Country Living

Now, we are both very biased. We are proper townies and are fully paid up members of the Leigh on Sea appreciation society but as we were in the car driving out there, we both thought that we could be persuaded.

When I am selling properties in the heart of Leigh then obviously my full on sales patter is telling people that the town is bustling rather than too busy, the lack of parking is not a problem as you can walk everywhere and the dilapidated buildings like The Grand add character rather than just look tatty. It is easy to get caught up with the hype and get carried away and sometimes I feel like I am saying it trying to convince myself rather than the clients.

It is important to take a step back at times and to see if you actually believe in what you are trying to sell.

I live within 5 minutes of Leigh Broadway but I am embarrassed to say that I still drive in to work and I can’t remember the last time I walked in to the town for a drink or a meal. I don’t really take advantage of this lifestyle thing I am trying to sell so it makes you wonder, should you cash in on the hype and move out in to the sticks?

If I drive into the town now what difference is another 10 minutes drive going to make? How much more peaceful and relaxed would it be if I moved out in to somewhere rural?

When we drove out to Canewdon it was a gorgeous day and it was easy to be seduced. As we drove out past the fields, it was like a scene out of a countryside promotional video; we saw Pheasants on the side of the road and Rabbits in the fields.

The house in question is well beyond my reach but the idea of pulling up to your electric gates and driving in to your sweeping shingled driveway definitely appealed. The house was beautiful inside and there are views over the countryside and River Crouch from all of the windows and there is not another house in sight so there is no need for net curtains orang privacy issues.

The bath has been specifically placed within the room so that you can sit and wallow in your tub while looking out over open fields. The plot of the house in question is nearly 3 acres and you can imagine family BBQ’s and parties on the lawns and they have the ubiquitous chickens, although they have to keep an eye on them with the foxes!

When you see the lovely stripes in their huge lawn and the barn that has been converted in to a cinema you can definitely see the appeal and this is what we hope is the case with potential purchasers when they view the house. They will look around for half an hour, hopefully the sun will be shining, the gardens will look immaculate and the drive out will only have taken a couple of minutes. If they are lucky, the potential purchasers may get another chance to view the house but most people will have made up their minds after the first initial viewing whether they are going to buy the property or not.

It is not until they have moved in, maybe they have even been in the property a few months before the real practicalities of living in a rural location start to show their head. Obviously the country walks are amazing but what if you fancied walking out for a newspaper or a pint of milk? It wouldn’t take much for one of the roads to be blocked with roadworks or an accident and you are stuck! What if you fancied going for a couple of drinks. It would probably cost at least £20 in a taxi to get home. And those parties or BBQ’s, how many times would your friends and families make the effort to come out there to visit you?

If you have been reading my blogs for a while you will know by now that I am extremely risk adverse. If you read this and think that I don’t like the idea of living out in the country and I couldn’t see myself living anywhere other than Leigh then think again and read the bit between the lines. What I am actually saying is that I am jealous of this people that are able to make the leap and jump off of the crazy ride that is the Leigh housing market. People that are prepared to take a risk and are thinking about their quality of life over a 10 minute drive should be applauded and I am extremely envious.

This article is by Rob Kahl at Scott & Stapleton. Tel 471100

Read all of Rob's previous blogs right here https://www.leigh-on-sea.com/tag/listing/blog/property