Autumn 2011

“According to Zoopla house prices in market towns have risen dramatically in recent years and look set to continue to do so, presenting excellent opportunities for investors, new figures seem to show.

According to data from Lloyds TSB, average property prices in market towns across England have risen by 103 per cent from £114,718 in 2001 to £233,416 in 2011, which is equivalent to an increase of £989 per month over the past decade.

More than half of the market towns in this survey have seen house prices at least double since 2001, while two out of three market towns now have an average house price that is above their county average.

Overall, house prices in market towns are, on average, £25,592 (or 12 per cent) higher than their county average. People perceive them as nicer places to live. They are quite often close to good shops – you might have to travel less than if you lived in the countryside, so people are willing to pay more for that. Rural house prices seem to have gone up faster than urban house prices and a lot of market towns will be in rural areas, which may be another sector that people might want to look at for investment. ”
Market towns such as Cirencester, Tetbury, Stroud, Malmesbury and Devizes offer attractive locations to concentrate a property search on especially as they have vibrant communities whilst being surrounded with attractive countryside. Bigger centres such as Cheltenham and Bath continue to be popular with their cultural amenities and excellent communications.