Live Q&A: Everything you wanted to know about moving to the countryside

Join our live discussion with FT columnist Luke Edward Hall and buying agent Mark Parkinson at 12 noon on Friday May 29

Since the UK entered lockdown in March, city dwellers around the country have been forced to confront the shortcomings in their overpriced, undersized accommodation.

With the added pressures of working from home and homeschooling, many are considering a move to the countryside, tempted by the promises of more space, better access to greenery and lower property prices. 

Live Q&A

Ready to make the great escape to the countryside? Before you do, address your questions to buying agent Mark Parkinson, who specialises in rural properties. FT columnist and designer Luke Edward Hall is also on hand to give advice on decorating and renovating. Head to the comments section at the bottom of this piece to read the discussion and get involved

Online searches for homes in rural and coastal locations have increased significantly in recent months. In the first week of May, the number of searches for homes in rural locations on Zoopla was up 68 per cent compared with the first week of March, with parts of Devon, Monmouthshire and Surrey showing the biggest increases. 

FTWeekend Live Q&A

This is part of a new daily series enabling you to interact with FT writers and editors on what to read, watch, eat and drink under lockdown — and how to tackle your garden, home and finances

Now, with the property market in England open again, and the UK preparing to exit lockdown, will we see these searches turn into actual sales? 

If buyers are seriously thinking about relocating to the countryside, they will need to ask themselves some pressing questions. Will their budget afford them the kind of bucolic idyll they are dreaming of? How long are they willing to commute? And how much does it cost to heat and maintain an old country house?

To help answer these questions and more, we are joined by designer and FT columnist Luke Edward Hall, who lives part of the time in the Cotswolds, and buying agent Mark Parkinson from Middleton Advisors, who specialises in finding rural properties.