A survey has revealed what the Isle of Man’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, 72.8 per cent of Isle of Man respondents said that they would want a detached house, 48.1 per cent said that they would want three bedrooms, and 38.3 per cent said that they would prefer to live near a coast or the beach. 

The most important factors when buying a house were price (70.4 per cent), a garden (55.6 per cent) and energy efficiency (46.9 per cent), followed by parking availability and neighbourhood reputation.

Other factors that respondents considered important were distance from a town centre, workplace or school, access to public transport, the number of bedrooms in a property, having space to entertain guests, and step-free accessibility. 

Looking at their current neighbourhoods, more than a quarter of the respondents (28 per cent) said they wanted better transport links, followed by 23.17 per cent who said there should be more leisure facilities and 19.51 per cent who said they wanted more street cleans. 

A further 13.4 per cent said that there should be more crossing points on roads near them, while the same amount said that they wanted more green spaces, and 6.1 per cent said that there should be more play areas. 

The survey also looked at residents’ plans to move, with 24.7 per cent saying that they are considering moving house in the future, and 22.2 per cent saying that when they do, they would want their new home to be in a nearby town or village. 

When using an estate agent, more than half of the respondents (51.2 per cent) said that reputation was an important factor in choosing who to go with, with other important factors including responsiveness, being based in the local community, and friendliness. 

According to the results, prospective buyers in the Isle of Man are anticipating change in the housing market this year, with 40.2 per cent predicting that house prices will increase and 46.4 per cent predicting that house prices will drop.

Simon Dixon, from Isle of Man estate agent Cowley Groves, commented: "In regards to over half of the respondents stating that reputation is an important factor, this is no surprise as we often receive the same feedback ourselves from clients.

"When choosing an agent to sell their property, which for the vast majority of people is the most valuable asset they will ever own, it’s important that they can trust they will deliver a quality service with regular communication and one that can deliver the best price. For the buyer, one that listens to their needs and requirements and takes a real interest in finding them the right property. In both cases, trust is essential and this can be found in long established estate agents such as Cowley Groves."