UK Homeowners Keen To Leave Cities

Who saw this coming? Homeowners in cities like London, Manchester, Birmingham, Edinburgh, and Glasgow are keen to give up their city terrace property for a home country! Well, probably not quite far away as farmland but homes for sale in commuter regions are getting a lot of online attention by city dwellers.

Longer commute times to and from work will be the trade-off for homeowners now wanting more space and a different lifestyle than what’s on offer with the ‘city-pad’.

UK Lockdown

Since March 2020, remote working has become the new normal for all workers who can do it. Even the most reluctant people who have never worked from home are now enduring it but not by choice and not in style!

The ‘stay-at-home‘ coronavirus lockdowns have given owner-occupiers too much time to ‘enjoy’ their property. Sadly, many people didn’t choose their current home for remote working and all its occupants living within it twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. That said, being in lockdown has been an eye-opener for many city residents. They found out the hard way just how unsuitable their abode is for more than a couple of occupants at a time. Families are struggling to find their own space within their four walls.

City Homes Are Small

Most city homes are tiny, i.e. well under 100 square metres and their living quarters cramped, by modern standards. The terrace home designed 100+ years ago is not ideal; however, when you’re not at home most of the day, i.e. children are at school and adults at their place of work, the poor layout of the floor plan is not that big a deal. However, since the lockdown, these homes are proving more challenging.

Rooms are being used for more activities; for example, living rooms are doubling up as exercise studios for TV online classes or online school work. The dining room table is now also the work desk of one or more workers with monitors, laptops, devices, and many cables. Notably, Britain’s older homes have fewer electrical sockets, and modern living demands many power points for appliances, electronic equipment and computer devices. Therefore a warning to homeowners to not overload power sockets and avoid dodgy hazardous setups. Here’s one home that has no shortage of sockets!

Lifestyle Over Commuter Time

Popular online property searches are semi-detached or detached homes in commuter areas, so the trip into the city is doable by train or vehicle. The journey to work will be longer, but the trade-off is a nicer lifestyle. These homes will have more space outside for relaxation, entertainment, exercise, and inside too so everyone can spread out. Plus, who won’t be making sure there’s a room for the home office!

Never before has space been so desired. Living in each other’s pockets and seemingly on top of each other during lockdown has taught us, everyone needs some personal space to call their own, and this will be a good enough reason to follow through with a move out of the city for many cities dwellers.

The New Normal

Even UK royalty with their spacious London quarters packed up and headed for their country residences to endure lockdown. Boris Johnson put the UK into lockdown for the first time on 23 March 2020, and he’s done it again for the third time. The UK has suffered the highest number of infections and deaths in Europe. So if it’s good enough for the Queen, Prince of Wales, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, then if you can not afford to keep your London pad and secure a home further afield, selling up for a change of lifestyle further afield is just as good.

Life after lockdown will prompt many homeowners to follow through with their newfound aspirations, especially if they can get more houses and a higher standard of living than their current set-up for the same price.

First Home Buyers

What will this mean for inner-city apartments and townhouses in cities? Well, if you’re a first home buyer, this might be your perfect time to do some online property searches of your own and pick up a property that suits your needs in a nicer area and for a better price.

Timing is everything, and for first home buyers with a stable income and healthy deposit, there will be mortgage sales and other property listings up for grabs. Savvy buyers can get a foothold on the property ladder during recessionary times. Many first home buyers will be households of one or two, and a terraced home or apartment in the city could be the ideal starting point.