What is a forever home you ask?
Typically, this would be a property the buyer sees themselves living in for a long time and would include factors such as location, interior, or transport links.
So, where are the best places to buy your forever home in the UK?
The study, carried out by Money.co.uk, looked at various elements such as crime rate, average house prices, energy prices, weekly earnings, and life expectancy across local authorities.
The top 10 places in the UK to buy a forever home
Rank | Location | Total crime rate per 1,000 people | Average House Price | Average Electricity Cost per kWh | Average Life Expectancy | Average Weekly Earnings | Forever Home Score /10 |
1 | Wokingham | 42.70 | £490,206 | £0.2192 | 83.96 | £730.10 | 8.39 |
2 | Mole Valley | 37.20 | £573,894 | £0.2192 | 83.86 | £764.20 | 7.98 |
3 | South Oxfordshire | 48.28 | £489,780 | £0.2192 | 83.83 | £650.80 | 7.66 |
3 | Uttlesford | 55.63 | £477,439 | £0.2139 | 83.97 | £626.20 | 7.66 |
3 | East Hertfordshire | 47.83 | £443,591 | £0.2139 | 83.31 | £630.30 | 7.66 |
6 | Rutland | 44.12 | £340,983 | £0.2075 | 84.07 | £597.70 | 7.53 |
7 | Rushcliffe | 49.85 | £343,489 | £0.2075 | 83.37 | £614.60 | 7.48 |
8 | Mid Sussex | 42.07 | £455,501 | £0.2192 | 83.23 | £581.70 | 7.19 |
9 | South Norfolk | 49.09 | £339,236 | £0.2139 | 83.22 | £617.90 | 7.16 |
10 | Broadland | 46.49 | £332,085 | £0.2139 | 83.22 | £607.90 | 7.15 |
Happily forever after in the South East
In first place, the best area to purchase a forever home in the UK is Wokingham with a forever home score of 8.39.
Situated in the South East of England, Wokingham presents itself as an attractive market town which has a low crime rate and is just 40 miles in proximity from London.
The average house price in Wokingham is £490,206 and prices fluctuate by approximately 5.52%. They estimated those who live in this area to earn roughly £730.10 per week.
Other favourable areas
Mole Valley comes in at second place with a forever home score of 7.98 and is located in Surrey, which is a highly desirable area of the UK, commanding an average house price of £573,894.
On average, those living in the district earn £764.20 a week, which is slightly higher than Wokingham.
Life expectancy for this area is high at 83.86, which is also higher than the total average for all locations at 82.25.
Three areas all take third for the best place to buy a UK forever home – South Oxfordshire, Uttlesford, and East Hertfordshire – who all scored 7.66.
Furthermore, the area in the UK with the lowest crime rate is Orkney Islands in Scotland with a rate of 16.50.
The area in the UK with highest life expectancy rate is Hart with an average expectancy of 84.55 and additionally the area in the UK with the highest gross weekly earnings is Copeland with an average of £943.3 a week.
