Seven Sheffield postcodes in Yorkshire's top ten property hotspots

Seven of the city's postcodes have been identified in Yorkshire's top ten property hotspots on a new online tool which takes the temperature of the housing market by area.

PropCast, the UK’s first house selling weather forecast, analyses buyer demand and revealed that Sheffield was definitely red hot.

S10, which includes Ranmoor, Fulwood and Crookes, was listed as number one, with Nether Edge and Abbeydale - S7 - and S8, which includes Beauchief, Norton and Woodseats, in second and third respectively.

Hillsborough - S6, Mosborough -S20 and S11, which includes Sharrow, Brincliffe and Whirlow also feature in the top ten.

Stuart Goff, of Hunters estate agents, said he wasn’t surprised that Sheffield dominates the Yorkshire hotspot table: “Average house prices in Sheffield are low considering it is a well-connected big city with lots of amenities. It’s also close to open countryside with quality accommodation and plenty of big employers.

“That’s why we have the biggest student retention rates in Britain. Students stay on after graduating because it’s a great city. It’s very friendly and they can afford to buy here. We still sell to huge number of first-time buyers and we have been really busy. July could be the best month we have had for two or three years.”

Mr Goff said S10 and S11 were well-known hotspots thanks to their south west location in the desirable Hallam ward, which is one of the richest constituencies in the country.

He said that while S7 was not generally popular thanks to 'poorer quality terraced housing near the city centre', the part that fringes the Hallam ward could have pushed it into the hotspot top 10.

He added that Mosborough, which is home to the Crystal Peaks shopping centre, has grown in popularity thanks to a large number of new-builds and the Supertram, which gives commuters a quicker link to Sheffield city centre via the Halfway Park and Ride facility.

Hillsborough, north of the city, is also on the Supertram route and the travel time into the centre of Sheffield is 10 minutes.

Mr Goff said: “There are no big council estates there. It’s mainly privately-owned homes with properties starting at about £110,000, so it is popular and affordable."

He said Woodseats was Hunters busiest office in Sheffield and that its terraced houses, which start from £120,000, were popular with buyers who want easy access to the Derbyshire countryside and to the city centre.

The postcodes in the top ten hotspots are all sellers’ markets, while those in the coldest spots are buyers’ markets, according to PropCast.

Linda Crapper, director of Saxton Mee, said Crookes was a 'very busy' area, particularly with first-time buyers.

She said: "It's been very busy over the last few months and Crookes is definitely a hotspot. The only difference is that some of the properties on the main roads in the area take a little bit longer to sell bit overall it's a very busy area for us.

"It is mainly first-time buyers and professionals who work at the universities or hospitals who are buying there."

The property postcode 'temperature gauge' was set up by Gavin Bragz to help homeowners check how easy or difficult it will be to sell their property. He said his aim was to help vendors set a realistic price using heat ratings ranging from very hot, hot, cold or very cold.

These are determined by the number of properties on the market in a postcode and the percentage of these that are under offer or sold subject to contract.

A professional house trader, Mr Bragz buys and sells second-hand part-exchanged properties on behalf of house builders. His commission relies on selling the exchanged homes quickly.

He said he hoped that PropCast would inject some realism into the market and will quell over-ambitious homeowners and those estate agents who over value to win business.

Mr Bragz said: “The figures will allow people to identify true local market conditions and to adopt the most effective selling strategy to ensure they sell for a better price, faster and with less stress."

For more information visit TheAdvisory website, where the PropCast is hosted, at www.theadvisory.co.uk.