The rise of COVID19 may have changed the property market landscape forever in the UK, by making a countryside life even more appealing than city life, for a greater variety of people.
Throughout 2020, we have seen workplaces quickly adapt to what’s being called a New Normal, investing in new software and training to enable their teams to be able to work from home, instead of coming into the office.
Even without a pandemic, with new technology and new software making this new way of working ever more possible, allowing businesses to cut overheads with less office space, this appealing trend of working from home had already taken off before 2020, only at a much slower pace, where 2020 has just massively accelerated this already happening change to warp speed.
A key factor for many Robinson David Estate Agents customers of being closer to, or within easy distance of a daily commute, is quickly becoming just a nicety if possible, with other priorities taking its place, like more garden space, or views, or sizes of specific rooms, or closer to amenities or landmarks or walks, all of the requirements a client may have to compromise more with, when holding the commute as a cornerstone requirement.
For those fleeing a city to enjoy cleaner air, less traffic, less noise, but still need to be surrounded by activity, then Gloucestershire, Worcestershire, Wiltshire, Warwickshire and Oxfordshire offer smaller cities, with less modern architecture and more historic features, such as Oxford and Gloucester, along with endless picturesque historic country towns, such as Tewksbury, Tetbury, Stow-on-the-Wold, Cirencester, Stratford-upon-Avon, to name less than a handful.
Larger towns, such as the Regency Spa town Cheltenham, offer a happy medium for those who enjoy the feel of city life, but want the mental health benefits of country life. Cheltenham has enjoyed being one of the UK’s top 10 price growers throughout 2020 for good reason.
As well as being a town where you can find unique, high quality independent brands along side major chain stores, Cheltenham and its surrounding villages, enjoys four major festivals throughout the year, music, jazz, science and literature, attracting tourists from all over the country, as well as being one of the United Kingdoms major horse racing locations, where everyone who is anyone, along with tens of thousands of race goers and jockey club members, flock to Cheltenham Racecourse from every country around the globe.
Buyers leaving the city life, heading towards the Southwest, may also be attracted to the suburbs, where properties are more predictably priced, and a short five minute drive in one direction will deliver you into the heart of a bustling town, yet a short ten minute walk in the opposite direction will deliver you to forestry managed walkways, canals, lakes and rivers.
One thing is for certain …With the property market in 2021 being dependent on so many major uncertain factors, like lockdowns, stamp duty and furlough, this is the year of the trusted estate agent who listens to requirements. Many buyers will be exploring exciting new unfamiliar territory to what they’re used to, with a new list of positive priorities, where having expert advice is going to be essential to making a well informed purchasing decision.