Oh, we do like to be beside the seaside: These are the best seaside towns to invest in property
Dreaming of a life by the sea? You could do a lot worse than buy a house in Margate, new research has suggested.
Zoopla's 2016 Seaside Property League said house prices in the town – which has become a haven for London hipsters after the opening of its Turner Contemporary gallery – have risen 12.5 per cent since July 2015.
That was followed by Grange-over-Sands in Cumbria, where values have risen 10.6 per cent since this time last year, while in Walton on the Naze, in Essex, values have risen just over 10 per cent.
Read more: The best seaside towns to live in Britain
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"Margate's [surge] is likely a result of the large amounts of regeneration funding the town has received in the past decade – in particular the Turner Gallery opening in 2011 and its Dreamland theme park re-opening last year," said Zoopla spokesman Lawrence Hall.
"If you’re considering investing in a beach front property, you should consider those resorts receiving government investment – it does have a positive impact on property values”."
Meanwhile, areas at the bottom of the list include Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire, where values have fallen 5.5 per cent since last July, and Cruden Bay in Aberdeen, where values are down 4.6 per cent (down to the falling popularity of the seaside, perhaps?).
That said, Margate has some way to go before it hits the heady heights of its seaside rivals. The highest-value properties were in Salcombe, in Devon, where the average price hit £598,230, while in Aldeburgh prices are around £490,182. Cornwall, meanwhile, doesn't appear in the list – which could be down to some of its towns' decisions to limit the sale of holiday homes.
If you're looking for a seaside bargain, though, head to Saltcoats in Scotland, where prices are £109,109, while in Blackpool, you can bag a property for £114,443.
Changing face of the seaside: Top and bottom-valued coastal towns
| Highest value |
|
Lowest value |
|
| Salcombe, Devon | £598,230 | Saltcoats, Scotland | £109,109 |
| Aldeburgh, Suffolk | £490,182 | Blackpool, Lancashire | £114,443 |
| Southwold, Suffolk | £434,618 | Blyth, Northumberland | £120,775 |
| Lyme Regis, Dorset | £402,634 | Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire | £126,331 |
| Brighton, Sussex | £368,782 | Kilchattan Bay, Scotland | £130,846 |
| North Berwick, Scotland | £364,306 | Rhyl, Wales | £134,577 |
| Port Isaac, Cornwall | £356,962 | Morecambe, Lancashire | £136,063 |
| Sidmouth, Devon | £352,896 | Girvan, Scotland | £138,094 |
| Woolacombe, Devon | £347,507 | Saltburn-by-the-sea, Yorkshire | £140,396 |
| Swanage, Dorset | £330,901 | Fairbourne, Wales | £141,576 |