Has the North Coast 500 driven up house prices and forced locals out?

Estate agents from across the North Coast 500 have given their thoughts on how the the route has impacted the market in the last decade.

Claims have been made over the marketing creating a housing gap, with a lack of affordable homes pushing locals out of the area.

Some believe properties are being snapped up as second homes and single-term lets, but how true is it?

We asked property experts from across the Highlands on the patterns they have seen in the past decade.

‘It’s not impacted any one town too heavily’

Mairi Vines of Pollard Property Agents in Thurso highlighted the sale percentage of second and holiday homes on the North Coast 500.

Mairi said: “We’ve seen a few homes snapped up for that reason, but it’s only about 6% of what we sell every year.

“A lot of people seem to think every house is turning into an Airbnb but a lot of people buying property here are actually relocating as well.

“Our house prices are a lot cheaper than down south and so it is a no brainer if you want a lower cost of life.

“There has been a bit of an increase in price, particularly off the back of Covid’s staycation boom. However, it’s hard to tell how much of that is down to the NC500.

“I think there’s enough housing stock for what we need at the moment. Because the geography is so wide I don’t think it’s really affecting any one particular town in a great way at the moment.”

North Coast 500 house demand varies, says Thurso estate agent

Yvonne Fitzgerald, of Yvonne Fitzgerald Properties in Thurso, has seen big demand for properties in areas like Tongue, Melvich and Bettyhill.

She said: “Overall, house prices have definitely gone up in the past decade. Some areas have dropped though.

“Detached properties have much shorter selling times and go for over valuation.

“I wouldn’t say it’s become any harder to get a house for locals, your average price for a two-bedroom semi-detached home is £165,000, around £60,000 less than Inverness.

“It’s a very affordable place to live and is a totally different way of life. Many people sell up to come here when they retire which is what we’re noticing.”

Yvonne also described the claims houses are all being picked up as holiday homes as “a lot of rubbish”.

She added: “A lot of who we’re selling to are still first time buyers. You can get a two bed flat in Wick for £65,000.

“I do think we need more rental properties, as you can see with the rental price rise there clearly isn’t enough supply for the demand.

“A year ago we could get around £500 a month for a two-bed rental, now we can get £750.”

North Coast 500 hasn’t had direct impact on housing market, says Golspie estate agent

Kendra Ballantyne owns Monster Moves Estate Agents in Golspie and doesn’t think the NC500 has helped with property sales.

She said: “I think it’s been good for the Highland community as a whole and infrastructure wise.

“We still have locals buying the homes here. I’m from Brora and if I go back 30 or 40 years the house sales have generally been a lot of people from down south anyway.

“I’m not really sure if the NC500 has helped with property sales as much. I wouldn’t say there is a decent enough supply of housing.

“This isn’t something new though, it never just happened overnight. It’s been a problem across the past 10 years.

“There is still a perception that every home is being snapped up for a holiday home or to let out on Airbnb. There simply isn’t the stats to back that up.

“It certainly isn’t stopping young people from getting properties. If people aren’t staying here it’s because of work, not houses.