From Steven Foreman, MRICS – Chartered Surveyor & Registered Valuer
Shifting Consumer Trends in the Residential Property Market
As an RICS-registered valuer, it’s essential to stay on top of the latest property market trends—what’s in, what’s out, and what might shape the future. As Chartered Surveyors, we are trained to identify building defects, assess their severity and risks, and offer solutions to rectify them.
This skill, which I like to refer to as a “superpower,” can be hard to switch off. My wife often reminds me, “Steven, you’re not at work now,” as I point out building defects during family outings or holidays. She calls it my “hawk-eye” or “scan mode,” a habit that serves me well in my role as a Chartered Surveyor for Watsons.
However, analysing risks has also heightened my sense of danger compared to the average person. Combine that with being a parent of a small child who’s often unaware of their surroundings, and you get what some would call ‘helicopter parenting.’ I often have to remind myself not to point out every possible “what if” to my daughter, allowing her the space to learn from her own experiences. Still, there are some areas where I actively manage risks—one being my choice of car.
I drive a Volvo estate, a large, practical family car known for its safety rather than speed, luxury, or prestige. It reassures me to know that my family is well-protected, and my wife feels the same, especially considering the thousands of miles I drive each year for Watsons.
Interestingly, in August 2023, Volvo decided to stop selling estate cars in the UK due to a shift in consumer trends, with SUVs taking over in popularity. When the time comes to replace my trusty estate, I was preparing myself to compromise on many benefits—like the larger boot, better fuel economy, and overall practicality—by switching to an SUV. But, as luck would have it, in June 2024, Volvo reversed its decision due to unexpected demand from UK buyers, bringing the estate car back to the market.
This got me thinking about trends in the UK housing sector—what’s coming in, what’s going out, and how might these shifts evolve in the future?
Much like estate cars, the utility room in homes seems to be a dying trend. While browsing for a new house in a commuter village near Cambridge, I found that many new builds—especially from national developers—no longer include a utility room. Once a practical, albeit unglamorous space for boilers, washing machines, muddy boots, and pet beds, this area has now been absorbed into open-plan kitchen/living spaces. You could argue it’s a case of style over substance, much like the shift from estate cars to SUVs.
Open-plan living has been a dominant trend in UK homes, but I can’t help but notice its drawbacks. By merging living and kitchen spaces, what used to be a separate living room has either shrunk into a small snug or disappeared altogether. The result? A single open space filled with the noise of household appliances like washing machines, dishwashers, boilers, and fridges—hardly a relaxing environment for winding down in front of a good TV show. In my opinion, it creates more chaos than comfort, but maybe that’s just me.
Perhaps, as with cars, developers will eventually see the value in bringing back separate utility rooms. The ability to close a door and contain noise and mess seems like a practical solution that’s been overlooked in favour of aesthetic trends. Or, maybe the open-plan concept is here to stay for a while longer. Either way, it’s important to remember that while it might not align with my preferences, the market caters to what consumers want—and for now, that’s open-plan living.
As Chartered Surveyors, this ability to separate personal preferences from market trends is key to understanding the broader context in which a property exists. It’s this awareness that allows us at Watsons to provide accurate and relevant valuation reports to our diverse range of clients.
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