escape to the country

More and more people are looking to turn their back on city and urban living in favour of a new life in the country, according to Rightmove.

The leading property portal says that people searching for a more rural location are outperforming those looking to live in towns and the trend is expected to continue.

Rightmove also said that the most popular village moves are still within the same area where home hunters currently live, suggesting they are confident about staying in their job, but may have the flexibility to commute less often and focus more on home working.

Ben Furnell, Managing Director of Furnell Residential, said; “A move to a more rural location has been a dream for many and lockdown has encouraged people to research this option further.

“With a shift to home working proximity to your place of work is less important, but the accessibility to a good transport infrastructure will always be a consideration.  

“In our area we are blessed with beautiful countryside and quintessential Yorkshire villages, but the proximity to places like Leeds is still a major requirement for many buyers.”

Meanwhile Rightmove reports that 94 per cent of buyers and sellers currently in the market say they are going ahead with sales already agreed or plan to continue as the country emerges from lockdown.

“This matches our own findings,” says Ben. “There was an understandable nervousness in the early weeks of the pandemic but that seems to have been replaced by renewed confidence from both sellers and buyers. The number of valuations we are carrying out is at unprecedented levels.”