With house prices hitting record highs across the UK, a new poll has revealed the cities that new homeowners would look to avoid.
Incredibly, Glasgow makes the top three of the least desirable cities being topped in the unwanted list by only Birmingham and London.
The UK capital was named the least desirable with just over a third of people polled (38%) saying they wouldn’t want to live there, while Birmingham in second (37%) and Glasgow in third (34%) weren’t far behind.
The study by designer radiator specialists BestHeating asked homeowners where they most and least want to live in the UK as well as what the deal breakers are for buying a property in these areas.
Despite house prices being lower than £200,000 on average, and being a favourite for both retail therapy and nightlife, Glasgow was the only Scottish city in the top 10.
In contrast, York is considered the most desirable city to live in in the UK, with 89% of those asked fancying a move here. This is despite the average house price above £305,000, which means it is the most expensive city in Yorkshire.
What puts people off
When it comes to Brits being put off buying a house, structural issues are the biggest concern as more than three fifths are discouraged if they spot this (63%), with damp the second biggest problem for buyers (62%).
Other issues that put people off purchasing a house are mould (57%), cracks (52%) and leaks (51%).
Nearly half are put off by the neighbours (46%), more than a quarter are deterred by the layout (27%) and one in 10 wouldn’t buy a house because of the décor.
Speaking about the revealing poll, John Lawless of BestHeating said: “Buying a house is the biggest commitment you can make so it is interesting to see that we appear to favour moves to less populated areas rather than the liveliest and most inhabited cities like London or Birmingham where Brits really don’t want to live.
“As seen by the desire to live in either York or Bath, we want space and greenery for our homes but would also like to be somewhere with history so that it strikes the right balance between not being too busy but being well known.
“It is vital that when looking for the next property that you do all the correct checks as the last thing you want is a financial headache later when you find out that the house you thought was perfect has lots of problems. Remember, no issue is too small to question even if it is that the neighbours are nosey.”
The 10 least desired UK cities to live in
- London – 38%
- Birmingham – 37%
- Glasgow – 34%
- Liverpool – 33%
- Manchester – 32%
- Sheffield – 28%
- Leicester – 27%
- Leeds – 26%
- Newcastle – 25%
- Nottingham – 24%
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