Well thought out! Germans prefer to invest safely rather than quickly

Berlin / Munich, 9. August 2018 -

• When it comes to investments such as buying a house or a car, trust is most important
• Solid financing offers facilitate the decision
• Women rely even more than men on the seriousness of providers and intermediaries

Germans' quest for security is particularly evident in long-term and major investment decisions. Also important are a good market overview of existing offers (80 percent) and an orientation guide to the price-performance ratio (79 percent). Prospective customers can examine offers for real estates and vehicles in such a way conscientiously. Women focus even more strongly on security than men: 88 percent of women cite trust in a provider as an important decision criterion for investments, 81 percent of men. In second place (83 percent) of the relevant aspects, women ranked solid and serious financing offers (men: fourth, 75 percent). However, the fact that an investment decision can be made quickly is only important for 59 percent of women and 63 percent of men and is thus in eighth place out of ten criteria surveyed.

"Unlike in many European countries, Germans usually decide to buy a property only once in their lives. This decision is therefore carefully considered and secured on several occasions," says Ruud Smeets, Vice President Consumer Services at Scout24. With around 20 years of market expertise, we are a trustworthy partner on our marketplaces, offering users all the information and services they need to make a good and secure decision".

On average, Germans spend around 30 percent of their net income on housing and utilities, and around 10 percent on cars and other means of transport. This means that this expenditure regularly represents the largest investment for a budget.[1]

To the survey

The survey was conducted by INNOFACT AG on behalf of Scout24 in June 2018. The survey was quoted on the basis of the population representative criteria age (18 to 69 years) and gender with the sample size n = 1,016.

About Scout24

With our leading digital marketplaces ImmobilienScout24 and AutoScout24 in Germany and across Europe we are inspiring people to make their best decisions on finding a home and a car.  Additional services, such as credit information, the brokerage of relocation services or construction and car financing, are bundled in the Scout24 Consumer Services business division. More than 1,200 employees are working on the success of our products and services, putting the consumers' needs first in order to create a connected network for living and mobility.  Scout24 is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (ISIN: DE000A12DM80, G24). For further information, please visit www.scout24.com, our Corporate Blog and Tech Blog, or follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

Media contact

Theresa Krohn
Senior PR & Communications Manager
Phone: +49 30 24301 1422
E-mail: [email protected]

[1]    according to a representative Commerzbank survey, June 2015