Winkworth has published its first issue of a specialist Country & Waterside magazine, coinciding with the launch of our dedicated Country House Department based in central London.

It’s been a good summer for the market towns and villages in the south of England, and the country house market has fared remarkably well and this looks set to continue into the winter months.  Winkworth offices in the region are reporting a marked increase in the number of properties they are being asked to sell, with one agent extremely pleased to declare that his instructions were up under 100% since early August.  Given the summer period is traditionally quiet for estate agents, this kind of activity is welcome.

It’s fair to say that whilst mainstream markets look set for a static period ahead, the country town and village markets of the south east and south west look likely to remain stoic and come out relatively unscathed.

Dominic Agace, CEO of M Winkworth PLC, comments:

“We have been keen to establish a Country House Department for a number of years, however, we recognised that in order to operate a successful Country House Department, we needed a stronger countryside presence.  Over the last five years Winkworth has established that presence with the addition of a number of offices in some of England’s most desirable country locations, including Bath, Winchester , Exeter, and most recently, in Lewes. It is in these areas the new department will predominantly operate, although we eventually anticipate working right across the country, where we may not necessarily have a local presence.

Although the property market is expecting a slower end to the year, the Country House market is set to perform above trend, not only because of the desirability of the houses, but the fact that there are not hundreds and thousands of them in existence. We have noticed at first hand that the upper end of the property market has been very busy lately, with international money flowing into the UK, thanks to the attractive currency prices, and as a result into the property market. This has in turn resulted in the recovery being led by the prime markets; in Central London and also in the Country House market. If you add the fact that the unique, historical or attractive properties are relatively few and far between, along with the fact that there are not swathes of million pound plus properties being built across England in idyllic settings, then it is evident these markets will always lead the way in premiums and recovery”.

Click here to view the magazine, or send your name and address to marketing@winkworth.com for your free copy.