_Why you should consider a move to Cheltenham in the New Year

Situated on the edge of the Cotswolds, just 100 miles from London, Cheltenham is a spa town that holds massive appeal. 

Cheltenham, often dubbed the cultural capital of the Cotswolds, is home to some of the UK's leading sporting and cultural events: the renowned Cheltenham Festival – a four-day horse racing event held annually in March at Cheltenham Race Course, The Times and Sunday Times Cheltenham Literary Festival, two weeks of interviews and workshops with the very best authors, actors and media personalities, as well as the Music, Jazz and Science festivals. Cheltenham also has a number of attractions such as the Pittville Pump Room, which is the largest spa building to be built in Cheltenham, and the plethora of Regency townhouses that line the historic shopping promenade, tree-lined streets of Montpellier and garden squares.

The housing market

The housing market in Cheltenham and the surrounding Cotswold area is often deemed strong, and viewed as a safe and robust location to purchase a home. It's undeniably a wonderful part of the country, with world-class schooling (Cheltenham Ladies' College and Cheltenham College), strong communication networks and job opportunities (GCHQ) and stunning countryside on the doorstep.

However, despite all these great attributes, the market is not immune to the outside influences of the wider political and economic backdrop.

From Knight Frank's perspective, the summer and autumn have been especially busy with new, committed buyers registering, viewing and purchasing, and in some cases, we've seen some competitive bidding. Price growth has been relatively subdued, however, demand in the town market has been really strong with, once again, a shortage of property coming to the market. 

UK property

Currently we have over 530 buyers registered looking for property up to £1,500,000 the Cheltenham area. This is thanks in part to our strong presence in London where we have 30 offices as well as international buyers being drawn in from further afield by a weak pound.

UK property remains an attractive investment for our overseas buyers and Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds hold a uniquely special place in many of their hearts. However, the market is price sensitive and therefore correct pricing is the key to success. Picking the 'perfect time' to sell is less common nowadays, and we encourage our clients to act fast once they have made a decision. 

The perception is that the market tails off over the winter, but seasonality isn’t what it once was, with January and February now some of the busiest months for agreeing property sales. 

If you want to get a head start for 2020, our experienced team in Cheltenham are committed to providing our clients with the best advice.

For more information, or to find out what properties are available, contact our Cheltenham Team.