AFTER collating answers from 2,000 respondents from across the UK, agent Strutt & Parker’s latest Housing Futures survey results give an insight into the housing priorities of the population.

The survey sample was a combination of Strutt & Parker-registered buyers, sellers, tenants and lettings applicants from the past three years and a balanced general UK population sample conducted by OnePoll.

Strutt & Parker decided to take a look at the differing answers supplied by men and women to see how much they varied and if any trends emerged.

When asked to rate their motivations for moving, the reasons listed as important and very important differed between men and women.

Women wanted better schools, access to public transport, access to shops and amenities, close to work, bigger home, personal finances, close to family and friends, lifestyle change and broadband connectivity.

Important to men wer tax changes, retirement, pension support/top-up, smaller home, political environment and mobile coverage.

A number of other differences were observed. When it came to dream home items, the survey revealed that 14 per cent of men wanted a cinema/screening room and 12 per cent wanted a wine cellar. In contrast, 24 per cent of women rated an AGA oven as their top home accessory.

While both sexes agreed that “traditional British” was their favourite type of interior design, certain styles scored much more highly with women than men, including warehouse loft, “Simplistic Scandinavian”, classical French and “Exotic Indian”. On the other hand, 1950s/60s/70s retro was preferred by men.

Men preferred stark, grand/imposing and cool feelings to describe the character of their home. While for women, quirky/creative and calm/relaxing ambiences were more popular.

When it comes to outside space, men are far more interested in living on or near a body of water than women, perhaps to enjoy pursuits such as sailing and fishing.

When looking at the type of home services you might receive if you lived in a managed apartment block or private rented sector unit, men tended to be far keener on convenience and practical amenities. Having a porter/doorman, in-house cleaning services, car sharing, banquet services and refrigeration drop-off storage were all far more popular with male respondents. For females, it was important that pets were allowed and disabled accessibility was also a priority.

Environmental features appeared to be of more importance to men than they were to women.

To download the full report, Housing Futures: key trends shaping the residential market, visit struttandparker.com/housingfutures.