The latest news from the property market

IF you want to know how the property market is performing it pays to ask an agent that has been in the business for a while – like Iain Robb, managing director of Glasgow-based Robb Residential, who has clocked up over 41 years. His other distinguishing feature is that with 60 per cent of sales in Argyll and Bute, his core business is predominantly rural, and as rural currently tops many property wish lists, he admits to finding the present market “pandemonium to the point of being almost surreal.”

“We always knew a unique feature of our business was based on people’s ability and need to work from home remotely and in the last three years, at least 59 per cent of our sales have been to southern buyers attracted to Scotland because of affordability, scenery and way of life,” he says.

“This sector was affected by Brexit but early this year all the indications were positive until Covid-19 brought life as we knew it to a standstill – well, all except property databases and ours went ballistic and has remained that way since, with the unexpected buoyancy fuelled by people who didn’t think they would be remote workers and now are.

“Anything by the sea/water or scenic location is being snapped up – I have not seen it like this since 2007. Provided the supply can be maintained, I see no sign of a slowdown and our 59 per cent of southern buyers is now more like 75 per cent, so perhaps we are an unexpected beneficiary of the pandemic,” he adds.

VIRTUAL viewing has become a key marketing initiative and earned a permanent place in the overall scheme of buying and selling property. But when it comes to something as jaw-dropping as the glassfronted properties that make up The Crescent, CALA Homes’ most award-winning development in Edinburgh, the final collection of five distinctive homes, just have to be seen in real time.

For that reason CALA has made all five homes, together with two showhomes, available for viewing in person on one visit. Their location, towards the end of the west wing, means they offer layouts no available elsewhere in the building – they are also the only apartments to offer triple aspect views. Styles include one, two and three bedroomed apartments, penthouses and duplexes, priced from £595,000 to £1.75m.

Contact CALA direct to arrange a viewing.

LOCATED on the south side of Glasgow within the Newlands area, a leafy suburb renowned for impressive period villas, No.3 Tavistock Drive is a handsome semi-detached sandstone Edwardian property dating from 1910, which although upgraded to reflect 21st century lifestyles, retains fine original features including ornate plasterwork, woodwork and stained and leaded glass – the latter particularly striking in the entrance vestibule and 20ft reception hall.

Off the hall, the ground floor accommodation comprises large baywindowed living room with wood flooring and feature fireplace, adjoining formal dining room (currently a fifth bedroom),

EAST Ayrshire villages within close proximity to Renfrewshire/ East Renfrewshire continue to find favour with buyers who want a more rural village setting with easy access to amenities in nearby suburbs – Dunlop and Fenwick being good examples. For those also adding originality to their wish list, a one-off property newly on the market in Dunlop could hit the right note.

Situated on Lugton Road on the outskirts of the village, the house dates from 1641 (the present owner has the original title deeds) and was originally a grain store for an adjoining mill. Local history reveals that during the 1800s the top floor of the property was used to breed rabbits – and during the Second World War, housed prisoners or war. The present owners bought the property in 2003 at which point it was in a poor state of repair, hence it took nine years to renovate and turn the building into a distinctively different, three-storey family home.

The accommodation holds surprises at every turn but nowhere more so than on the top floor which houses the master suite, comprising bedroom, en suite bathroom with roll-top bath and separate

This impressive Edwardian period villa in Newlands has been upgraded throughout but retains all the grandeur of the era