Why Poor Broadband May Have an Impact on the Value of your Property

• Close to shops but no traffic
• Private but not isolated
• Views but flat garden
• Good broadband

Every buyer thinks long and hard about what they will look for in their next property.  Each has a list of priorities which they have to factor into their searches and we all know that sometimes a compromise has to be reached. However, some things cannot be sacrificed.

With modern life being as busy and “tech-focused” as it is, buyers need to be connected to the outside world. They may want to live in the countryside, in a private location and with all the sights and smells of the country but they still want to have convenience of connectivity.

We are seeing a vast number of enquiries for properties in Shropshire, Worcestershire, Staffordshire and Powys emanating from the South East and beyond. With many still linked to jobs or businesses remotely they need to be able to “log-in” and operate seamlessly from home.

Sounds simple but they may also want to be able to do this whilst one child is streaming a movie and someone else is doing the weekly shopping.

A good broadband connection, therefore, is important to make sure that buyers still feel connected to the outside world, without delay and as we all know rural connectivity can be very slow and very often not fit for this purpose.

Whilst traditional providers may promise “superfast” this and “fibre” that, very often the service is somewhat lacking in rural locations thus making some Country Homes properties undesirable to those with families who have a requirement for good connectivity. It also sometimes seems that we're some way away off from a solution being in place too.

So how do you go about improving the broadband provision at your Country Homes property?

The Government has acknowledged the issue and offers subsidies to those most affected by the lack of coverage.

The Better Broadband Subsidy Scheme has been developed by the government to provide access to a subsidised broadband installation for homes and businesses that are unable to access a broadband service with a download speed of at least 2mbps and that will not benefit from the superfast broadband roll out.

There are solutions available such as satellite broadband which, at a subsidised price, provides a perfectly acceptable alternative and several of our clients have seen solutions put in place at very little cost due to this government incentive.

Look online (if you can!) and search for companies who can provide satellite broadband - “Connecting Shropshire” is a good place to start - as if you are looking to sell your property but it is currently totally cut off from the outside world, then it may be less attractive to buyers.

For more information about buying and selling Country Homes, contact Ross D'Aniello, Head of Country Homes at Nock Deighton, on 01584 875 555.