When Tony Ward, 35, and Karen Wheeldon,37, put their Derbyshire home on the market in February, in preparation for their emigration to Australia, they expected a quick sale. After all, there had been a host of headlines claiming there was a shortage of country houses.

Their place, the Old Rectory, in Appleby Magna, Derbyshire, is exactly the sort of property that is supposedly so much in demand. The main house is an eight-bed Georgian pile in seven acres of grounds. There is a self-contained two-bed guest cottage, and a renovated coach house and stables have been transformed into Ward’s office. It has a swimming pool, tennis court and stunning views across open countryside.

The Old Rectory has been home to the couple for five years, and more recently, to their son, Charlie, 10 months – and they have extensively refurbished it, though it remains full of original features. Add in its location – just off the M42 near Ashby-de-la-Zouch, in an idyllic village close to the border with both Warwickshire and Leicestershire – and a quick sale seemed fairly certain, despite the £1.5m price tag. Four months later, however, the house has still not sold and the couple have been forced to drop the price to £1.45m.

“We have had a lot of interested parties, and a number of people who have had second and third viewings,” says Ward, who works in the fashion industry. “The prospective buyers seem as if they have the disposable income and could afford the move, but they are not making a decision.

“It’s difficult to know why people are taking a long time. We had someone here at the weekend for his second viewing, and he brought his family along. Now he wants to bring his business partner. He said he had been looking for this type of home, and that his wife liked it. It’s as if he is looking for someone to say that property is still a good buy and a safe investment. There’s a lack of confidence. Everyone’s looking for a seal of approval. That’s the best way I can describe it.”

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