THREE out of five people are prepared to tell lies about where they live to make themselves sound "more upmarket", a new survey has revealed.
And the old property mantra of "location, location, location" really can boost the value of your home, says the national Power Of The Postcode survey, commissioned by insurance firm Norwich Union Direct.
Researchers discovered that home location is more important than the actual home itself.
Out of more than 2,000 adults canvassed, 56 per cent said they would be prepared to lie to make their home address sound better, while 77 per cent would prefer to live in a more exclusive neighbourhood than own their dream home.
Anthony Bevan, manager of Bridgefords estate agents in Hazel Grove, said location will always be all-important.
He added: "When customers come here and tell us where they want to live, many people have fixed views about specific districts. But whether people lie about where they live or not, their postcode gives the location away.
"Location can add thousands to the price of a property and make a huge difference to the little things - like the amount of insurance you pay for your car.
Postcode
"A friend of mine recently bought a newly-built property in a cul-de-sac in Reddish, but because it had a Manchester postcode he ended up paying double the amount of car insurance he would have done in one of the neighbouring streets."
Psychologist Dr David Holmes, from Manchester Metropolitan University, said that when people lie about the location of their home they are deluding themselves as much as others.
"If someone says they live in a smart part of Manchester, such as Didsbury, then others immediately make assumptions about their wealth and success," he said.
"And some people are prepared to lie to make others think more highly of them so that they, in turn, can think more highly of themselves.
"Money has become a modern expression of status - and houses and cars are just one way that some people try to demonstrate what they've got."
HAVE you ever fibbed about where you live? Tell us about it!
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Sounds like T.V. has become reality...Remember Rodney and Cassandra....LOL !
How very very sad.
I can't believe people would really lie about their adress
Can understand that...my mother (god bless her) used to declare Deramore Street as 'Rusholme', when it was in fact Moss Side...and that was years before it became a punchbag for the tabloids (circa 1970)!
It is a bit sad this. I notice quite a few postings on here and people give their location as Hale Barns, Cheshire. This is news to me as Hale Barns is administered by Trafford Borough Council, which is in Manchester! South Manchester doesnt sound as good though. Very petty, very sad! Unfortunately there is no way I can hide the fact that Middleton is a bit of a dump and I cant pretend I live anywhere thats posh (or perceived to be anyway).