Emotions 'sway house-buying choices'

People hoping to buy a house in Scotland may be swayed by their emotional attachment to a property when they decide to purchase it, according to one expert. Rightmove.co.uk has assessed the reasons for which people will choose a certain property, with factors such as price, location, transport links and schools being the main motivators for picking a certain house. However, some househunters may become emotionally attached to a property and end up buying something completely different to what they intended. Miles Shipside, commercial director at Rightmove.co.uk, explained: “Whilst there are basic rules about house buying, emotion comes into it an awful lot when people are emotionally attached to a property and it creates a good impression on them when they go and look at it. “Quite often people say: ‘I want to live in this location and I want a four bed detached’ and they end up buying a three-bed bungalow somewhere completely different.” Some 54 per cent of people stepping onto the housing ladder, potentially including Scottish first-time buyers, claimed that they would pay more for a property that has a strong sense of community.