Good food is proving a draw for house hunters

August 26, 2019 | Uncategorized

The foodie scene is creating a buzz in Dumfries & Galloway and is in turn boosting demand for property in the area.

Galbraith, a leading property consultancy and land agent, reports that sales from its Castle Douglas office have increased by 11% compared with the preceding quarter. Residential property sales are completing more rapidly in Dumfries & Galloway than in the vast majority of the rest of Scotland – the average period that a property remains on the market is just 34.5 days.

In addition, an increasing number of properties are being brought to the market as buyer confidence in the region grows – the figure is 11.3% higher than the previous quarter.

New restaurants, cafes, artisan butchers, bakers, micro-breweries and distilleries are all attracting rave reviews and creating a feel-good factor.

David Corrie, who leads the Galbraith team in Castle Douglas said: ‘The lifestyle in Dumfries & Galloway has always been idyllic, with our wonderful forests and superb coastlines and beaches, but the buzz around the restaurant scene is certainly an additional boost to the area. When you have the main restaurant critic from The Times in London raving about the quality of the food in Castle Douglas and St John’s Town of Dalry, it’s time to celebrate.

‘We’ve seen the success of initiatives like the Dumfries & Galloway Food Trail, which has highlighted premium distilleries and food producers from all sectors. There’s now a virtuous circle as the foodie scene improves, more and more cafes are opening to fulfil the demand. Buyers do ask about the restaurant, shopping and social life when they are coming to view properties – the area is really starting to get on the map and properties are changing hands more quickly.’

Galbraith sells rural and premium property, land and farms from its 14 offices throughout Scotland and the north of England. The firm handles the sale of property valued at £51.7m per quarter on average. In Dumfries & Galloway the firm handles the sale of property valued at £2.8m per quarter on average.