Housing market hotspots revealed

Livingston in West Lothian, Sudbury in Suffolk and Bristol and have all been identified as top property hotspots in 2017.

Rightmove said homes in Livingston are the fastest to sell – typically in just 23 days, around a third of the UK average selling time of 67 days.

Bristol was the most searched-for place outside London for both buyers and renters. Meanwhile, house asking prices in Sudbury have surged by 13.1 per cent over the past year – more than anywhere else in Britain – according to the information taken from Rightmove’s website.

Miles Shipside, director of Rightmove, said: “Although prices have grown at a muted rate of 1.2 per cent nationally this year, there are a number of local markets where strong demand and short supply has led to pretty heady price rises, especially in areas where homes are relatively more affordable than some of their nearby cities.”

Simon Thomas, owner of RE/MAX Estate Agents in Livingston, said: “Supply has been quite tight which has led to buyers finding themselves up against a lot of competition to secure the home they want, which has led to properties selling more quickly than before.”