Estate agents are often asked who the buyer of a particular house is likely to be. Strutt & Parker’s research department have carried out some fascinating research to take the mystique out of who might actually be the buyer of your house or who you might be competing against if you are on the lookout for a house yourself.

The research was carried out over 2012 and applies to all buyers of properties bought through Strutt & Parker's Harrogate office, which covers all of North Yorkshire and the fringes of the surrounding counties.

So, how old are the buyers out there in the marketplace today?

The age of buyers is decreasing as time goes by and it is interesting to see that 36% of the buyers in the region over the year were under 40 years old. The 60+ market is now very small, with people of this age normally content and settled in their houses, with no requirement to move.

What do they all do? How did they make their money?

58% of buyers have made their money in the professional services or are entrepreneurs having started their own companies. Before the downturn of 2008, research showed that 30% of buyers across the UK were from the property industry itself (investors, developers, buy to let etc.) and with the property industry now only making up 13% of the market, this is an indication of one of the major reductions of buyers in the marketplace, the majority of whom are impacted by the lack of finance available to them.

Why are sellers really selling their houses? What makes them decide to move?

When the belt is being tightened, it is perhaps not surprising to see that the highest percentage of sellers are downsizing. Many of our clients want to downsize from a larger house that perhaps is more expensive to run and require maintenance throughout the year. To move and buy a smaller house and to put some money aside for the future is a comfortable feeling for many sellers.

By understanding more about our buyers, their needs and aspirations, it allows Strutt & Parker's Harrogate office to ensure that we market our properties to the right audience and focus our time, money and effort on ensuring that we identify the best buyers for our properties.

In 2012, we have sold 56% of our houses to buyers from outside North Yorkshire - this just shows the importance of using an agent with a nationwide network of offices and an international reach. As the North-South divide widens, North Yorkshire does offer better value for money, a better lifestyle, excellent schooling and, as a result of our offices across the UK and our affiliation with offices abroad, we are able to bring these buyers to North Yorkshire. We have had numerous examples of local buyers bidding against national buyers which enable houses to be sold at higher levels. Normally the buyers from outside the county win the bidding battles!