Since 2009, Nicki Chapman has been presenting Escape to the Country. Earlier today, she joined Kym Marsh and Gethin Jones on BBC One’s Morning Live where she discussed the biggest mistakes potential buyers make when they choose to move from the city to the country.
Kym asked: “So many people are considering escaping that hustle and bustle – but is it all it’s cracked up to be?”
“We’ve seen a surge of people reassessing the way they live their live – individuals, couples, families, retirees, thinking ‘you know what? I can work from home, I perhaps don’t need to commute anymore or live in a congested town or city’ and reevaluating that,” Nicki explained.
“We’re all looking at our mental health, the importance of being out in your garden.
“And that goes for property, where you live, what’s around you, the community is so important.
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“So in answer to your question, yes, people really are rethinking about where they live,” the presenter continued.
Gethin added: “Rethinking is one thing, actually doing it is a really big deal.
“What are the biggest mistakes people make when they try to escape to the country?”
“I think you need to work out what is you want; if you’re flat sharing with three other people and you’re working on a laptop on your lap on a tray every single day, you’re thinking ‘I can’t do this for much longer’ and that’s been the situation for so many people,” Nicki continued.
“It might be services, busses, where the nearest hospital is, can you make doctor’s appointments easily, is there a good school?
“So look at those things, it is a dream and it is a fantastic dream for so many people, but be realistic because is this your forever home or is it for the next five years?”
This afternoon, Nicki catches up with two sets of buyers.
First, she heads to the Welsh Borders for a reunion with a couple who managed to buy their first home in 2017.