Guildford, located only a 35-minute train ride from London, has been named the best place in the country for city dwellers to relocate to; a survey by Compare My Move revealed. Taking into account the average house price, median salary, download speed and the annual average hours of sunlight, Guildford received the highest score with 87.45, followed by St Albans with 86.48. Following the recent increase of house hunters looking to move out of the city, property experts are already witnessing a growing demand for properties in Guildford.
Clearview Developments, a boutique property developer confirms that their current project; Bargate House in Guildford; has sold 50% within a time frame of only 2 weeks, whilst an additional 25% have received offers, leaving only one unit left for sale. Clearview’s sales boost reflects recent figures by Rightmove, which saw the number of enquiries from London residents looking for a village lifestyle rise by 144% (in June and July 2020 compared to the same period last year).
Jason Tema, Director at Clearview Developments comments: “The demand for our Guildford project has been overwhelming. Although we have always witnessed a high demand from house hunters, we can see that the market has become extremely competitive due to an increasing number of city dwellers looking to relocate. In addition, we have noted a stark increase in savvy investors who are shifting their focus from investment properties in London to the regional housing markets such as Surrey.”
Further indications that Guildford’s property market continues to boom is the recent announcement of Weyside Urban Village, which encompasses a green and thriving community alongside the River Wey. Over the next 10 years, the project aims to delivery 1,500 new homes whilst creating new work and commercial spaces for new and existing businesses.
Further infrastructural investments in Guildford include Network Rail and Kier’s plan for the £200m redevelopment of Guildford Station. The plans have recently advanced after rental homes developer Grainger agreed to fund nearly 100 build to rent flats on the scheme with £37m. The scheme also includes a £25m new station building and integrated transport interchange, improved public realm and 440 new homes. A 644-space multi-storey car park, part of the first tranche of rail improvements, will also be constructed.
Dave Sayce, managing director at Compare My Move, concludes: “The coronavirus pandemic has seen many people reconsidering their living situation, with a large number of city dwellers ditching urban living and relocating to rural areas for a slower-paced life in the beautiful English countryside.
“It’s not surprising to see the top rural destinations are near London, with the likes of Guildford and St Albans proving popular places for Londoners to escape to, whilst having the benefit of quick and easy transport links into the city.”
Compare My Move’s data shows that the average house price in Guildford is £539,496, the median salary is £34,207, and the median download speed is 60 megabits per second. Comparatively for St Albans, the average house price is £559,240, the median salary is £34,101, and the median download speed is 59 megabits per second.
