So, you've got it bad for "the one" -- you know, the one that keeps you awake at night fantasizing about the day when you can be together.
Wait a second. We aren't talking about that one -- we're referring to a different kind of love affair: a "home crush." If you've found yourself swooning over a house you just can't get out of your head, you're not alone.
In a new realtor.com survey, 69 percent of the 1,000 people who responded said they have had a "home crush" -- a home they liked so much that they were drawn back to looking at it more than once online or in person.
"We conducted the survey to see how searching for 'the one' in real estate correlates to searching for 'the one' in love, and we found that they are very similar," said Barbara O'Connor, chief marketing officer at realtor.com. "Buyers have to evaluate crushes based on turn-ons and turn-offs and whether the home is in their league, so they often find themselves spending a good amount of time checking out their crush online."
But what do you do when you're pining for that perfect dwelling? Just as in romance, men and women respond to their home crushes quite differently, the survey found. Women were more likely than men to have a crush on a home that was out of their league financially, while men moved from one home crush to another more frequently than women.
Men and women tend to fall for the same things when it comes to houses, though. Of those surveyed, 54 percent of women and 46 percent of men said they tended to fall in love with outdoor living spaces. Women also swooned for open floor plans and appliances and fixtures, while men's hearts raced over a good garage and curb appeal.
"Whether it's love or real estate, having a short list of deal breakers is critical for finding 'the one' to help buyers weed through the crushes to find the home of their dreams," said Leslie Piper, consumer housing specialist at realtor.com.
Majority of all surveyed consumers report having a home crush:
69 percent of those surveyed said they have had a house crush
31 percent said they have not had a crush on a house
Women are more likely to cultivate crushes on homes that are out of their league financially:
Of the women included in the survey...
41 percent revealed that their home crush is out of their price range
59 percent reported that their home crush is in their price range
Of the men included in the survey...
30 percent indicated their home crush is out of their price range
70 percent shared that their home crush is in their price range
How often men and women establish a new crush on a home:
Of the women included in the survey...
29 percent indicated they cultivate a new house crush weekly
26 percent believe they develop a new house crush monthly
17 percent reported that they develop a new crush on a house quarterly
Of the men included in the survey...
36 percent indicated they find a new house crush weekly
19 percent shared that they establish a new house crush monthly
15 percent revealed that they develop a new crush on a house quarterly
Top attributes that make consumers fall in real estate love:
Of the women included in the survey...
54 percent reported that outdoor living spaces make them fall in real estate love
42 percent shared open floor plans
29 percent swoon for curb appeal
29 percent revealed updated appliances and fixtures
Of the men included in the survey...
46 percent indicated outdoor living spaces make them fall in real estate love
40 percentage swoon for garages
35 percent reported curb appeal
30 percent revealed open floor plans
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