Demand for houses in Sunderland is 'crazy' estate agent says house hunters look to relocate from the south

Chris Kelly, of Hunters estate agent in Sea Road, Fulwell has said the demand for homes along Sunderland’s coastline, gardens and home offices has risen since the easing of lockdown.

Having stayed at home for months, and with plenty of time being spent inside, people are now looking to buy a home with the features they have always dreamed of.

Chris said: “There’s not enough supply, people are desperate to buy houses with gardens and home offices and near the coast but there’s less houses now compared to this time last year."

Homes with gardens are increasingly desirable as buyers want to be able to spend time outdoors.

He added: "It’s gone crazy, people have been working from home and spending time indoors and now the restrictions have lifted they want a garden and to be near the beach.”

The expert estate agent says house prices along the coastline such as Roker, Seaburn and Whitburn have rocketed in price with asking prices starting at least £200,000.

Chris says he has also seen buyers from the South East relocating to the North East which he believes is down to one factor.

"Working from home – People might now only need to head into the office once a month so buyers from the South East who may come from Sunderland or have relatives here are relocating back up here," he said.

He added: “Demand for houses along the coast is crazy, the demand has shot up for properties near the beach.”

After the uncertainty of the pandemic, Chris says he thinks people are ‘nervous’ about selling.

Chris explained: “The pandemic has brought a lot of uncertainty and I think people are nervous about selling their properties because they don’t know what is going to happen.

"I think people will be sitting on properties for the next few months as furlough ends and once we get back ‘normal life’ then we will see a lot more people selling properties."

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