The ignored places the place you will get extra house in your cash

Finding your dream home can often seem like an impossible task.

You find an attractive village, town or area that ticks all the right boxes, but all of the houses that look appealing there are just out of your price range. 

So, when following the adage of ‘location, location, location’, buyers often end up paying over the odds or settling for something smaller, just to be in a sought-after spot.

But there is a way to have your perfect home and get it for a good price – if you’re prepared to be open-minded.

The key is finding a compromise you are willing to make, but others aren’t. That keeps a lid on prices and won’t leave you feeling disappointed. 

Whether it’s under a flight path or next to the M25, there are bargains to be snapped up that can make ideal forever homes.

Here, we explore the overlooked locations where you can get more house for your money – if you can live with a downside that bothers other buyers just that bit too much.

Near an airport

You’ve found your perfect property and are standing in the garden admiring the view, when you hear it – the unmistakable roar of a plane flying overhead.

This is a nightmare scenario for many prospective buyers, but it needn’t be, says property expert Jason Corbett.

‘There are some real bargain properties near flight paths, because so many people get hung up on what is such a small issue.

‘I always cite people that live in areas of London like Chelsea, Fulham or Battersea, where flights go up and down the River Thames and they don’t even know it’s happening. Or Barnes, which is under a flight path and yet people pay a fortune to live there.

‘If you love the property and overall location enough, you just get on with it – and it’s all relative.

‘Underneath a flight path you do get much better value for money, it’s as simple as that,’ he adds.

Mr Corbett, who works as a property finder for Rowallan Buying Agents [must keep], says at some point most buyers realise they must compromise, and that living under a flight path isn’t as bad as people think.

‘Aircraft noise is an ambient noise, intermittent and not bothersome for most people unless you stand there cross-armed and really listen for it,’ he says.

He has personal experience and chose to live in the Surrey village of Charlwood, which is right next to London Gatwick Airport.

‘I needed to get up and down to Scotland quite regularly at that time and I thought it would be convenient to live there – I could walk to the terminal in 30 minutes or drive there in five.

‘The reality was, living underneath the Gatwick flight path, you couldn’t hear the planes after a while… you just stopped hearing them, it becomes an ambient noise.’

Surrey and Kent are popular – and expensive – areas due to their commutable distances to London, good schools and pretty villages.

But when choosing where to live, considering one of many spots that fall under the flight path of airports like Gatwick or Heathrow, for example, could take up to a third off an asking price.

Mr Corbett urges buyers to look at the bigger picture and work out what they really value.

‘It only takes 15 seconds to fall in love with a house. If, for example, your most important value is schools or a family garden or being away from a main road, then your compromise could be living on a flight path.’

‘Everyone starts out on the buying journey with what they want, and then they go through the journey of ‘what are my compromises?’

‘If you want the larger size of house and good schools, but aren’t willing to compromise on aircraft noise, you’re missing out on really good opportunities.’

On the market

1. Smallfield, Surrey

This detached, four-bedroomed family home comes with a large drive, a separate garage and outbuildings. Located in the village of Smallfield, Surrey, it is in close proximity to London’s Gatwick Airport and is on sale for £500,000. rightmove.co.uk

2. Keynsham, Somerset

This detached stone property has four bedrooms, off-road parking and a garage. It is in need of modernisation but is located in the commuter town of Keynsham, Somerset, under the Bristol Airport flight path. It is on the market for £375,000. rightmove.co.uk 

3. Stevenage, Hertfordshire 

This three-bedroomed, detached family home comes with a driveway and a separate garage. It needs modernising cosmetically but has a well-maintained garden and is located in Stevenage, Hertfordshire, near Luton Airport. It’s up for sale for £475,000. rightmove.co.uk

Close to a motorway

Opting for a home near a motorway can offer both value for money and convenience, allowing for easy travel to other parts of the country.

With 56 numbered motorways spanning 2,300 miles across the UK, overlooking homes near these roads risks closing off your search to large swathes of decent properties on the market for competitive prices.

Those who live near motorways often say they become accustomed to the steady hum of the traffic and no longer notice it. Triple glazing can help, too.

Planting trees and other shrubbery can also act as both a sound and pollution barrier.

The real benefit is a house in a so-called compromised location is that these properties offer ‘more for less’.

‘Our ability to cope with noise is very personal, but if you’re used to traffic noise already you might not notice it and may jump at the chance to get an extra bedroom or a larger garden in return,’ says Rob Houghton, chief executive of reallymoving, a comparison site for home movers.

‘If you can put up with the traffic noise and pollution, homes near a motorway or busy road are usually cheaper than comparable properties elsewhere, meaning as a buyer you can get more for less,’ he adds.

When viewing properties by busy roads or motorways, many people put themselves off before they have stepped in the door, says Mr Corbett.

‘People will park their car on the road of the house they want to buy and then get to the front doorstep and stop and listen to the cars going past and the traffic noise.

‘But I always ask them, “When are you ever going to do that in real life?”

‘You’ll have the shopping or the children, for example, you’ll go in the front door, unload the shopping and go straight to the back garden. Often, once you get into the back garden there is no noise at all.

‘People, when they are doing viewings, become overly paranoid about obstacles rather than looking at the value for money that they are getting.’

On the market

1. Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire

This three-bedroomed, semi-detached home with a separate garage and drive is located in Beaconsfield, less than two miles from the M40. But with room to extend, a garden full of mature trees and backing onto woodland, it could be a solid option for a family home, with a ready-made sound barrier. It’s up for sale for £600,000 (rightmove.co.uk)

2. Theale, Berkshire

This semi-detached home has three double bedrooms, a spacious driveway, large garden and an outbuilding currently being used as a home bar. It’s located in Theale, Berkshire, just off the M4, and is on the market for £550,000 (rightmove.co.uk).

3. Stafford

This grand Grade II-listed Regency house in Stafford has six bedrooms, five reception rooms and two bathrooms set over three floors on a plot measuring just over half an acre. Surrounded by trees and mature shrubs, it sits on the A518 and is three miles away from the M6, but offers a whole lot of house, with potential to develop on the land, for £750,000 (rightmove.co.uk).

Above a fast-food outlet 

For those who are looking to get their first step on the property ladder, a flat above a shop or fast-food outlet can offer real value for money.

Though many would baulk at the idea, owning a flat of this type often lets the buyer live in a prime location that would otherwise be out of their budget.

Most shops, restaurants and fast-food places are centrally located, meaning savvy buyers can live close to transport links and amenities, while paying a fraction of the typical area price – often saving up to 15 per cent.

Of course, there are practicalities to consider, says Mr Houghton, including noise, litter and smells.

‘It can also be more difficult to get a mortgage, as some lenders are concerned about their ability to sell the property on if you default on your loan’, but, he says, there can be positive financial benefits.

‘You will probably pay less for the property as a result, which is very appealing for first time buyers in particular who have found themselves priced out of the wider local market.’

Proper ventilation and double or triple glazing can do wonders for reducing the impact of noise and nearby odours.

But it’s important to do your own due diligence before purchasing, Mr Houghton recommends.

‘Make sure you visit in the evening and at weekends, so you can see how busy it is and whether you’re willing to put up with the disruption.’

On the market:

1. Crystal Palace, London

This one-bedroom flat in a Victorian building is ideally located in the much sought-after area of Crystal Palace, south-east London, a previous winner of Sunday Times’ list of best places to live in London.

Ideal for first-time buyers, this airy flat is in walking distance to Crystal Palace station. It is above a tattoo parlour and has a fried chicken shop next door but is on the market for auction with a guide price of just £170,000 (rightmove.co.uk).

2. Cardiff, Wales

For sale in Cardiff, Wales, this one-bedroom, one-bathroom flat has a city centre location. It sits above a cocktail bar and next door to a Pizza Express restaurant but offers the chance to own a flat in a prime spot in the Welsh capital for less than £100,000. For sale via auction with a guide price of £95,000 (rightmove.co.uk).

3. Cheltenham, Gloucestershire 

This top floor, one-bedroom flat in the centre of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, with large sash windows, is positioned on the main High Street, above a coffee shop and next to various fast-food outlets – but is up for sale for just £100,000 (rightmove.co.uk).