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South-west is UK's most desirable region

Thursday, 6 March 2008 12:00 AM

Homes in the south-west of England have been identified as the most desirable in the UK by online search portal HotProperty.com.

According to research carried out by the site, Cornwall, Dorset, Devon and Somerset composed the top four most popular searches during February.

Surrey came in fifth, while no counties north of Lincolnshire made it into the top ten.

"Everyone knows how beautiful the south-west is," commented Nicholas Leeming, director of PropertyFinder.com.

"Its popularity in the property search stakes is a bit of a mixed blessing though. Many of those searching the region for property are outsiders looking for second homes.

"That can push the price of property beyond the means of locals who have relatively lower incomes. It's no surprise younger people tend to move away looking for better paid work."

Kent, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Oxfordshire and Suffolk completed the top ten.

The research also found Lincoln is the most popular city for residential property in the UK.

The town was followed by Oxford, Southampton, Eastbourne and Exeter, according to HotProperty.

However, in separate research carried out by SmartNewHomes.com, retirees were revealed to have a very different view of the property market.

The website finds the south-east, and specifically the Home Counties, were the most popular region for the grey vote.

According to the site, retiring to the coast used to be the standard option for retirees looking to downsize or release equity from their existing property, with fewer options elsewhere in the country.

Now, however, developers are providing many more options away from the coast to meet demand, argues SmartNewHomes.

"Areas that have been typically popular among retirees such as Devon and Dorset are still ranked in the top ten because of their seafront activities and surrounding countryside with pretty villages," said David Bexon, managing director of SmartNewHomes.

"However, compared to data last year which showed that coastal destinations topped the wish list, now it shows that bustling towns and villages of the Home Counties are the most highly ranked."

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