ONE-FIFTH of people are prepared to pay more for a home with a good broadband connection, according to a survey.
The increasing importance of good, reliable online links came in the study by the Halifax which found 20 per cent of those questioned needed to know it had high-speed web connections.
Eighteen per cent say it has been a consideration when moving home in the past, and, almost a quarter (23 per cent) would now be likely to negotiate a lower rent or sale price when taking on a property with a poor broadband connection.
The poll of about 2,000 adults also found that while the majority use it for sending emails and online shopping, just over half, 55 per cent, use it for reading news websites such as heraldscotland.com
The figure for reading news was just slightly behind the number of people who say they use their home web connections for checking social networking sites at 58 per cent.
Scotland is currently benefiting from a superfast fibre broadband programme which is being rolled out to more than 90,000 homes and businesses.
Halifax spokesman Craig McKinlay said: "Alongside outside space, private parking, and good transport links, a strong broadband signal is fast becoming a very significant feature of looking for a new home."
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