The life-changing homes for the year: these rural homes with money-making potential offer the chance to move to the country and start your own business

The countryside offers something the city often can’t — fresh air, a slower pace of life, more space for children to run around in and, in many cases, more house for your money.

If you’re considering making the big move in 2018, check out our gallery of the best life-changing properties to hit the market this year.

Still up for grabs, they all offer the chance to start afresh running a business from your home, whether a rural B&B, luxury wedding venue, vineyard or dairy farm.

There are numerous benefits to shaking up your lifestyle in this way, says William Morrison, a head of regional farm sales at Knight Frank estate agents, who says he has seen a “marked increase” in the number of buyers moving out of London to set up camp in in rural mixed-use properties.

“Income generators are high on buyers’ wish lists,” he says. “The market has become more dynamic and creative as companies such as Airbnb have focused people’s attention on making money out of ancillary accommodation.

“The appeal of being able to live the good life away from the rat race of a commute is appealing to more and more people and, as such, homes with farming or production potential are sought after.”

Morrison expects this trend to grow next year, partly due to the attractive savings to be made on stamp duty.

“The major benefit of buying a mixed-use property is that you will pay a flat rate of 5 per cent stamp duty,” he says. “If you are spending £1.5 million-plus on a property, this is quite a saving from the standard residential rate of 12 per cent, or 15 per cent if it is a second home.”

“The other benefit to buying a property with a business is that the income helps pay the mortgage. Many buyers are able to transfer their skills from current jobs to their new business, which becomes a lifelong passion of theirs.”