Posts tagged ‘scotland’
Is the retirement village dead?
This is a legacy post from the findaproperty.com blog which is now maintained as an archive within the Zoopla blog. Links have been preserved.
Exclusive luxury living for active independent people over 55. Sounds pretty good doesn’t it? Nothing like what you’d expect from a retirement village or, heaven forbid, a nursing home.
And that’s kind of the point.
Woodland Grove in Aberdeenshire is billing itself as one of the first developments of its kind in Scotland. It is, according to the effusive sales shpiel, neither a nursing home nor a retirement village. Instead it claims to be part of a new trend among older people who are not yet ready for retirement but who are looking to downsize, free up money and ensure a comfortable and manageable “third age” – which is what we’re calling our twilight years these days.
As far as Woodland Grove is concerned, this later life renaissance is taking place on a 14 acre site at Milltimber, a semi-rural locale close to Aberdeen’s West End. There are one or two bedroom apartments, most with balconies, plus communal areas, lovely grounds and nearby golf courses, gyms and spas.
While it’s easy to have a good-natured giggle at the expense of the sales patter employed by these over-55s villages (who can forget the ill-fated Purley Gates development, near Croydon, which not-so-surprisingly failed to attract much interest from buyers back in 2005), the fact remains that as a nation we’re getting older, but staying healthier. Which means that most of us are going to get to a stage where we’re eligible for Woodland Grove, or something similar, relatively soon ourselves.
It’s not just the sales people who are spinning the over-55 living concept into a phenomenon. The demand for this style of living is now recognised by demographic commentators and retirement sector watchers. For instance, the 2010 Knight Frank Retirement Report highlighted the popularity of early downsizing at a time when the need for traditional residential care is diminishing. The concept of exclusive luxury living for independent active over 55s is also a well-tested concept in America.
One thing’s for sure, it’s certainly struck a chord at Woodland Grove were apartments in the four-storey refurbished Victorian granite building are selling like the proverbial hotcake with over half of the homes already sold and occupied by active over 55s. Prices range from £195,000 to £345,000.
Olly Murs is buying a home in Scotland
This is a legacy post from the findaproperty.com blog which is now maintained as an archive within the Zoopla blog. Links have been preserved.
Look out Lady Gaga, the latest celebrity to declare a possible move to Scotland is X Factor runner up Olly Murs.
The Essex boy, whose new self-titled album is out Monday, was in Scotland recently to perform and attend the Radio Forth Awards bash in Edinburgh where he told everyone who would listen that he always gets a warm welcome any time he visits the tartan nation.
“I love Scotland. I think I’ve come up here more than I’ve been at home,” Murs gushed to the Daily Record.
“That’s not even a joke and I’m definitely going to be moving here in the New Year or definitely getting a place up here anyway.
“I’ve been to Edinburgh. I’ve been to Aberdeen. I’ve been to Paisley, Glasgow, Inverness and Cawdor Castle too. I need a bit of guidance as to the best place to stay in.”
The 26-year-old singer was particularly complimentary about Scotland’s legendary drinking culture. “For example today, 4pm and they’re all downstairs drinking having a great time.
“And certain people don’t do that, [they say] ‘we only drink in the evening’ but I feel that with the special Scottish people they really love having a good time and I think that I’m that type of character and that’s why I love them and why I think, I hope, they love me for being the same type of person.”
Meanwhile, Lady Gaga is said to be packing her meat wardrobe to move to Scotland.
She is reported to have said she will buy Yester House near Edinburgh and is looking to invest something like £8million. Yikes!
Scotland’s wealthiest (and poorest) housing markets
Carlowrie Castle, Kirkliston, Edinburgh
Here’s a quick market overview of key stats and current average property values for Scotland.
- Edinburgh wealthiest housing market in Scotland with average property values of £227,926
- North Lanarkshire poorest market in Scotland with average house prices 34% below the national average
- Avg. property value in Scotland now stands at £159,890
Top 10 Wealthiest Housing Markets
| Rank | Market | Avg. home value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Edinburgh | £227,926 |
| 2 | Aberdeenshire | £205,254 |
| 3 | East Lothian | £201,958 |
| 4 | Stirling | £181,634 |
| 5 | Perth & Kinross | £176,181 |
| 6 | Midlothian | £169,985 |
| 7 | Scottish Borders | £166,636 |
| 8 | Highland | £158,040 |
| 9 | South Ayrshire | £155,006 |
| 10 | Argyll & Bute | £153,916 |
Source: Zoopla.co.uk
Top 10 Poorest Housing Markets
| Rank | Market | Avg. home value |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | North Lanarkshire | £106,006 |
| 2 | Shetland | £107,696 |
| 3 | West Dunbartonshire | £120,573 |
| 4 | Orkney | £121,200 |
| 5 | East Ayrshire | £121,740 |
| 6 | North Ayrshire | £124,194 |
| 7 | Falkirk | £126,900 |
| 8 | South Lanarkshire | £127,515 |
| 9 | Western Isles | £127,973 |
| 10 | Clackmannanshire | £133,275 |
Source: Zoopla.co.uk
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Britain’s Oldest and Newest Homes #2: Scotland
For this week’s instalment of our blog series we turn our attention to the mighty land of Scotland. We’ve tracked down the oldest inhabited home (which is in fact the oldest in the series) and compared it to one of the newest from Barratt Homes.
OLDEST: Traquair House – built: 1107
Traquair House is almost a castle, it’s so crenelated but despite a 900-year-long history the place is in good nick. It officially dates from 1107, when Alexander I signed a royal charter within it walls, but historicans reckon it could be much older.
Picture Source: Traquair.co.uk
Taking a peek into this property is like stepping back into medieval times. Traditionally used as a hunting lodge for the Kings and Queens of Scotland, Traquair is now a unique piece of living history, having played host to many poignant British figures throughout its existence, including Mary Queen of Scots, whose bed can still be seen by visitors.
Traquair was very nearly destroyed in the 18th Century, but luckily for us survived to tell its tale.
Today it’s inhabited by the 21st Lady of Traquair, her husband, and their three children, and is likely to be worth millions. If it ever comes up for sale the brochure will be fat with descriptions of its rich history, endless rooms including a chapel and brewery.
NEWEST: Osprey Village – built: 2009
Fast forward nearly a millennia to modern day homebuilding in Scotland and you’ll find these new homes for sale in Osprey Village, Aberdeenshire.
Built in the prosperous town of Inverurie – which like Traquair has a history reaching back over 1,000 years – Osprey Village balances rural living with city life – the great Scottish city of Aberdeen just a 16 mile drive away.
The history of the area has been sympathetically considered in the design of the Osprey Village houses, whose exteriors are clad in locally sourced Darlstone, and sit in the rolling green hills of the Scottish countryside.
Built with families in mind, the new development in Inverurie offers a wide range of ‘Premier Collection’ three to four bedroom house styles.
More modest than Traquair House, yet infinitely more affordable, the properties come with a price tag of between £215,000 and £323,995.
For more details visit Barratt Homes.
Five To View: Property In Edinburgh
With this year’s Edinburgh Festival almost in its closing stages, we decided to don our tartan bonnets and kilts, and hotfoot it north to Scotland’s capital city.
As well as hosting the world’s most famous arts festival and being home to the globe’s biggest Hogmanay party, Edinburgh always ranks highly on those Most Fabulous Places to Live lists on account of it being so unutterably cool.
With all that in mind, we’ve only picked properties that are in or close to the city centre, and therefore well placed to take advantage of everything that “Auld Reekie” has to offer.
So, in the words of one of the city’s illustrious former residents, Muriel Spark, here’s the crème de la crème of Edinburgh properties for a variety of budgets.
(Click on pics for full property details)
1. Blackhall, Edinburgh
£2,300,000 OIRO
2. Warriston, Edinburgh
£1,100,000 OIRO
3. New Town, Edinburgh
£975,000 OIEO
4. Edinburgh City Centre
£340,000 OIEO
5. Corstorphine, Edinburgh
£245,000 OIEO
