Scottish property market continues in fine fettle

Scottish property consultant CKD Galbraith has reported that increased sales activity published by Registers of Scotland has been reflected in the firm’s network of branches across Scotland.

Registers of Scotland has revealed that the volume of residential sales in September 2016 was 9,352 – an increase of 8.5 per cent on the previous year and up 10.4 per centon last month.

A comparable rise in sales was recorded across CKD Galbraith’s 11 offices, with sales between October and December 2016 up by 17 per cent when compared to the same quarter in 2015.

CKD Galbraith also reported a 12 per cent rise in the number of properties available for sale during quarter four, demonstrating the continuing increased confidence of sellers to make a move. Similarly, the number of viewings conducted in Q4 2016 against Q4 2015 rose by 18 per cent.

Simon Brown, partner and head of residential sales at CKD Galbraith, said: “Scotland is continuing to experience strong levels of demand across all aspects of the residential market despite confidence and sales volumes dipping in other regions of the UK over the same period.

“We believe this due to the competitive pricing and value for money that remains available in Scotland, and the 3.3 per cent rise in prices reported by Registers of Scotland chimes with the healthy and sustainable price rises we have achieved for properties sold by CKD Galbraith.

“Whilst some had predicted lingering uncertainty following last June’s Brexit vote, our agents have experienced few lasting effects with plenty of sellers and buyers eager to complete transactions. The eclectic mix of local, national and international buyers that we sell to appears to be unchanged over the last year and we are still experiencing demand from south of the border, especially for rural properties accompanied by small parcels of land.”