Rockmeister
pfm Member
Geography comes first for me. Get the basics right. The east coast is drier, Sunnier and colder. It can also be very windy. The West Coast is wet warm and definitely windy.
Next come all those social things. How quiet do you want it to be? Do you want facilities and amusements?
Third is the age of the property and your skill level. Anything built before the 1970s will be prone to problems. Building standards were different, and the older it is more likely it is that you will find rot, damp and et cetera. These things can be solved but you have to be prepared for them. Pretty houses tend to have problems.Unless you are rich and don’t mind having standards imposed on you, avoid listed properties.
As to price, keep away from popular areas. The coast is going to be a no no wherever you look. If you can see the sea then you will pay double everywhere.
Pretty rural areas are not necessarily expensive if there is nothing there, but the populations are not always welcoming in those situations. The exception is Scotland. Areas of rural Scotland, and I don’t mean the glamour of the highlands, are both beautiful welcoming and have lots and lots of facilities. Get yourself about 5 to 10 miles from The coast, and you can find very very well priced property with a fantastic view not to do and good neighbours. In particular in Scotland I would look up the east coast above Dundee but not as far as Aberdeen. The weather there is beautiful and although it’s quite flat there you have a mountainous backdrop in view.
Next come all those social things. How quiet do you want it to be? Do you want facilities and amusements?
Third is the age of the property and your skill level. Anything built before the 1970s will be prone to problems. Building standards were different, and the older it is more likely it is that you will find rot, damp and et cetera. These things can be solved but you have to be prepared for them. Pretty houses tend to have problems.Unless you are rich and don’t mind having standards imposed on you, avoid listed properties.
As to price, keep away from popular areas. The coast is going to be a no no wherever you look. If you can see the sea then you will pay double everywhere.
Pretty rural areas are not necessarily expensive if there is nothing there, but the populations are not always welcoming in those situations. The exception is Scotland. Areas of rural Scotland, and I don’t mean the glamour of the highlands, are both beautiful welcoming and have lots and lots of facilities. Get yourself about 5 to 10 miles from The coast, and you can find very very well priced property with a fantastic view not to do and good neighbours. In particular in Scotland I would look up the east coast above Dundee but not as far as Aberdeen. The weather there is beautiful and although it’s quite flat there you have a mountainous backdrop in view.