Shropshire is a destination county
Co-Director of Samuel Wood Shropshire has begun commentary of the sector in the county newspaper - The Shropshire Star in his capacity as a sector leading agent.
In his first column this week, he discusses Shropshire as a destination county. You can read more below.
"Shropshire as a destination county. It always has been. But with the way things have changed over the last 18 months that has never been truer.
Just last week The Sunday Times featured Church Stretton as being just shy of the top 20 best places to move to in the UK. And in my capacity as being jointly at the helm of a leading Shropshire estate agency, but also the representative for Shropshire and the West Midlands on the Propertymark board, the closest thing to a sector regulator, I am increasingly being contacted by fleet street journalists and TV stations to provide comment on this growing phenomenon.
Shropshire has always been beautiful with the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty lying within in, Ludlow as a gastro capital and medieval streets steeped in history galore. But with changes such as increased homeworking and the general betterment of our lives coming the fore since the dreaded pandemic hit, Shropshire is more of a hotspot than it has ever been.
Rural areas with good Wi-Fi, stunning open spaces, good train and travel links, character homes with big gardens near spaces for recreation – that’s what people are currently after and here in Shropshire, we are happy to oblige.
Infact, as the press are increasingly reporting, areas like ‘quiet’ Church Stretton are now much desired. Gone are the days when Church Stretton was seen as the retirement capital of the county.
And here are the days when people are moving out of the cities in their droves to quirky places, just like Church Stretton. Small enough to remain tranquil, but with an ever-increasing gastro buzz, individual shops and cafes, and that awe-inspiring landscape on its doorstep. What’s not to love? Plus, we remain close to Wales, and close to cities such as Birmingham and Manchester with good road and rail links to the north and south.
So, what does this mean for buyers and sellers? Well, it means now is a genuinely good time to sell or move, with the ‘booming’ property market showing no signs of slowing down. People are desperate to hold on to the taste of the good life they have become accustomed to over the past year.
If you’re looking to sell or move you should be enlisting the help of an agent with a county-wide reach. For example, we consistently have clients who come to us looking to buy in Ludlow but who end up buying in Whitchurch at the other end of the county.
Finding an agent with national reach at times like this is also a very sensible idea. Agents with an office or base in London means you can access the London market and those wishing to move to the north of England. These agents are able to cast a much larger net across a bigger client base and market Shropshire a destination shire, at the heart of the pretty Midlands, cool and with a touch of class."