Family haven in Portsoy

The winds of change are blowing through the Aberdeen property market and having an effect on places outside the city boundaries, as Susan Welsh discovered when she talked to the owner of this charming family home for sale at a fixed price in Portsoy

One man’s meat is another man’s poison. Every cloud has a silver lining.

Put it any way you like but the fact is, while some homeowners in Aberdeen have seen the value of their property decrease because of changes in the oil and gas industry, the reduced prices have allowed other house seekers to take a step on to a property ladder that previously had been out of their reach.

Such is the case for Kay and Brian Dunn. The couple, who have a two-and-ahalf-year-old son, Archie, both work in Aberdeen and face a commute of between 75-90 minutes each way from the city to their lovely home, The Elms, on Portsoy’s South High Street.

“Brian is from Aberdeen while my family are from Sandend, Buckie. When we were looking to buy a house 11 years ago, we would have liked to have been able to buy in Aberdeen, but the prices then meant it just wasn’t possible,” said Kay.

“Loads of people like us work in management and the public sector and have good jobs and are committed to working in Aberdeen for years, but we were pushed out of the property market.”

They found their property pound went further outside the city, so initially moved to Monymusk be- fore moving to Portsoy six years ago where they bought The Elms, a charming, large linked detached family home which had previously been fully renovated.

“I loved the house straight away as while it was fully renovated, it was still full of character,” said Kay, 41.

“The house is one that everyone in Portsoy knows as it’s been here since the late 1700s and was a manse at one point, so we always felt we had just borrowed it from the community.

“There’s also three gardens including a flat front garden, a back terrace, further garden and decked area. The house sits in an elevated position and the back of it overlooks the whole of Portsoy, so there’s lovely views to be enjoyed from here.”

On the market at a fixed price of £255,000, the accommodation within the three-storey house includes an entrance porch with stained-glass window which gives access to the hallway, sitting room, dining lounge and staircase.

Both the sitting room and dining lounge have lovely feature fire surrounds with wood-burn stoves installed by Kay and Brian, while the dining lounge also has charming recessed shelving and purpose-built cupboards and a feature Elm tree trunk and beams with exposed wood from the staircase.

The kitchen is fitted with a good range of base and wall units with contrasting worktops, has a Raeburn stove, fridge and space for a fridge/freezer. From here, a door leads to an inner hall which gives access to a utility room, walk-in cupboard and WC.

A staircase with wooden balustrades and handrail leads up to the first floor landing off of which there are two double bedrooms both with built-in storage

Brian and Kay Dunn with their son, Archie, outside The Elms in Portsoy