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Escape to the country: the race for equestrian property post-pandemic *H&H Plus*


  • For those hankering after the idyll of paddocks and stables, competition is fiercely stiff as the post-lockdown “race for space” takes hold, finds Madeleine Silver

    “THE demand from buyers at the moment is quite phenomenal,” says Charlie Stone at Wiltshire-based agent Rural View, with some properties attracting 25 or more viewings in a 10-day to two-week period. “I’ve not seen demand like this for nearly 15 years, since before the 2007 financial crash.”

    A year of lockdowns has seen Britons running for the hills – or some green space at the very least – and in November last year, Knight Frank reported that demand for prime country houses had pushed price growth to a four-year high.

    “What we’re experiencing post-Covid is people reviewing their work-life balance. I just can’t see that people are going to be back in their offices from 8am until 6pm, five days a week, and so I think there’s only going to be more of a sustained demand for rural property,” adds Charlie, who has seen prices for what he describes as “the best houses” rise by 15 to 20% since March 2020.

    You can also read this feature in the 27 May issue of Horse & Hound magazine.

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