Over a quarter of the housebuying public say that the credit crunch has made no difference to how they view the property market.

The survey, commissioned by the nation's largest independent housebuilder, Miller Homes, polled over five thousand new and potential home buyers to gauge their confidence in the property market.

Half say they are more cautious about debt but just 17 per cent say they are prepared to accept an inferior home to get into less debt.

Nearly six per cent of the population are still willing to borrow the maximum amount possible to get the home of their dreams.

Over a third of the housebuying public say they are planning to move home within three years, and in the East Midlands the majority of potential home buyers would move to get more space (75 per cent) with 20 per cent putting the move down to necessity of work relocation. And location isn't everything - 25 per cent of those surveyed in the East Midlands would move to get a bigger garden but just 20 per cent to live in a better neighbourhood.

Sue Warwick, national sales and marketing director for Miller Homes, who commissioned the survey, said: "The results of our survey show that, despite endless negative reports about the property market, people still want to move and remain relatively unaffected by harsh headlines and horror stories about the fall of the property market."

The housebuying public also still believe property to be the soundest long term financial investment in the UK, with over half saying that it is where they would choose to put their money over ISAs (25 per cent), stocks and shares (16 per cent) and bonds (nine per cent).

Despite the optimism uncovered in Miller Homes' buyer barometer survey, fears over mortgage lending and gathering enough deposit still concern new buyers. Around 36 per cent of first time buyers stated that the recession had rendered them less likely to purchase a new home in the current climate - with 18 per cent blaming Gordon Brown for their situation.

Sue continues: "This is further evidence that the banks simply have to ease their overly strict lending criteria to help further time buyers achieve property dreams. As the saying goes, a Brit's home is his Castle and with an overwhelming number people in our poll still placing their faith in property ownership as a sound investment, it is important that everyone who wishes to buy, can do so."