As England’s largest Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), it isn’t hard to see why the Cotswolds are such a popular destination for anyone looking to get away from the noise, crowds and stress of city life. Once you retire it becomes a lot easier to succumb to this desire for peace and quiet as you no longer have quite so many obligations. With the help of a personal property finder, we are sure you’ll be able to find your perfect retirement property.
Why choose to retire to the Cotswolds?
As personal property finders, we find that for many people searching for a retirement property, one of the top priorities is generally ease of travel to other areas of the UK. Whether you’re visiting family and friends or just using your newfound time to explore, the Cotswolds is the perfect base. Its fairly central location provides easy access into London, the Midlands and Manchester. Closer to home, there is plenty to enjoy and explore in the incredibly cultural towns and cities of Oxford, Gloucester, Bath and Stratford.
The largest town within the Cotswolds and unofficially considered to be the area’s capital, Cirencester has an abundance of history and this is reflected in its buildings and streets. Whether it’s hints of Cirencester early days as an ancient Roman fort, or the more obvious signs of wealth from the town’s industrial wool industry.
Unlike on the coasts, the Cotswold community isn’t overly seasonal in nature, particularly further to the south and west. This means that there is a wide range of activities for you to get stuck into, whatever the season. Never underestimate how important hobbies and societies can be when moving to a brand new area, particularly when you no longer have work to fall back on for socialising. With such beautiful surroundings, it is not unsurprising that rambling is a popular outdoor pursuit, alongside fly-fishing and shooting.
Where should you look for property in the Cotswolds?
Thanks to its AONB status, the Cotswolds are protected by stricter planning controls which help to limit excessive or unsympathetic development. This means that wherever you choose to buy, the quality of choice remains high.
When most people think of the Cotswolds, they picture gorgeous and quaint honey-coloured stone cottages with thatched roofs. They can be found in the stunningly pretty town of Burford which is renowned for its historic High Street. The heritage buildings that line the street are filled with excellent shops, particularly antique shops, and there is more to discover down the little side alleys. At the bottom of the hill is the River Windrush which boasts three medieval bridges. The area has previously been ranked by Forbes as one of the top ten places to live in Europe.
If you would prefer a larger village or town with fewer tourists, Tetbury has a lot to offer. Renowned for its town-wide floral displays, this town has brilliant community spirit. Never is this more evident than during the annual Tetbury Woolsack Races. There is a wide variety of shops in the town centre, ranging from convenient supermarkets to antique shops. Tetbury is located in the south-west of the Cotswolds area, and so is less convenient for travel to London. If you are not particularly bothered about that, then we would recommend that you take advantage of the far more competitive prices, thanks to the decreased interest from commuters. There is also a strong equestrian community in the area, perfect if you wish to use your retirement to re-ignite your interest in an old forgotten hobby.
Voted ‘England’s Favourite Village 2009’ by Country Life, Kingham is beautifully picturesque. At the heart of the village there is a large green surrounded by the distinctive golden stone Cotswold cottages. Close to the town of the Chipping Norton, and on a main train line to London, Kingham is perfect for anyone looking for that country feel but who is still keen to visit the city once in a while.
Why use a personal property finder?
As personal property finders, we have excellent relationships with local estate agents. They trust that any client that we are working with is a serious and committed buyer. As a result, they regularly let us know about so-called ‘off-market properties’ which are sold without any form of advertising. Without a property finder, you are highly unlikely to ever hear about them.
The job of a personal property finder is to find your ideal home whilst minimising the amount of time and effort you have to devote to the process. Once we’ve agreed a list of your priorities and requirements, we will scour the Cotswolds for a long list of properties that meet the criteria. We will then visit these properties on your behalf, taking photos and writing detailed notes which are then fed back to you, along with our professional opinion. This section of a property search can be incredibly time-consuming and expensive, so the services of a personal property finder are certainly worthwhile.
From those options, you can then decide whether you would like to visit any of the properties in person. We can accompany you on such visits and provide further advice. When you’ve decided on a property, we will guide you through the negotiations. With years of experience under our belt, we know all the tricks of the trade when it comes to haggling.
Buying Agent Partnership have years of experience as personal property finders working in the Cotswolds area. Contact us on 0330 223 6339 to discuss how we can help you.
