Property in Inverness, Aberdeen and the Highlands

More and more people are opting out of the urban lifestyle, and those that make the move to the Highlands and Islands and Aberdeenshire for a better quality of life are rarely disappointed with the career opportunities available.

The Highlands and Islands are the northern-most area of mainland Scotland, from Fort William in the southwest, to Thurso and Wick in the northeastern corner.

Aberdeenshire features Britain’s oil capital, beautiful Royal Deeside and a string of coastal and rural towns and villages from Banff in the north west to Stonehaven in the south east of the area.

Inverness is the Highlands and Islands’ principal settlement and is also the main transport hub for the rest of the region.

To the west are the islands of Mull and the Hebrides. Skye and Lewis are the best-known islands, and regular ferry crossings connect them to the mainland and each other.

To the east, the landscape is gentler and less mountainous. Off the north coast are the beautiful Orkney and Shetland Islands, which are almost treeless, and where the climate can be windy. Hot summers are rare, and the temperatures are frequently the lowest in Britain.

Major towns

Inverness, Elgin, Fort William, Thurso, Wick, Aberdeen, Ullapool, Oban, Peterhead, Fraserburgh, Lerwick (Shetland), Kirkwall (Orkney) and Stornoway (Lewis).

The property market

Remote and magnificent, the Highlands and Islands are the perfect choice for property buyers with a passion for outdoor pursuits seeking a better quality of life. The remoteness of the area means that the Highlands and Islands are the ideal platform to achieve this aim. This fact has not gone unnoticed during the recent property boom experienced throughout Scotland, and demand for the rural idyll that many parts of the area represent is at an all-time high.

According to the Registers of Scotland Executive Agency, prices between January and March 2004 were 27% higher than they were for the same period in the previous year. However, the average house price for the Highlands during this period stood at £92,348, well below the Scottish average of £106,932.

Oban, for example, is one of the most popular towns in the Highlands, situated on the west coast. According to Neil Fraser at Alexander Dawson estate agents in Oban, the town, known as the ‘capital of the Western Highlands’, is becoming more and more popular for people seeking that elusive slower pace of life. However, demand is far outstripping supply in a town with a population of just 8,500. Many come seeking the perfect waterfront cottage and leave disappointed. However, prices are still good compared to the south, and when they do come onto the market, 4-bedroom waterfront properties sell for around the £500,000 mark. Oban is not well connected by road so commuting to larger towns, such as Glasgow to the south, will be time consuming.

Inverness-shire is better connected and is also increasingly popular. Inverness has been, for some years, Europe’s fastest growing city, with a flood of people moving to the area from throughout the UK seeking a better quality of life. As well as being accessible thanks to the airport, Inverness-shire boasts wide and beautiful open spaces, and good broadband connectivity. As a result prices have almost doubled in the last three years, but again, prices are still reasonable compared with the south.

According to John Bound at CKD Galbraith, a good 4-bedroom manse (vicarage) with an acre or two of land will cost around £400,000. Larger country estates rarely come onto the market, however, when they do, expect a price tag of at least £1 million. The most sought after areas are those outside of Inverness city centre, but within a twenty-mile radius, such as Black Isle to the North, Strathnairn to the south, Beauly to the west, and Tomatin to the southeast.

The Highlands and Islands property market has enjoyed the boom and prices in general are on the up. However, the further north you look, the lower the prices are. Country estates do come on to the market, but be prepared for a fight!