WHAT £500,000 GETS YOU ACROSS THE UK
From a country home with 18 acres to a one bed flat in London, here’s...
THe average price of a property in the Uk is around £260,000. But what if you had a budget which doubled this amount? Could you live in palatial splendour? or would factors such as location, proximity to local services and connection to transport networks take the bang out of your buck? ‘What you can get for half a million quid varies massively, depending on the type of home you’re looking for and where exactly you’re looking for it,’ says Daniel Copley, consumer expert at Zoopla, However, according to property guru Jonathan rolande, March is also the time to bag a bargain. He says: ‘As warmth and light return in late spring, so do the buyers. start looking now to beat the rush and the almost inevitable hardening of prices.’
With this in mind, we trawled some of the latest properties on the market to find out how far £500,000 could go . . .
ALNWICK, NORTHUMBERLAND
Get two for the price of one with a three bedroom Grade II listed coach house and adjacent cottage. Located in the village of Ilderton on the edge of the Northumberland National Park, the open-plan cottage has two more bedrooms. Gemma Miller, Associate at George F White, points out: ‘Alnwick is an historic market town featuring many independent retailers.’
Details: £500,000 ( aitchisons.co)
OLD STREET, LONDON
HALF a million pounds buys a 451 sq ft one bedroom, one bathroom seventh-floor studio in this part of the capital. If it’s too claustrophobic, there’s a residents’ gym, 24-hour concierge and communal roof terrace. But don’t forget to budget for the £3,600 per year service charge.
Details: £500,000 ( knightfrank.co.uk)
WADHURST, EAST SUSSEX
tHIs brand new, if unremarkable, three bed, modestly- sized semi is part of a development on the edge of market town Wadhurst (which topped the sunday times Best Places to Live list for 2023). As Dominick Brown, director of buying agency Prime Purchase, says: ‘Wadhurst continues to be a lovely place to live, with a direct train into Charing Cross.’
Details: £500,000 ( greenlizardhomes. co.uk)
SHELDON, BIRMINGHAM
tHANks to extension work there are eight — eight! — bedrooms in this end of terrace, which also has two/three reception rooms and three bathrooms. Joe shorney, Head of residential development sales for the Midlands at savills. says: ‘It is an exciting time to buy in Birmingham.’
Details: £ 500,000 ( burchelledwards. co.uk)
MONTPELIER, BRISTOL
A tWo bedroom, one bathroom end of terrace house is available in Montpelier. In 2018 travel supermarket named Montpelier as the hippest area in the Uk. this house has an extended L-shaped living room and a kitchen with vaulted ceiling which opens onto a bijou garden.
Details: £500,000 ( cjhole.co.uk)
BROADSTONE, DORSET
tHIs two double bedroom bungalow comes with 12 solar panels — providing a tax-free income — and a triple aspect sitting room. the landscaped back garden features a large pond, lawn and patio area. It’s a short hop to the centre of Broadstone, an understated district of Poole and close to the countryside and the sea — Bournemouth is just 20 minutes away.
Details: £500,000 ( hearnes.com)
FINTRY, GLASGOW
A rAMBLING property with four bedrooms, four bathrooms and four reception rooms, 15-minutes from Glasgow. the grounds include a large pond. ‘Fintry, which has been classified as a Conservation Area in order to preserve its historical shape and character, is one of those picturesque stirlingshire villages nestled in the foothills of the Campsie Fells,’ says Gavin Hunter of Corum Bearsden.
Details: £500,000 ( corumproperty.co.uk)
BOLTON, LANCASHIRE
tHere are four bedrooms and three bathrooms in this two- storey house on the outskirts of Bolton. set in a conservation area, the property is a former 19th century mill and close to plenty of schools and amenities. throughout the house there are period features from exposed beams to open fireplaces. It boasts a secluded garden.
Details: £500,000 ( burtonjames.co.uk)
LLANARTH, CEREDIGION
sUrroUNDeD by 18 acres of its own land, this gothic- style three-bedroom country home has views of the Cardigan Bay coastline. Despite its rural location, the property is just two miles from Llanarth with its shop, post office, school, pub, petrol station and bus station.
Details: £525,000 ( morgananddavies. co.uk)
PENRITH, CUMBRIA
DAtING back to the 17th century, taylors Farm retains many charming and original features including exposed beams, wood panelling, flag stone floors and inglenook fireplaces. this Grade II listed four-bedroom farmhouse also has a detached onebedroom bothy with a kitchen and bathroom. the property is in the village of Great strickland.
Details: £475,000 ( brittonestates.co.uk)