Whitby identified as most in-demand seaside location to live
Whitby, which claimed the top spot in a list compiled by Rightmove, is known for its associations with Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
Whitby has been identified as Britain’s most in-demand seaside location by a property website.
The North Yorkshire seaside location is famed for its fishing history, its Whitby jet which is used in jewellery, the dramatic ruins of Whitby Abbey which stand silhouetted over the town and its associations with Bram Stoker’s Dracula.
It claimed the top spot in the list compiled by Rightmove, which carried out analysis from mid-May to mid-June.
Rightmove compared the volumes of people inquiring about homes for sale with the number of available properties and the general size of seaside locations to work out which places were most in demand.
The average price tag on a home in Whitby is just over £210,000, with estate agents reporting increased demand for holiday homes over the past month and more families looking for a new lifestyle, Rightmove said.
Three areas of Cornwall also made the top 10 – Padstow, Newquay and Bude.
Salcombe and Ilfracombe in Devon also made the list, as did Ayr and Troon in Scotland.
“This means that the properties that do offer this are able to charge a premium compared to those inland.”
He added: “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.”
“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 10-minute commute into the office for a 10-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.”
“It’s also very popular with younger families as they can send their children to outstanding schools and have beautiful beaches on their doorstep.
“Since the market reopened in mid-May we’ve had an increase in people looking to move here from places like York and the south, plus home hunters considering an apartment they can buy as a second home to holiday in.
“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.”
Here are the most in demand seaside locations and the average property asking price, according to Rightmove:
1. Whitby, North Yorkshire, £213,053
2. Whitley Bay, Tyne and Wear, £263,078
3. Troon, Ayrshire, £165,386
4. Padstow, Cornwall, £497,051
5. Newquay, Cornwall, £275,101
6. Salcombe, Devon, £730,213
7. Ayr, Ayrshire, £149,746
8. Bude, Cornwall, £311,666
9. Caister-On-Sea, Norfolk, £217,827
10. Ilfracombe, Devon, £203,620
