Thinking of swapping the noise and bustle of city life for rural peace and quiet? If so, be realistic: the countryside is often not peaceful and hardly ever entirely quiet. You will probably be exchanging one kind of noise for another; it’s up to you to decide which you’ll find easier to live with.

Now and then we read of city types who campaign to silence the bells of the village church or stop the local cockerels crowing. These stories get the publicity because they are extreme; nevertheless, many people do move to the country with unrealistic expectations of absolute silence.

‘Most people are happy to accept noises that they associate with the countryside,’ says Anthony of Strutt & Parker’s Norwich office: ‘tractors and other farm machinery, lawnmowers, bells, shotguns and birds.

‘What upsets people are the kinds of noise they thought they were leaving behind: traffic, trains and – particularly – aeroplanes.’

It’s not as if some unacceptable noises sound that much different from acceptable ones. The sound of the sea, for example, is a positive selling point, whereas the distant roar of a motorway, which can sound uncannily similar, could be a deal-breaker.

It’s a question of expectations. Homeowners think nothing of tube trains rumbling under their townhouse because it’s part and parcel of city life: they expect it. Reasonably or not, many expect the country to offer the solitude and silence they lacked in town. And because no one likes having their expectations dashed, it is vital to be as realistic as possible when moving to a rural area.

‘When viewing a property, be realistic about its location,’ cautions Anthony. ‘If it’s near a church, be prepared for bell-ringing. If it’s next to a farm, accept the unavoidable noise – and smells – of tractors, combine harvesters, livestock lorries and the like.

‘Try to weigh up the likelihood of noise, consider whether it outweighs the merits of the house itself and be open-minded about how you might live with it. Road noise, for instance, might be an issue if you’re consciously listening for it and trying to gauge how intrusive it is, but it could well go unnoticed once your mind is on other things, as it would be if you lived in the property. And if it really is a problem, think about screening it out: a stout belt of trees or a high hedge can work wonders.

‘You’ll always have to compromise when choosing a house, and if you need to commute into London regularly you will certainly need to accept some traffic noise, since you’ll be looking at properties with handy road and rail links. If you do happen to find a truly tranquil property, you’ll pay a hefty premium for it.’

Often buyers make noise into a bigger issue than it need be. Even a peaceful setting will rarely be really peaceful, once the realities of family life kick in. Children playing, guests chattering, the clatter of housework – these are the noises of everyday life which cannot be escaped even in the country. They might even block out the less desirable noise of the local bypass.

And be careful what you wish for. ‘Every now and then we get clients who are selling up in the country and moving back to town,’ says Anthony. ‘They miss the noise.’