Many home owners in the capital are making the most of the high London house prices, selling up and escaping to the country. They go in 
search of better value for money and a better quality of life. According to Dee Ryall at Jackson-Stops & Staff in Canterbury, People are
selling their London homes to make the most of the high prices and then renting in Canterbury. They are then in a strong chain-free
position to go for property they want when it comes onto the market.

According to Michael Clark, at Jackson- Stops & Staff in Exeter, 56 per cent of their buyers last year came from outside Devon and, of
those, 51 per cent came from London & the Home Counties. Ben Adams in Taunton is experiencing similar interest from London buyers.

He says: Between 30 and 40 per cent of our buyers in the past year have come from London or the Home Counties and it is definitely a trend
that has grown in the past two years compared to three or four years ago. Its particularly common at the moment because people are cashing
in on the high London house prices.

A family can sell a four bedroom terraced home with a small garden in London in excess of 1 million and buy a six or seven bedroom farmhouse with 10 acres and outbuildings around Taunton, which is attractive to families. Adams says that advances in technology have allowed London workers to move further away from the London office.

The fast train links from Taunton to London in one hour 45 minutes still allow the husband to commute a couple of days a week and work from
home the rest of the time.

You get a different way of life with access to good schools while still keeping a link to London, he says. But those used to the dizzy heights of the London property scene should be warned, says Philip Blanchard from Jackson-Stops & Staff in Winchester: Last year, we had some buyers who work in the City forwhom buying a home was like a deal. Once they had bought it they expected it to go up in value within hours. The market isnt like that here. We have a real market without the huge rises and crashes that you saw in northern cities just gentle rises over the years, which is sensible. So for those fortunate enough to own a property in the capital, considering escaping the rat race and enjoying a different way of life in a country pile, now could be a good time to cash in and embrace the good life.