Keeping up appearances

Magnet recently released the results of a study that they conducted. This survey is remarkable in that it reveals that British homeowners are becoming exceedingly competitive in trying to achieve the best looking home and in doing so, spending rather a lot of money!

The low down

The national study of 3,000 householders shows that in the last five years, British households have invested an average of £17,810 on home improvements - which equates to over £3,500 per year. 27% have gone beyond this spending in excess of between £20,000 and £40,000 on their homes in the last five years.

Interior Designer and TV expert Anna Ryder Richardson, Magnet's Style Consultant, said:

"Britain's householders are clearly more competitive in 2012 than they have ever been. We are spending more money and longer hours to keep our homes up to date and filled to the brim with the latest kitchens, gadgets and decor schemes."

Ian Lambert from Magnet, said:

"It goes without saying that it provides us with great comfort to surround ourselves in a beautiful home. But we were surprised to discover the lengths people will go to keep up appearances. We want to impress our family when they visit, we want our friends to comment on what a nice home we have but, most of all, we want our house to look better than our next-door-neighbors'."

It is evident now more than ever that with the investment going into homes that people truly care about their homes. Improvements or additions to a home can be more than just the talk of the town as it can add to your overall home value. For the best homes on the market, visit espc.com

The stats

Here are some more interesting facts from the survey:

• 27% of Brits spent between £20k and £40k on home improvement in last five years
• Brits spent an average of £17,810 on home improvement in last five years
• Brits spend average of £3,500 each year on home improvement
• 50% of home improvement spend is on kitchens and lounges
• 68% of Brits are becoming more competitive each year
• 88% of Brits wouldn't swap their homes with neighbors
• Brits spend average of 6.5 hours per week on keeping the home looking its best
• 25% of Brits spend 10 - 20 hours per week keeping the home looking its best
• 48% of Brits spend more on their kitchen than any other room

With ESPC being the number one to buy property in East Central Scotland and beyond, there is sure to be something for you no matter how much you're willing to spend.

Let us know what you think of our latest blog post, keeping up appearances and what you think of the above stats by Tweeting us @espc or writing on our ESPC Facebook timeline.