Solihull tops list of residential hotspots
SOLIHULL has been named top hotspot in the country in terms of residential property demand.
With the London market cooling off in the wake of Brexit, the borough is now the most in-demand area of the country.
The town’s status is outlined in a new Hotspot Index compiled by online estate agent, eMoov.co.uk. The indices indicate which areas have seen the largest increases and decreases in property demand.
The index attributes a percentage score for each area based on the level of stock available on the major property portals, to that which has already sold, before calculating the total change between indices.
The data shows that nationally, property demand has fallen by 7% overall to stand at an overall 38%.
In terms of the areas in most demand, Solihull (77%) tops the table, with Portsmouth second (67%). Bexley (65%) had topped the last table but now slides down to third.
Top 10 Hotspots
| Rank | Location | Current Demand 0% |
| 1 | Solihull | 77% |
| 2 | Portsmouth | 67% |
| 3 | Bexley | 65% |
| 4 | Bristol | 65% |
| 5 | Northampton | 60% |
| 6 | Medway | 59% |
| 7 | Gloucester | 58% |
| 8 | Ipswich | 58% |
| 9 | Bedford | 57% |
| 10 | Edinburgh | 57% |
The West Midlands also features prominently in the list of Top 10 places that have seen the biggest increases in demand during 2016.
eMoov concludes that with the London market slowing due to a combination of second home stamp duty tax and a lack of foreign interest post-Brexit, property bargain hunters have switched their attention to the Midlands and the North.
Stockport has seen the largest demand increase, up +126% in 2016, with Stoke-on-Trent (+112%) in the West Midlands and London’s only entry in Sutton (+110%) the only other to enjoy triple digit demand growth.
Top 10 Biggest Increases
| Rank | Location | Annual Demand Change 0% |
| 1 | Stockport | +126% |
| 2 | Stoke-on-Trent | +112% |
| 3 | Sutton | +110% |
| 4 | Sheffield | +99% |
| 5 | Sandwell | +83% |
| 6 | Solihull | +79% |
| 7 | Swindon | +74% |
| 8 | Bradford | +67% |
| 9 | Somerset | +65% |
| 10 | Southampton | +63% |
Outside of the top 10, Highland, Gateshead, Salford, Manchester and Hull also saw demand increase by more than 50% over the last year.
Top 10 Biggest Decreases
| Rank | Location | Annual Demand Change 0% |
| 1 | Sunderland | -63% |
| 2 | Swansea | -57% |
| 3 | Hounslow | -51% |
| 4 | Lambeth | -46% |
| 5 | Camden | -45% |
| 6 | Southwark | -43% |
| 7 | Shropshire | -42% |
| 8 | South Lanarkshire | -42% |
| 9 | Westminster | -39% |
| 10 | Aylesbury | -39% |
eMoov founder and CEO, Russell Quirk, said: “A tough year for the UK market but it has come through it relatively unscathed.
“Although changes to second home stamp duty thresholds and the Leave vote may have tainted demand slightly due to an air of uncertainty, there seem to be a number of areas that have benefited with the market almost turned on its head in terms of desirability to buyers.
“2016 seems to have been a bit of a leveller where the property market is concerned, with many of the so-called ‘weaker’ markets really seeing a spike in buyer demand, which will, in turn, result in a healthy increase in prices going into the New Year.”
