Green with envy for a life in the countryside
A GROWING number of Britons are looking to escape the stress and crime of city living and start a new life in the country.
Older people are particularly keen on rural life, with almost one-in-three over-55s moving home to start afresh in the country.
In contrast, just 1 per cent of home movers in this age group are moving to the city, according to new research from AA Financial Services.
Most other age groups prefer country living, the only exception being the under-25s, where twice as many favour a city move.
Director David Searle said the UK’s green and pleasant land remains a big pull: “The countryside offers a better quality of life and this is playing out in today’s property market.”
Work is still the biggest single reason people move, named by one-in-four among all age groups. The next most common is that people do not like their current area, with a move to the country the third biggest motivation.
Separate research from Hamptons International showed a 61 per cent rise in the numbers leaving London in the last decade, with Londoners buying more than 30,000 homes outside the capital in the first half of 2018. However, families looking to move into the catchment area of one of the country’s top 100 state schools have been warned they face a house price premium of £26,860.
Santander managing director of mortgages Miguel Sard said: “Parents are prepared to sacrifice a lot to give their child the best start in life.”