This article is an external press release originally published on the Landlord News website, which has now been migrated to the Just Landlords blog.
New research has indicated that a growing number of would-be house buyers are willing to pay extra for a high-speed broadband connection.
A survey conducted by broadband provider Hyperoptic quizzed prospective home purchasers on the importance of a quality internet. The results showed that this is seen as a greater priority than a number of other factors when moving home.
Connection
Data from the research shows that some househunters would pay an extra 8% or £14,000 for their property, if it was guaranteed to have a broadband speed with at least 100Mbps. Two-thirds of respondents said that securing a good broadband connection was important than living next door to good neighbours, with a third going as far to say that they would sacrifice an extra bedroom in order to have a good internet service.
Hyperoptic’s vice president for products, Steve Halford, believes the poll underlines the importance of broadband and shows it is becoming more of a key factor for people looking to move home.
‘Ultrafast broadband makes a property more marketable: people are increasingly reliant on their connection and need it to cope with their current and future bandwidth demands,’ Halford said.[1]
Broadband important to more homeowners
Technological reliance
Mr Halford also pointed out that a growing number of consumers are looking at average broadband speeds in an area before moving out, something that he feels will increase as the reliance on technology increases.
Further data from the report indicates that 61% of UK house buyers check their would-be broadband speeds before committing to either buying or renting a property. Anything less than 6Mbps was found to be a deal breaker. 31% said that they do not move house until they are sure a broadband connection is set up in their new home.
14Mbps was found to be the minimum speed for many, with half of consumers saying they wanted to have a speed of somewhere nearer to 100Mbps.
[1] http://www.propertywire.com/news/europe/uk-home-move-broadband-2015090310937.html
