Every living situation has something that gets under an owner’s skin. Realtors who can solve those problems for homeowners by offering more storage space, perhaps, or easier maintenance in a new residence may entice current owners to move.
HSH.com, a mortgage data research firm, commissioned Op4G to survey 1,001 Americans on what upset them about their homes, their neighbors and their neighborhood.
Home
When it comes to the house itself, most people either feel cramped or that their house is falling apart; two-thirds are upset by a lack of storage or too much maintenance, and over half of those surveyed said that the size or age of their house left them wanting more.
- Lack of storage: 67%
- Too much maintenance: 66%
- Too small: 52%
- Too old/not updated: 52%
- Insects / Wildlife: 51%
- The neighbors: 41%
- No central air conditioning: 37%
- Unusable space: 31%
- Lack of parking: 30%
- No/Small yard: 30%
- Water pressure: 25%
- HOA: 19%
The maintenance associated with older buildings also becomes a primary concern over time, with 75 percent of respondents who have lived in their home for over a decade complaining about it.
Neighbors
Noise leads the list of neighbor complaints, but there’s a 1-in-3 chance that the neighbors don’t like nearby children.
- Noisy: 63%
- Too close: 61%
- Messy yard: 46%
- Unfriendly: 45%
- Vehicles: 42%
- Pets: 40%
- Nosy: 38%
- Their kids: 33%
- Home in disrepair: 32%
- They’re strangers: 17%
- Too far away: 12%
Neighborhood
Zipping through a neighborhood at 20 mph faster than necessary ruffles a few feathers – so do teenagers that tend to hang out outdoors.
- Speeders / Traffic: 76%
- Houses too close: 71%
- No shopping / retail: 56%
- Crime: 47%
- No peers: 47%
- No parks / public areas: 47%
- Too many teenagers: 40%
- Commute too far: 38%
- No highway access: 25%
- No nightlife / amenities: 37%
- Houses too far apart: 15%
© 2015 Florida Realtors®