More homes for sale sought as property market booms

Perth’s housing market is performing so well that property experts are searching for more homes to put up for sale.

More than £105 million worth of properties sold in the first nine months of 2017 – significantly outperforming the previous year.

Perthshire Solicitors Property Centre (PSPC) said 579 homes had been sold through the first threequarters of the year, with an average price of £182,259.

In comparison, around £94m worth of homes were sold during the same period in 2016, a tally which was also hailed as positive progress by the industry.

PSPC manager Anne Begg said properties were selling swiftly, at least in part due to a shortage of housing being up for sale, but also due to the area’s attractiveness to buyers.

She hopes new properties will come to market in the near future to prevent any slowdown from stalling sales.

“With a little less stock available to house hunters, in line with what is a national trend, properties are generally selling very quickly, occasionally within days or even hours,” Ms Begg said.

“Some are simply flying off the shelves and so buyers are having to act quickly.

“They certainly shouldn’t delay if they see a property which might fit the bill, especially if they are looking to move before winter.

“Due to this huge demand, we would hope that more stock would become available to house-hunters before the year is out.

“By adding more properties to our ‘for sale’ portfolio, we can hopefully invigorate the market further while also boosting people’s confidence in putting their home on the market.”

Ms Begg added: “Perth is also undergoing a fairly significant expansion and we hope the increasing activity relating to new builds within the city of Perth and Perthshire will add to this appeal and stimulate the market further.”