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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Business
Rupert Jones

Property hotspots: top 10 places in Great Britain experts say are in demand

Aerial footage of as typical suburban housing estates in the British town of Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes is one of Britain’s top 10 property hotspots, according to data from the estate agents Hamptons. Photograph: Chunyip Wong/Getty Images

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.

The Heavy Horse (Clydesdale) sculpture by Andy Scott at Glasgow business park, Baillieston
The Heavy Horse (Clydesdale) sculpture by Andy Scott at Glasgow business park, Baillieston. Photograph: Shine-a-light/Alamy

“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%).

East Ham, Newham
There was a 71% increase in registrations in East Ham in London. Photograph: Jill Mead/The Guardian

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 Abbey in Renfrewshire
Buyer registrations were up 62% over the past year in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Hamptons said. Photograph: John Peter Photography/Alamy

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.

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