Customer Survey
- New Homes Today 2003 - Introduction
- Key Findings 2003
- Quantitative Research
- Qualitative Research
- New Homes Today 2002 - Introduction
- Key Findings 2002
- Preference for New Housing 2002
- Affordable Housing and Planning Policies
New Homes Today 2003 - Introduction
Public interest in the provision of new housing remains high. Fewer new houses are being built in Britain than people need. The Government is pursuing a number of initiatives to tackle this shortfall in supply and the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a major review of housing supply in his Budget. The housing market has also been identified as a significant factor in determining whether the UK should join the euro. Adequate new housing provision matters for individuals and the performance of the economy. New homes are an increasingly attractive option for those seeking to move or set up home. And if sufficient new homes of the right type are not built in the right places there will be economic stresses and difficulties in recruiting and retaining the employees that businesses and public services need.
Up to date information about customer attitudes to new build housing is important in helping to inform discussion on these major issues and the current survey can make its own contribution to this.
Jack Saxton - Head of Intermediary Markets, Halifax Plc
It gives me great pleasure to be associated with the ninth consecutive research project to have been commissioned in partnership with our co-sponsors, the New Homes Marketing Board.
For the first time, we have undertaken a major piece of the research in Scotland. This is a significant departure for us, and I am confident that it will be well received north of the border. This time around, we have taken an in-depth look at the subject of information gathering during the house buying process. We have sought to draw comparisons between traditional methods of marketing and use of the internet. By way of extension, we have then gone on to take a more detailed look at internet usage.
The other topic we looked at this year was the level of service provided to the customer during the sales process. This has covered such areas as the selection of options and agreeing completion dates. We have not looked at after sales service, preferring instead to allow the CML initiative to become fully embedded before returning to this subject.
As ever, we have undertaken a trended analysis of the buying intentions of customers actively looking in the market place. I believe that the findings of this report will make an important contribution to the industry, and hope that you find them both interesting and useful.
Mick Noble - Chairman, New Homes Marketing Board
The New Homes Marketing Board is again pleased to have worked with the Halifax plc in producing this research - the ninth annual report on public attitudes to new homes. The latest research indicates that new homes continue to become more popular. This is a welcome trend, but there is always something new to be learned. This year's research looks at the use and value for buyers of information drawn from the internet.
There are some interesting conclusions that can be drawn. The internet is generally seen as an effective source of information about new homes by those who use it, but it is not - at least at this stage - a major route leading people to the home they finally purchase. The precise role of the internet in new homes marketing is perhaps therefore a subject for further thought.
The report also looks at the use and effectiveness of other sources of information about new homes and the service purchasers receive from builders. Here too there are valuable lessons. It is reassuring that the majority of those surveyed do not find the process of buying a new home overly stressful. There are nevertheless issues that developers need to consider and I commend careful study of these.
Introduction and Objectives
A combination of quantitative and qualitative research was utilised.
The quantitative work was conducted between 2 June and 20 June 2003 and comprised a total of 1579 door-to-door interviews and 1433 exit polls. The latter were conducted outside local estate agents' offices and developers' sales centres.
Of the door-to-door respondents, 18% had moved in to their new home within the previous six months; 41% within six to eighteen months; and 41% had been living there for more than eighteen months.
Of the exit polls, 9% of respondents were looking to move within the following month; 36% in one to three months; 37% in three to six months and 18% in six months or more. The quantitative research was conducted in three locations: Peterborough, Cheshire and Glasgow.
The qualitative element comprised 10 focus groups plus one telephone interview carried out in each of the areas detailed above, plus a further 3 locations in England and Wales, giving a total of 81 respondents.