AN ESTATE agent has spoken of a ‘surge’ of homebuyers from outside the county targeting Settle.

Dacre, Son and Hartley reports 60 per cent of the homes currently under off with them are being snapped up by people from outside the area.

Tom Galloway, who heads up the Settle office, said:

“Although we regularly sell homes throughout Settle and beyond to people from outside Yorkshire, in the last 12 months the numbers have soared significantly.

“The sales are a combination of people deciding to relocate for a better quality of life and buying second homes. We’re currently working with numerous buyers from London and the South East, as well as Norfolk and Merseyside.

“Most are specifically attracted to Settle because of the superb surrounding countryside and easy access to both the Yorkshire Dales and the Lake District, as well as rail links to Leeds and being close to the M6 motorway.

“In addition to Settle, the surrounding areas of Giggleswick, Langcliffe, Austwick, Hellifield and Clapham are all proving particularly popular. Plus, although the stamp duty holiday for homes priced up to £500,000 has spurred the market on in recent months, we still have lots of new buyers from outside the area registering with us. This means a slowdown after the stamp duty holiday ending looks unlikely. There is also currently a very limited supply of quality three and four bedroom houses available, which are particularly sought after.”

Patrick McCutcheon, head of residential at Dacre, Son & Hartley added: “Of the 7,500 homebuyers that we typically have registered on our database across our offices, prior to last year, approximately 17 per cent were from London and the South East. However, this year that figure is now approaching 25 per cent.”