Chilly spring cooling sales of country properties

THIS long cold spring, following a very hard winter, has knocked the traditional timetable for selling country properties.

Chris Hall, rural director at property agents Rettie & Co, reckoned that the market would not really get going until there was more growth in the countryside.

"Historically in Scotland the spring months bring a substantial increase in market activity in both urban and rural areas. While transactions levels are bearing this cycle out in urban areas, in the countryside the climate remains sluggish at present which is unusual.

"Hit by the harsh winter of late with snows unseen like it for many years, there is a distinct lack of spring growth on the land, and would-be sellers are choosing time for regeneration and growth which is pushing back the traditional busy spring selling months to the summer months."

Geographically, some parts of Scotland kick off the market earlier than others with Hall identifying locations in Central Scotland such as Gleneagles, Bridge of Allan and Dunblane, Dollar, Elie and St Andrews and their accessible rural hinterlands as being in that category.

In the west of Scotland prime locations such as Drymen, Killearn, Thorntonhall, Helensburgh and the Renfrewshire villages, alongside their country areas, historically have shown a level of resilience to market downturn.

Hall also said that in the case of sporting estates in Scotland's countryside, the market remained notable for its lack of supply.

Surprisingly there had been a marked increase in the number of farms offered in the past month. But buyers were being noticeably more selective and fewer farms are achieving closing dates for offers despite the continuing limited supply – with a marked polarisation between east and west. Eastern farms were generally selling well, but farms in the west find buyers harder to come by.