Moving Closer to Family is a Priority for Brits in 2021

Lockdown has changed how we feel about living near family, with 4 in 5 people saying they’d move right now if it meant being closer to loved ones.

Whether for work, independence, or avoiding unannounced visits, living close to family hasn’t always been the top priority for first-time buyers, who often pick different areas to their parents when deciding where to buy.

Our latest survey shows just how much this has changed.

Moving Closer to Loved Ones a Priority

Due to the pandemic, 60% of Brits admit they haven’t seen family in six months or longer due to lockdown, and the majority say they’d move to a new home right now if it meant living closer to loved ones.

Just 35% of those surveyed have family living nearby, with 65% saying theirs live either miles away or in other towns or counties.

In a UK mental health survey, a quarter of the population (25%) said they felt lonely during lockdown, and that seeing family freely could help.     

First-Time Buyers Most Impacted

Our research shows that it’s the younger crowd most affected. Around 80% of under 40s say lockdown has made them rethink where they live because they’re too far away from loved ones, against just 20% of over 40’s who are content where they are.

This ties in with the fact that most first-time buyers in the UK are between 32 and 35 years-old. It can make financial sense for many young families to live near parents and grandparents for things like childcare or pet sitting, but it can also add to well-being!  

Britain on the Move

Lockdown has already increased property searches as more people search for home office space or bigger gardens. Now we know more people are also considering a move to be closer to the people they love. In the UK, searches for ‘houses for sale’ have skyrocketed by almost 40% in the last month, with nearly 100,000 new people Googling new places to live.

Find your next home with Douglas&Gordon.

Method:

We surveyed nearly 500 people across Instagram and Twitter during the first half of March 2021 to gather our data.