ‘desirable’ in a property. We are littered with, overwhelmed by, gorgeous creaking cottages under thatch. We barely get out of bed unless there is an exposed beam. We demand fireplaces, and fancy windows, and large gardens bursting with colour. We are relentless in our pursuit of excellence when it comes to property.

Imagine our surprise, then, when we were told by the kind agents at Yopa that we have, in fact, got it all wrong. 127 years of experience has been thrown out the window. Nobody wants a large garden or grade listed features. What people want, what they scream for, is in fact a breakfast bar. Who knew. Not us.

Yopa has had a look at the thousands of current property market listings that have been made in the last 30 days, and found out which ones have found a buyer. 12% of all properties listen in the last month have found a buyer; however, those with breakfast bars have been purchased at a higher percentage of 13.6%. 

"Kitchen islands are very useful, but are they really preferable to, say, a master with an en-suite bathroom and dressing room"

Second on the desirability list is a kitchen island, which I suppose is quite like a breakfast bar, at 12.6%, as are homes with a high EPC rating of C or higher. Freestanding baths and ‘doer-uppers’ are also seeing ‘fairly robust levels of buyer demand’.

‘It’s the smaller, more functional features that are currently resonating with buyers, such as a more usable kitchen space,’ says Verona Frankish, CEO of Yopa. ‘The chance to reduce their outgoings with a more energy efficient property is also a high priority and this speaks to the fact that whilst the market outlook has improved, many buyers remain restricted due to higher mortgage rates.’

I suppose that all makes sense and is sensible. But we here at Country Life try not to be too sensible too often. With that in mind, we spoke to our Property Editor Annunciata Elwes to find out what she thinks of breakfast bars, and what she would find desirable in a home (hint: it’s not kitchen islands).

‘Breakfast bars are naff and bar stools give you backache — how do people not know this,’ she says. ‘Kitchen islands are very useful, but are they really preferable to, say, a master with an en-suite bathroom and dressing room? 

‘The next on my list would be ancillary accommodation (so that in-laws, nannies and other guests can have their own space), followed by a nice long drive so I don't have to see anyone I haven't chosen to live with. Throw in an outdoor swimming pond and kitchen garden somewhere beyond it and I'm sold.’

‘One friend has told me that he refuses to buy a house without a ha-ha, but that must be rather a niche necessity.’

So there you have it. The stats say kitchen islands, breakfast bars and insulation. We say granny flats, long driveways, kitchen gardens and ha-has.

James Fisher is the deputy digital editor of countrylife.co.uk. He lives in London, and would like both a kitchen island and a pool, but has neither.

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