Are you looking to buy or rent that perfect country cottage or family home in Wiltshire?

If you are looking to buy or rent that perfect country cottage or family home in Wiltshire then you have picked a great place to live in. With its sweeping chalk and limestone downland and pretty valleys and vales, this sizable (1,345 sq miles), mainly rural county, stretches from Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire in the North to Dorset and Hampshire in the South with Somerset to the West and Berkshire to the East.

Introduction to Wiltshire life

The bulk of the county’s population of 613,000 live along the M4 corridor to the North with Swindon, Chippenham and Marlborough being the main towns, the former being the largest and known for its engineering, electronic and manufacturing industries. To the West are a number of smaller towns such as Trowbridge, Melksham and Westbury that grew from the 19^th Century wool industry.

To the South of the market and brewing town of Devizes on the Kennet & Avon Canal is the large expanse of Salisbury Plain known for its military training grounds and prehistoric archaeology with Stonehenge and Avebury being amongst the most famous Neolithic sites in the World.

Property in Wiltshire

Rural View sell and let village homes, farmhouses and country property in South Wiltshire. This lovely agricultural area being made up of five river valleys called the Chalke, Nadder, Wylye, Woodford and Bourne Valleys. Rather confusingly, the rivers running through the Chalke and Woodford Valleys are actually the Ebble and Avon respectively whilst the Western end of the Wylye Valley is known as the Deverill Valley and the upper reaches of the Nadder Valley are called the Donheads! These rivers cut through rolling chalk downland, much of which is classified as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and all join up near or at Salisbury to become the River Avon.

Salisbury, Wiltshire

Salisbury’s roots go back to the Iron Age hill fort of Old Sarum before construction of the iconic cathedral began in 1217. This attractive medieval city holds twice weekly markets and is well known for its arts, schools, hospital and the many historic buildings around the Cathedral Close. The railway station has direct mainline services to London (Waterloo).

Just to the West of Salisbury, at the gateway to the Nadder and Wylye Valleys, is the small town of Wilton; the ancient capital of Wessex, site of the riverside stately home of Wilton House and once famous for the quality of its carpet production.

Warminster, Wiltshire

Despite its military connections, Warminster’s name is thought to derive from the River Were and owes its prosperity in the middle ages from corn, cloth and bell making. Close by is the Longleat Estate with its stately home, safari park, holiday centre and boating lake at Shear Water whilst Stourhead is much loved for its splendid National Trust owned gardens.

The southern border of the county forms part of Cranborne Chase, a large chalk plateau, the highest point being at Win Green with views as far as the Isle of Wight.

5 little known facts about Wiltshire

1. The largest Chinese restaurant in the UK is The Pagoda Palace in Swindon
2. Bremilham Church, Malmesbury measuring just 13 x 11ft, is the smallest church in Britain with a single pew for 4 people & standing room for 6
3. The Britpop band Oasis took their name from an Inspiral Carpets tour poster in Noel & Liam Gallagher’s bedroom; one of the venues was the Oasis Leisure Centre in Swindon
4. The phenomenon of crop circles originate from the 1980’s in North Wiltshire particularly around the Marlborough Downs & Pewsey Vale area
5. The people of Wiltshire used to be known as Moonrakers following excise men catching smugglers trying to retrieve contraband hidden in a pond at night; the criminals said they were raking the moon’s reflections on the surface of the water to gather cheese

As village and rural Estate Agents we are delighted to be sponsoring a cultural rural event in the beautiful Deverill Valley.

The Festival of Performing Arts which takes place over the coming Bank Holiday weekend has attracted a large number of excellent acts and promises to be an enriching occasion, with performances to suit all tastes and tickets that are affordable.

Being based in the nearby Nadder Valley, Rural View is a very local agent and we are therefore delighted to be supporting an event of this calibre on our doorstep.

If you would like to know more please visit the festival website and buy your tickets while they last.

Wiltshire State Primary Schools

Alderbury & West Grimstead Church of England Primary School

All Saints (VA) Church of England Primary School, Netheravon

Amesbury Archer Primary School, Amesbury

Amesbury Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Amesbury

Bemerton St John Church of England Aided Primary School, Salisbury

Bitham Brook Primary School, Westbury

Bratton Primary School, Bratton

Broadchalke Church of England Primary School, Broadchalke, Salisbury

Bulford St Leonard’s Church of England (VA) Primary School, Bulford

Chapmanslade Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Westbury

Chilmark and Fonthill Bishop Church of England Aided Primary School, Salisbury

Christ The King Catholic School, Amesbury

Churchfields The Village School, Atworth, Melksham

Clarendon Infants School, Tidworth

Coombe Bissett Church of England Primary School, Salisbury

Crockerton Church of England Primary School, Warminster

Dauntsey Academy Primary School, West Lavington

Dilton Marsh Church of England Primary School, Westbury

Dinton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Salisbury

Downton Church of England (VA) Primary School, Downton

Durrington All Saints Church of England Voluntary Controlled Infants’ School, Durrington

Durrington Church of England Controlled Junior School, Durrington

Easton Royal Community Primary School, Pewsey

Figheldean St Michael’s Church of England Primary School, Salisbury

Gomeldon Primary School, Salisbury

Great Bedwyn Church of England School, Marlborough

Great Wishford Church of England (VA) Primary School, Salisbury

Greentrees Primary School, Salisbury

Grove Primary School, Trowbridge

Harnham Church of England Controlled Junior School, Salisbury

Harnham Infant School, Salisbury

Heytesbury Church of England Primary School, Warminster

Hilperton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Trowbridge

Hindon Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, St Mary’s and St John’s, Salisbury

Holbrook Primary School, Trowbridge

Holt Voluntary Controlled School, Trowbridge

Horningsham Primary School, Warminster

Keevil Church of England Primary School, Trowbridge

Kiwi Primary School, Bulford, Salisbury

Larkhill Primary School, Salisbury

Longford Church of England Primary School, Salisbury

Ludgershall Castle Primary School, Andover

Ludwell Community Primary School, Ludwell

Manor Fields Primary School, Salisbury

Mere School

Morgan’s Vale and Woodfalls Church of England (VA) Primary School, Downton

New Close Community School, Warminster

Newton Tony Church of England Voluntary Aided School, Salisbury

Newtown Community Primary School, Trowbridge

North Bradley Church of England Primary School, Trowbridge

Old Sarum Primary School, Salisbury

Paxcroft Primary School, Trowbridge

Pembroke Park Primary School, Salisbury

Pitton Church of England Primary School, Salisbury

Princecroft Primary School, Warminster

St Andrew’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Salisbury

St Barnabas Church of England School, Market Lavington

St George’s Catholic Primary School, Warminster

St George’s Church of England Primary School, Semington Trowbridge

St John’s Roman Catholic Voluntary Aided Primary School, Trowbridge)

St John’s Church of England Primary School, Tisbury

St John’s Church of England School, Warminster

St Mark’s Church of England Junior School, Salisbury

St Martin’s Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Salisbury

St Nicholas Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Porton, Salisbury

St Osmund’s Catholic Primary School, Salisbury

St Thomas à Becket Church of England (Aided) Primary School, Tilshead, Salisbury

Sarum St Pauls Church of England Primary School, Salisbury

Semley Church of England Voluntary Aised Primary School, Semley

Shrewton Church of England Primary School, Salisbury

Southwick Church of England Primary School, Trowbridge

Staverton Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Trowbridge

Stratford-sub-Castle Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Salisbury

Studley Green Primary School, Trowbridge

Sutton Veny Church of England Primary School, Warminster

The Avenue Primary School and Early Years Centre, Warminster

The Mead Community Primary School, Trowbridge

The Minster Church of England Primary School, Warminster

The New Forest Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Nomansland and Landford, Salisbury

Trowbridge Longmeadow Primary School

Walwayne Court School, Trowbridge

Wardour Catholic Primary School, Salisbury

Warminster Sambourne Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Warminster

West Ashton Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Trowbridge

Westbury Church of England Primary School. Westbury

Westbury Infant School, Westbury

Westbury Leigh Church of England Primary School, Westbury

Whiteparish All Saints Church of England Primary School, Salisbury

Whitesheet Church of England (VA) Primary School, Warminster

Wilton and Barford Church of England Primary School, Salisbury

Winterbourne Earls Church of England Primary School, Salisbury

Winterslow Church of England Aided Primary School, Salisbury

Woodford Valley Church of England Aided School, Salisbury

Woodlands Primary School, Salisbury

Wootton Bassett Infant School

Wylye Valley Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School, Warminster

Wyndham Park Infants’ School, Salisbury

Zouch Primary School, Tidworth

Wiltshire State Secondary Schools

Avon Valley College, (Durrington)

The Clarendon College, (Trowbridge)

Kingdown School, (Warminster)

Matravers School, (Westbury)

The John of Gaunt School, (Trowbridge)

Lavington School, (Market Lavington)

Matravers School, (Westbury)

Sarum Academy, (Salisbury)

St Augustine’s Catholic College, (Trowbridge)

St Edmund’s Girls’ School, Salisbury

St Joseph’s Catholic School, (Salisbury)

The Stonehenge School, (Amesbury)

The Trafalgar School at Downton, (Downton)

Warminster Kingdown, (Warminster)

The Wellington Academy, (Tidworth)

Wyvern College, (Salisbury)

Wiltshire Grammar Schools

Bishop Wordsworth’s Church of England Grammar School, (selective, Salisbury)

South Wilts Grammar School for Girls, (selective, Salisbury)

Wiltshire Independent Primary/Prep Schools

Chafyn Grove School, (Salisbury)

Leaden Hall, Salisbury

Salisbury Cathedral School, (Salisbury)

Wiltshire Independent Schools

Belmont School, (non selective, Salisbury)

Dauntsey’s School, (non selective, West Lavington, Devizes)

The Godolphin School, (selective, Salisbury)

Leehurst Swan School, (selective, Salisbury)

St Mary’s School, (selective, Calne)

Tisbury School, (selective, Tisbury)

Tumblewood Community School, (non selective, Westbury)

Warminster School, (selective, Warminster)

Special Schools

Larkrise School, (Trowbridge)

Exeter House School, (Salisbury)

The UK market is highly localised and as regional village and country property specialists we are well placed to gauge movement in this area. Our intuition ties in with other professionals and bodies, being that the UK market as a whole is set to improve in 2014 and beyond, and that our region is set to similarly grow in terms of price rises and transaction levels.

There has been a marked increase in first time buyers to the market, prompted by Help to Buy and low interest rates. Local new starts are increasing but there is not enough to satisfy demand, resulting in many first time buyers opting to purchase existing homes and onward demand thus being created in our particular market place.

Mortgage finance remains low and is likely to edge up in the latter part of 2014, if not 2015. This will slow the pace of house price rises. However, the UK housing market ended 2013 strongly with mortgage lending rising by 30% in November, according to industry figures, with total borrowing for the year set to exceed expectations and this will continue into 2014.

Improved sentiment, mortgage availability and rising prices will see more sales holding together and Rightmove predicts a 13% transaction improvement nationally on only a 2% listing increase, while RICS forecasts 1.2m sales across the country in 2014, up from 1.05m in 2013.
Our core patch of South Wiltshire, North Dorset, South Somerset and West Hampshire remains a desirable place to live. This will continue to place pressure on the supply of good family houses and will underpin values. We therefore feel it is likely that we will see price rises in this region of around 4-6% in 2014 with slightly increased listing levels, and completed transactions to still improve further. All around 2014 look to be an exciting year in this neck of the woods.

In the last few weeks the second phase of the Help to Buy scheme has been launched, three months ahead of schedule and taking even Lenders by surprise. For those still not sure what this scheme entails, it is a Government guarantee to the lender of up to 15% of a property purchase, allowing a buyer, as long as they meet the lending criteria, to raise a 95% mortgage. It is available for purchases up to £600,000 and restricted to owner occupiers.
This scheme is controversial, mainly because it is a manufactured crutch to a property market that is no longer limping.  . We are just coming out of the worst sustained period of activity in generations, and are witnessing a gentle and manageable market-led recovery, but purely for the sake of political timing during conference season, so the argument goes, the coalition has decided to provide direct assistance to encourage buyers even further. The worry for many is that in delivering this stimulus the Government has crossed the Rubicon from assistive enablers to direct meddlers in what is an unforgiving market.
The general cry is that control needs to be established by Government, the Bank of England and through Lenders’ self-regulation in order for demand not to get too carried away. Likely? We can only wait and see, but judging by recent brush-offs the coalition isn’t particularly worried about countering the monster that some fear it might have created .
The initial equity based assistance has proved to be a great stimulus across the UK at the lower end of the market, but whether Help to Buy will impact on our local market remains to be seen and it will be difficult to separate the impact of this initiative from a general improvement in market conditions unless, of course, it becomes evident from property professionals that there has been a huge uptake.
The main point to be made is that a healthy property market is one of sustained activity rather than surging prices and as long as there is a decent supply of available stock this should prevail over the sort of inflation that we saw in the pre-crunch days.
Whatever happens, Help to Buy is here for the next few years and at least it is a positive move, which after recent times is a welcome gesture.