NW Highland prices just went mad

NW Highland prices just went mad

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Discussion

GetCarter

Original Poster:

29,419 posts

280 months

Monday 26th February
quotequote all
This place (Offers over £160k) just went for over £300k.

It has some land, but land is totally useless here, as you can't do anything with it.

Just for context; 40 years ago it would have been given away for free (really - happened a lot). 20 years ago it would have cost £20k. 5 years ago maybe £80k ... now £300k!

Views are astonishing of course, but where did that massive price rise come from in such a short time? Not just Covid surely?


Bill

52,964 posts

256 months

Monday 26th February
quotequote all
COVID and then starlink making it viable I suspect.

motco

15,989 posts

247 months

Monday 26th February
quotequote all
Well this one in Galloway (I know, not the Highlands) isn't moving in a hurry. Newton Stewart

Tye Green

665 posts

110 months

Monday 26th February
quotequote all
your fault @GetCarter for posting so many stunning pictures of the area!

Nezquick

1,462 posts

127 months

Monday 26th February
quotequote all
Could it be the rising popularity of the NC500? I know the NW of Scotland is one of my all time favorite places and i'd move there in a heartbeat if it was viable for work etc. But I only grew to love it after travelling off the beaten path from the NC500 route.

yellowbentines

5,352 posts

208 months

Monday 26th February
quotequote all
From speaking to relatives who live in Lewis and Harris, it's often money from down South where perhaps £300k doesn't buy much so is a drop in the ocean. Perhaps in the past that money was buying holiday homes in Devon or Cornwall?

Fix it up, let it privately for part of the year to cover some costs, and then use it as a second home/holiday home.




Edited by yellowbentines on Monday 26th February 17:15

Meltham Terrier

328 posts

134 months

Monday 26th February
quotequote all
motco said:
Well this one in Galloway (I know, not the Highlands) isn't moving in a hurry. Newton Stewart
No photo of the Swimming Pool which is odd

sherman

13,413 posts

216 months

Monday 26th February
quotequote all
Local Nusiance moves out.
House Prices rise.
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/11901907/ian...

dxg

8,264 posts

261 months

Monday 26th February
quotequote all
Yup, I've been watching v closely for the last 18 months.

What was under 300k at the start of my search is now 450k.

Starting to feel that if I don't move now I will miss my chance, but there's no work up there...

motco

15,989 posts

247 months

Monday 26th February
quotequote all
Meltham Terrier said:
motco said:
Well this one in Galloway (I know, not the Highlands) isn't moving in a hurry. Newton Stewart
No photo of the Swimming Pool which is odd
If you read the details on the agent's website you'll see that it's swimming pool in name only - it's falling down.

motco

15,989 posts

247 months

Monday 26th February
quotequote all
sherman said:
Local Nusiance moves out.
House Prices rise.
https://www.thescottishsun.co.uk/news/11901907/ian...
Scottish Sun said:
"After New Year, people heard he had left the humble croft...
This is the "Humble Croft" Hardly a turf roof and dirt floor!



tr7v8

7,202 posts

229 months

Monday 26th February
quotequote all
motco said:
Well this one in Galloway (I know, not the Highlands) isn't moving in a hurry. Newton Stewart
Spooky, I'd never heard of Newton Stewart but my cousin has just moved from NW Kent to the high street there. Their main reason for moving was to reduce costs as they were on an interest only mortgage.

ChocolateFrog

25,675 posts

174 months

Monday 26th February
quotequote all
Midges and near endless cold.

I'll happily stick with the odd visit and the pictures provided by the OP.

My dad lives in the Lakes and it's beautiful but the weather is grey and raining 8 times in 10. You can literally drive 10 east, get past Hawes and the sun will come out.

okgo

38,238 posts

199 months

Monday 26th February
quotequote all
Remote work, and cheap housing - people who used to need to be in SE now can work remote with Starlink. I know personally of two people.

GetCarter

Original Poster:

29,419 posts

280 months

Monday 26th February
quotequote all
okgo said:
Remote work, and cheap housing - people who used to need to be in SE now can work remote with Starlink. I know personally of two people.
Yea. I did that nearly 20 years ago. Amazed that so few have followed.

Out of interest, Starlink works for very few in Torridon as the satellites are too low in the sky, and at the wrong compass point, and the mountains are way too high! (Believe me, I've tried).

vaud

50,742 posts

156 months

Monday 26th February
quotequote all
okgo said:
Remote work, and cheap housing - people who used to need to be in SE now can work remote with Starlink. I know personally of two people.
I guess if you were in the SE - say Kent on commute line to London - sell your house, buy a small flat if you need to be in London a week/month and cash the rest into something like this.

There are worse ideas.

okgo

38,238 posts

199 months

Monday 26th February
quotequote all
Interesting. One I know in Cairngorms gets faster web than I do with dedicated fibre in Inner London.

cptsideways

13,564 posts

253 months

Monday 26th February
quotequote all
Starlink certainly fast round the west coast. I'd put pricing down to southerners buying up on a whim where 300k gets you nothing down south, that's a cheap plot for a shiny new build eco home & cheeky agents telling everyone from down south offers over means double at least.

Two of our neighbours bought sight unseen and one never visited the village prior to purchase. The views are amazing though so an easy sell on that front.

towser

929 posts

212 months

Monday 26th February
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The death of the Highlands.....packed full of retirees, second homes and AirBnBs these days.

a311

5,821 posts

178 months

Monday 26th February
quotequote all
My wife is from Oban we live in the Lakes where I grew up and there are some parallels. Lots of second property owners in Oban are from there and bought up second properties to rent out several family members and friends do this. There's also plenty from southern England that have sold up and made the move. It's making it very difficult to recruit for the service type jobs in the town a few cafés and restaurants have had to reduce their openning hours. Unlike where we're at there's not really anywhere to live cheaper that's within a commutable distance.

Even in the lakes the places outside the national park prices are crazy. With the current interests rates I don't know who's buying them but an EA I was chatting to said that at least 60% of sales are by buyers from outside of the county.

Government has a lot to answer for, cheap borrowing for too long and lack of rules and enforcement of local occupancy restrictions.