LIVING within walking distance of a supermarket can push house prices up by £21,000 on average - but it depends on the chain.
The "Waitrose effect" is still going strong, where living near a branch of the posh supermarket could add £43,571 to the value of your home.
Living within walking distance to a branch of Marks & Spencer could bump up the value of your house by £40,135, while having a Sainsbury's store nearby could add £32,707.
The data was put together by Lloyds Bank, who compared average house prices in a town with a supermarket, with average prices of homes with the same postcode.
Over the past year, living near an M&S has pushed up house prices by another £10,143 compared to last year, where the premium was £29,992.
But you don't have to live near a posh one to see house prices go up.
Researchers found that homes near to budget supermarkets had seen the biggest price rise, with properties near to Lidl, Aldi, Morrisons and Asda jumping up by 15 per cent in value over the past four years.
Over the same time frame, houses near the posher supermarkets only rose by 10 per cent, showing that homes near the cheaper stores are becoming more popular.
It turns out that living near a Lidl store can also boost the value of your home by £5,411, while houses with the same postcode as an Aldi will only go up by £2,301.
Living near an Asda store will push up the value of your home but only by £1,487.
Homes within easy reach of a Waitrose, M&S and Sainsbury's are selling for an average premium of 12 per cent, thanks to the supermarket chains.
How to get help buying a house
THERE are several government schemes available to help you get on the housing ladder.
- Help to Buy loan: This scheme is for those who have a 5 per cent deposit, and is only available on new-build properties that are worth less than £600,000. The government lends you up to 20 per cent of the property value (interest-free for the first five years) which gives you access to cheaper mortgages. You will need to pay this back at the end of the mortgage or when you sell.
- Starter Homes: First-time buyers under the age of 40 can access this new scheme. You’ll get a 20 per cent discount on the market value of the property (new-build only) but you cannot sell or let the property for five years after you buy it.
- Shared ownership: This scheme is available to non-homeowners who earn £80,000 a year or less (£90,000 in London). People can buy a share of a home from a housing association and continue to rent the remainder. Buyers will need a ten per cent deposit as well as money to cover stamp duty and other fees. You’ll also need to find a mortgage lender that is willing to lend on shared ownership properties.
It's not clear how much your house will go up by if you live near more than one of the other stores.
Andy Mason from Lloyds Bank said: "It’s easy to assume the effect of different factors on the value of a property but this research clearly shows that there is a significant link between the convenience of a local supermarket and house prices.
"The Waitrose factor has been known for some time and although the likes of Aldi can't yet boost house prices in quite the same way, the research shows that all stores are now having a positive effect on local property prices."
Other things affect house prices too, like school catchment areas and renovations - but research by GoCompare found that more plug sockets and getting a bath can also add value.
In April, the cost of a new let across the North West, the North East and Yorkshire and the Humber fell by 0.3 per cent compared to the same time last year, the Hamptons International Monthly Lettings Index said.