Househunters seek escape to the country
● Belgravia and Mayfair see high increases, as people ‘fantasy shop for a dream home’
As lockdown is extended for another three weeks, those who are considering moving house are turning to the more rural and picturesque parts of Scotland for a potential escape.
Rather than looking for their quick – and currently illegal – holiday in the north of the country, those searching for property to buy are shifting away from the urban centres and towards rural Scotland.
Data from property website Rightmove shows a dramatic leap in interest in property north of the Central Belt and outside of Edinburgh and Glasgow when compared with April last year.
Topping the list in the UK is Inverness which has seen an increase of 167 per cent in searches, followed by the more remote Shetland Islands, up 131 per cent.
Of those seeing increases in Scotland, Ullapool in Wester Ross has seen searches jump by 30 per cent.
Figures for Orkney rose by 19 per cent, with the areas around Loch Lomond, Pitlochry and Fort William all seeing a jump of between 14 and 9 per cent.
These rises are even more significant when compared to last year due to Rightmove seeing an overall drop of 40 per cent in web traffic at the start of lockdown.
Edinburgh and Glasgow have dropped around 10 per cent in searches, but the property website expects them to recover “quickly” as more visitors return to looking for property.
Duncan Chisholm, director of estate agents Munro & Noble in Inverness, said the city has become more appealing and more affordable compared to other Scottish cities in recent years.
He said: “The city has been developing quickly in recent years and so the fact that it’s still relatively affordable compared to other cities around the UK makes it an appealing place to live.
“Not to mention the amazing scenery, beaches and hillsides that we’re fortunate to have on our doorstep. It’s a close knit community, something I imagine is quite unique for a city.
“It’s like we have the best of both worlds as we have the amenities of a city but the feel of a village.
“In usual circumstances I could be in the middle of the beautiful Highlands with nobody about and then in 20 minutes I can be sitting at my desk in the city.”
Other areas in the UK including Belgravia, Mayfair and Sandbanks in Dorset have seen high increases, potentially as people fantasy shop for their dream house.
Rightmove’s housing market analyst Miles Shipside comments: “There seems to be a growing desire to find a quiet place to live.”
Separate figures yesterday found the average house price fell by 0.6 per cent in April as market activity was held almost at a complete standstill, according to an index.
It was the biggest month-onmonth fall in two years - since March 2018, the index from Halifax found.
Across the UK, the average house price stood at £238,511 in April.
Despite prices having fallen month-on-month by 0.6 per cent in April, and by 0.3 per cent in March, the average UK house price in April was still 2.7 per cent higher than a year earlier.
Social distancing measures due to the coronavirus pandemic mean much activity, including physical viewings, valuations and house moves, has had to be put on hold for now.