CANFORD Cliffs in Poole has been named as the top seaside price hotspot by property site Rightmove.

With asking prices jumping 24 per cent compared to last year, Canford Cliffs has seen the biggest price growth of any coastal area in Britain, according to Rightmove’s latest study.

Brixham in Devon is the second seaside price hotspot, with asking prices rising 23 per cent, while Abergele in Conwy, Wales is third (+22 per cent).

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Since the pandemic started, there has been strong demand for homes in coastal areas. This demand has often outstripped supply, which has contributed to the rising asking prices being seen now.

Across all seaside locations in Great Britain, asking prices are up 13.9 per cent on average compared to last year, outpacing the national average of 9.9 per cent.

Competition for homes in seaside locations during the last year has meant the pace of the market has increased. The average time to find a buyer in a seaside location is 33 days, and on average, homes are finding buyers nearly three weeks (20 days) quicker than last year.

Steve Isaacs, Director at Luxury & Prestige Properties in Canford Cliffs, said: “Like many coastal areas, we in Canford Cliffs have been incredibly busy for a long time, and we’re still seeing really strong demand to move to this part of Dorset. 

“One of the key things we’ve noticed influencing moves is that working patterns have changed.

"We’re seeing lots of people wanting to buy larger homes now that they spend more time working from home, and we’re also seeing new types of buyers looking in Canford Cliffs from outside the area now that their work has become more flexible. 

“Whereas before the pandemic we had many people interested in a holiday home, now we’re seeing more people looking for a property they can comfortably spend a good portion of the year in and work. 

“With more demand than homes available we’ve seen strong competition between buyers which has contributed to a growth in prices. One advantage of Canford Cliffs is its easy access to London and other parts of Great Britain, and we’ve had some buyers choose the area because of this.”

Tim Bannister, Rightmove’s Director of Property Science comments: “Encouragingly, with new stock coming to market we are starting to see signs of a better balance of supply and demand in seaside areas than we were a year ago, and we’d expect this to filter through to the market and potentially moderate the pace of price rises in the coming months.”