In terms of location, nearly 85 percent of newlyweds who participated in the Sinyi Realty Inc. online survey indicated that they prefer their new home to be far from the husband’s parents and close to the wife’s parents.

Other factors that come into play when choosing the location of their new home is proximity to an MRT station, a supermarket, a shopping center or commercial area.

The top neighborhoods where respondents said they would like to live in are upscale areas in northern, central, and southern parts of the island, such as Taipei City or Taipei County’s Panchiao and Chungho.

Neighborhoods adjacent to rivers and natural areas, such as Tanshui and Hsintien, are also favorites among newlyweds for their good views and natural environment.

More affordable areas such as Tucheng and Hsinchuang have also gained popularity due to the opening of MRT stations and increased convenience in transportation.

In terms of pricing, most newlyweds look for housing that is in the NT$5 million to NT$8 million range. About 26 percent said they would rather rent a house first.

The realtor advised newlyweds to look further ahead and also consider their future children when purchasing a house. Therefore, newlyweds should avoid studios and single-room apartments.

No matter the price range they settle on, however, the realty experts said that the mortgage should not exceed one third of the combined household income to avoid incurring too much financial stress.

About half of those surveyed said that whoever buys the new house is the one whose name it should be under. Still, 8.8 percent of husbands said they would agree to put the new house under their wife’s name.

Sinyi Realty Inc. advised that new homes should be under both the husband and wife’s names, regardless of who purchased the house.

The Directorate General of Budget, Accounting & Statistics (DGBAS) reported that the marriage rate in the country in 2006 was 6.25 percent, surpassing 6.21 percent for 2005 and the 5.8 percent for 2004.

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