Looking to move - how to search by certain criteria

TrueGreen

Perksy5 said:

So, how do you decide where to live? How can I find a reasonable place to compare my options? It's probably glaringly obvious but I just can't think right now! 

It's an interesting question. I think the only options are to look at the maps and figure out where is greenest and then narrow it down from there re affordability, amenities, lifestyle , job etc, then do visits to check the places out...it's a bit wide a brief but you may well come across somewhere that suits.

I'm in the position of wanting to relocate and found the place I want to be by chance, passing through there on the way from a brief weekend away. I then went back to that specific city to have a look around, then went back again, went on Rightmove, googled local newspapers to see what kind of things were going on, looked on forums to see what other people thought of living there, went back again, still liked it and basically researched but mostly it is a gut feeling that the place would suit.

Good luck with your search.

Grizebeck

Perksy5 said:

MFWannabe said:

Perksy5 said:

Hello!

I'm looking to move as I'm a bit fed up of my current location.
I'm desperate to have more green in my life. I want a bigger garden for example and to be close to some nice walks or green fields or forestry. 

I've looked on several property sites and much of the properties I see just seem to me much of the same, similar to my circumstances but just a few miles away.

I'm trying to expand my search by just searching random places but how does anyone decide where they move to? 
Buying my first home seemed easy as it was more of an urgent purchase and ticked our boxes at the time. But now I have the opportunity to take more of a calmer approach to my next property move I'm finding it a thousand times more difficult.

So, how do you decide where to live? How can I find a reasonable place to compare my options? It's probably glaringly obvious but I just can't think right now! 

Do you still want / need to be in your current area of the country? 

If so then you should have a good idea of which locations are more ’Green’ 
if you are talking of a different area of the country then post a rough area on here and people will be able to advise you which areas are green 

I have no preference on location, I'm open to suggestions

County durham is cheap
Ex minning areas but lots of lovely countryside and cheap housing

diystarter7

Hi
Parts of Essex is very cheap and close in parts to the cits etc but that costs more -

Good luck

ArbitraryRandom

Perksy5 said:

propertyrental said:

Forget the internet - you'renot ready yet.

Do you drive? Drive around various areas and find somewhere you like the look of. Then start property searching online in that area.

This makes no sense. How could anyone aimlessly drive up and down the country looking? Better to research online first then scope out the local area if it ticks the boxes. 

Normally people don't consider moving just 'anywhere'. They have to be within a certain distance of a place of work or family; or can't afford to move down south/don't want to move up north; or have visited somewhere for work/ holiday/ education and want to find somewhere similar/in that area. 

Practically speaking, if all you actually want is a larger garden and a nearby park, then there's probably houses within 10 miles of you that tick those boxes, so the question is why are you looking to move outside of the area you already know? 

But if what you're looking for is a change of lifestyle, that's why people are saying it's a good idea to start with a list of what you're looking for (must, maybe and never) as, chances are, there's something on that list or a combination of things that will narrow it down to a few geographic areas. Such as needing a min 3 bed house with some land and high speed internet and having a budget of £200k will point to a different part of the country than if you'd be okay with a 1 bed cottage with a budget of upto £500k

That would let you narrow it down to a few possibilities and, if you'd never been there before, then you would visit those areas for a week/weekend to see get a general sense if they 'feel' like somewhere you could live happily (you can't tell what the local pub is like online). Then research to narrow down the specific area and start searching for properties to view. 

Sarahspangles

Two ideas to help you find location names to try in Rightmove:

1. Ramblers Website.  Go to Find a Walk, select the Route tab and instead of entering a location, try a keyword like Streams, Garden, Oaks.  It will offer a fairly random list of walks with those features.  Then use the postcode of the start point of a few you like the look of to identify places with clusters of routes.

2. DEFRA/Natural England’s Magic database map.  Filter on Designations, Land-Based, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  There are less-obvious places like the Lincolnshire Wolds east of Louth to explore.

Only you know if you would like being in the warmer south or drier east and whether you want to be in a green and leafy suburb or out in the sticks.

Perksy5

Sarahspangles said:

Two ideas to help you find location names to try in Rightmove:

1. Ramblers Website.  Go to Find a Walk, select the Route tab and instead of entering a location, try a keyword like Streams, Garden, Oaks.  It will offer a fairly random list of walks with those features.  Then use the postcode of the start point of a few you like the look of to identify places with clusters of routes.

2. DEFRA/Natural England’s Magic database map.  Filter on Designations, Land-Based, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  There are less-obvious places like the Lincolnshire Wolds east of Louth to explore.

Only you know if you would like being in the warmer south or drier east and whether you want to be in a green and leafy suburb or out in the sticks.

Thank you this a great idea!

Grizebeck

Perksy5 said:

Sarahspangles said:

Two ideas to help you find location names to try in Rightmove:

1. Ramblers Website.  Go to Find a Walk, select the Route tab and instead of entering a location, try a keyword like Streams, Garden, Oaks.  It will offer a fairly random list of walks with those features.  Then use the postcode of the start point of a few you like the look of to identify places with clusters of routes.

2. DEFRA/Natural England’s Magic database map.  Filter on Designations, Land-Based, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.  There are less-obvious places like the Lincolnshire Wolds east of Louth to explore.

Only you know if you would like being in the warmer south or drier east and whether you want to be in a green and leafy suburb or out in the sticks.

Thank you this a great idea!

If you are genuinely able to do this then i actually like what your doing and admire you !

enthusiasticsaver

I would find an area and a town you like first and get to know it. Maybe more than one if you are not too restricted in area. Somewhere with more green space is too broad a search criteria. Sounds to me it is not so much the house which is an issue (beyond wanting a bigger garden). Maybe post on some local community pages once you have narrowed the area down you want live in. 

enthusiasticsaver

Also as a keen rambler myself I would think about whether you like walking in the countryside or coastal paths. Obviously I assume price may be a factor. Coastal will be more expensive generally. 

Grizebeck

enthusiasticsaver said:

Also as a keen rambler myself I would think about whether you like walking in the countryside or coastal paths. Obviously I assume price may be a factor. Coastal will be more expensive generally. 

Thats why i love county durham!
Under rated countryside and some lovely coastline!

https://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/find.html?locationIdentifier=REGION^7299&radius=5.0&sortType=1&propertyTypes=&includeSSTC=true&mustHave=&dontShow=&furnishTypes=&keywords=