A suburb of Dover in Kent, a town not far from Glasgow and an up-and-coming area of east London … these are some of the places experts reckon are emerging as the latest property hotspots.
Figures from the estate agent Hamptons, based on an analysis of Countrywide data (Hamptons and Countrywide are both part of the Connells Group) highlights areas in Great Britain where the numbers of people registering to buy a home have risen the most over the past year.
There were 12 areas located in the south of England on the firm’s top 30 list, while the majority were located in the Midlands, the north of England, or Scotland, says Aneisha Beveridge, the head of research at Hamptons.
“Affordability is at the heart of this,” she says. “There are only five areas on the list where the average price exceeded £400,000 and, typically, these are the more affordable pockets of London and the south-east.
“Generally it’s the more expensive markets that have been hit hardest by the move to higher [interest] rates. This is because households in these areas tend to have bigger mortgages in pound terms and are therefore more exposed to higher rates.”
Top 10, based on the numbers of people registering to buy a home
Kearsney A suburb of Dover in Kent – registrations up 77%. Average price: £321,460 (up 4.7% year on year).
Airdrie A town in North Lanarkshire in Scotland, about 16 miles from Glasgow – registrations up 72%. Average price: £135,510 (up 2.2%).
East Ham One of the 12 districts of the London borough of Newham – registrations up 71%. Average price: £410,990 (up 2%).
Baillieston A suburb of Glasgow – registrations up 70%. Average price: £261,470 (up 0.5%).
Sutton The principal town in the London borough of Sutton – registrations up 67%. Average price: £433,540 (up 1.3%).
Burton upon Trent A market town in Staffordshire – registrations up 62%. Average price: £225,490 (up 1.2%).
Paisley A town in Renfrewshire in Scotland – registrations up 62%. Average price: £151,300 (up 1.2%).
Bow An area within the London borough of Tower Hamlets – registrations up 61%. Average price: £485,470 (up 4.6%).
Bearwood An area that has become absorbed into Smethwick in the West Midlands – registrations up 59%. Average price: £200,350 (up 5.5%).
Milton Keynes The largest settlement in Buckinghamshire – registrations up 54%. Average price: £317,220 (up 3.3%).
• The data compares the first 11 months of 2023 with the same period in 2022 and comes from the Countrywide branch network.
