Confidence in Moray housing market
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HOUSE buyers across Moray are showing high confidence despite political uncertainty, a local property agency branch has found.
Galbraith, the independent property consultancy, which is marking 10 years in Moray, said its most recent sales in the region showed a sharp rise on the previous year.
Over the past quarter, ending March 31, sales from the Elgin office rose by 60% compared with the same period one year ago. And the number of market appraisals the firm has conducted in Moray has risen by 31% compared with the preceding quarter, showing that buyers are confident in the current property market and keen to go ahead with their house moves despite the uncertain political environment.
Rod Christie, head of residential sales for Galbraith in Moray, said: "Last quarter was really positive in terms of the high number of sales completed across Moray as a whole. The properties which sell well are typically those in attractive rural locations, ideally with excellent views and which are in good condition. The most desirable areas continue to include parts of Speyside, the principal towns and the coastal villages.
"The early summer is the peak selling period and there is currently a shortage of rural properties with land being brought to the market. We have buyers registered with us who are looking for smallholdings, or well-sited properties with perhaps two or three acres, or suitable as a pony paddock. We would advise those considering putting their house on the market to take advantage of the currently strong market conditions."
Mr Christie added: "We set up our office in Elgin in the depth of the recession in 2009 and have managed to not only survive but grow and prosper. Our best year so far has been 2018, so we are on track for further growth."
For Galbraith across Scotland as a whole, sales were up 16% year-on-year for the period January 1 to March 31. On average the firm handles £54 million worth of property sales per quarter for all regions of Scotland.
