What is driving property demand in Glasgow’s commuter belt?
MacKenzie pointed to the return-to-office trend as a key factor, particularly in areas with improved transport links into Glasgow city centre. “We’re in an area where there’s significant new build going on here, and new schools, and new train lines from East Kilbride going straight into the city centre,” he said. “There’s areas near here where we did have people struggling to sell property, and now the train line’s open, there’s mass demand for wee housing estates that people were never necessarily interested in. I think that it’s maybe businesses going back to having their staff back in the office again after Covid and no more working from home and things is maybe driving that also.”
The pattern aligns with the broader shift away from working from home that has reshaped buyer priorities since the pandemic. Rightmove‘s analysis found that 11 of the top 15 fastest-growing commuter locations have average asking prices below £250,000, reflecting buyer appetite for affordability within reach of major cities.
MacKenzie said properties are rarely sitting on the market for long, with the exception of higher-value homes. “We’ve had no issue with properties lingering really,” he said. “The bigger ones – £400,000 plus – sometimes depending on where it is, can take a wee bit of time. But in these prime locations, they’ll go for any money. It seems like there’s enough money out there for everyone to make sure there’s enough offers coming through for it.”
He also referenced a separate Zoopla report on the fastest-selling property markets across the UK, which he said placed the entire top 10 in Scotland, with Falkirk again leading the table.
How are first-time buyers coping with rising competition?
The surge in demand is creating particular challenges for those entering the market for the first time. MacKenzie said family-sized properties are attracting the fiercest competition. “There’s always stiff competition out there, it seems, especially for three, four-bedroom properties, families. There’s mass appetite just now. So yeah, it’s good for brokers. We are incredibly busy off the back of that. I think it’s just really difficult for the first-time buyers.”
