Where to live in Cornwall as a first-time buyer

Why Cornwall? Whether you are Cornish born and bred, or dream of getting out of the big city and hitting the beach, Cornwall is a beautiful part of the world. It’s not all beaches and surfers however; Cornwall is home to thriving towns, the Cathedral City of Truro, and plenty of lush green countryside too. As a first-time buyer, you might need to be close to work, looking for great schools, or hankering after that beach life. As nowhere in Cornwall is really that far from the beach, first time buyers flock to Cornwall in search of work life balance and outdoor lifestyles. If that sounds ideal to you, here is a flavour of your Cornish options.

Living near the beach

Truro is a lovely small city, with great schools, nice cafés, and beautiful homes. It has good rail links and a short drive to the nearest sandy beach. Property prices are a little higher than some areas in the north of England, but are pretty reasonable overall. As a first time buyer in Truro, you could snap up a bargain home. Truro is Cornwall’s only city, and main shopping centre, with major chain stores and small independent shops.

Seaside towns

There are some beautiful towns in Cornwall you might like to explore. Newquay, St Ives, Falmouth and Penzance all offer great views of the sea, with the convenience of town facilities. Penzance offers historic pubs, independent shops and a great farmer’s market. Catch a ferry to the Isles of Scilly from the busy harbour. St Ives has an arty vibe, boasting a Tate Gallery and the Barbara Hepworth museum. If you have an artistic streak, St Ives might be perfect for you. Beware visitors, you might love the white beaches and quaint fisherman’s cottages too much to leave.

Falmouth is home to lots of university students from the new university. With a busy harbour, sandy beaches, cafés, bars and pubs, maybe lively Falmouth is the place for you? Falmouth is considered a good bet for job hunters, as it has a strong local economy.

If you are totally beach-crazy, consider Newquay your dream home town. With no fewer than 4 beautiful sheltered beaches close to the town, and the exciting Fistral beach that hosts international surfing contests, you’ll be in seventh heaven. If you finally tire of beach life, Newquay has exciting night life, beautiful views, and a local zoo.

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Inland towns

Bodmin is old enough to feature in the Doomsday book and used to be the county town of Cornwall. It has a railway station, so could be good for commuting, and is set in an area of outstanding natural beauty. There are green areas nearby that look as though they haven’t changed in thousands of years. For keen environmentalists, the Eden project is close at hand and as nowhere in Cornwall is too far from the coast, your nearest beach is less than 9 miles away!

St Austell is a quiet market town close to the Eden Project, and only a few miles from the coast known as the ‘Cornish Riviera’. St Austell Brewery is a popular local employer.

How can OneDome help me move to Cornwall?

If you’re considering a move, OneDome’s online conveyancing simplifies conveyancing by moving everything online and in one place. Home buyers, sellers, and estate agents can all use OneDome to track the progress of the conveyancing process in real time. This means that any issues can be ironed out quickly and everyone has visibility over each step. Estate agents can complete sales faster, and home buyers and sellers can get moving far more quickly and easily than in the past. We can also help get a mortgage with Mortgage Passport, our online tool that helps qualify you for a Mortgage in Principle and browse over 12,000 mortgage products from 90+ lenders.

Talk to us on 020 3896 6262 today for more information on what OneDome can do to help you complete your move effortlessly. Or, check out our explainer video to see how it all works.

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