Selby district is winning buyers priced out of York

It may not win a beauty contest when up against York but buyers are judging Selby on its location, property prices, schools and transport links.

It scores highly, which is why first-time-buyers and second steppers have targeted the market town.

“Sixty per cent of our buyers are from outside the area and we are selling properties in a matter of days if the price is right,” says Rebecca Hunt, manager of Jigsaw Sales and Lettings.

“We have a lot of younger people moving from York to find better value for money. They realise that you can very easily commute to work in York and Leeds from Selby.”

The property stock in the town is largely terraced houses and newer semi-detached and detached homes. Attractive period properties are rare though Selby centre is graced with a beautiful abbey, an historic town hall and a clutch of listed commercial buildings.

House prices start at about £65,000 for a one-bedroom flat and £80,000 for a two-bedroom terraced house. You can find two and three-bedroom semi-detached houses from £130,000 and a detached home from £160,000.

According to the latest Land Registry index, which dates from June, the average house price in Selby is £198,454 compared with £247,644 in York.

The least expensive home for sale in Selby is a studio apartment with alloctade parking space on Holmes Lane at £60,000 marketed by William H. Brown. At the top of the market is a revamped two-bedroom bungalow on Sandhill Lane for £310,000 and a detached five-bedroom new-build at £299,995 on Coupland Road by Bovis Homes.

Road and rail links are a big draw for those moving into the town. Selby has quick and easy access to the A1, M62 and M18. The drive to York and Leeds takes half an hour as does the train service. You can also get a direct train to London Kings Cross that takes just over two hours.

Amenities include four supermarkets, a leisure centre with pool, an indoor climbing and play centre, independent shops and easy access to beautiful countryside.

Schools are also a major pull. Selby High School is especially sought-after thanks to a high proportion of its pupils getting top grades.

All the above have caught the attention of developers who have spotted signs of gentrification and have targeted the town.

“Buyers herelike new homes. The Stayner Hall development, which is effectively a village with a school and a supermarket, has just been finished and that has been very popular,” says Rebecca Hunt.

There is more to come after the government's Housing Infrastructure Fund allocated £8.8m for the Olympia Park site in the Selby village of Barlby. The grant will pay for land remediation work and a link road into the site from the A63. The fund is aimed at unlocking brownfield land for new homes in areas with the greatest housing demand.

For those who don't want to live in the town, there are lots of desirable villages in the Selby district.

“North Duffield, Cawood and Wistow are very popular as the closer to York you get, the higher the property prices,” says Jo Battye, of Hunters estate agents.

Prices in the Selby district are now outpacing those in York. The latest Land Registry figures show that Selby prices rose by 3.9 per cent between June 2017 and June 2018, while York's fell by 0.6 per cent.

“We have definitely seen a rise in values compared with last year,” says Rebecca Hunt, “The property market here is very busy and I can't see that changing any time soon.”