The global pandemic has changed everything as properties of all shapes and sizes are being snapped up in the picturesque North Wales as an army of workers who can now work from home and are swapping life in the city for an idyllic lifestyle in the Welsh countryside and coastal towns.
According to the property website Rightmove, seaside resorts have seen one of the largest increases in house prices as buyers seek quieter life with more space. ‘The desire to move to the country has turned from a short-term shift into a trend” says Tim Bannister from Rightmove.
Owen Knox, founder of Welsh Estate Agency Segrwyd says that ”this pattern can be seen not only in Wales but also in the English countryside as people are desperate to leave life in the city behind. and embrace the ability to work from home in beautiful surroundings and avoid precious time spent on commuting to and from work.”
North Wales law firm Swayne Johnson, which has six offices across the region from Menai Bridge on Anglesey to Tattenhall, near Chester, have seen their conveyancing workload rise by 50 per cent since the first pandemic lockdown ended in July.
Michael Tree, Swayne Johnson Director and Head of Conveyancing at the firm which has bases in Denbigh, Ruthin, St Asaph, Llandudno, Menai Bridge and Tattenhall, near Chester, said: “The evidence is that while sales have risen across all kinds of property from starter homes upwards, perhaps the most dramatic difference is in how quickly large countryside properties are moving.
“Properties which might once have taken some time to sell are now being snapped up quickly and the evidence is that many people in cities, even as far away as London, have found through necessity during lockdown that they can work from home.
“What’s more it seems they have enjoyed the experience and the firms that employ them have also seen the opportunity to encourage home-working because it means they themselves can downsize from expensive city centre offices.
Photo Credit https://unsplash.com/photos/qPm99GV4JW8