What to look for when you buy a holiday home

If you’re considering buying a holiday home, you won’t be surprised to hear we think it’s a brilliant idea.

Owning a holiday home is such a wonderful way to enjoy the best of life. Whether it’s getting all the family together, exploring new parts of the country, or just getting away on a regular basis without the hassle of finding the right place to stay each time, everyone finds something different to love about having a holiday home.

There’s no question that you’ll enjoy it when you have bought it – but finding the right holiday home in the right location can seem like a daunting task.

Putting all the bits together can be a little bit like a jigsaw puzzle, once the pieces fit together you will have your perfect picture. See how the following top 10 tips that we have compiled from owner’s feedback can help you create the perfect holiday home picture.

10 tips for buying a holiday home

1. Distance from home: When most people start looking for a holiday home, they think they want it to be as far as possible from where they live. Realistically, though, if you want to be able to get there for weekends away on a regular basis, it’s unlikely you will want to travel for more than a couple of hours.
2. Access: As well as driving times, think about how easy your holiday home will be to access in other ways. If you’re driving, will you have a long distance to cover on country roads where you might be slowed down by tractors and other slow-moving vehicles? Will bad weather leave you cut off? If family and friends are going to make use of the holiday home, is it in a convenient location for them as well?
3. Region: Look at what’s available in the region you’re considering and whether there’s enough to keep you occupied for years to come, whatever you like doing. You may not be going out to tourist attractions every day, but if you’re going to run out of things to do within six months, it may be better to look at somewhere else. Think about how you like to spend your free time and focus on what the region offers to you. We’re spoiled for choice in North Yorkshire, but more remote areas can be trickier.
4. Local area: As mundane as it seems, you will need to think about getting to the shops, petrol stations and other vital services near your holiday home. You don’t want to be driving 20 miles for a pint of milk, but a five-minute trip may be fine – or you may want a convenience store within walking distance. Similarly, think about whether you want a pub or restaurant nearby, or you’d be happy to drive further afield to discover great places to eat.
5. Surroundings: It’s not just about what’s nearby, but about how the holiday home will make the most of it. Once you’re in your holiday home, you’ll be seeing the same surroundings for years to come, so getting the right view is important. At Abbots Green, the holiday homes are laid out with plenty of space between, maximising views to the nearby Howardian Hills.
6. Activities: Access to communal facilities in the surrounding area is something people often overlook. If you have young children or grandchildren, or you think there may be youngsters in your life in the future, think about somewhere with a nearby play area or space for them to burn off energy. If you want to celebrate family occasions at your holiday home, you may not have the space to get everyone together, so a nearby hall or room will be vital. For example, the Old Barn Coffee Shop at the entrance to Abbots Green has space for private events and has hosted birthday and christening parties in the past, while the attached games room is often used for celebrations.
7. Neighbours: Do you want to make friends with people living nearby, or prefer to keep yourself to yourself? Everyone is different, and even within your family some people may prefer to be more sociable than others. What happens during the periods when you’re not visiting – will someone be nearby to check on the holiday home and alert you to any problems?
8. Facilities: Think about what your family will enjoy doing together and how the holiday home will support you to do that. If you like cooking and eating together, is the kitchen large enough and perhaps open-plan to keep things sociable? If you love spending time outdoors, look for outside space and consider when during the day it will be in the sun. At Abbots Green, we’ve carefully positioned all our luxury holiday lodges so they all get the sun on their veranda at some point during the day.
9. Visitors: Of course, the number of bedrooms is one of the first things most people consider, to ensure they can accommodate the family. However, if you only need two bedrooms most of the time, it doesn’t make sense to invest in a four-bedroom holiday home for the odd occasion when you have extra guests. Instead, consider somewhere with the option to rent additional space as and when it’s needed. For example, there are two luxury lodges available to rent at Abbots Green, so your visitors could make use of them – with the added benefit that there’s extra living space, too, so you won’t be falling over each other.
10. The feeling: Sometimes, just like when you’re looking for a house, you get a good feeling from a holiday home. Equally, something can be right on paper, but you simply don’t get the right feeling when you step through the door. There’s no substitute for visiting as many holiday homes as you can to get an idea of what does and doesn’t work for you – and increase your chances of finding the perfect place that you’ll love for years to come.

Want to find out more about choosing the right holiday home for you? Contact our friendly team today.