Just a hypothetical question I've been musing over, with regards to property ownership, pre Brexit and afterwards.
This isn’t a debate on the rights or wrongs of leaving vs remaining though, just a query as to what you would do if you were in the position to buy a second property elsewhere in the CTA before Brexit happens.
I've been pondering along the lines of ordinary people who might be able to stretch to extra mortgage payments or have been left a one-off sum of money from a deceased relative etc, rather than the options available to the wealthy who can simply buy a mansion in the Caribbean.
So, imagine you had the funds or the borrowing capacity for around £100k - £150k, enough to buy a small apartment or cottage somewhere before Brexit, without selling your current home or relocating permanently. But you could only buy in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland or Ireland. Where would you go?
Would you head to Scotland (based on possible future independence) or Ireland (remaining in the EU)? Would it be coastal, city or country? Is there anywhere you’d feel would give you a ‘bolthole’ if the situation is dire after Brexit, or somewhere you feel would have the more secure future? Or maybe you would opt to stay within England or Wales, but buy in an area that you feel might be least affected?
For me, there are many places I would love to live, and alas most of them fall outside the price range above. Clearly I have champagne taste but a beer budget! I do know I would choose coastal, on a sandy beach, as my first choice, maybe Lossiemouth or Dunbar in Scotland, or somewhere on the coast in Co. Cork. My second choice would be city based, purely for amenities, but in the smaller cities like Stirling.
But I'm the first to admit that I don’t fully grasp how the quest for Scottish independence might affect their economy, nor how the UK leaving the EU will impact upon Ireland, so I would love to hear what you more knowledgeable posters would do with your own imaginary funds, where you would go, and why.