Have We Found the PERFECT Town? UK House Hunt Ep.2
We are on our hand to find the perfect town in the UK to buy our very first home. In the second video we're exploring somewhere we've heard it's a bit of a hidden gem. It's just full of characteristic. I just love it so much. Oh god, just makes my heart so happy. Finding a home feels like such a rollercoaster. There is an excitement, uncertainty and honestly a lot of nerves.
Today we are a bit hopeful but the big question on our mind, can we actually afford to live here? Such a rollercoaster journey. Oh gosh. I'm looking forward to actually seeing whether we can afford moving here. It's already above budget. Yeah, we're already even pushing further from our very, very initial budget. Join us as we dive into another day of house viewing, start exploring and figuring out what place might finally feel like home. That was exciting, wasn't it? That was exciting. I really like the house.
[Music] Hello, good morning. Welcome back to the second episode of this brand new series where my husband and I are trying to buy our very first home somewhere in England. I'm standing in front of this magnificent medieval church, Great Malvern Priory, which seems to be the focal point of this lovely town that we have seen so far.
So looking forward to showing you around and potentially look for some houses. Let's go. [Music] Our journey today brings us to Malvern, a charming town nestled in the heart of Worcestershire in England's west midlands. Worcestershire is a landlocked county known for its diverse and picturesque landscapes with the most celebrated being the majestic Malvern Hills. It's the first impression of Great Malvern.
It's so great! That's why it's the great part. I think what stands out to me is the little independent shops throughout this centre town. Great Malvern, this area, is obviously a little bit more expensive so it's really well maintained. You can tell there's a lot of money in this particular part of town.
Yeah, well maintained buildings as well because the town used to be a Victorian spa town, I think, which also tells why it feels really nice. Obviously we are here not mainly as a tourist, but to see whether we can be a potential resident here. And I think we have to take ourselves out of the tourist perspective and try to see it a bit more with a critical eye.
(gentle music) Malvern itself is renowned as an elegant Victorian spa town, steadily growing with a population reaching nearly 82,000 as of 2023. Although predominantly rural, Malvern is conveniently positioned with excellent transport links to Worcester, Oxford, Birmingham, and even London. What truly draws us here is not only the breathtaking natural scenery, but also the vibrant local art scene. After all, the renowned British composer, Edward Elgar, grew up around the Malvern Hills and set up the Malvern Concert Club in 1903, which still runs today. The town still preserves its Victorian charm through its historic architecture, not only showcasing the history of the city, much such as the Great Malvern Priory. Now, they're either religious or practice in a religion, but if you've got this magnificent and ancient church like Great Malvern Priory, I think I have to say I am a fan.
(soft music) (soft music) The Great Malvern Priory is an active Anglican church founded in 1085. Visiting the Priory was especially captivating as we admired its extraordinary array of stained glass dating from the 15th century right through the contemporary works of the 21st century. (soft music) (birds chirping) The architecture really makes it even more idyllic. It feels really historic, doesn't it? And it's definitely nice being hilly.
I mean, not only do you get exercise, but it's also just makes it a bit more interesting, I think. I am looking forward to actually seeing whether we can afford moving here. That's the question, isn't it? (soft music) We're just at this local secondhand bookshop.
And my goodness, it's so lovely being surrounded by this many books. The ability to support local independent shops and it's just full of characteristic. I just love it so much. (soft music) So we're at a local coffee shop, Malvern Coffee Culture, and have ordered ourselves flat white, short black, as well as this stunning sun-dried tomato scone. It looks beautiful.
I am just in my happy place. The coffee scene here seems to be decent, not decent. It's actually, it looks great. I just need to taste it.
I can't really speak too much about it without trying it. Mm, mm. (soft music) (soft music) A couple of impressions that I've got from this town is that people not only enjoy great art, but also outdoor activities, because I've seen people cycling, running, which is very important, but also it seems that people are a bit more well-cultured in this part of the town. What's important to notice and to remind myself is that Malvern as a city, sorry, as a town, has got three different town centers. And where we are right now, Great Malvern, is probably the poshest area of those three so perhaps we can't really take that as an example to all town centres that we're hoping to visit today because if we are to move here, perhaps we will be able to only afford a house somewhere outside of this So we're walking towards Malvern Link, which is one of the other two town centers.
I think we are particularly interested in checking them out because there are a lot more houses available for potential purchase. Yeah definitely and also within our price range so we've heard it's not quite as nice of an area. Not as posh. But we want to just check out all the residential areas because I'm sure there's still really nice places. Such a stunning countryside, this part of the country. But at the same time it's not too rural I feel. We started our day exploring Malvern Link to get a feel for the local community. Historically,
Malvern Link began as a small rural village until the late 18th century. The area's population grew rapidly during the Victorian era, especially following the arrival of the railway. After a quick lunch and a walk through some of the newer residential neighbourhoods We made our way over to Barnards Green, one of Malvern's three town centres Located east of Great Malvern, Barnards Green was mostly agricultural until 1870 when the area began developing into shops and housing.
Today, it has a bustling atmosphere with a variety of local businesses and amenities, yet it still retains its green village-like charm. Yeah, I think one thing that's just been nice is people have, in general, just said hello, or have smiled. You know, it makes a big difference, doesn't it? It feels like people are more open, more welcoming. We concluded our walk by returning to the Great Malvern area and headed back to our local accommodation to relax for the evening. Welcome to the hideaway! Come on in. So this is the accommodation that Dave and I have stayed in Great Malvern.
I found this on booking.com. Paid £310 for three nights. So if you're coming to Great Malvern, please make sure to click the booking link at the top of my description box because that helps us making more videos like this.
But what I love about this apartment is gorgeous bed, very colorful. We had such a good sleep last night. Colorful design of this apartment is inspiring because not only were we provided by them with lots of snacks and food basket, which we have eaten already. They have a gorgeous dining table, which is lovely and so spacious, such spacious kitchen. But not only that, the painting is really inspiring because it reminds me of some of the travels I've had in the past. And that doesn't stop there because the shower room is gorgeous.
Look at these tilings. I really highly recommend visiting Great Malvern because it's been something that caught my heart quite quickly and this accommodation is just the cherry on top. Thank you. Good morning from Great Malvern. So it's our third day here in town. Yesterday we spent the entire day working and getting to know the area a bit more. I'd say that Great Malvern feels a bit more affluent because of this gorgeous Victorian houses that still exist and well maintained and people actually live in it.
And we are thinking to explore Worcester, which is the nearby town, actually a nearby city. And if we were to live here, we would like to see the close proximity to bigger cities and see whether that would be sufficient for what we need. First thing first, coffee.
So we're checking out this second place we've never been to. And we'd like to see whether they've got really good coffee as well. We are checking out the second coffee shop in town and it looks really promising. It's nice actually.
(gentle music) I'm here with Alison, which is the host of the accommodation. Dave and I have been staying at Great Malvern. It is interesting because she herself and her family are an avid travelers and have decided to move to Great Malvern, which has become your forever home. Yes, it definitely feels like it's somewhere that we belong. Because we've only ever lived in places before for like five, seven years, maximum.
And when we came here, my partner got a job at a local university. And I said, there's no way I'm gonna be staying there. I need to move on after five years.
We moved here when my daughter was a couple of months old. She's now 16. It stole our hearts because it's got a little bit of everything here. It's got a great music scene and nearby Upton-on-Severn, there's lots of festivals, nearly one every month from sort of May time to August time. But also, it's a really sort of community feel and it's an eclectic mix of people. There's more and more young people that you'll be pleased to know coming here.
Because a Malvern in the past, I used to say it was a sort of my age plus, but it's not the case. Lots of people since the last four years have been moving down. So there is a great diversity.
You can also jump on a train if you want the city life to Birmingham. And you can be in Birmingham within an hour. What I also love about here is the buildings, the historic buildings and the places. Yeah, it really is well kept. The high street is full of like independent shops. Without Alison, I think we wouldn't have fallen in love more because the touch of locals like her, (laughing) which makes a place.
I mean, obviously, that's how you feel connected, right? Through people. Exactly. So thanks so much for spending the time with us and sharing a bit more of this lovely town.
Good luck and anything that you want to ask, please do. We're walking towards Great Malvern train station. And I think it only takes 10 minutes to get to Wooster. (birds chirping) (plane engine roaring) We are on the train now, but my first impression of the railway station is stunning.
Like quirky artsy, well maintained, excited to see what Worcester is like because neither of us have been. I don't think it's a big city. I think it's mid-size. There's tons of connections, like this train we're on goes all the way to London and it goes through Oxford and Reading. So you can pretty much get to-- Anywhere. Anywhere from this train station, which is here, it's really interesting.
(upbeat music) We just got to Worcester and currently sitting down on one of these benches. Feels a bit more like a town that is manageable for us if we need to get that city kick. And so far we've been enjoying it. And I think because it's not too busy and it's clean and well maintained.
(upbeat music) I've rarely heard about the Midlands. And I think being here is somewhat an eye opening experience because it's the region that we have not considered in the past had it not been recommended to us. But considering that it's in the middle between the South and the North, it feels quite fitting to the idea of traveling to either side of the country really. And it makes it even more appropriate because we've got families in the North and I have got quite a bit of friends in the South. So now, we don't want to have a decision as of yet because it feels like dating to different counties in the country before actually considering where to move to.
But so far it's been quite positive, a positive experience. (upbeat music) (birds chirping) The High Street extends to this part of town and I think there's a bit of shops that we have injected. How adorable this Tudor building. This is actually just one of the shops. Worcester hearing center.
Good morning, rise and shine. We are currently hill walking to the very famous Malvern Hills. It's interesting because we are in the border between Herefordshire and over here we are in Worcestershire. Later today we have got a few house viewings booked for us and that's actually the real deal, isn't it? Where we see what we can afford. We took a short drive over to British Camp an Iron Age hill fort with amazing panoramic views across the neighboring counties, taking in the scenery of what could become our new home. So we are in the car on the way to the very first viewings that we have set up yesterday.
We stopped into an estate agent yesterday just to sign up, one that was recommended by our host. And we kind of got registered with them and they've organized three viewings back to back, which is really useful. We just want to see what the housing market is like and basically view a few different areas. Because ideally, if we have an infinite budget, we're just going to be in one of those Victoria's houses, wouldn't it? That would be nice. We just need to double our budget. The first property we viewed was a detached three-bed house, about 25 minute walk from the center of Great Malvern.
The inside was modern, cozy and really bright. With two double bedrooms and one single room, there was plenty of space for the both of us. It also had an open plan living room, dining room, kitchen with nice views out the back. Wow, that was exciting, wasn't it? That was exciting. I really like the house. It was nicely done. Yeah, and it was detached. And just enough sized, it doesn't always necessarily mean a bigger house better.
Especially at the stage of our lives now, I think, if anything, that kind of size is doable. Definitely. And it's got potential that you can extend because it's detached, it's got space either side or on the back.
That's maybe a lot more positive in general about the area too because that's three to five. So that's definitely within budget. The second property was quite different to anything we've used so far as it was a 19th century detached cottage. This house was quite quirky with three upstairs bedrooms but no upstairs shower. It has two reception rooms, a kitchen and the main bathroom was on the ground floor. It also had a cellar and garage with a nice cottage garden at the back.
Second house! What do you think? To be honest before we viewed it I was thinking no because it says in excess of £400,000 so it's already above budget. Yeah we're already even pushing further from our very very initial budget. Immediately when we arrived one of the neighbors stopped by and started chatting to us and she moved relocated here three months ago. And she was just super super super friendly. I can see potential in a cottage like I can see how it could be quite cozy and quite nice because this is a Victorian cottage so it's like 1800s. Yeah like definitely a character cottage wise like truly countryside. 150-200 years old kind of
thing. I just think we have to put too much money into it. Yeah especially if it's already at the very top end of our budget. Last house. Last house. [Music] The final house was a large four-bedroom.
home about 5 minutes drive from Malvern town with a large living room dining room, kitchen and 2 bathrooms It was by far the biggest house we've viewed so far Third house. Yeah. They're actually in the driveway and I don't know if I feel comfortable filming because the family still lives in the house Gosh, it's an ideal kind of- That's a proper family home, that one. Yeah. Reasonable price for what they ask for.
Yeah, so this is the same price as the cottage, but way more space. But obviously it comes with the location, isn't it? It's slightly out of the way. However, I'd say that the question is, is this the kind of size that we need at this very stage of our lives? I mean, it's been great to see three quite contrasting houses.
Yes. It gives us a lot to think about and digest. I think one thing that it's made me feel positive about is that we can definitely afford living here. I think we just have to be patient to find the right thing. Big decisions, this kind of house viewings that may take a brief moment, 10 to 15 minutes. Ask yourself, can we visualize this? Is it the right kind of area, size, the kind of community we'd like to be in? Shall we have a bit of a second coffee? Yeah, I think we need a second coffee.
Relax a little bit and then we can summarize, I guess what we think. Yeah, absolutely. (soft music) Right, it's the last afternoon in Great Malvern, or Malvern Town in general.
And so far it's been an interesting experience. Such a roller coaster journey. Oh gosh.
Four days being here. I think it started, we was really excited in the town. It felt really good to us. And then the second day we were like, can we afford this? I don't know if it speaks too soon, but yeah, it's high up there in the kind of size that we're looking for, the quietness. But still plenty going on.
Plenty going on and the connectivity to bigger cities, if you feel like you need to get that kick. Facilities wise. I personally feel quite excited about this as an option. I think we both notice a difference, I think, because it feels like it would be a new start for us. It feels very different top north.
That kind of thought process would only happen as we go along this journey. And had we not discovered or explored Midlands or other parts of the country, we wouldn't have even come up with this kind of perspective, haven't we? But at the same time, I'm actually excited to explore some more and see what kind of experiences internally that will happen. Yeah, because we've still got plenty more places we're gonna try out. We're not making any decisions at this stage.
So this kind of size fits to us. It doesn't feel like an entire village that is so closed off or remote and rural. Because obviously you've got the hill, so you feel like you're close to nature and the quality of life. It's really great.
I think the only thing, I think, like we mentioned, during the house viewings is we will probably have to stretch our budget if we come here. And we'll have to consider that because obviously that means a bigger commitment, a bigger loan that we'd have to take to get the property in the first place. Although alternatively, it could be that we compromise to having an apartment in a much desirable location. They would love to.
Because at this stage of life, I don't think we need a huge space. Please let us know what you think of this video or even certain counties that you would consider us visiting. Perhaps it could be a great option for us to add that to the list and consider, oh, perhaps we should visit this and see that ourselves.
Yeah, definitely. Any feedback, options, opinions, like it's really useful to us because it's a big decision We're an open book in this stage. Yeah, exactly.
We can try anything out! So yeah, I would love to see you again on the next video. Make sure to like and subscribe to this channel, to also check out the very first video if you haven't, because that was a bit of an interesting journey ourselves as well, so we'd love to get that support from you. We'll see you again next time on the next video.
Bye. Bye.
2025-03-25 13:12
