In this guide
During lockdown, demand for rural property surged as the charms of the country beckoned, with many questioning the case for living close to the office.
After all, it was easier to get by without all the attractions of city life – restaurants, bars, theatres and cinemas, galleries and museums, and shops – when they were shut.
But the slowing of the pandemic has been paired with a sharp upturn in the cost of living, with property prices in London rising to a record high this year.
So while cities have opened back up in the wake of the pandemic, many may still be eyeing up a move to the country, which continues to offer more affordable living costs than can be found in major metropolises.
In areas with lower property prices, the prospect of being able to buy an entire house with a garden becomes much more real for those who would not be able to afford it in cities.
According to property website Rightmove, the average house price in London stood at £692,828 in June, almost double the UK average of £369,968 – so goodbye mega mortgage, hello fresh air and beautiful scenery!
But if you are dreaming of roses round the door, it’s worth removing your rose-tinted spectacles and considering the reality. Quite apart from all the searches for the right location, and the right property, uprooting a family to a completely different area will be a tricky juggling act as you try to line up work opportunities and school places at the same time as settling into your new rural idyll.
In this article, we walk you through the various factors to consider:
- Location
- Space
- Transport
- Work
- Schools
- Support and socialising
- Top 10 rural spots
- Pros and cons of moving to the countryside
- Find out more from a family that’s made the move
Location
What does rural life mean to you? If you want somewhere remote – peace, quiet, no annoying neighbours – you’ll find plenty of choice, but do remember that the most rural areas could mean a trek of several miles just for a pint of milk.
But equally, country living doesn’t have to mean being stuck in the middle of a field, miles from anywhere. Weigh up whether you might prefer a small village, market town or the outskirts of a bigger city, rather than an isolated, windswept rural location.
Space
Buying a bigger house and garden is a huge attraction – the amount of space you could now be getting for your money after living in a cramped city property – but look beyond the purchase price to allow for increased running costs.
Those extra rooms will cost more to furnish, heat and maintain. Acres of garden mean you will need to spend time gardening – or spend money paying someone else to do it. Meanwhile, repair bills on that charming thatched cottage or Georgian rectory may prove expensive, especially if the building is listed.
Transport
Outside London and other big cities, there’s limited public transport which can be expensive. You may need to budget for at least one, and more likely two cars if moving as a couple or family.
There is always a balance between property prices and proximity to the workplace. A cheaper house could mean a longer, and more expensive, commute. Lengthy travel times and transport delays can also zap the will to live.
Add up the annual cost, whether in fuel and car costs or train tickets and parking, compared to money saved on your mortgage. Nationalrail.co.uk has information on season ticket costs.
Work
Perhaps you don’t want to commute. If your employer lets you work from home, whether permanently or for part of the week, great. Just check local mobile access and broadband speeds to ensure you aren’t moving to a communications black hole.
If your company is not so amenable and moving home means leaving your job, be realistic about local employment opportunities. Salaries will almost certainly be lower outside central London, even if your living costs may be lower too. Part-time and flexible jobs may also be harder to find in the countryside than if you worked full time.
Schools
Even if your children are young or a distant dream, check out nearby schools or you could risk moving all over again.
Beware of the Catch-22 that you cannot confirm a state school place until you have exchanged contracts on a new home – but you might not want to move without the assurance of a school place nearby. Before setting your heart on a specific school, check if it tends to be massively oversubscribed or often has spare places. The website locrating.com is very useful for combined information on property prices, catchment areas, Ofsted reports and transport links.
Think about the school day too. Can your kids walk to school or take a bus, or will you be driving them every day for years? And if you are working, does the small village school offer before and after-school care? Resign yourself, also, to further chauffeur duties to reach friends and extra-curricular activities.
Support and socialising
Moving to the country could mean moving closer to other members of the family, making childcare easier and providing a starting point for settling into the community.
But if it’s a new area where you don’t know anyone, allow for the time, effort and energy to make new friends. Realistically, existing friends may not be able to visit often, especially after the initial excitement of seeing your new home.
Track down local newspapers and Facebook groups for details of community activities. Joining sports and social clubs, or volunteering for local causes, can make it easier to create a new social life.
Top 10 rural spots
Most searched rural areas on Zoopla, comparing early March 2020 with early June 2020
- Beaworthy, Devon
- Harleston, Norfolk
- Creech St Michael, Somerset
- Tintagel, Cornwall
- Dartmouth, Devon
- Axbridge, Somerset
- Ruthin, Denbighshire, north Wales
- Sheriff Hutton, Yorkshire
- Southwold, Suffolk
- Caerleon, south Wales
Pros and cons of moving to the countryside
Pros
- Afford a bigger house and garden, where property prices are cheaper
- Reduce your mortgage or even pay it off completely
- Improved quality of life, with green spaces, fresh air and fewer people
- Greater flexibility about working from home since coronavirus
- Wide range of alternatives from glorious isolation to small villages, market towns and the outskirts of larger cities
Cons
- Potentially lengthy and expensive commute if you stick with your current job
- Fewer employment opportunities, with less flexibility, if you look for work locally
- Limited public transport and potential issue with broadband and mobile coverage
- Less varied choice of restaurants, cultural attractions and leisure opportunities on your doorstep
- Need to create a new social life and support network, if you move far from existing friends and family
“We moved from London to Suffolk – we have more time as a family now”
Moving from London to Suffolk six years ago made a massive difference financially for our family of four.
By swapping Stoke Newington in Hackney for the market town of Hadleigh, we could afford a nicer house, bigger garden and the chance to clear our mortgage, with enough left for a small buy-to-let.
The rental income and lower living costs mean I can keep working from home around school hours as a freelance journalist and money blogger at Much More With Less, while my husband Josh returned to working for the charity sector.
When scouring Rightmove, I was determined to avoid a village as small as the place where I lived as a child, not least because I wanted my own children (Isabel, now 12, and 10-year-old George) to be able to get to school and see friends under their own steam.
I value the views out over fields and the country walks direct from our door, but we are also within walking distance of a health centre, dentists, opticians and local shops, plus a library, swimming pool, a couple of parks and clubs for the kids. We also stayed close enough to London that I can still make occasional day trips for work.
I do miss the variety of cultural attractions and places to eat, plus the diversity of the local population. Meeting people at the school gates is harder when you realise that not only have the children known each other since they were babies, but many of the parents went to the same school, and even grandparents too.
But moving to the country has worked for us, offering the chance to work shorter hours, focus more on time together as a family, and welcome a puppy, Otto the cairn terrier, and our three chickens. Lockdown has made me appreciate our new location more than ever before.
If moving to the country is going to be your first property purchase, read our Guide to buying your first home. Or, if you need to sell your property first, we have lots of tips and information in Guide to selling a home.
For inspiration on where to move to, check out Best Places to Live 2020 in The Sunday Times.
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