In this ever changing economic landscape post the EU
Referendum, one recent housing report has caught our eye that provides some
interesting research into the current property market in Scotland and the UK as
a whole.
Strutt and Parker’s ‘Housing Futures III’ report continues
their programme of identifying emerging trends that will change the face of the
UK residential sector.
In their latest publication, Strutt and Parker focus on ‘The
Village Revival’ with an increase in house buyers seeking out “amenity rich
environments within a village setting”. They have identified five new
demographic groups or ‘tribes’ that they say are responsible for this revival:
- ‘Rubies’, new families keen to raise their children in a village community;
- ‘Elderflowers’, healthy and active retirees with assets;
- ‘Downtowns’, an influential family living in
the grandest house in the village;
- ‘Onesies’, single person households, growing
year on year in the UK;
- ‘Rusticarians’, entrepreneurs and creative types
whose dynamism can significantly contribute to the village economy.
In
addition, out of the Scottish respondents in Strutt and Parker’s survey, 33%
wanted to purchase property in a rural or village setting, while 23% preferred
to buy in the city.
At first sight the findings of this research may seem to be
as a result of high property prices in urban settings pushing buyers towards
more reasonably priced rural locations. But there is more to this trend than
meets the eye.
The report indicates that the 21st century village
is evolving rapidly. As rural areas become more connected and their
infrastructure grows, there is increased scope for changing where we live and
how we work and a noticeable shift away from city living. Greater access to
broadband and mobile connectivity coupled with remote working practices and
online shopping is attracting a new type of house buyer. Most of the respondents
in the survey were looking for a detached property within walking distance of
shops, amenities and transport links. They were interested in space, from their
neighbours and within their property, in increased neighbourhood safety and
community spirit. These factors are
driving this revival, and it’s something we at Richmond Homes can see reflected
in our customer choice.
Identifying beautiful rural settings with excellent
accessibility and local amenities is the cornerstone of our business. Our rural
developments are situated close to thriving village communities that have much
to offer in terms of quality of life and community involvement – from practical
amenities like schools, health centres and shops, leisure pursuits and outdoor
recreation, to a choice of nearby road, rail, bus and airport links.
When it comes to the design and lay-out of our homes, we
understand that many of our customers may want the flexibility and space to
allow them to work at home as well as cater for a growing family’s changing
needs. Others may be looking for a more relaxed country lifestyle reflected in
the spacious open plan lay-out of our homes, thoughtfully designed to
complement their surroundings and make the very most of the space available.
Additional information on Strutt and Parker’s
‘Housing Futures’ reports can be found here.
This year, Richmond Homes are delighted to be one of three finalists in the Herald Property Awards ‘Best Family Home’ category (for Developers Building less than 50 units per year) for our family home, ‘The Alder’ at our luxury Chesterhill Development outside Edinburgh. We will be hoping to repeat our success of 2013 when we won ‘Best Family Home’ for a unique bespoke home in St Andrews. To be recognized again amongst such an innovative and impressive shortlist of finalists is a wonderful accolade and we will be awaiting the results with baited breath at the glamorous black tie awards dinner in Glasgow on September 22nd. 
