The Wakefield postcode area has a huge amount to offer discerning buyers looking for community spirit, great schools and transport links

The recent work from home revolution sparked by the pandemic has brought more of those born and bred there back to an area regarded as “Proper Yorkshire”, as opposed to places like chi chi Harrogate, where “off cummed ‘uns” and non-Yorkshire accents proliferate.

“It is a great place to live,” says Claire Kendall, partner at Richard Kendall estate agents. “People are really friendly here and that’s a wonderful thing. There is a lot of loyalty in that people who were born here want to stay here and while each area has its own character, they all have a great sense of community.”

House prices with a WF postcode have followed the Yorkshire-wide trajectory upwards over the past year and have seen a 12 per cent increase. The average house price in the area is now £202,327, according to Rightmove, with detached houses selling for an average £313,004, semi-detached homes selling for an average of £181,214 and terraced homes for £130,000.

This means it offers good value for money when compared to the region’s property hotspots, including the sought-after Golden Triangle, and, as Claire Kendall points out, the cathedral city of Wakefield and its surrounding towns and villages have a great deal to offer in terms of connectivity, countryside and outstanding state and private schools, not to mention those house prices.

“We are certainly seeing more people move to Wakefield and the surrounding areas from South Leeds because house prices are lower here, schools are very good and commuting back into Leeds for work is not an issue,” says Claire.

Wakefield offers good rail links to Leeds with journey times of between 14 and 20 minutes and the M62, M1 and A1 are all easily accessible from WF postcodes. Culture too is catered for. The Hepworth Wakefield attracts thousands of visitors each year and is named after the city’s famous daughter Barbara Hepworth. The architecturally bold building features her sculptures, along with other world class exhibitions and events that attract thousands of visitors each year.

The renowned Yorkshire Sculpture Park is also in the WF area as is the National Coal Mining Museum and the National Trust’s 300 acre site at Nostell. While retail is struggling, as it is everywhere, the Wakefield BID, which has a £1.5m budget, has big plans to revive the city centre.

The only issue for those who want to make the move is the nationwide issue of a lack of homes for sale, which means choice is more limited making it a sellers market. The good news is that more properties look set to sport a For Sale sign by Spring Richard Kendall offices are “valuing property left, right and centre” at the moment, which should lead to more For Sale signs going up.

Developers have already spotted the potential and continue to target the area, though Claire Kendall has some advice for them given the number of high net worth individuals in the area and wealthier buyers keen to move in. She says: “We need more high end new-build homes in the area and Wakefield city centre also holds a lot of untapped potential for high quality apartments aimed at downsizers.”

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