SEARCHES for property in the Scottish countryside have soared as househunters shun flats and hanker for garden properties during the lockdown.

On ESPC, property searches in the Scottish Borders and East Lothian have risen by 43% and 19% respectively between April and May as buyers look for homes that provide more of the outdoors.

And in a survey of ESPC agents, 36% said that they had noticed an increase in enquiries from those looking to move to the countryside.

Meanwhile searches for homes in the capital have risen by 15% over the same period.

The Scottish estate agency group said the suggestion is that those who have been in city flats during lockdown are likely to crave outdoor spaces and the increased number of businesses allowing staff to work from home makes commuting less of an issue.

Paul Hilton, ESPC chief executive said: “The evidence we have available suggests that interest in moving home is increasing as we get closer to the relevant lockdown restrictions being eased. Demand for property appears to be on the rise in most areas of Scotland, including in towns and cities.

“Anecdotal evidence from our agents suggests that the current lockdown restrictions have led people to re-assess their priorities when looking for a home. A garden space has become increasingly important, and with more people working from home in the future, properties with space for a home office may become more attractive. ”

Graham White, head of East Lothian operations and estate agency at Anderson Strathern said: “Due to the current lockdown, we’ve certainly noticed an increase of potential viewers indicating that they are now looking to move from their flats with no garden space to a property with a private garden.

“East Lothian is proving particularly popular, mainly because of the aforementioned gardens, but also due to the scenic locations of the towns and villages and the transport links back into Edinburgh if required.

“We had one particularly interesting case of a purchase client seeing a property in the Scottish Borders that they were keen to view, and we noted interest on their behalf. The property had been on and off the market for several years and when we enquired about its availability, we were told it now has 18 interested parties.”

READ MORE: Agenda -  Scotland needs 53,000 affordable homes

In the west of Scotland, agents are also noting increases in these enquiries. Mike McKenna, head of estate agency at Corrigall Black, said: "We're based in Dunoon and a lot of the properties we market are in rural or semi-rural locations. We've definitely noticed an increase in people looking to move to this area from all over the UK."

Some ESPC agents have noticed an increase in these enquiries from English buyers, particularly since restrictions on the English property market were eased.

Ross Kilshaw, Partner at Borders-based Cullen Kilshaw, has noticed an uptick in enquiries from people in England and Edinburgh looking for generous outside spaces.

Claire Kavanagh, property manager at Jardine Phillips said there was a marked increase in interest in the outdoor spaces attached to properties, as buyers realise the importance of a garden. "Where people previously might not have even looked at the communal garden for a tenement flat, I am already noticing that this has become a key factor for buyers," she said.

One sale that went through despite the lockdown, was the 5,500-acre Kildrummy Estate in Aberdeenshire that was on the market for £9.5m last year, and sold last week with offers received from the UK and abroad of over £11m.

The Herald:

Savills that during lockdown it had agreed and completed on a number of estate sales totalling over £30 million "demonstrating the strength and depth of the Scottish estate market".

Evelyn Channing, head of Savills' rural agency in Scotland said: "Throughout lockdown we have received a continual flow of enquiries for Scottish rural property from across the world as the many and varied merits of owning an estate in Scotland have been brought to the fore."

READ MORE: Arran scheme to build new houses for all key workers

According to property search portal Rightmove, two in five prospective homebuyers have changed what hey are looking to purchase because of the Covid-19 crisis.

Half of renters (49%) currently in the market and surveyed by Rightmove, and 39% of buyers said lockdown had had an impact on what they’re looking for, with both now prioritising garden space or wanting to live in a bigger home.

It found buyers in particular were also focused on ensuring a new home would offer the ability to work from home, with one in five saying they wanted to make their current enforced home-working permanent.