Forget Kirstie and Phil - to find the right location, location, location look to Yell.com - 20 September 2006
Local search engine reveals ten towns most likely to ‘move or improve’When it comes to making money on the property market experienced developers suggest one crucial factor outweighs all others - location, location, location - and being able to spot that ‘next big postcode’ is the key to becoming a success in bricks and mortar.
Now, thanks to Yell.com, property entrepreneurs can get a heads up on the UK’s forthcoming property hotspots before even the most astute high street agent. The search engine’s data experts have analysed the most recent search terms typed into Yell.com by tens of thousands of online users across the country to identify the ten towns most likely* to experience a property boom.
Over a key three month moving period from March to May 2006 this year the researchers monitored more than twenty six search terms including architects, carpenters, conservatories, conveyancing, DIY, double glazing, estate agents floors, home improvement, mortgage, moving home, removals and surveys.
The analysis identified the following ten towns and cities most likely to ‘move or improve’:
| Most likely to move | Most likely to improve |
| 1. Norwich | 1. Reading |
| 2. Reading | 2. Nottingham |
| 3. Cheltenham | 3. Manchester |
| 4. Cardiff | 4. Glasgow |
| 5. Ipswich | 5. Bristol |
| 6. York | 6. York |
| 7. Exeter | 7. Edinburgh |
| 8. Newcastle | 8. Brighton |
| 9. Brighton | 9. Newcastle |
| 10. Manchester | 10. Aberdeen |
Eddie Cheng, president of Yell.com, said: “Because Yell.com is for many the first port of call to find local businesses, when it comes to buying services we’re in a unique position of being able to map people’s intentions.”
He added: “Although this analysis is by no means a definitive guide to rising property prices, it provides a revealing indication of possible future movement in the housing market – whether it be people actually moving house, or fuelling price rises via home improvement” he adds.
The Facts and Stats revealed
- Norwich (1) looks set to become the UK’s next property hot spot, with a massive nine per cent of inhabitants searching for the words ‘moving home’
- In second and third place are Reading and Cheltenham, with eight per cent and seven per cent of the population searching respectively
- Reading is Britain’s DIY capital, with one in twenty people (five per cent) making home improvement related searches in the town
- Coventry is the city for residents who most need peace and quiet, with 2, 091 people searching for ‘double glazing’
- The house proud people of Glasgow made the most searches for ‘kitchens’ and ‘bedrooms’ *
- Bristol is the UK’s top development hotspot *, with almost 4, 000 searches being made for builders
- Glasgow tops the charts for ‘removals’ and ‘mortgage’ searches*
- Student capital Leeds outnumbered even London for ‘Letting Agent’ searches, with almost 17, 000 searches made in three months
- Edinburgh also outnumbered London, with ‘Estate Agent’ searches by a massive 40 per cent
Peter Bolton King, chief executive of the National Association of Estate Agents (2) which represents 10,0000 estate agents across the country, backed the findings.
He said: "Reports everywhere point to Norwich as a hot bed of activity so it’s no surprise people in the area are using Yell.com to find local estate agents. Given the amount of movement in the market, confirmed by this analysis, it’s safe to predict that prices are set to increase significantly in the near future.”
The increasing number of property related searches made on Yell.com spells good news for those in the moving and home improving industries. Eddie Cheng concluded: “With over half a million ‘moving home’ related searches being made on Yell.com in three months, it is clear that people are looking for answers to their property questions online. With over two million local businesses listed on Yell.com, from mortgage brokers to interior designers, we can give people what they want, whenever they want it.”
(1) Yell.com Statistics 2006. United Nations Population data 1996
(2) The National Association of Estate Agents is the UK's leading professional body of estate agents personnel
* excludes London
