The surge in buyer enquiries much documented by estate agents over the past two weeks has been strongest in the north of England, latest housing market activity data reveals.
Research by Rightmove shows that nine out of the top ten towns in the UK where the surge in people emailing or phoning estate agents has been greatest are all outside – and north of – the traditionally boom areas of London and the South.
These include Hereford, Wigan, Rochdale, Wilmslow, Scarborough, Bolton, Bradford, Rotherham and Accrington with only Hastings in East Sussex flying the flat for southern England.
All of these experienced increases in buyer enquiries of between 56% and 77%, Rightmove says.
But all the data from the portal, which includes regional and city figures, follows a pattern; buyer enquiries have been strongest in the areas of the UK with the cheapest houses and therefore the greatest affordability.
Newcastle vs London
For example Newcastle-upon-Tyne, which is one of the most affordable cities in the UK to buy a home, saw a 54% increase in buyer enquiries while in London the increase was just 19%.
Separate research by the portal also reveals that second-stepper properties, namely houses with up to three bedrooms, are most in demand at the moment and achieving the best offers.
“If you exclude London and some more expensive areas in the south then these types of home are typically in the £250,000 to £500,000 price band,” says the portal’s property expert Miles Shipside.
“These are appealing because they’re likely to benefit from more space and a private garden, attributes that home-movers tell us are now even more important than before lockdown.”
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