Location, Location, Location! How to Decide if an Area is Right For You

Richard Broadhead, Head of Residential Property at Thompson Smith and Puxon shares 7 top tips for deciding if an area is right for you and your family.

When you are looking to purchase your first property or move to a new area, the location is ultimately the most important factor.

You can do various things to your home to make it your own – such as renovating and extending, but the physical location is one thing that you are stuck with after purchase. Moving house can be costly, as well as stressful, so it is important to get the location right.

1. Cost – house prices will fluctuate depending on the are. Consider your budget before pinning your hopes on one desired area that you wish to live in.
2. You Future – what are your short-term and long-term plans? Are you planning to have a family and need to think about space and schools, or will you be downsizing in the near future?
3. Local Amenities – think about your lifestyle, hobbies and pace of life. What amenities are a necessity for you and what would be ‘nice to haves’.
4. Neighbours – take time to look around the local area and ask the current homeowners for any feedback on your neighbours.
5. Connectivity – if you commute, consider public transport and motorway access. If you work from home, it may be worth checking the phone signal and broadband capacity if you are thinking of a rural area.
6. Crime – websites such as checkmystreet.com, local Facebook pages or local newspaper sites can give you an insight into how safe different areas are.
7. Noise – if peace and quiet is important to you, then it is useful to look around the local area at different times of day to see what the noise levels and traffic are likely to be.

For further information, advice or to obtain a quote for your property sale and/or purchase, then please contact the Thompson Smith and Puxon team on 01206 217070 or email movinghome@tsplegal.com.