Survey results are in – how our clients feel about moving to the area
With over 18 years in the industry, Chiltern Relocation has helped hundreds of families, couples and individuals to move to the area. We are honoured to be part of their journey as they embrace a change in their lifestyle.
Following their move, we ask our clients if the move has lived up to expectations, whether there were any unexpected bonuses and also whether there was anything they missed about their previous location and lifestyle.
Has it lived up to expectations?
In order to assess whether the move has been a success for our clients we looked at the drivers behind the move.
Initial enquiries vary enormously from clients who know exactly which towns they wish to move to but need help in securing a property, to clients who know that they wish to leave London but do not know where to start in terms of location.
However, our survey found that all our clients shared the same reasons for the move:
- Bigger house – often with horizontal not vertical living space
- More green space
- Range of schooling options including, state, grammar and independent
- Less traffic
- Calmer lifestyle
We are delighted that all our clients concurred that their move had met their needs in terms of housing, garden, schooling and lifestyle.
One client commented:
‘We feel that we have more time as a family as we now get out and about more exploring the local area and it is much easier getting around (no congestion, and easy and generally free parking). We have a greater sense of the outdoors, easier and calmer lifestyle (food shopping, school run, commute etc) and we have peace of mind that there is a great choice of schools.’
The survey also revealed some unexpected bonuses:
The Commute
Moving to the area inevitably means that a commute is involved as part of the new lifestyle. Whilst many were initially concerned that this would have an impact on their day in terms of extra travel time the results of our survey told a different story.
Interestingly, many preferred the new commute. Swapping hot, overcrowded tube journeys for overland train journeys with time to read a book or catch up on emails was seen as a positive. Others also said that they felt it was a better start to their morning and that they ‘decompressed’ on the journey home.
‘The commute was one of the concerns I had for the move but it has had very little impact in terms of time and it is a much better and positive experience than I anticipated.’
The Community
We received a great response to our survey when discussing the local community and many said they were made to feel instantly welcome and found that there was a vibrant inclusive community with so much to offer young families.
One family said: “We were made to feel at home straight away by the wonderful sense of community – this was something we had never experienced in all the years we lived in London”.
Another couple who moved to the area to enjoy a semi-rural location and get a dog commented:
‘We have been so warmly welcomed by everyone in the village. We love getting out with our much yearned for dog exploring the countryside and meeting locals on our walks.’
Drawbacks to the move
In addition to the ‘plus points’ we also asked if there were any drawbacks to the move. Chiltern Relocation always meet clients either in person or via Skype prior to commencing their home search to discuss their hopes for the move in addition to any concerns. These usually include:
- Adapting to a town or village lifestyle
- Lack of cultural influences such as West End theatres
- Leaving friends behind and making new friends
- Fewer shops and not having High Street brands on the doorstep
We revisited these concerns in our survey and we are delighted to learn that all our clients found that these were not an issue once they had moved.
Admittedly a few missed popping to the West End but equally felt that they had a good choice of local alternatives. In terms of shopping many mentioned that they preferred the easier access to shopping centres without the hustle and bustle.
Finally, we asked would you recommend making the move?
We are thrilled that this was an overwhelming yes from all our clients. As one client commented:
‘Absolutely. It has been brilliant for our family and it is such a great atmosphere and environment to bring up our children. It has been exactly what I hoped for when we first contemplated a move.’
