Parents may rate a home because it’s close to a good school, but children would prefer to have a garden big enough for a tree house or swimming pool, and where there are at least three good hiding places.

Research for Chestertons has cast light on children’s understanding of the property market and uncovered big differences in what children and parents look for in a home.

Almost 3,000 parents, all with at least one child aged between five and ten, took part in the poll.

They were asked to identify what they looked for when house hunting.

The top five were:

1. Good location – near good schools, in a good neighbourhood etc – 47%
   2. Spacious living room – 35%
   3. Original features, eg fireplaces etc – 22%
   4. Off road parking – 18%
   5. Garage – 14%By comparison, when the parents asked their children what their most important features were when considering a new home, the top five answers were:1. Tree house/potential to build a tree house – 51%
   2. Swimming pool – 43%
   3. At least three good hiding places – 28%
   4. Room for pets – 24%
   5. Large bedrooms – 16%
   The survey respondents also asked their children how much they believed the average three-bedroom house cost in the UK, to which the average response was £3,000.

When asked how old they hoped to be when they bought a house, the average child hoped to be a home owner by the time they were 19.

The survey also tested children on their knowledge of property-related terms, with parents asking them to choose from one of three options.

This showed that 70% of children aged between five and ten believed ‘house deeds’ meant ‘chores that needed doing around the house; 86% believed that the ‘property ladder’ was a ‘ladder kept at home so people can reach high places’; and 54% believed that ‘property investment’ meant ‘wearing a vest at home’.

There is also a rather charming video of a family viewing a property. First the parents went round, and then the children – with very different observations.

The rather wooden ‘agent’ by the way, is played by an actor. We think a real agent would have shown much more of a human touch – you know, chatted, that sort of thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKiOMZpn6ZM