Ceredigion housing market ‘never so busy’ due to Covid-19 urban exodus says estate agent

A post-lockdown exodus from urban areas has led to a boom in the property market in Wales’ rural areas, particularly Ceredigion, according to estate agents Savills.

According to Savills’ data, Ceredigion is the highest-performing Welsh location, with agreed sales up 181 per cent on last year.

“I’ve never been so busy, with 70-80 per cent of buyers from outside of Wales,” Dan Rees, of Savills, told the Telegraph newspaper.

He said that buyers are spending £400,000 to £700,000, with particular demand in Aberaeron, New Quay and Cardigan.

“This area used to be overshadowed by Pembrokeshire, but that is changing,” he said.

People were looking at property outside of urban areas as Covid-19 meant that they could work from home or only visit the office once or twice a week, the Telegraph said.

‘Sweet spot’

The Savills/TwentyCi data identified the most in-demand locations outside of the East and South East of England as Aberdeenshire (up 281 per cent), followed by the South Hams in Devon (up 209 per cent) and Ryedale in Yorkshire (up 205 per cent).

According to Cameron Ewer, head of Savills Scotland: “Between May and June, we saw a 70 per cent increase in buyers from South East England. The sweet spot price range is £400,000 to £600,000.”

Last week nearly 30 town councillors, language campaigners and local people marched from Nefyn to Caernarfon to demand that the Welsh Government acts to solve what they said was a “second home crisis”.

Campaigners taking part in the 20-mile hike said the rise in the number of second homes in rural Wales threatened the Welsh language.

They called on the Government to pass a new Property Act on devolving the Land Transaction Tax to local authorities.

Rhys Tudur, a town councillor in Nefyn, said he was “extremely disappointed” with the Welsh Government’s inaction in dealing with our second homes crisis.

“The Government’s inaction is heartbreaking given that there are too many second homes in our communities resulting in gentrification, and creating a huge imbalance that is detrimental to the wellbeing of future generations who cannot live in their local area,” he said.