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National property prices have risen by 10 per cent in the last year, and it seems people dipping back into the market have a whole new set of priorities.

While good school and decent transport links were once at the top of the list, mobile signal is now the most important consideration when it comes to home buying. 

This is according to a recent survey that found that almost half of home buyers consider mobile signal as more important that crime, transport and schools when buying a home.

While good school and decent transport links were once at the top of the list, mobile signal is now the most important consideration when it comes to home buying, according to a recent survey

The study claims that with the advent of the iPhone coinciding with the property slump in 2008, a new smartphone generation has sprung up.

This may have led to a shift in priorities when selecting a home in today's property boom.

Following mobile phone signal, the most important considerations were council tax band and hospitals.Schools were ranked the lowest on average in terms of importance. 

Forty-five per cent of 18-35 year-olds say having a good signal at home is now the most important factor when choosing a property - almost twice the rate of people 55 and over.

But the impact of smartphones isn't limited to the younger end of the market.

Forty-five per cent of 18-35 year-olds say having a good signal at home is now the most important factor when choosing a property - almost twice the rate of people 55 and over

On average, nearly half of those surveyed would reconsider buying or renting a home if they knew mobile coverage there was poor. 

One reason is that over half the respondents are currently experiencing recurring problems with their mobile phone performance at home. 

This is leading house-hunters to scrutinise phone performance more closely before buying a new property.

In fact, 40 per cent  of those surveyed confessed they have considered switching mobile providers due to poor performance in their current home.

The survey involved more than 2,000 UK residents and was commissioned by London-based mobile analytics firm RootMetrics.