The over-60s have revealed how their hunt for the perfect home has changed since they first climbed the ladder, according to new research…

The latest research from park home property specialists, Quickmove Properties, has highlighted just how reliant today’s ‘silver surfers’ are when it comes to utilising technology in their day-to-day lives and how the process of purchasing a property, in particular, has changed compared to when they bought their first home.

For the average 60-year-old in the UK, a lot has changed between the time they purchased their first home compared to when they purchased their most recent home. Although one thing that hasn’t changed is the age at which they first got a foot on the property ladder, with the average age of a first-time buyer in the 1990s sitting at 33, exactly the same as
the average first-time buyer today.

Net widens
Back in 1994 the internet was in its infancy, having only been made available to the public in April 1993.

No surprise then, that a survey of almost 1,400 over-60s, commissioned by Quickmove Properties, found that just one per cent made use of the internet when searching for their first ever home.

The survey by Quickmove Properties found that the most popular plan of action when looking to purchase a first home was to view the windows of local estate agent branches, with many also opting to scour the local papers, review the brochures of local agents or keep an eye out for ‘for sale’ boards in their area of choice.

Fast forward to today and the way we look for our next home has changed dramatically, in no small part to the rise of property search portals, first with the birth of Rightmove at the turn of the millennium and now with property agents such as Quickmove releasing their own range of mobile device apps.

Appy hunting!
Quickmove Properties found that it isn’t just the digital generation who are benefitting from the changing landscape of the property sector, with 97 per cent of over-60s stating that online and mobile technology has made house hunting easier in the modern age.

When asked how they searched for their last property, the majority used the internet to surf property sites such as Rightmove, while the second most popular method was utilising the specific apps of such property portals.

That’s not to say that the traditional methods are now obsolete, with the local papers and estate agent brochures also proving popular, although the estate agent’s shop window now ranks as the least utilised. It’s not just the property market where silver surfers are using technology to get ahead, 99 per cent stated they are also doing so in other areas of life, with banking, weather, keeping in touch with friends and family and managing household bills among the most popular areas in which online and mobile technology is helping them.

Radical changes
Sales director at Quickmove Properties, Mark O’Dwyer, commented: “The internet has dramatically changed the way we live our lives and the advancements in mobile technology, in particular, have allowed us to streamline the way we do everything from bank, stay in touch, or search for a home.

“The over-60s are no different in this respect and whilst they may have had to adapt to these new technologies, silver surfers have embraced the benefits that come from being tech savvy.

“At Quickmove Properties, we’ve realised just how many of our customers are receptive to such platforms and that’s why we’ve developed our very own mobile app.

“The app allows park home buyers to search over 700 new or pre-owned park homes from their pocket, providing them with images, floorplans, brochures and even VR tours. They can also be first to be notified when homes hit the market based on their search criteria, keep track of their viewing requests, and access a host of additional information to help with their park home search.”