Southern influx continues as buyers seek villages close to North Yorkshire railway stations with direct links to London

There are exceptions and sought-after North Yorkshire is one. Agents’ phones are still ringing off the hook there, thanks in large part to the ongoing pandemic induced exodus from urban areas in the south of England to rural villages in and around the Yorkshire Dales, North York Moors and Howardian Hills.

“We thought the enquiries would slow with time but we have seen no let up at all in the number of people who want to move here from London and the South East,” says Ben Pridden, estate agency director at Hewetson and Johnson, who adds that there is also a significant migration to rural idylls in God’s Own County from Cambridge, Manchester and Liverpool.

One of the top must-haves for many of these buyers is easy travelling distance to a railway station with a service to London. “This has become a priority for many as, although they can work at home, travelling to the office in London is still required, once a week or once a fortnight. Railway stations have never been so important to buyers,” says Ben. “That is why villages within half to three quarters of an hour from a station with direct links to the capital are especially sought after.”

Such railway stations include Northallerton, Thirsk and, of course, York, and while the train ride on these lines varies in length from about two to two-and-a-half hours one way, the journey is deemed worth it, especially as you can now work as you travel thanks to free wi-fi in the carriages. The 6.10am train from Northallerton gets you into Kings Cross at 8.39am and coming home, the 6.20pm service has you back in Northallerton at 8.38pm.

Estate agents have also noticed a striking change in buyer profile. A common trajectory pre-Covid was for buyers from the south to buy a North Yorkshire property as a second home when in their 50s with a view to making it their permanent residence when they were ready to take their pension. Now, they are buying to move here permanently straight away and they are being joined by those who are in their 40s.

“That has been a definite shift, though I can’t see the age range going much lower because you have to be very well established in a job to feel secure enough to buy a home a couple of hundreds of miles away from the office,” says Ben.

The main price bracket that those deserting London and the South East are looking at is £750,000 upwards, thanks to cashing in on high value homes in the south. Estate agent Tim Gower of Robin Jessop’s Leyburn office agrees that demand is still raging and estimates that prices in the Dales have risen 20 per cent above the Yorkshire average increase. Land Registry Figures bear this out.

“There is a shortage of homes for sale here and that is compounded by the time of year when fewer people put their property on the market and yet the demand from buyers is rising. We can’t quite believe the level of demand or how quickly homes are being snapped up. The lack of stock means that prices are being driven up by those competing for the few homes that are for sale,” says Tim, who adds that offering the asking price rarely cuts it.

“We’ve just been dealing with a client who wants to make an offer on a property and we have advised her to go 10 per cent above the asking price as that’s what she needs to do to have any chance at all of securing it.”

Would-be buyers also have to be in a proceedable position to have the best chance of success, which is why many are opting to sell their own property first and move in with family or into rented accommodation so they tick another box for sellers, who have the upper hand. The influx has also resulted in previously less popular areas now becoming desirable.

“Areas that were once seen as remote or backwaters are now getting a lot of interest. The village of Dent is a good example of this,” says Tim.

“Basically the whole of Richmondshire is now on the map as far as buyers are concerned.”

Richmondshire covers a large northern area of the sought-after Yorkshire Dales including Swaledale, Arkengarthdale, Wensleydale and Coverdale, The outsider invasion to this property hotspot has brought with it fears that locals will be further priced out, especially those who are on lower salaries, typically in the hospitality industry.

“That is a big problem,” says Tim, who adds that some of those born and bred in the area are holding their own against incomers. “We have seen more local competition too this year, including on one property that had nine bidders, all of them local.”

Pictured is Boat Garth in the village of Maunby, which is on the market for £750,000 with www.hewetsonandjohnson.co.uk. It is within easy travelling distance of the railway station at Thirsk.

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