Choosing a house

Abstract

Economists and planners assume that the choices made by house purchasers are rationally and optimally made. However, psychologists know that decisionmaking in real life involves the chooser in complex and difficult conditions. In addition, the methods used to ascertain preferences and needs do not seem to be reliable indicators of what people actually choose. The study to be described, although confirming the problems which beset house buyers when choosing a house, and planners when attempting to decide what people need and prefer, also appears to show that actual purchase behaviour itself is a poor indicator of what people really want.