It is surprising indeed how many have multiple very large screen TVs, yet so rarely any visible music system let alone something even vaguely hifi. I am encouraged when I see houses with a decent hifi - but I don’t particularly expect it to be prominent in photos: If I were in UK and selling my house I would want photos to omit the hifi, and anything else of significant potential high value that might be seen by a prospective burglar (bearing in mind that aside from hifi, seeing one thing of above average value may hint that the property contains others not on show).
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Having had my own heating business for 15 years, you could say I’ve been in a few houses and only 3 have had impressive systems.
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When we sold our previous house our “family” were in the picture, I’m sure they helped us sell. The hifi was not, at my instruction.
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The only tradesperson who’s commented on my Naim system is our chimney sweep who has an Arcam system. We always have a chat about music and Hi-Fi when he comes for his annual sweep.
Maybe the reason we don’t see houses for sale with expensive HiFi is because the owners can’t afford to move!
Alternatively, would you rather have a top end Naim system or pay £’000s in stamp duty and solicitors fees…difficult choice
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Or maybe they’ve finally found the right speakers for their room and don’t want to have to go through that again 
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I remember when wife and I where looking at houses, about 12 years ago. We were out driving around one afternoon and came upon a home for sale that had a sign with a name, I’ll never forget it… Pepper Pot Farm. I told Mrs. Opus that if a house has a name, and we can’t see it from the road, we can’t afford it. When we got home I looked it up…only $1.3m
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In my entire life I can only remember one occasion where I visited a home that had what forumites would consider a decent hi-fi (and where the owner wasn’t someone I already knew via a common interest in hi-fi).
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First I apologize for my approximatif English.
I don’t know if scoiological studies have been undertaken to identify audiophile profiles, but judging from my modest experience, our portrayal of the audiophile is often biased.
Because audiophile equipment is expensive, we systematically associate audiophilia and wealth, whereas if by audiophile we mean attention to music and the technologies linked to its transmission, it is not necessarily the richest who tend towards this. Many people with median incomes devote a significant part of their budget to it … sometimes at the cost of certain marital tensions and while some rich peoples tend to be audiophiles, it is not their wealth that is the source of their passion.
I think one would expect to see audiophile equipment among the other attributes of wealth (houses, cars, etc.) because the two are consistently associated in our representation.
Indeed, Hifi passion, unlike art, has no particular symbolic value and there is less chance of finding beautiful equipment in the house of someone who is not interested in it than finding displayed art in the house of people who are not fundamentally sensitive to it (and I am not talking about speculation just display).
Hi-Fi equipment is less transportable and above all less identifiable than a luxury watch or a piece of clothing for a person who wishes to communicate about his wealth.
It’s a bit like books: when you visit a beautiful house you would expect to find a substantial library and you are often surprised to find that in many luxury homes that you can see online there are saunas. , discos, projection rooms, but not a library … And when there is one, it is often decorative: five horizontal books, a Buddha and a salad bowl with three apples …
Perhaps the reason is that books have lost their symbolic prestige, and if you are not an avid reader, a large library is no longer a prerequisite for your sociability.
Audiophlia, I think it has never been a defined social marker.
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I have been looking at lots of houses online over the past few months, and agree with the OP that while lots have large TVs, soundbars, some even have Sonos type systems visible in pictures, very few have what we would consider to be a ‘proper’ hi-fi system.
There have been a few exceptions to this - and in such instances I have noticed that hi-fi systems are often visible in multiple rooms. One particularly notable exception to the rule had Focal speakers (including a pair of older generation Utopias) proudly on show in three rooms!
I really like your description - made me laugh out loud. 
Beautifully put!
cheers
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I have been looking at houses that interest me on and off over the past 3-4 years, and akso with my son looking at houses recently. I do ‘t recall a single pic with hifi evident. However when viewing houses with my son, one (out of about a dozen viewed) did have a hifi system. Not an expensive system, unsurprisingly given the house price range, but still a proper system with reasonable size floorstanders, the system instantly catching my eye upon entering the room, and drawing me to have a closer look. If did warm me to the house, though if wasn’t suitable overall.
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Slightly off topic, but a similar observation to houses with HiFi, has anyone noticed the very large number of guitars that appear in estate agent pictures? It seems that half the UK have a guitar(s) in the house. The question though is, are these actually played, or just decoration???
BTW, I have 2 guitars - a Fender Tele and a Martin acoustic - both played…but not to a very high standard! As of of today, neither have appeared in estate agent pictures 
cheers
Disrespect to the instrument IMO, my Gibson ES335 is stored in its case & the amp has a fitted cover.
But PS: Maybe a lot of people only play at home & a case is not something that is really needed. I have a case because I used to go out to play gigs & with others for fun, sadly not much these days.
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On the other hand a musical instrument on a stand promotes picking up and playing, more so than one where 5 minutes has to be spent getting it out. I used to put those of my instruments that have cases away in the cases until a few years ago, and I find that since having them sitting visible and accessible I do play them more often. They’re designed to be out and played! However, if longer term without use they are indeed better off stored in a proper case, out of light and dust, strings relaxed, dehumidifier or humidifier included if a sensitive wood instrument, etc.
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There is nearly always 4 or 5 basses out in our house, they get played most days, if you play them it makes sense just to keep them out.
Thank you. My pleasure 
Dearly beloved browses Rightmove daily apparently looking for ideas about decorating.
As mentioned above musical instruments feature regularly and hifi so rarely that she will show me.
Today a house has proper rack, Naim, I think Neat floorstanders and an unidentified turntable.
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I’ve only ever seen one hifi in house particulars, in a nice area of Bristol. It was two racks of Fraim with a 500 series systems into Ovator S600s.
As others have said people with what we’d refer to as proper hifi systems are extremely rare. I know no one of my age (mid 40s) who has anything more substantial than a Sonos in various living rooms and a great many of those people are seriously into their music.
It does confirm, to my mind, that what us lot have and do is extremely niche and probably slightly odd. But hey ho, each to their own…
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Are you sure? Only slightly?
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