With families largely confined to their homes during the Covid-19 pandemic, many were focused on finding more space – inside and out.  

What followed was a rush for larger detached houses, and as a result, family homes are now in short supply. Downsizers considering selling up and moving to a more manageable sized property are still able to take advantage of significant stock shortages and high levels of demand, and can not only sell quickly, but also for the best price.  

In prime regional locations, properties with five or more bedrooms recorded growth of 9.3 per cent in the year to March. In outer prime London, local markets with an abundance of larger family homes were able to match the growth seen in the country, with prices of five or more bedroom homes increasing by 8.1 per cent. 

So where are the best places for downsizers to move to? We have devised a metric for house hunters which analyses English local authorities in the top half of the deprivation index, and then mapped areas according to further factors including the ratio of healthcare facilities and travel times to local town centres, food shops and hospitals, by public transport or walking. We also looked at proximity to National Parks or Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. 

The North

Newcastle upon Tyne in the North East is the top performer for the North, with homes costing on average £218,957. Here there are four healthcare facilities for every 10,000 residents and travel time to the nearest local shop is just eight minutes on average, by either public transport or foot.

In the North West, the top spot is Wirral in Merseyside, where the average home costs £231,538. For those with a slightly higher budget, Leeds is number one in Yorkshire and the Humber, with average values at £254,165.

The South

Cheltenham in Gloucestershire is the second best place to downsize in England. Every person in the district is within six minutes of a food shop and it benefits from having Cotswolds AONB on the doorstep. The average house price is £377,516 offering more value than other hotspots in the South.

Cambridge is the top performer in the East of England, while Epsom and Ewell in Surrey came out top in the South East. Average house prices in each are £535,649 and £558,476 respectively.

The Midlands

Worcester in the West Midlands is the third best place to move in England. It sits just north of the Malvern Hills AONB and has the highest ratio of healthcare facilities for every 10,000 residents (6.1). Here homes cost an average of £247,404.

In the East Midlands, Broxtowe in Nottinghamshire ranked highest. All residents are within a 17-minute journey time of a local town centre and homes cost an average of £242,287.

London

The London Borough of Merton, which sits between Mitcham Common and Wimbledon Common, ranked first in the country. Here there are more than five healthcare facilities for every 10,000 residents, and residents benefit from a short six-minute trip to the nearest grocery stores, by foot or public transport. Here house prices are on average £731,077.

In second place for London is the City of Westminster which has 5.9 hospitals, GPs and dentists for every 10,000 residents, and the average journey time by foot or public transport to one of these is 16 minutes. Residents are on average just four minutes from local food shops and are also in close proximity to a wealth of theatres and shops. However, buyers are paying well above average – at £1,459,616.

Further information

Contact Frances Clacy