The national news reported yesterday that Taunton saw the best house price growth in the country throughout the year.
The latest data from Halifax said prices had grown by 21.8 per cent, compared to an average of 6.2 per cent nationwide. In cash terms, prices in Taunton rose by £56,546 to £315,759.
Russell Galley, Halifax Managing Director, said: “Taunton has a lot to offer homebuyers with its high quality of life and great transport links to major towns and cities across the South West.”
Local estate agent Nick Girone-Maddocks, Co-Director of Gibbins Richards, agreed, telling Around Wellington: “We have always known of the appeal of the area in which we live and work as do so many residents.
“It has been a decades-long trend to relocate to the West Country, but now, during the testing and uncertain times that Covid has brought in the last two years, the secret’s out!”
Nick has worked in the area for more than 20 years, and grew up in North Devon, so knows the attractions first-hand.
“I wouldn’t live anywhere else” he said. “We have everything here – two coastlines a short drive away, two moors, Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the motorway which leads easily to Exeter and Bristol, each with an airport.
“The list goes on, but focusing on the towns themselves – Taunton, Bridgwater and Wellington for example – makes one realise that it isn’t just the surroundings that are appealing.
“Each town has something special, which is a real attraction when looking to relocate” said Nick, whose company covers all three towns and their surrounding areas.
“Both the county town of Taunton and Bridgwater each have some great employment opportunities and are expanding fast, and Wellington is a quiet and independent town which holds its own in terms of attractive attributes.
“The sense of community in all of the towns is sometimes overwhelming, with some heart-warming social media activity highlighting this. People look out for each other, and that alone is worth a great deal”.
The Covid pandemic caused huge concern for the local property market when it was ‘shut down’ in March 2020, but companies like Gibbins Richards kept going, working alongside the restrictions and for much of the time on reduced staff and under very different circumstances.
Nick added: “It was all a bit nailbiting to start with, but we soon realised that regardless of the market not being able to continue at the level it once did, there was still huge desire to buy property in our area.
“The restrictions caused us to work differently – conducting viewings and valuations via video link rather than in person for example – but the demand for property in the area never diminished, it only grew”
He said that past two years had also made more people realise that working from home can be easily done, with good broadband and connectivity readily available throughout the area.
“Traditionally, living in the West Country could have been deemed ‘backward’ living – all farms, country lanes and no street lights, away from the hullabaloo of the cities.
“But with beautiful hills, rivers, walks and beaches all around us, one can work from home and at the same time enjoy the wonderful surroundings of Somerset. What’s not to love? It’s no wonder prices have gone the way they have!”
Nick can be reached at Gibbins Richards’ Wellington office on 01823 663311. He and his Co-Director Ben Grant run three High Street offices and a team of over 25 staff.