Searches for homes for sale with air conditioning on a property website have more than doubled over the late spring and summer months compared with last year.
Rightmove said it saw a 104% uplift in searches on its website between May 1 and July 31 compared with the same period a year earlier.
Heatwaves influencing buyer behaviour
Colleen Babcock, a property expert at Rightmove, said: “This summer’s heatwaves appear to be influencing how people think about their homes.”
Mark Wiggin, director of Mark Wiggin Estate Agents, said: “Energy efficiency and a home’s ability to stay comfortable throughout the year have become much more important considerations when people are deciding where to live.”
Broader shift in buyer priorities
James Waight, head of sales at John D Wood & Co, said: “We are seeing buyers pay closer attention to air conditioning, ventilation and how well a home retains a comfortable temperature during warmer months.”
Ian Harris, president of NAEA (National Association of Estate Agents) Propertymark, said: “Whilst air conditioning is clearly becoming a more visible feature on buyers’ wish lists, agents are seeing a broader shift in what people want from a home: comfort and liveability are increasingly being considered alongside traditional factors such as location, space and price.
“What is particularly interesting is that buyers are becoming more alert to how a property will perform in different conditions, rather than simply looking at individual features.
“Agents are increasingly fielding questions about ventilation, natural shade, glazing, orientation and energy costs, with buyers wanting to understand what living in a property will actually feel like throughout the year.
“This is an important change in buyer behaviour. As hotter summers become more familiar, the ability of a home to remain comfortable in warm weather is likely to become a more established consideration during viewings and valuations, rather than something buyers only think about once they have moved in.”
