16/01/2008-London Buying property in a small town seems to be in vogue in the UK a national daily newspaper has named several of the UK top towns in which to live.
Small towns have become more and more popular for real estate investors in recent years. One reason is the value that these locales offer, providing more home for the purchase price than can be found in or near the larger cities. Another reason for their increasing popularity is the better schools that smaller towns provide for families. This is an important concern for those who have school-aged children, and many smaller towns have very good schools.
A top reason cited by property brokers who know and work in some of the nicest small towns, is the fact that many of these charming villages are just nice places to live or for second homes. “Our best towns have become crucial drivers in the property market because more people moving out of London have realised that they need schools, shops and restaurants close by,” says Michael Fiddes, head of country house sales at Strutt & Parker, as quoted in a recent article in the Telegraph.
In a listing of some of the nicest small towns in the UK, The Telegraph had Arundel in West Sussex as the top choice. Located on the Arun estuary between Brighton and Portsmouth, this town is an ideal location. “It is trendy, picturesque, arty, cosmopolitan, and feels like a village,” says Molly Miles, of Cluttons.
Another town near the sea also comes out near the top of the list. Burnham Market in Norfolk is a small town set around a green. Unfortunately, the popularity of the town and its location near the sea has made it a very expensive choice. Tyneside residents look at Hexham in Northumberland as one of the nicest places near Newcastle. With just a 20 minute drive into the heart of the city, this small town offers the best of both worlds.
There are plenty of nice small towns to live in throughout the UK. Others that have become popular and made The Telegraph’s list include Great Malvern in Worcestershire; Richmond in Yorkshire; Ludlow in Shropshire and Stamford in Lincolnshire. Some of the places mentioned in the top 50 small towns include Aberfeldy, Scotland; Alnwick, Northumberland; Ambleside, Cumbria; Bungay, Suffolk; Kelso, Scotland; Lewes, Sussex; and Tunbridge Wells in Kent.
