Property Unicorn

[SavingForaSnowyDay]

DH has it in his head that we can sell up our convenient-to-everything home and find a detached with at least 1 acre that has a footpath to the nearest village costing less than £1.2 mill and no farther North than Sheffield.

I have NO intention of moving to the country to spend my days in a car. I can't find a way to interrogate property websites to find ones that have footpaths.

I'm right and there's no such thing, yes?

Don't know how old you are, but a fair few of the people I know who wanted an isolated place in the country are now regretting it, as they get older, and have to rely on the car. Mr Smug here bought in town, and never needs to move again 👍

Does it have to be remote / a minimum distance from the village as well as a maximum?

I have a detached barn with 1 acre, not overlooked, but it’s only a 1 min walk to the village - I don’t think that option is particularly rare.

Well this sounds like a happy marriage!

Getting towards retirement.

I totally get the isolation worry - feel that would be mitigated by having a footpath - we both love walking.

No - no need to be remote at all, just figured we wouldn't get an acre unless it was sufficiently far out. Our perfect scenario would be on the outskirts of a city but of course we couldn't get an acre that way. What sort of area are you in?

I can't find a way to interrogate property websites to find ones that have footpaths.

Just use google maps to see exact locations and street view for more detail.

I even use it before booking hotels abroad, so that I know whether I can walk to the nearest town.

Yes, I know I can do that but it's a very lengthy process to check them all out. I tried using AI to do the donkey work but gave up when it kept giving me expired links.

Thank you; it is!

Definitely possible to find something in that price range if your options for area are that wide.

You would need to narrow down to certain areas you like, but on Rightmove you can draw search areas. So e.g. you could draw an area around the routes into certain villages and can set up multiple alerts

And yet he seems desperate to uproot entire family’s life but you’re a blanket no (I agree with you! Any kids?)

so…. Who is going to bend?

That's the age group I'm thinking about...
I know a few who were tempted by the dream, but have found the reality more challenging than they thought, despite the footpaths 👍

Why are you wasting time on his idea that you have no intention of doing? 😵‍💫

I would imagine that it is eminently doable.

Are you willing to move if such a property could be located?

Because I would be up for it if I thought it possible. But it's not.

Tell dh you will consider any property he finds that meets his criteria

A weird pocket of green belt, half an hour walk from bars, £12 taxi to a major city.

I’m further north than your requirements but there’s a few towns round here with houses with an acre of garden. You could put your requirements into ChatGPT and ask for towns which have houses with plenty of land.

Yes, that would be the parallel universe where he is logical (about this one issue - he's genuinely top tier in every other way). I say it's all irrelevant until he finds suitable properties but he just keeps wittering on about how great it will be when we move!

And he accepts that? Or is he carrying on researching?

are you willing to move anywhere?

Adult kids? Grandchildren? Your parents?

Smile and nod

He doesn’t sound the sharpest tool in the box if he literally has no example that remotely demonstrates his belief is possivle

Exactamente!!

Why cant he find it?

Within England not further North than around Sheffield. It wouldn't be that far away to travel to relatives. England is pretty narrow.

You want outskirts of a village. There are loads of possibles within 5 miles of my house in the Cotswolds, but you'd need to check about footpaths etc. My approach would be to pick a few areas you'd consider and contact local agents with specific criteria, rather than trying to online search yourself.

Thank you. I will check out the Cotswolds. I thought that would be too pricey an area to look into.

There must be thousands of properties that fit your/your husband's criteria across the country.

Not caring where you live in the country is your biggest hurdle. Why don't you choose two or three top areas you'd like an focus hard on those?