County Homesearch

We are proud to have been winners of the Best Property Finder South West Award in the Daily Mail Property Awards .

Richard has been involved with buying and selling houses for over 20 years. He is well placed as a property search agent to offer clients informed and impartial advice and is always on hand to see them through every step of the home finding and buying process, often saving them time and money.

During his years with The County Homesearch Company, which has been providing bespoke property search and property home finding services since 1988, Richard has built up a strong reputation and an extensive network of contacts which he and his team use to find the very best properties for his clients often before they come onto the market and well ahead of the competition.

“We work very closely with our clients and use our knowledge and understanding of the market to help them find their ideal property. Whether you are moving to the area for the first time or simply looking to move locally, we would be delighted to assist you and are confident that we will be able to help you find the right house at the right price within the desired timescale”.

Somerset

Beautiful dramatic countryside, high quality of life, excellent communication links and some of the country’s finest schools, both private and state, make Somerset one of the most popular counties in which to live. As one of the largest counties in Southern England, Somerset is able to provide the solution to whatever your housing needs and remains one of the most sought after areas in which to live for both ‘full-timers’ and second home owners alike.

The ancient city of Bath constantly draws large numbers of people, particularly appealing to those moving into the area from London perhaps and wanting the comfort of being close to such a beautiful city. Continued development in nearby Bristol and the expansion of Bristol airport, with its direct flights to the US, has also helped to put the area firmly on the international map. Culturally, both cities are well served by museums, galleries and theatres which attract many top West End shows.

Away from the hustle and bustle of city life, rural Somerset enjoys some of the most beautiful and tranquil countryside in the UK with pretty villages and unspoilt market towns like Castle Cary, Bruton, Wells and Chew Magna keeping the local communities well served. For those seeking a quieter life, here you will find some of the finest country houses, farms, village houses and cottages on offer and demand for the best in all price ranges is often extremely high.

Wiltshire

Wiltshire has always been an immensely popular county to live in. With its excellent transport links, easy access to London, excellent choice of schools and unspoilt countryside, it is easy to understand how Wiltshire continues to provide the ideal balance for the commuting family as well as attract a healthy and thriving local and second home market.

The city of Salisbury is notable for its beautiful cathedral and the town of Mere is famous as the location of Stourhead, one of the most renowned English Gardens in all of England’s National Trust. To the north, Swindon is the largest commercial centre but generally the most sought after areas are to be found in and around the popular market towns of Marlborough , Pewsey, Hungerford, Malmesbury, Chippenham and Bradford-on-Avon where the Wiltshire countryside is often at its best. Equally appealing and popular, particularly among second home owners, are the charming stone villages found nestled amongst the wooded stream valleys that run through the south of Wiltshire such as the Woodford Valley, The Wylye Valley, the Nadder Valley and the Chalke Valley. Being such a hugely popular place to live, demand for the best quality houses is high and therefore extremely competitive.

Somerset

• Bath
• Bristol
• Chew Magna
• Castle Cary
• Glastonbury
• Shepton Mallet
• Wells

Wiltshire

• Salisbury
• Marlborough
• Chippenham
• Bradford on Avon
• Malmesbury
• Castle Combe
• Lacock

Somerset

Excellent schooling has long been a major draw into the county as the area boasts not only some of the country’s finest public schools but is also very well served by the state sector.

For general information please refer to www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk.

Popular choices:

All Hallows School www.allhallows.somerset.sch.uk
King Edwards School www.kesbath.com
Prior Park www.priorparkschools.co.uk
Monkton Combe www.monktoncombeschool.com
Royal High School www.royalhighbath.co.uk
Clifton College www.cliftoncollegeuk.com
Downside School www.downside.co.uk
Millfield School www.millfieldschool.com
King’s College Taunton www.kings-taunton.co.uk
Wells Cathedral School www.wellscathedralschool.org/wells
Kings School Bruton www.kingsbruton.com
Hazlegrove School www.hazlegrove.co.uk

Wiltshire

Education is another key factor and the area offers a huge choice of outstanding state and private schools for all age groups. www.isbi.com. www.goodschoolsguide.co.uk. Useful links:
Salisbury Cathedral School
The Godolphin School
Marlborough College
Dauntsey’s School
St Marys School
Stonar School
Warminster School
Sandroyd School

Somerset

Communications in the area are excellent with rail links into London [Paddington or Waterloo] at Bristol Temple Meads, Bath Spa, Castle Cary, Nailsea & Backwell, Yatton, Taunton and Yeovil. By road, the M4, M3 and A303 provide easy access to the capital and the M5 to the South West and North West of the country. Flights from Bristol International Airport.

Wiltshire

Transport is one of the key factors that makes Wiltshire the thriving county that it undoubtedly is. There are mainline stations into London Paddington at Pewsey (approximately 60 minutes), Swindon (approximately 60 minutes), Bath (approximately 90 minutes) and Chippenham (approximately 75 minutes). There are also mainline stations into London Waterloo at Salisbury (approximately 90 minutes) and Tisbury (approximately 110 minutes). By car, the M4 motorway runs through north Wiltshire and offers accessibility to London in less than 2 hours. To the south, the majority of the A303, which joins the M3 west of Basingstoke, is dual carriageway and it is also possible to reach central London in a similar amount of time.

"Thank you for your help and support in our search; we'd found it difficult at this distance searching for well over a year in the Devizes area we'd targeted, but your local knowledge, advance notice of properties coming to market and the fact that you had seen some of the properties we'd identified as possibles got us going again.  You were always more than will to go and look at other houses, even if on paper they didn't seem quite right, so that we could talk through the pros and cons with you before deciding whether to view ourselves.We've found moving after 37 years in the same house a great challenge and finding and buying one to move to was more stressful than we expected but you were patient, supportive, good-humoured and optimisitc throughout and we really valued that."

"Most importantly thank you for finding us "Hill House Rectory" you handled everything so professionally and made us feel confident and relaxed that you would find us our retirement home."

"We engaged Richard Waters and County Homesearch as an expatriate family living in the Middle East, planning to re-locate to Somerset. Trying to facilitate a house purchase from abroad is a hugely difficult task and our best decision of the process was engaging their services.  From the very start of our relationship, we felt we had someone we trust rooting for our best interests. The terms and conditions were clearly explained and understood, so that we had an excellant understanding of the parameters of the services provided. Richard took time and effort to really understand the nature of the property we wanted and notwithstanding that there will inevitably be a gap between aspirations and budget, he was adept at handling our demands.  Richard dealt with our changing requirements with courtesy and patience.  We were shown a huge amount of property, a lot of which was not even on the market, and most importantly, we never felt we were being shown anything unsuitable. Our purchase was handled efficiently and effectively and we were guided throughout the process and beyond!  In short, we received a first class service from people who knew their business and took the time and effort to deliver success on our behalf.  We would never have done it without them and are most grateful for a job well done!"

"I would not hesitate to recommend your organisation as I have done already – I am very pleased with the final outcome."

"… we really couldn’t have found a better place to bring up our family. I can honestly say that without County Homesearch we would never have found such a house and most importantly the search was fun."

"It remains for us to say that you were instrumental in our getting here. As you know we had spent a good 9 months, with two traumatic false starts, looking ourselves for a house that we could buy and enjoy living in. At which point we turned to you and from the outset your optimism, hard work and early understanding of our needs made it possible to move forward with speed."

"As you know, we had nearly settled on a house that would have been unsuitable and had come to realise that this was an easy mistake to make while we were trying to find a property from 120 miles, especially with the demand in the area."

"We are delighted to have exchanged contracts on our property. That we have been able to do so is due in no small measure to your tireless efforts on our behalf. Leaving aside your stores of patience and good humour, which I have complimented elsewhere, we both believe that the service you have provided has been first rate in every respect: friendly, efficient and effective. We are in no doubt whatsoever that without your assistance we would not have found and secured exactly what we were looking for. We are immensely grateful to you."

"My investment in County Homesearch was worth every penny and I have no hesitation in recommending Richard Waters as a professional of the highest ability and integrity."

"Thank you very much for all your help. We are very pleased with our house and certainly would not have found it wihtout you or been able to complete the purchase so quickly."

Address:

County Homesearch Company Ltd
Winsford
Wellow
Bath
BA2 8PU

Telephone

+44 (0)1225 830 930

Fax

+44 (0)871 433 0898