Coasting towards a new home

Oh we do like to be beside the seaside – and not just when the sun is shining. This month it was revealed that house prices in north and north-east coastal towns have risen much faster in the last 10 years than in other seaside locations.

Graham Blair, mortgage director at Bank of Scotland, said: “Living on the coast offers many attractions, including a typically high quality of life and attractive surroundings. As a result, property in seaside towns is often very popular with home buyers.”

In Moray, an area with a host of coastal villages, the property market is very buoyant with some properties flying off the shelves. The area experienced a strong start to the year with a boost to sales and an increase in demand and buyer activity.

Despite the surge in sales and buyer confidence demand continues to outstrip the supply of high quality, accurately priced homes coming to the market in Moray.

Rod Christie, head of residential sales for Galbraith in Moray, said: “The first quarter of this year has shown very promising levels of demand and the market has been buoyed by high levels of interest from prospective buyers, a trend we expect to see continuing into the coming summer months.”

Mr Christie also said sellers considering moving during the summer were in a prime position to achieve good offers.

And while that’s great news for property owners with a home to sell on the Moray coast, it can be slightly trickier for buyers looking to secure a home in this lovely part of the world as, with the current state of the market, they may have to consider placing an offer over the asking price in order to secure the home of their dreams.

That’s where buying a brand new home, at a fixed price, has many benefits.

In Moray house builder Tulloch of Cummingston has just released for sale the first homes on its latest development, Kinneddar Meadows, in Lossiemouth.

Situated on the southern edge of the town and within easy walking distance of a host of amenities, the development has a range of properties to suit all budgets.

House styles available here include two-bedroom semi-detached bungalows, three and four-bedroom detached bungalows and three and four-bedroom semi-detached and detached houses. Later phases of the development will also feature one-bedroom quadplex bungalows, two and three-bedroom apartments and a wider selection of three and fourbedroom larger family homes.

Prospective buyers can choose from a wide range of internal finishes and fittings to truly personalise their homes including luxury designer kitchens and quality bathrooms.

As with all Tulloch homes the company will even redesign or alter the internal layout to suit clients’ exact needs.

Making them even more affordable, the Help to Buy Scottish Government initiative will be available on any of the properties priced below £200,000. This scheme offers purchasers the opportunity to buy a new home with just a 5% deposit, the balance coming from an 80% mortgage and a 15% interest-free loan from the government.

Work is expected to start on site shortly with first completions due around late spring next year.

The home builder also has a second development in Lossiemouth, Inchbroom Pines, where sales have been brisk. Five of the luxury homes were snapped up recently and they are now under construction.

A spacious four-bedroom detached house, for sale at £293,750, will also be completed shortly and available to purchase. Other local developments include Mains of Struthers, Kinloss; Quarrywood, Spynie, by Elgin; Wards Road in Elgin; Easter Coltfield, near Alves; and Seaview, Cummingston.

Tulloch of Cummingston have a number of developments in Moray