YORK has become a hotspot for Londoners looking to change their lifestyle during the pandemic, estate agents say.

The annual house price growth in Yorkshire and the Humber hit 8.2 per cent in the past 12 months, according to Zoopla's annual report - compared to an average of 5.4 per cent across the country. 

The report found that demand for houses is twice as high as it was between 2017 and 2019 with the average house costing buyers £230,000.

For Ben Hudson, managing director at Hudson Moody Estate Agents, it has been the "busiest" time he has seen in over 30 years in the industry.

With the ongoing boost to the property and rental market, staff have been helping more and more people explore a new pace of life after the pandemic. 

People moving back to the North and families in search of homes with bigger gardens have driven sales, the director said.

One house sold for over £100,000 above the asking price just by having a large garden.

"It's been incredibly busy," the estate agent told The Press.

"The last 18 months - and I've been in the industry over 30 years - it's been the busiest I've ever seen.

"A lot of people have reevaluated where they're living. Homes have become more important. As they spend more time they appreciate they need more space. People with bigger houses have felt like 'We might as well down size'. We've also seen a lot of people moving from outside the area who have been told they don't need to work in the South, they can work wherever they want."

He added: "They've sold up in London and they've got deeper pockets. Now a lot of the viewings are for people who sold up and moved back to be closer to family and friends.

"We started to see a little of this before the pandemic but I think the pandemic has pushed things on so much."

Price growth in Yorkshire and beyond is expected to edge upwards to six per cent in the coming months before easing back somewhere between four and five per cent towards the end of the year.

Zoopla has linked the growth to a shortage of new homes being built and the impact of the extended stamp duty holiday unwinding.

Stock levels were down some -25 per cent in the first half of the year compared to 2020, according to Zoopla.

Explaining his perspective of the booming market, Mr Hudson said: "It's all about lifestyle. People, if they've been working they've been able to save some money so they've spent more money on their homes or upgraded their homes and we've found that's been tremendous."

He continued: "It's not just in the sale market, it was the rental market as well.

"People are able to go further out as they're not having to commute as much. Anything with big gardens is causing a huge stir."

It's a similar story over at Indigo Greens Estate Agents with co-director Simon Cartwright describing how a housing shortage is "driving the prices up".

"We've seen more and more houses going to best and final offers because there's a shortage of properties on the market and that's driving the prices up," he said.

"Because there's not a great deal on the market but a high number of buyers, it's really risen up the interest in the property. 

"It's a good time to sell your house at the moment because there are less properties on the market so you're more guaranteed an opportunity to get a buyer and an increased price. It's definitely a good time to sell and buy as well.

"We're getting a high number of people who have been maybe living in the city and want to move out to the countryside but at the same time we've had a number of people who are coming from out of the area like from London.

"Because of the work from home things now, they were able to move here and get more for their money property wise. They don't have to be in London."