A Highland house builder has experienced a surge of interest from potential buyers keen to move to the area having taken stock of their lives during the pandemic.
Tulloch Homes says there has been a 12% rise in demand for homes in Inverness and the wider Highlands this year compared to the same time in 2020.
Most of the inquiries are coming from Scotland, with some from England, from people keen to achieve a better work-life balance and, in many cases, be able to work from home away from urban centres.
Jo McLaren, who has taken up a post as sales and marketing director with Tulloch Homes, said that lockdown means people are giving increased thought to what they want in a home.
She said the Inverness new housing market remains buoyant with many buyers able to work from different locations and who see the Highland capital as a city with plenty of green space and sustainable environment.
Ms McLaren, who has moved from Savills, where she was head of new homes for Edinburgh and the East of Scotland, said: “Key drivers of the housing market going forward are much greater emphasis on having private outside space, zoned areas where you can combine working with cooking, dining and enjoying family time as well as areas to relax and unwind, with the availability of high-speed broadband to facilitate homeworking.
“While the 2008 global financial crisis impacted our lives, it didn’t change how people lived, compared to the changes we have seen as a result of Covid-19. This has led to behavioural and lifestyle changes as people are re-evaluating what they want from their lives, including how and where they wish to live and work.
“There is, for instance, greater demand emerging for divided rooms rather than open plan living. People need separation to work, children need it to study or play.
“There is a massive opportunity going forward to meet the new yearning for changing use of a house and the appetite for innovative eco-friendly solutions.”
In September, Tullochs announced it was taking employees off furlough and bringing back contractors due to demand for new homes. At the time, sales for the previous eight weeks were up 28% up on the same time in 2019.
Last year one estate agent said English house buyers seeking lifestyle changes were heading to the Highlands “in their droves” as the first lockdown eased.
Ken McEwan, chief executive of McEwan Fraser Legal, said the business had been inundated with inquiries.
