Guide
to Researching Your Chosen Location - UK
How
to research the area you're thinking about moving to.
How to get all the facts and figures on the area.
We summarise what you need to look out for and then give you
useful sources of information.
WHAT
TO LOOK OUT FOR
ENVIRONMENTAL
FACTORS
WHERE
TO GET THE INFORMATION
WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR
You'll
want to check the proximity to:
Transport Links
Good schools
GP / Hospitals
Sports facilities
Shops
Restaurants
You'll
want to find out:
The local crime rate
The social mix
The Council Tax rate
What's the local rubbish collection like?
The Council's attitude to the environment eg recycling policies,
parking etc
Is
the area on the Up?
Look for signs of gentrification ie skips
Are there any good new cars on the street?
Are there any trendy bars / retaurants springing up?
What type of people are buying? Young families? Yuppies?
was the area hip with artists? Are they having to leave because
of rising
prices (Bad for them but a good sign of an area on the up).
Environmental
Factors
Is the property on a flood plain?
Is there subsidence in the area ie the local soil?
Any local industrial pollution: Past and present?
Is there a danger of landslip?
Is it built on an old land-fill site?
Any radon dangers?
WHERE
TO GET THE INFORMATION
A major source of information will be local Estate
Agents.
Either
quiz the seller's agent or phone some up at random. Shortly
after lunch is often a good time to catch them in "expansive"
mode.
Another source will be the local surveyors. You can get some
referrals for ones with strong local knowledge from the local
agents.
Meanwhile
there's a wealth of information available through the internet.
Homecheck.co.uk
offers detailed information on environmental
and geological factors affecting each area.
You'll need the postcode for your proposed
new property to get an online report on the environmental
hazards you may be
facing. They're at:
http://www.homecheck.co.uk
The
Government's Environment
Agency operates a very useful service called WHAT'S
IN MY BACKYARD which details "what's really happening
in the environment where you live... whether your area is
at risk of flood, whether there's a landfill
site near your house or how healthy the rivers
are in your area".
http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk
(For SCOTLAND go to http://www.sepa.org.uk)
For schools, facilities and social background try
http://www.upmystreet.co.uk
For info on specific schools try
http://www.dfes.gov.uk
To access the latest OFSTED (govt inspection)
reports on specific schools go to
http://www.ofsted.gov.uk
We'd appreciate any feedback
you may have particularly if you come across other
useful sites that we could tell others about.
And please always feel free to tell
us if you feel we could do better in any way:
Contact Us
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