BUYERS WANT TO BE VILLAGE PEOPLE

It might be summer in the city, but just recently we have noticed a definite trend with growing demand for homes in villages – with buyers seeking extra space, peace and quiet, and a strong sense of community, writes Kate Gillard.

This has been especially true of those seeking to relocate to Norfolk from outside the county.  It would seem that our reputation as a rural idyll has stretched far and wide, and that the dream of village life is an enticing one.  There are, it would appear, plenty of people seeking a slower pace of life, a connection to nature and a simpler lifestyle.

We recently listed a house in Swanton Abbott, a village which numbers around 600 inhabitants – and it enjoyed 16 viewings in the first weekend alone.  We have seen similar enthusiasm for places such as Erpingham and Alborough.

These villages are not overburdened with facilities (Swanton Abbot has a lovely primary school and a village hall, but no shop or pub).  But what it does offer is a friendly local community, and easy access to market towns such as North Walsham and Aylsham.

Villages like these also offer potential buyers more for their money, both in terms of the actual properties and the size of the plots they sit on – an increasingly important factor since the pandemic.  These are communities which parents perceive as safe for bringing up children, and where newcomers to the county feel they can make friends and fit in relatively quickly; the slower pace of life in a village allows more time for social interaction.

As our market towns expand, with more new housing and enhanced local facilities, they are attracting buyers who might otherwise have considered the city; but at the same time, those seeking a smaller, more intimate, close-knit community are looking to the towns’ hinterlands to fulfil their small community aspirations.

This is good news for such communities.  New people bring new life, and families help keep local schools vibrant and viable.  And with limited supply of homes in what are small settlements, sellers are finding a healthy clamour for their properties; the summer months, when villages tend to look their best, are a good time to be on the market.