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Survey by Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate and Meredith Corporation Reveals That 1 in 5 Homeowners Have Moved or Would Like to Because Their Community Doesn't Fit Their Lifestyle

By: Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC |  0 Shares     162 Reads

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Introduces "Lifestyle Search" Real Estate Listing Selection Tool for a More Successful and Comprehensive Home Search

PARSIPPANY, NJ--(Marketwire - Jul 6, 2011) - One in five U.S. homeowners have either moved from their home or would like to move because their neighborhood or community wasn't ideal for their lifestyle, according to a recent survey by Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC in collaboration with leading media and marketing company Meredith Corporation.

The findings bolster Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate's assertion that community and lifestyle decisions are critical components of the home buying process. The findings are also the basis of its new "Lifestyle Search" real estate community selection tool on the bhgrealestate.com website that enables prospective homebuyers to perform a community search for important lifestyle preferences such as "Family & Community" and "Arts & Recreation."

"While the relation of price to features has become very favorable in many areas throughout the country, ultimately the surrounding community may determine how happy you are with your home purchase," said Sherry Chris, president and CEO of Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. "Our agents look to satisfy the aspirations of their clients by expanding beyond curb appeal to encompass lifestyle appeal. Our service philosophy extends beyond finding our clients their ideal homes. As the real estate industry's premier lifestyle brand, we are dedicated to finding our consumers the right communities, which in turn enable them to lead happier, more fulfilling lives. Our new, comprehensive Lifestyle Search tool is an extension of that service philosophy. We believe that this holistic, lifestyle approach will be the preferred way to search for a home into the future."

Survey respondents noted they would place more weight on lifestyle criteria in future home searches, favoring family-friendly neighborhoods and easy accessibility to cultural activities such as museums and music venues. The following chart shows survey respondents' ranking of search criteria.

Top Lifestyle Priorities of Respondents When Searching For their Next Home

Ease of Commuting by Car 38%

Access to Health and Safety Services 34%

Family Friendly Neighborhood 33%

Availability of Retail Stores 32%

Access to Cultural Activities 21%

Public Transportation Access 19%

Nightlife and Restaurant Access 18%

Golf Friendly Area - Access to Golf Courses 6%

Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate's Lifestyle Search, located on the home page of www.bhgrealestate.com, was developed using a combination of variables that are indicators of the desired lifestyle designation. When a search is conducted, neighborhoods that match all the criteria provided are returned in ranked order by score. Once a community is identified, prospective homebuyers can probe deeper into the demographics of a region by accessing the "Know Your Neighborhood" section of www.bhgrealestate.com to find school rankings, crime statistics and income ranges, among other factors.

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate's Lifestyle Search has two main sections with supporting categories. Under "Family & Community," home buyers can search by traits such as Family, Health & Safety, Schools, Commuting and Convenience. Under "Arts & Recreation," home buyers can hone in on lifestyle aspects of a community such as Culture, Fun/Hip, Retail, and Golfer's Paradise.

About the Survey

All data was collected by Research Solutions, Inc. using standard online survey methods. Respondents received an email invitation to participate in the online survey on April 20, 2011. The survey of Better Homes and Gardens® Neighbor Network panelists was closed on April 29, 2011 with a total of 1,085 total respondents, 84% of whom are home owners with an additional 10% planning to purchase a home within the next three years.

About Meredith Corporation

Meredith Corporation (NYSE: MDP) (www.meredith.com) is the leading media and marketing company serving American women. Meredith features multiple well-known national brands -- including Better Homes and Gardens, Parents, Family Circle, Ladies' Home Journal, Fitness, More and American Baby -- along with local television brands in fast-growing markets. Meredith is the industry leader in creating content in key consumer interest areas such as home, family, health and wellness and self-development. Meredith uses multiple distribution platforms -- including print, television, online, mobile, tablets and video -- to give consumers content they desire and to deliver the messages of its advertising and marketing partners. According to the Advertising Industry Reports (AIR) survey of over 1,500 agency and marketing professionals, Meredith is the nation's "Highest Rated Media Company."

Additionally, Meredith uses its many assets to create powerful custom marketing solutions for many of the nation's top brands and companies. Meredith has significantly added to its marketing solution capabilities in recent years through the acquisition of cutting-edge companies in areas such as digital, mobile, word-of-mouth, social and database marketing.

About Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC

Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC is a dynamic real estate brand that offers a full range of services to brokers, sales associates and home buyers and sellers. Using innovative technology, sophisticated business systems and the broad appeal of a lifestyle brand, Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC embodies the future of the real estate industry while remaining grounded in the tradition of home. Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC is a subsidiary of Realogy Corporation, a global provider of real estate and relocation services. The growing Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate network includes approximately 7,000 sales associates and more than 200 offices serving homebuyers and sellers in 21 states: California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina, Texas, Tennessee, Vermont, Virginia and Washington. For more information, please visit www.BHGRealEstate.com.

Better Homes and Gardens® is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation licensed to Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate LLC. Equal Opportunity Company. Equal Housing Opportunity. Each Better Homes and Gardens® Real Estate Franchise is Independently Owned and Operated.

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