OVER the last twelve months the property market has soared, with house prices across the UK leaping by £20,000 in the year to February.

Property website Zoopla calculated nearly £150 billion-worth of home sales took place across the UK in the first 15 weeks of this year – a significant increase compared with 2020 and 2019.

And according to National Association of Estate Agents Propertymark, one in six (16 per cent) homes sold in March went for over the original asking price – the highest proportion since 2014.

Now, according to new research by Zoopla, buyer demand for family homes in Basingstoke has risen sharply since pupils returned to the classroom in March with the borough coming fifth in the UK for increased demand.

Data shows the demand for two-to-three-bedroom homes in Basingstoke has risen by 103 per cent in the last eight-weeks with a price average of £320,000 for a property.

The reopening of schools in early March was a key moment for the housing market, alongside the extension of the stamp duty holiday until the end of September.

But the surge in buyer demand has been fuelled by other factors too.

The pandemic has driven a 'search for space', with many people carrying out a once-in-a-lifetime reassessment of their homes and lifestyles in the wake of multiple lockdowns.

More recently, the launch of the government’s 95 per cent mortgage guarantee scheme has led to more first-time buyers entering the housing market.

However, the level of homes on the market remains tight, with the total number of homes listed for sale so far this year 19 per cent lower than average levels recorded in 2020.