Rightmove research shows a £1million difference in housing costs of UK seaside towns

Whitby in North Yorkshire tops the list of most in-demand property locations, followed by Whitley Bay in Tyne and Wear. According to Rightmove, both boast average asking prices of upwards of £200,000.

Nick Henderson, director of Hendersons estate agents in Whitby said: “One of the great things about Whitby is that there’s usually something going on all year round, it’s not just when the sun is shining.

“Since we reopened a few weeks ago we’ve been selling bigger homes a lot more quickly than before, as families are changing the way they live and are swapping a ten minute commute into the office for a ten minute walk to the beach instead.

“Holiday homes have always been popular, often apartments or cottages that have been refurbished to an incredibly high spec, but again there’s been a surge in recent weeks for these as people choose to make an investment now so they have somewhere for a staycation over the next few years instead of going abroad.”

Susan Usher, branch manager of Your Move in Whitley Bay, says: “It’s been quite staggering the number of applicants we’ve had in recent weeks, with a number of properties going for above asking prices, both for luxury apartments and lovely Victorian homes.”

Sandbanks in Poole tops the list of properties that may break the bank, with average asking prices of more than £1.2million.

Newbiggin-by-the-sea in Northumberland is the cheapest coastal location, however, with an average asking price for a house of just over £100,000.

Now working from home has become the new norm, many people have been reconsidering their living arrangements, seeking outdoor space or balconies rather than cramped city living.

Rightmove’s property expert Miles Shipside says: “Having the chance to look out your window to a sea view is something many home-hunters tell us is a dream of theirs. This means that the properties that do offer this are able to charge a premium compared to those in-land.

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“Seaside towns in Great Britain have always had wildly different property prices, with some of the most expensive places to live outside London being in coastal areas like Sandbanks and Salcombe, while other coastal locations have prices of only £100,000.

“Lockdown has changed what a number of home-hunters are now looking for from their next home, and while some are looking for more space or a bigger garden, others are now contemplating a move to the seaside.”

There are three areas of Cornwall in the top ten, Padstow, Newquay and Bude, and Salcombe and Ilfracombe represent Devon.

In Scotland, Ayr and Troon – the home to Royal Troon Golf Club – also make the list, along with Caister-on-sea in Norfolk.

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The resorts of Sandbanks, loved by a number of celebrities, Canford Cliffs, and Salcombe top the most expensive list, while Newbiggin-by-the-Sea and Blackpool take the top two spots in the cheapest list.

Other figures released today by Zoopla have shown that house sales agreed in the UK are now on average four percent higher across the UK in comparison to pre-COVID levels.

Other than seaside towns, momentum in the housing market is being driven by northern cities.

Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester have all seen sales agreed spike, with Leeds leading the way at 21%.

This is being driven by relative affordability in these cities, where house prices are all sitting at below £175,000 here. The current average across the UK Cities is £254,600.

source: express.co.uk