Edinburgh crowned UK City with most stylish homes for sale

Arlo & Jacob have analysed over 1,700 images of homes on Rightmove, looking for occurrences of features and colours reported as “most desirable” in a recent survey, as well as overall layout and presentation to rank cities with the most stylish properties for sale. You can view the full findings here.

Certain interiors and features can be an instant no-go for many people and things like poor quality images online can be enough to put people off even going to view a property. On the other hand, there are many features like storage, natural light and a generally clean feeling which can sway people into making an offer.

Edinburgh takes the top spot with the most stylish homes for sale

Edinburgh is crowned the UK’s most stylish city, with homes there being awarded an average overall style score of 87 out of 100. Homes in the Scottish capital scored 15 out of 15 for presentation and 17 out of 20 for colour schemes that matched the nation’s favourites – white, grey and blue. Edinburgh’s kitchens scored 15 out of 15 for the number of desirable features they contain, including kitchen islands, patio doors and open plan kitchen-diner space. While in the bedroom, homes here scored 13 out of 15 for the nation’s most sought after features, including balconies, feature walls and en suites.

How did other major cities compare? 

Ireland and Wales are also both represented in the top 10 most stylish cities, with Cardiff coming in 7th place, scoring an impressive 78 out of 100 overall, and Belfast ranking 9th place with an overall score of 73.

London comes in much further down the list at number 16 with an overall score of 58. Out of a possible score of 15, homes in London scored 8 for general presentation, 8 for kitchen features, 6 for bedroom features and 7 for living room features.

Important features that help properties sell

When it comes to what is important to homebuyers, it’s clear that a good online presence is the first step in getting buyers through the door, as 48% of people said good quality images of the home online were a very important factor when deciding whether to view a property or not.

Nearly three-quarters (71%) of people said an abundance of natural light was very important to them when buying a home and the research shows that, on average, homes in Belfast have the most of it, with a natural light score of 5 out of 5. Storage is also a big draw for homebuyers, with over a third (69%) of people saying this is a high priority when buying a house.

Timothy Newsome, Marketing Director, from Arlo & Jacob comments: 

“Finding the right home for your needs and budget can be a tricky but hugely rewarding task, so being clear on what your top priorities are and where you are willing to compromise can make the process a lot easier. It’s really interesting to see the variation in styles and interiors across the UK and it’s great to see cities like Edinburgh and Plymouth leading the way in terms of style and features. 

“However, it’s important to remember that while features like en-suites and open-plan kitchen diners continue to grow in popularity, our research shows that the three mainstays of home buying – space, storage and natural light – are still high priorities for buyers across the board.

“The use of on-trend furniture and accessories can also be the difference between someone flicking past your house online, to getting viewers through the door and actually selling your property, so it’s important to make it as presentable and welcoming as you can.”