Location is often the most important factor when choosing a property, but for movers it seems a vicinity of 20 miles is the limit.

Data from conveyancers My Home Move found on average 70% of all home movers move less than 20 miles from their old property.

Of those who went further, 85% still opted to stay within 75 miles of their former home.

The only exceptions were movers who left London for the south-west, jumping a region and travelling more than 100 miles to settle in Cornwall, Devon, Somerset and Dorset.

Of movers in the north-east, 90% stayed in the region, while just 57% stayed within Greater London

Another 88% of movers stayed in East England or the south-west while 87% stayed in Yorkshire.

Doug Crawford, chief executive of My Home Move, said: “It would seem that we really are a nation of ‘home bodies’ preferring to move no further than 20 miles from our old postcodes.

“The past five years have presented some real challenges for home movers, with rising house prices, gazumping on the increase and a lack of stock, leaving many questioning if now is the right time to move, so we are not surprised people feel more confident in buying in places they know well.”