Lower Mainland home owners willing to compromise for livability, but not much

A new survey sponsored by REW.ca and conducted by Mustel Research Group has revealed what future home buyers and sellers in the Lower Mainland find most important -- and what they are willing to compromise on -- when making buying decisions. 

As expected, the survey found liveability factors and location are still the most important in selecting a property in the Lower Mainland, with most willing to budge on size and style of home if pressed to make a choice.

Close to everything

 "Close" is the key word that sums up what respondents want in a location, according to a REW.ca press release. Forty-one per cent of home buyers and sellers selecting “close to amenities” and 33 per cent saying "close to family/friends."  "Close to work/lessened commute time" came third, with acceptable commute times averaging 30 minutes.

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Style compromise

In considering what kind of home they wanted, 44 per cent of future home buyers and sellers selected the “style of home” as the most important factor. Yet 44 per cent are also willing to compromise on size of home and 43 per cent are willing to compromise on “lot size/size of yard.”

“What this tells us is that people in the Lower Mainland want a certain style of home but in reality they are willing to compromise on this for livability factors such as living close to amenities with lower commute times,” said Ian Martin, General Manager, REW.ca.

Survey Highlights

When asked “Apart from affordability, what were the two most important factors you considered or would consider in selecting your neighbourhood location?” past and future home buyers and sellers selected the following:

• 41 per cent - Close to amenities such as shops, grocery stores, medical facilities  
• 33 per cent - Close to family/friends
• 22 per cent - Close to work/lessened commute time
• 19 per cent - Close to public transit
• 16 per cent - Safety/less crime
• 15 per cent - Close to parks and green space
• 15 per cent - Close to water (streams, rivers, lakes, ocean)