A new survey has revealed what Devon’s residents want most in a home - and what they think needs improving in their neighbourhood.

The Tindle Property Survey asked more than 300 people across the UK and the Isle of Man their views on the property market, from what they considered to be the most important factor in buying a home to how they thought housing prices would change throughout 2023.

Talking about their ideal homes, 73.6 per cent of Devon respondents said that they would want a detached house, 50.9 per cent said that they would want three bedrooms, and 50 per cent said that they would prefer to live near the countryside.

The most important factors when buying a house were price (83 per cent), a garden (61.3 per cent) and parking availability (62.3 per cent), followed by neighbourhood reputation and the number of bedrooms in a property.

Other factors that respondents considered important were energy efficiency, access to public transportation, distance from the town centre, space to entertain guests, distance from a workplace, distance from a school and step-free accessibility .

Looking at their current neighbourhoods, more than half of the respondents (52.8 per cent) said they wanted better transport links, followed by 22.6 per cent who said there should be more green spaces and 20.8 per cent who said they wanted more play areas.

A further 18.9 per cent said that there should be more crossing points on roads near them, 16.9 per cent want more leisure facilities, 16.9 per cent want more street cleans, and 13.2 per cent want more community events.

The survey also looked at residents’ plans to move, with 54.7 per cent saying that they are considering moving house in the future, and 28.3 per cent saying that when they do, they would want their new home to be in the same neighbourhood that they currently live in.

Devon and West Country estate agents Luscombe Maye commented that the results demonstrate the activity levels that they have been seeing.

Antonia Page, of Luscombe Maye, said: "Despite all the political and economic turmoil over the last year, the property market is still active; if anything, it has reached a more typical level of activity.

"During the pandemic, securing a purchaser for a property wasn’t too challenging for the most part but, now that the market is settling down into a more normal rhythm, sellers can’t sit back; they need to take the initiative. One way to do this is by working as a team with your agent to achieve the best outcome.

"Good estate agents are doers by nature, training and experience so, if you are looking to sell your property in 2023, find an agent who is proactive and who knows how to work with market conditions, even when it’s tough."

According to the results, prospective buyers in Devon are anticipating change in the housing market this year, with 42.3 per cent predicting that house prices will increase, 40.5 per cent predicting a decrease, and just 11.1 per cent saying that they think property prices will stay the same.

Other topics covered in the survey included what people look for in estate agents, steps that people have taken to make their homes more environmentally friendly, and how Devon’s homeowners are approaching the energy price spike.

Over the coming weeks, more in-depth results will be released and analysed to give you a comprehensive overview of attitudes in your area.