Emotions come to fore when buying a home - research

University of Otago postgraduate marketing student Catheryn Khoo-Lattimore views the properties for sale at Edinburgh Realty, in Dunedin. Photo by Linda Robertson.

University of Otago postgraduate marketing student Catheryn Khoo-Lattimore, of Dunedin, will present findings from her research at the European Real Estate Society's 15th annual conference in Krakow, Poland, in June.

Her postgraduate thesis - "Consumer home choice as a social and historical shared experience'' - is a qualitative study of the emotional factors which affect people's decision to buy homes.

"I think studies often look at sales statistics... and ticking boxes on buyers' requirements in terms of numbers of bedrooms or resale values. But this study is an in-depth look at what prompts people to buy, and the influence of emotional factors. People may break the piggy-bank and justify the decision by saying 'but it's in a quiet location' but, really, they are already in love with a home,'' she said.

Her initial findings show "autobiographical memories'' - those derived from childhood experiences - are very important in shaping house selection.

The research may be of interest to those involved in the real estate industry and associated retailers, and she had been pleased in the past to have received sponsorship from several Dunedin businesses to attend real estate seminars.

Preliminary findings from her research were presented at the Pacific Rim Real Estate Society conference, held in Freemantle in January, and the Asia Pacific marketing conference in Malaysia last year.

Her experiences in property investment led her to study marketing and, in the future, she would like to lecture on the topic in relation to real estate, she said.