Oh we do want to be by Whitby seaside

• A new study from Rightmove reveals the most in-demand coastal locations, with Whitby in North Yorkshire topping the list followed by Whitley Bay in Tyne and Wear
• There is a difference of over £1 million between the cheapest and most expensive coastal areas: Sandbanks in Poole tops the pricey list with average asking prices of over £1.2 million
• Newbiggin-by-the-sea in Northumberland is the cheapest coastal location, with average asking prices of just over £100,000
• Exclusive seaside resorts of Sandbanks and Salcombe both have average asking prices slightly lower than this time last year, but still out of reach for most home-hunters

A new study from the UK’s biggest property website Rightmove has found two northern seaside towns have topped the list for the most in-demand places to live on the coast.

Looking at the levels of enquiries for the property stock available for sale in the town, Whitby in North Yorkshire takes the top spot. It has a relatively affordable average asking price of just over £210,000, with agents reporting increased demand for holiday homes over the past month, and more families looking for a new lifestyle now they’ve realised that they can work from home.

Next up is Whitley Bay in the North East, which has asking prices of just over £260,000 and has had significant regeneration in recent years.

There are three areas of Cornwall in the top ten, Padstow, Newquay and Bude, and Salcombe and Ilfracombe represent Devon. In Scotland, Ayr and Troon – the home to Royal Troon Golf Club – also make the list, along with Caister-on-sea in Norfolk.

The luxurious resorts of Sandbanks, loved by a number of celebrities, Canford Cliffs, and Salcombe top the most expensive list, while Newbiggin-by-the-Sea and Blackpool take the top two spots in the cheapest list.

Rightmove’s property expert Miles Shipside says: “Having the chance to look out your window to a sea view is something many home-hunters tell us is a dream of theirs. This means that the properties that do offer this are able to charge a premium compared to those in-land. Seaside towns in Great Britain have always had wildly different property prices, with some of the most expensive places to live outside London being in coastal areas like Sandbanks and Salcombe, while other coastal locations have prices of only £100,000. Lockdown has changed what a number of home-hunters are now looking for from their next home, and while some are looking for more space or a bigger garden, others are now contemplating a move to the seaside.”

Agents’ Views

Nick Henderson, Director of Hendersons estate agents in Whitby says: “One of the great things about Whitby is that there’s usually something going on all year round, it’s not just when the sun is shining. Since we reopened a few weeks ago we’ve been selling bigger homes a lot more quickly than before, as families are changing the way they live and are swapping a ten minute commute into the office for a ten minute walk to the beach instead. Holiday homes have always been popular, often apartments or cottages that have been refurbished to an incredibly high spec, but again there’s been a surge in recent weeks for these as people choose to make an investment now so they have somewhere for a staycation over the next few years instead of going abroad.”

Susan Usher, Branch Manager of Your Move in Whitley Bay, says: “The regeneration of Whitley Bay in recent years has brought people back who lived here in the past. It’s also very popular with younger families as they can send their children to outstanding schools and have beautiful beaches on their doorstep. Since the market reopened in mid-May we’ve had an increase in people looking to move here from places like York and the South, plus home-hunters considering an apartment they can buy as a second home to holiday in. It’s been quite staggering the number of applicants we’ve had in recent weeks, with a number of properties going for above asking prices, both for luxury apartments and lovely Victorian homes.”

Most in-demand seaside locations

Most expensive seaside locations

Cheapest seaside locations

ENDS

1 The demand formula is based on the number of people enquiring about properties in the area, whilst also taking into account the size of the area and the number of properties available for sale.