Spring sales have been extremely strong and intense competition around closing dates has resulted in properties being sold quickly, according to real estate firm CKD Galbraith.
Its Perth office has reported a record number of sales over the past year and there has been a surge in buyers moving to the area from England with 44% of sales over the last 12 months being buyers from outside Scotland.
Recent figures from the Register of Scotland show that in Perth and Kinross average residential prices were up 9.9% in the first quarter of 2014 to £180,886 compared with £164,627 in the same period in 2013.
The data also shows that the volume of residential sales were up 25.3% in the first three months of the year compared to the same quarter last year and the values of residential sales is up 37.7% from £67,661,652 a year ago to £93,156,098.
The burgeoning Perthshire market has led CKD Galbraith to strengthen its residential team in Perth with the addition of James Freeman and Victoria Kerr who join Emma Chalmers and Jennifer Campbell.
‘As the Scottish residential property market continues to improve, Perthshire has once again shown it is one of the most desirable places to live in Scotland, particularly in rural areas. We are seeing a shortage of supply in Perthshire for houses with two acres or more as a result of renewed desirability for country houses with more buyers seeking the good life,’ said Emma Chalmers head of agency for CKD in Perth.
‘We have strengthened our team in Perth to reflect demand for advice on sales and purchases and we have also been greatly encouraged by the continuing strength in the Perthshire rental sector,’ she explained.
‘There has been a significant increase in the number of people seeking a rental property in the area, with demand outstripping supply, particularly in more rural areas as well as larger properties, with the number of applicant registrations rising by 53% and of those showing interest being local people,’ she added.
