International Property - Knight Frank Global Buyer Survey 2021

25th August 2021

The appetite for purchasing property continues globally with one in four people looking to move home in the next 12 months 

London, UK – Knight Frank’s Global Buyer Survey released today analyses the impact that Covid-19 has had on residential buyers’ attitudes to purchasing homes around the world. The survey, which represents the views of over 900 Knight Frank clients across 49 markets highlights that: 

• Globally, 19% of respondents have moved house since the start of the pandemic, this rises to 25% in Australasia and North America. Of the non-movers, 20% are more inclined to move in 2021 as the pandemic continues 
• Cities are back in favour. Out of those respondents who are more inclined to move in the next 12 months, 38% of them are looking at city locations with 33% opting for the suburbs 
• 46% of respondents are more likely to buy a detached home or villa but demand for apartments has increased to 19%, up from 12% in 2020. This reflects an increase in demand for both larger, more spacious apartments, and pieds-a-terre in city centres.
• The appetite for ski homes has increased from 11% in 2020 to 18% in 2021 with demand from North American and Asian buyers above the global average
• Eighty-four per cent of respondents said that the energy efficiency of a future home is important to them. 28% said they would be more likely to buy an energy efficient home if future environmental regulations were to have a direct impact on its value and around 27% would be willing to pay a premium for a greener, more energy efficient home

Kate Everett-Allen, head of international residential research at Knight Frank said: “Over two-thirds of people expect the value of their current home to increase in the next year with most expecting a rise of between 1% and 9% over the 12-month period. This coincides with Knight Frank’s Prime Global Forecast which highlights that global house prices are, on average likely to increase by 4% in 2021.”  

Further findings from the report reveal that the pandemic has sparked a wave of second home demand. Some 33% of buyers say they are more likely to purchase a second home as a result of Covid-19, up from 26% last year. Of those looking to buy a second home, 23% say the pandemic has influenced where they want to buy and 22% say it has delayed their purchase plans. 

Mark Harvey, head of international residential sales at Knight Frank said: “Prime buyers in Europe and the US will find a markedly different landscape now to 2020. Stock is lower, vendors are less willing to negotiate on price and, after several months of tight travel restrictions, overseas demand is strengthening. Some buyers are willing to take a more watchful approach and wait until the final quarter of the year when they hope vendors will be less intransigent on price. Others are keen to act quickly where they can see compelling value before prices shift higher. 

“Two trends stand out in the last few months. Firstly, a growing ambivalence of some buyers when it comes to location, provided they can secure a co-primary home that delivers the lifestyle and enjoyment they feel they’ve missed out on. And, secondly given low savings rates and frothy stock markets, buyers are taking a more defensive stance by rebalancing their portfolios with a greater focus on tangible assets such as property.” 

Looking to branded residences, one in three buyers (39%) would be willing to pay a premium for a branded residence according to the survey, a figure that rises to 45% and 43% in Australasia and Asia respectively. Top amongst the key motives for purchasing a branded residence is the service provision and amenities such a development affords. Second comes the development’s high-yielding potential and in third place, the building’s management and maintenance proved an appealing prospect.  

Finally, the report sheds light on the pandemic-induced surge in property purchases by expatriates looking to acquire a base back home. The survey results confirm that the US, Singapore, Hong Kong SAR, the UK and the Philippines were the key locations expatriate respondents were based prior to the pandemic. For those that returned home, a desire to be closer to family (36%) was the biggest motivating factor, followed by an improved quality of life (24%) and a change in employment circumstances (16%). 

Courtesy: Knight Frank

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Notes to Editors

Knight Frank LLP is the leading independent global property consultancy. Headquartered in London, Knight Frank has more than 20,000 people operating from 488 offices across 57 territories. The Group advises clients ranging from individual owners and buyers to major developers, investors and corporate tenants. For further information about the Company, please visit knightfrank.com