Sam Butler FRICS

January has seen us firmly up and running across the Cotswolds. Activity has been encouraging, with positive levels of interest and a busy start to the year. We have already agreed a good number of sales across our three offices in a range of different price points, which is a positive indicator of buyer intent following what was a very cautious 2025, with low confidence and many delays.

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, there’s something undeniably romantic about the idea of escaping to a cosy Cotswold cottage. Think honey-coloured stone walls, crackling log fires and soft lamplight spilling across plush sofas - perfect for long conversations, shared glasses of wine and slow, unhurried mornings. In winter, the Cotswolds reveal a quieter kind of beauty, with misty lanes, frosted fields and snug village pubs just a gentle stroll away. It’s a setting steeped in charm and warmth, and utterly quintessential in its British appeal.

The government has made the decision to delay the introduction of the new EPC Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards (MEES) for rental properties. Originally scheduled to change in 2028, the government have now delayed this until 2030.

As winter begins to loosen its grip on the Cotswolds, one of the most uplifting signs of the changing seasons quietly emerges, snowdrops. These delicate white flowers, often pushing through frost-hardened ground, bring a sense of hope and renewal, and nowhere is this more beautifully displayed than the snowdrops at Painswick Rococo Garden.