ACT Housefinders searches through all available resources to relocate clients within the south-west of England, including: Cheltenham, Stroud, Stonehouse, Nailsworth, Bath, Bristol, Gloucester, Thornbury, Wotton-under-Edge, Tetbury, Swindon and Malmesbury

This page gives a brief synopsis of these areas.

	Cheltenham A Spa town almost half-way between Bristol and Birmingham on the M5 motorway. This Regency town exudes character and atmosphere amongst the mainstream 21st century shops on The Promenade and the High Street. There are many corporate headquarters and major offices in and around the town, the famous Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), major public schools, training college, university of Gloucestershire campuses, and an active tourist industry, all of which make for a very buoyant property market, particularly in the rental sector. [ top ]
	Stroud There are many small towns and villages offering all lifestyles amongst them Painswick, Minchinhampton, Amberley, Woodchester, Nailsworth, Tetbury are much favoured by local families and those coming into the area. These communities offer a warm welcome to families and the majority of the local schools are well respected, there are also excellent private schools throughout the area. The property purchase market is strong and prices are maintained at a high level, varying from location to location, however, the rental market is weaker as there are fewer potential tenants available than in the City of Bristol and Cheltenham, standards of presentation are not so keen either. [ top ]
	Stonehouse This is a small residential town with Industrial Parks surrounding it. Generally, like the whole of the Stroud District, it does not offer much in the way of rental properties, although latterly, new house building has opened up the opportunity for private landlords to ‘invest’ in such property. [ top ]
	Nailsworth A thriving small town which lies on the A46 half way between Cheltenham and Bath. Parking is free and plentiful and this attracts shoppers and visitors from a very wide area. Nailsworth seems to have at least 2 of everything and all within level walking distance of eachother, 2 ironmongers, 2 banks, 2 supermarkets, 2 art galleries, 2 bookshops, 2 tennis courts…. There is a wine warehouse and over 20 places to eat! All set in the centre of the valley bottom, surrounded by a complexity of cottages, houses and mansions. [ top ]
	Bath An elegant city dating from Roman times, the Roman baths and Pump Rooms, serving the Spa waters, are still the centre of attention for tourists who visit throughout the year. It is also renowned for the elegance of its buildings built on the steep hills surrounding the city centre. A shopping haven, amidst the culture of an old established city, which has been home to the university for centuries. This is truly a delightful place to live, or if not, then to visit on a regular basis. [ top ]
	Bristol A University city and major sea link to the New World – founded around the import of tobacco and spices and the slave trade. Today it vies for the title Britain’s second city, being only two hours from London with strong road and rail connections to the capital, Birmingham and the north, as well as Bath and the southwest. There are numerous major corporate employers in and around Bristol. It boasts the University of Bristol and the University of the West, major public schools and tertiary colleges. The bustling ‘new’ City Centre is built around the old ‘Floating Harbour’ and is home to numerous bars, restaurants, arts centres, gyms and health clubs, hotels and galleries. The main shopping area “Broadmead” adjoins and Brunel’s magnificent Great Western Railway Station lies just beyond. One of his other 18th century masterpieces the “Clifton Suspension Bridge” can be seen alongside Clifton Village. There are several Retail Parks close by and the latest “Cribbs Causeway” hosts The John Lewis Partnership department store and Marks & Spencer store alongside many of the High Street shops. Surrounding these are the other major retail names, including Asda Wal-Mart. This is now all built on what in former years was a large airport where parts of Concorde were built. Bristol is enjoying a renaissance in its commercial fortunes. The Ministry of Defence has offices providing work to six thousand personnel and companies such as Orange, Hewlett Packard, RAC and Lloyds have joined Rolls Royce and British Aerospace at Filton; World leading Cameron Balloons, who recently set the record for a manned balloon flight around the world and Ardent Productions, the Oscar winning producers of ‘Wallace and Gromit’. There is a frenetic property market, most active of which is the rental sector, a very quick decision is necessary to secure the property of choice at most times of the year. There are apartment blocks in the city centre area and the more favoured area of Clifton offers a seductive charm, particularly in Clifton Village. Nearby, Whiteladies Road offers a plethora of bars and restaurants and a tremendous mix of people. Beyond this, Redland offers a totally ‘residential’ area with numerous streets of houses and apartment conversions; this opens onto the ‘student flat’ areas. In and around Bristol there is “The Observatory” (a Camera Obscura converted in 1829 from a former Windmill, allowing a 360' view around the tower. There is also a cave below the tower, which ends at a platform half way down the gorge), Bristol Zoological and Botanical Gardens, SS Great Britain (designed by Brunel and currently being restored) the Harbour, Blaise Castle and hamlet, 450 acres of ‘common’ land, Natural History Unit, the BBC TV and Radio production studios. There is also the annual music festival, the Regatta in late summer, the Jazz festival in mid October, and the Absolute Christmas party in March, the Kite festival and balloon fiesta at Ashton Court, whilst to the south is the Glastonbury Festival. Access to the M5 motorway both north and south is readily available at various points and the M32 runs from its junction with the M4 right into the heart of the City Centre. [ top ]
	Gloucester Many of the dockside warehouses are being converted into apartments which should present a useful offering of rentals. This is mostly an industrial city with large estates of housing, though few have rental properties of a reasonable standard, as this is not a strong property market. [ top ]
	Thornbury A small market town with a wide variety of shops, banks, schools etc. Like neighbouring BERKELEY there is an ancient castle here. Thornbury’s castle, however, boasts an elegant Hotel within its 13th century walls and also an excellent restaurant, open to non residents. The town is mostly a dormitory for Bristol and is only a 15 minute drive away from Cribbs Causeway, the Bristol out of town shopping Mall and retail park, where the Asda Wallmart store predominates. Close by the Slimbridge Wetlands trust plays host to numerous species of wild birds from all parts of the world. [ top ]
	Woton-under-Edge Approximately 10 minutes from Bristol. A small woollen town dating back many hundreds of years and still retains that ‘olde worlde’ atmosphere. The majority of the shops are privately owned and the pace seems slower than the rest of the outside world. [ top ]
	Tetbury Another small market town. Tetbury is noted for its many Antique shops, its proximity to Highrove House, the home of HRH Prince Charles and Gatcombe Park, the home of HRH Princess Anne and other Royal families in the area. There are a plethora of tiny cottages in the town, two supermarkets and several hotels and restaurants. [ top ]
	Malmesbury This market town boasts an ancient history with its 11th century Abbey and adjoining Inn, The Old Bell, which is reputedly the oldest inn in England. A thriving community abounds around the ancient tiny cottages and houses, whilst surrounding the town are the larger north Wiltshire farms. Malmesbury is also ‘home’ to the Dyson vacuum cleaner! [ top ]
	Swindon Reputedly still the fastest growing town in Europe, Swindon is home to a vast array of global corporates, including Intel, Honda, W H Smith, Lucent Technologies, Motorola, Mitel, etc. commencing its industrial life as the home of The Great Western Railway Company, headed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel the great engineer and designer. There is a large museum of Steam trains still on the original site. Alongside this is the Designer Outlet Village, built within the old engineering sheds and playing host to many ‘designer label’ shops offering end of line and clearance ‘bargains’. It has excellent rail links to London, Bristol, Bath, Chippenham and South Wales. It lies on the M4 motorway and provides access to Cirencester, Cheltenham and Gloucester. [ top ]