Where To Buy
In your search for a country house, a village with a church, pub, village hall and shop would probably be ideal. However it is worth bearing in mind that the character of villages is very different. There are those that are stretched out over some distance with houses well spaced out. Other villages have houses clustered more closely round the village green or along the one road running through the village.
In some villages, more than half the houses are second homes or holiday lets which can mean that with few people around in the week, there is very little community spirit. At the other extreme, pretty villages such as Bibury, Broadway and Upper Slaughter are very attractive but subsequently are crowded with tourists for much of the year. I can assure you that it becomes very tedious when coaches are blocking the road and you have video cameras peering into your bedroom from the top deck of a coach! Whereas City living is effectively classless. The landed gentry are very visible in the countryside. Some villages are still estate villages with much of the land owned by one family and many of the houses tenanted by current and former estate workers. This can make for a social divide amongst newer homeowners and typically older tenants.
In your property search it is worth investigating if there is an active airfield nearby. Military aircraft fly very low over the top of the house which can be alarming the first time you see it. Also find out if your village is used as a rat run by cars and lorries to a train station or motorway. It is also worth checking out your mobile phone coverage. Many old houses with thick Cotswold limestone walls will not pick up any mobile signal. In some villages one phone company service will work whereas another will not. For instance, only Vodafone will work in Lechlade whereas in Tetbury, T mobile reception is said to be very good. The Cotswolds is famous across the world and subsequently attracts international as well as domestic homebuyers. Houses are expensive, prohibitively so for many young people. Therefore, you may have to lower your sights from the Georgian Rectory with swimming pool, tennis court and paddock in Gloucestershire. It is best to be open-minded. You may end up in a new barn conversion in Wiltshire.
Do not forget to factor in the cost of any building work bearing in mind that it always takes longer and costs more, (double in my case), than your original estimates. The two words “bottomless” and “pit” spring to mind when it comes to restoring old houses. There is also the cost of ongoing maintenance. A budget of at least £650,000 should be assumed for a decent four bed family house with perhaps a third of an acre of garden. However it will be necessary to spend £1m-£1.5m if you want a larger house with more than an acre of land. Many large houses have surprisingly small gardens with much of the surrounding land having been sold off over the years. Generally, I think it is possible to find cheaper houses in the south of the Cotswolds where there are fewer picture postcard villages and more modern houses.
You may have to rent for over a year because of the shortage of suitable family houses. This can be advantageous if you choose to rent in an area that you may consider buying in, as you can get a feel as to whether it is somewhere you could live if not happily ever after, at least for four or five years.
It can take longer than you think to find the house you want in the Cotswolds. If you can afford not to, then do not sell your London property, or at least keep a small flat. London property will always be a good long term investment and if you don’t end up liking country life then you can always return to London which will be much harder to do if you sell up entirely. In recent years, the shortage of available family houses in the Cotswolds has spurred the growth of the property search market. For a fee, agents are supposed to find you a house. Often deals can be done without the property ever coming onto the open market. I have not had any problem finding houses when I wanted, where I wanted, and so have not had to use such agents. However if you do not have the time or inclination to look for your own property then a buying agent could be useful. It is important to get one with whom you have a close personal rapport and who does not have too many competing clients. Typically, buying agents charge an initial one off fee payable upon instruction. Once a suitable property has been found then a fee will be charged based on a percentage of the purchase price or annual rent.
Jane Lane of Providence Property Search describes it as "a bit of a pastoral role." She is keen to ensure that her clients settle into their new property as painlessly as possible and so provides an after sales service. This can advise on professional services such as builders, doctors and facilities such as schools and hospitals.
Buying agents get draft particulars on all properties from every agent and so are able to view properties before they are officially launched on the market. In the first instance you could make sure you ring estate agents in your target area several times a week so they know you are keen and will hopefully ring you first when a suitable property is coming on the market.
As one would expect, estate agents are plentiful in the Cotswolds. Historically, Knight Frank has been strong at the top end of the market but the arrival of Savills has brought some welcome competition across the region. Strutt & Parker has attractive properties in the south of the Cotswolds.Hamptons has a good spread of offices throughout the region and often has houses in Minchinhampton and other villages close to the popular independent school, Beaudesert Park. Local agent Butler Sherborn has attractive properties across the region. Among the smaller local agents, Hayman-Joyce is good for houses in Broadway and the surrounding villages. Murrays covers the Stroud valley area including Minchinhampton. Jackson-Stops & Staff is particularly strong in the north Cotswolds.
Despite the generally poor domestic economic background, demand for houses in the Cotswolds is resilient. Properties in favoured locations particularly those requiring refurbishment are in demand. The unique appeal of the Cotswolds both at home and abroad, coupled with a shortgae of houses on the market suggests that bargain properties will be few and far between.
