Home Buyer YouGov Survey - Research by First In The Door

A UK wide YouGov survey commissioned by property advisor platform First In The Door, looks at the challenges facing home buyers today and the demand for professional buyer representation. Below we share our analysis and key insights from our research of 2,217 adults in the UK.

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 The problem for UK home buyers

The Top 10 challenges experienced by UK home buyers (YouGov Survey 2024)

The majority of UK adults find buying a home more challenging & stressful than selling a home (34.8% vs 27.8%)

  • The trend was consistent across all age groups, except those aged over 55 where 31% thought buying a home was more challenging vs 35% who thought selling a home was more challenging.

     

  • London was the most pronounced, with 42% who thought buying was more challenging vs 22% who voted the other way.

     

  • The challenge for buyers was starkest for families with children suggesting a lack of family housing stock:  41% of families with 2 children felt buying a home was more challenging than selling vs 24% who voted the other way.

     

  • The results were more extreme for those with higher household incomes (over 150k), with 57% finding buying more challenging than selling vs 43% who opted for selling as more challenging.

Almost half of UK adults believe an estate agent acts on behalf of buyers as well as sellers

Lack of awareness the major reason why respondents had not used buying agents before, at 69%

  • 69% of respondents answered ‘It’s not something I am familiar with’ OR ‘I don’t know any buying agents’. Note – This is a multichoice question where respondents can select more than one answer (hence you cannot add 54.7% + 28.3% together).

  • Lack of awareness and familiarity far outweighs the traditionally held view that buying agents are only for the very wealthy or that they are expensive.

After learning more about buying agents and the typical fees, 41% expressed interest in using a buying agent in the future

  •  Demand for buying agents is untapped, with a striking 41% expressing an interest in using buying agents in the future.


  • Interest is highest in  London at 52% (with 17% ‘Very Interested’ and 35% ‘Interested’) and for families with children 47% (13% ‘Very Interested’ and 34% ‘Interested’).

     

  • Interest in buying agents grows with income:   54% of households earning over 100k expressed an interest (11% ‘Very Interested’ and 43% ‘Interested’) and is highest for the top earners: 61% of those with household incomes over 150k expressed interest (19% ‘Very Interested’ and 42% ‘Interested’).