TOWN & CITY LIFE

After 18 months where we have seen the marketplace change immensely, fuelled by an overwhelming desire for more space both inside and outside of our homes, the result has been unprecedented demand for property in towns and cities outside of the capital. Now, we’re taking an in depth look at what makes these places tick.

Welcome to Knight Frank’s second edition of Town & City Life, a publication dedicated to showcasing our expansive UK town and city network, and the rich and vibrant areas that it covers. We hope that the pages of this digital magazine are enlightening and may help guide your next move, or simply better inform you of the services we offer.

There’s no denying that last year was a challenging period for the urban market. Throughout various enforced lockdowns, the idea of more green space and the desire to live in less densely populated areas seemed to be at the forefront of everyone’s minds. While the country market’s performance went through the roof, the urban markets were a little slower to pick up the pace. But recently, as the vaccine programme has been rolled out and life has slowly begun to return to something that resembles normality, there’s been yet another – perhaps inevitable – shift in attitude.

This is largely because the race for space, the escape to the country – whatever you may choose to call it, does not mean upping sticks and moving to the wilderness, far from it. The UK is full of wonderfully vibrant and amenity-rich towns and cities, places that are perhaps smaller than some of the central hubs, yet offer just as much in ways of entertainment, education, and opportunity. What’s more, so many of our town environments are surrounded by glorious countryside, meaning that you’re never more than a short walk or drive from peace and tranquillity. After 18 months where we have seen the marketplace change immensely, fuelled by an overwhelming desire for more space both inside and outside of our homes, the result has been unprecedented demand for property in towns and cities outside of the capital. Now, we’re taking an in depth look at what makes these places tick.

One of the most rewarding aspects of our industry is working with clients to help find their perfect home throughout the various stages of their life. Something that we have seen over the past year as a result of the pandemic is an acceleration in people’s decision making – with clients choosing to make their move to leafier country towns that perhaps offer more space and value for money, with even enough room for a garden office – a little ahead of their original schedule.

In this year’s edition of Town & City Life, we’re bringing you the very latest market insight from our outstanding research department, as well as the ‘race for space’ – a visual guide to what your money can buy in our top UK locations, and Our London Connections, another visual guide which demonstrates Knight Frank’s expertise at connecting buyers and sellers across regional marketplaces. And of course, we’ve also collated 15 of our wonderful UK-wide urban office locations, with comments and highlights from our local people on the ground, as well as plenty of information on how Knight Frank can best help you.

2021 marks our 125th year, an anniversary which we are incredibly proud of and is a testament to the strength of our partnership and fantastic relationships with our clients. As ever – if you have any questions – please do not hesitate to get in touch.

Nick Chivers nick.chivers@knightfrank.com