Region heads league of nosey neighbours

Estate agent Keatons asked 2,000 homeowners to find out how clued-up we are about property values.

And it turns out we’re fairly savvy – and not just when it comes to our own!

In fact, over a third of us have checked up on the value of a friend, family member’s, or neighbour’s property, using an online property valuation tool, they said.

This could be out of envy, or just plain curiosity – but it goes to show we’re a bit of a nosey nation when it comes to other people’s money. And that figure rises to 41 per cent in the North West.

The most important property value to know is our own, and even without specifically searching, over half of us know how much our place is worth. And we’re also pretty optimistic about house prices – nearly a third think the value of our property will rise this year, despite Brexit.

A fifth err on the side of caution and think our home’s value will stay static, while a pessimistic 7.2 per cent believe our home value will decrease. The gloomiest were from the North West (23 per cent).

A Keatons’ spokesman said: “It’s a very British thing, to be preoccupied with property and prices. An Englishman’s home is his castle, after all! It’s important to keep an eye on values, though; that way you know when the right time to move, or improve, might be.”