Research by the property portal Rightmove has found that Didsbury, Greater Manchester, is the most popular place to look for a property at the moment. The portal looked at the number of instant alerts for homes coming onto the market and found that Didsbury is the place for which most people are signing up for the alerts.
Higher average asking prices than other Greater Manchester homes
The findings may come as a surprise at a time when a lot of people have felt the impact of the pandemic on their personal finances and employment situation.
Didsbury is one of the most expensive places in the county to buy a property right now. The average asking price is £367, 249. That’s more than £130,000 higher than the average of £237,380 in Greater Manchester.
This isn’t quite as high as in Walthamstow, London, which came second and in which you can expect an asking price of £499,534 on average. Meanwhile, in Wirral, in Merseyside, which came third, sellers are requesting a cheaper £287,243 on average, which may appeal to homebuyers out there.
The property market in Didsbury has experienced a real surge. Prices have jumped and sellers are receiving multiple bids for their properties. Houses are selling faster in the area as well.
This is all taking place in a fast-moving market. Homebuyers have realised they can’t wait until the weekend to decide which properties they wish to view, so they’re acting quickly.
Why Didsbury?
The managing director of Didsbury estate agent Philip James Kennedy, Rob Kennedy, explained why the world seemed to be flocking to Didsbury for their properties.
He explained that the pandemic had brought about a general increase in the importance of ‘home’ and that people were looking for more space to work and to relax. Buyers were seeking more outside space, too… somewhere that provided access to a local park or to a larger garden.
Didsbury may be small, but it’s incredibly attractive. It has a firmly established café culture, some beautiful parks, specialist food shops and more.
Buyers can choose from a variety of housing. Didsbury displays a special taste for Victorian housing. Victorian cottages, late Victorian terraces and traditional semis are all options. There are also Arts and Crafts detached family homes and more modern apartments and townhouse developments.
Greater Manchester, the place to be
Didsbury may have topped the list, but it’s not the only area to have caught the eye of homebuyers. Greater Manchester in general seems to be wowing them and locations have helped themselves to another four spots in the top ten. Houses in them had the average asking prices below as according to Rightmove:
- Prestwich — 4th (£277,643)
- Chorlton-cum-Hardy — 6th (£359,377)
- Heaton Moor — 8th (£307,040)
- Bramhall — 9th (£482,311)
The remaining places in the top ten were Horsforth, West Yorkshire (5th and £312,460); West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire (7th and 365,370); and Chiswick, London (10th and £969,350).
Are you one of the many looking for a home in Didsbury or other areas of Greater Manchester? If you’re planning to buy a home in one of the county’s most expensive areas, don’t forget to think about the costs of moving, including the cost of a good removal service. The consumer organisation Which? has highlighted that despite a drop in the costs, thanks to a temporary reduction of stamp duty by the Government, some of the costs of moving have increased, in which case you should monitor your budget carefully when deciding to buy a house and engaging in the moving process.
