Sometimes you look at a property and don't get how someone could call it their home, and yet someone does. It takes just 480 seconds for a homebuyer to decide if they want to buy a property or not, so love really is at first sight.
A staggering 83% of homeowners have an emotional bond with their property according to a 2017 study. We're exploring the phenomenon to discover what it is about homes that can have such a strong effect on your psyche, and how a house transforms into a home.
A home is a safe environment just for you and your loved ones, away from the busy outdoors. It's a place to relax and unwind in. From a simple perspective, a home provides one key human need: Shelter. A place that protects us from the elements.
Yet homes provide so much more than such an obvious need. On a deeper psychological level, homes can provide a sense of security you're unlikely to experience elsewhere. They provide a sense of belonging that, according to psychological research, leads to a higher quality of life.
There are actions that we all take to foster that sense of belonging in our homes without even thinking about it, such as personalising our spaces with our belongings. You can go even further by using the rooms in your home in whatever way you'd like to, such as turning what could be a spare bedroom into a dedicated space for a hobby.
New build homes provide a blank canvas for us to implant our personalities and comforts onto, often more easily than we can with existing properties, making settling in easier. New build properties are built with modern life in mind.
The surrounding area your property is located in has a big impact on how a house becomes a home, and how easily emotional bonds are formed. Living in a welcoming safe neighbourhood helps foster a sense of community which fosters the emotional bonds you'll form.
3 in 4 homebuyers say a sense of community is an important factor in their home search, and it's not just the feeling of the area but also the practical local features. For example, 64% of people say local restaurants are important in building a strong sense of community.
Natural features are just as important to homebuyers as practical amenities. 52% of homebuyers want to be within 20 minutes walk of a public green space. This correlates with research that suggests green spaces have a positive effect on mental and physical health.
When you are searching for a new property you should always keep the surrounding area in mind. The ability to exercise, relax and socialise in your immediate vicinity can have a big impact on how quickly your new house transforms into your new home.
However, it's not any of the tangible factors already mentioned that have the biggest impact on people's emotional bond with their homes, it's the memories they've made in those homes that truly matter. This runs deep into the human psyche with our desire to create meaningful connections, and how forming key memories plays into that mechanism.
43% of homeowners experience a sense of grief when they move home. This is likely due to all the core memories they've made in that property, and moving home can feel like you're leaving those memories behind and closing a chapter of your life.
But the beauty in closing a chapter is that a new one is just beginning. When the aforementioned factors are taken into consideration, you can seamlessly transition into your new house and begin creating the kinds of special memories that will quickly transform it into your home.
While your family, work commitments, budget, and conveniences will have a big influence on the property you end up choosing, you should keep in mind how personalisation, community and the potential to create new memories can have a huge effect on how quickly you can form a meaningful emotional bond with your home.
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Source: LSL Land & New Homes
Your Move E-Marketing Executive
