Men and women 'have different priorities when house buying'

Male house hunters are more likely than women to prioritise being close to work and having decent transport links when looking for somewhere to live, research has found.

The findings also suggest that a woman's home is her castle, as female house hunters are more likely to value indoor space above anything else, according to Santander Mortgages.

One in three (31%) women surveyed said that having some decent space within a home was their priority, while a similar proportion of men (35%) wanted to be close to work.

The research among more than 2,000 people also found that being close to green outdoor space, moving to an "up and coming" area and having nicer neighbours tend to be factors that men are more concerned about.

For women, the priorities tend to be living near a good school, living close to family members and having access to a garden.

Graham Sellar, head of business development at Santander Mortgages, said the findings suggest that "men are most interested in what they can do and where they can go outside the home, whereas women are more concerned with the bricks, mortar and space within".

He said that trying to manage people's different priorities can add another challenge to the process of buying a home.

Here are the factors that tend to be more important to men than women when looking for a home, according to research for Santander Mortgages:

:: Proximity to green space

:: Proximity to work

:: Moving to an "up and coming" area

:: Having nicer neighbours

:: Proximity to transport

Here are the factors that tend to be more important to women than men when looking for a home:

:: Having more space

:: Access to a private outdoor area

:: Being in the catchment area of a good school

:: Proximity to other family members

:: Having eco-features in the property