Bruton in Somerset is the top country hotspot for homebuyers
While many of us have spent the past year daydreaming about an escape to the country to find our perfect post-lockdown home, we have noticed that plenty of homebuyers have already been making the move.
The demand for countryside and coastal living has been rising steadily during the past 12 months, especially from people living in cities.
The biggest shift has been in London, where this time last year 39% of Londoners were searching for properties outside of the city. This has now jumped up to more than half, with 52% of the capital’s residents now thinking about swapping the city for a new location.
We have discovered that this trend is also the same across all 10 of the biggest cities in Britain, so we have taken a look at the countryside hotspots that have seen the biggest increase in the number of sales agreed in the past year.
Top spot: Bruton, Somerset
In the small West Country town of Bruton, in Somerset, there has been a massive 122% increase in the number of home sales agreed in the past year.
Huge demand from homebuyers has pushed the average up the asking price of homes in the town by 19% to £365,788 in 12 months.
With a population of just 3,000 residents, this medieval market town close to Glastonbury may be small in size, but the area is a huge draw for city dwellers searching for ‘the good life’.
It has also been named one of the coolest places to live and is said to be attracting a few celebrities, too, gaining it the nickname of the “new Notting Hill”.
Surrounded by rolling hills, the town itself is also famed for its highly-regarded farm-to-table restaurants, independent boutiques, artisan shops and chic hotels.
Take a look at some properties currently for sale in Bruton here.
Ditchingham, near Bungay in Suffolk, is also proving popular with homebuyers, with a 122% rise in the number of sales agreed in the past year. Average asking prices for homes in this picturesque rural village have risen by 7% in a year to £268,360.
Meanwhile, Donington, near Spalding in Lincolnshire, has seen the third largest increase in the number of home sales agreed.
Take a look at our list of the top 10 countryside areas for homebuyers below.
Top 10 country hotspots over the past year
| Location | Increase in sales agreed | Average asking price | Annual change |
| Bruton, Somerset | 122% | £365,788 | 19.0% |
| Ditchingham, Bungay, Suffolk | 119% | £268,360 | 7.0% |
| Donington, Spalding, Lincolnshire | 108% | £165,617 | 6.8% |
| West Horndon, Brentwood, Essex | 104% | £450,044 | 3.3% |
| Badsey, Evesham, Worcestershire | 103% | £318,276 | 8.1% |
| Watton At Stone, Hertford, Hertfordshire | 100% | £510,868 | 9.4% |
| Thakeham, Pulborough, West Sussex | 100% | £605,266 | 4.2% |
| Oakley, Basingstoke, Hampshire | 98% | £439,607 | 1.1% |
| Timsbury, Bath, Somerset | 97% | £358,566 | 13.8% |
| Dartmouth, Devon | 96% | £403,986 | 8.0% |
READ MORE: How the coronavirus pandemic has changed what home-movers are looking for
The header image is courtesy of Hunter French, in Bruton.
