Real Estate in England

How do I find a place to live in England?

We asked expats how they chose their neighborhood and found a place to live. They answered:

"My brother lives in Sheffield, so I was lucky to have him show me around," explained one expat living in Sheffield, UK.

"I have moved several times since first moving to London. I now live near Marble Arch, which is very central (right next to Hyde Park and to Oxford Street). I've used Loot several times. More recently, I've been using London Property Watch," said another person in London.

"I used a relocation specialist and I live in central London. My flat is really nice, pricey, but the location is ideal and I am happy with the amount of space. I also have a dog and I wanted to be close to one of the major parks. I tried for three days on my own and got nowhere. The relocation specialist made a huge difference," added another expat who made the move to London.

"We actually live just outside of Colchester in Brightlingsea. We went with new friends to visit this adorable waterside town and just loved it! This is one place that has really kept its charm. People still say hello to each other, and we are only an hour from London, so we have the best of both, IMO," explained one foreigner living in Colchester, UK.

"Chose the area based on reasonable drive to work (30-40 min) and close to London (20 min by train). Found my 1st flat in the area by using a relo service that my company employed. Later moved by finding a place on my own - visited every estate agent repeatedly, some of them a few times a week, for a few months straight. Finally one of them called me to arrange a viewing. Nothing I viewed was on offer on a window advert," said another in London.

"My husband is from Stockport so this is where we decided to live. First we rented an apartment in Reddish (Stockport) but it was not a really good place to live in because of all the crimes and noises (drunk people !!). It was 300/month in 2000-2001 + $70/month council taxes + 50/month heating + 25/month water We have now our house in Heaviley (Stockport) which is a quiet area," explained one expat in Stockport.

What is a typical expat home or apartment like in England?