Swimming Pools, Slides and Bowling Alleys Top Children’s Property Wish List

Autumn may be in full swing but it would seem that we still have summer on our minds as homes with swimming pools are revealed to top the wish lists of children under 10.

Share to Buy surveyed one thousand 6 – 10 year olds about their hopes for their future home, focusing on what special features children would like in their own abode. Making a splash, almost three-quarters (74%) of participants said they wanted a private swimming pool in their house when they’re older.

Coming in second, over half of the children surveyed aspired to own a home with a slide which could take them from the top of their property to the bottom, while 35% wanted to live somewhere with a private bowling alley and 30% were after a helipad for their private helicopter. Other home amenities on respondents’ wish lists included “a football pitch”, “a music room full of musical instruments” and “a ballroom”.

The survey also provided an insight into where children hope to live, revealing that 36% of respondents are hoping for a house by the seaside, while 26% dream of a country home.

Additionally, the survey found that children overall were looking to get on the property ladder sooner rather than later. Almost two-thirds (65%) of those surveyed said they wanted to be home-owners before the age of 30, while 11% were aiming to have a mortgage as early as their teens – making them far more optimistic and ambitious than many young adults today.

Nick Lieb, Head of Operations at Share to Buy, comments: “I’m delighted to see a new generation of children aspiring to home ownership. In the past twenty years, the average property price in London has more than quadrupled, and with no signs of house prices slowing down, it’s now more important than ever to provide affordable housing solutions for future generations. At Share to Buy, we are proud to be supporting the next generation of home owners taking their first step on the property ladder through schemes such as Shared Ownership. We are working with some of the sector’s largest providers to deliver truly affordable homes for first time buyers.”

Shared Ownership offers buyers the opportunity to purchase a percentage share of a property (between 25% and 75% of the home’s full market value) paying a below-market-value rent on the remaining share. Buyers can choose to purchase additional shares as and when they can afford to through a process known as ‘staircasing’, allowing them to ultimately own their home outright. The scheme also often requires much smaller deposits than buying a property on the open market.

For budding buyers who believe that purchasing their own home is out of reach, Shared Ownership homes in England can help them take those first steps onto the property ladder. Register with Share to Buy today and search for homes in your area based off of your own requirements and needs, including property type, number of bedrooms, search radius and deposit amount!