What makes an area more desirable? 
 
The more desirable a property is, the more people who want to buy it, the more the price increases. But what exactly makes a property or area more desirable? How do we measure what makes a property more desirable compared to another?  
 
These questions help people to choose where to live themselves but also where to invest. There are 5 main metrics that help to make a property more desirable and more expensive, we will go through these in turn. 
 
Employment opportunities 
Where opportunities go, people flow. People mostly move for work, so if areas have many job 
opportunities and prospects people will move to the area for this. People often secure a job in a major 
city where big corporations are based and move to the area for convenience. This is the main reason 
major cities have higher house prices than smaller villages as more larger employers and businesses are 
based. The more large businesses in an area and more opportunities for jobs, the more people flock to 
the area increasing house prices due to that demand. 
 
Transport links 
This follows on nicely from the point above. This mainly applies to the surrounding areas of major cities 
or areas with large employment opportunities. If areas have good transport links to these areas such as 
main train lines or motorway access to major cities, they will also experience price growth as people 
move to these areas within commutable distance to work. On a smaller scale does a suburb of a town or 
city have good links into the city centre or neighbouring areas? 
 
Schools 
When it comes to children’s education and further education people want the best as this leads to 
improved opportunities in later life. The cities with prestigious universities and independent education will 
see an influx of parents and students moving to the area with the hopes of securing their children or 
themselves the best education possible. The catchment area of primary and secondary schools can play 
a big part in families relocating so that their children fall into the next years intake of a successful and 
prestigious school. 
 
Shops 
Having a corner shop or a supermarket within a short walk or drive makes life much easier. On a larger 
level the convenience of being within a reasonable distance from major shopping centres or retail parks 
can have an impact on the areas people prefer to live. 
 
Leisure 
Living within a comfortable commuting distance to work is ideal during the week, but what about on the 
weekends when you want to relax or let your hair down? Having nightlife, lovely restaurants and leisure 
activities such as sporting teams, theatres or leisure centres neighbour can be a major plus. Having both 
work and leisure on your doorstop gives your home the perfect balance. 
 
As you can see there is a running theme with the points above – opportunity and convenience. The more 
of these boxes a property and area can tick the more people will want to live there. The more people 
want to live there the more demand there is for the limited number of properties in that area, which in 
turn drives up the prices paid for those properties. 
 
 
Tagged as: House Buying
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