Kent


<p>What&#8217;s on the cards for property in 2022: Will the mass exodus to the countryside continue? How will hybrid working effect the market? Here&#8217;s our expert&#8217;s predictions.</p>



<p>The<em> Wizard of Oz</em> got it right: There&#8217;s no place like home. So we asked Muddy property guru&nbsp;Fiona Penny – who founded&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://eur02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fmuddystilettos.us12.list-manage.com%2Ftrack%2Fclick%3Fu%3D19671741d4440fd616f0cb313%26id%3D8a39482244%26e%3D5e4a38d9f1&amp;data=02%7C01%7C%7C18a2e12e731f4f7f9c5508d754889ca3%7C84df9e7fe9f640afb435aaaaaaaaaaaa%7C1%7C0%7C637070818030171287&amp;sdata=lesxJkR7uVTamioVhBgs1sYoH1pEgn42s9khSFgvY7M%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Fiona Penny Bespoke Home Finders</a>&nbsp;14 years ago and knows both the property industry and this area of the country inside out – to tell us the top 5 trends in the market right now.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">1. HOUSE SALES HALVED</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://kent.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/02/moving-house-keys-.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-68324" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/02/moving-house-keys-.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/02/moving-house-keys--300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/02/moving-house-keys--720x480.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/02/moving-house-keys--150x100.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/02/moving-house-keys--768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/02/moving-house-keys--787x525.jpg 787w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Towards the end of 2021 house sales tumbled after the extended stamp duty holiday ended. Yup, the party was over and as a result &#8211; in the weeks following the government’s end-of-September deadline &#8211; house sales fell by more than half. This led to the quietest October/November the property market has seen for almost a decade.</p>



<p>Fiona Penny expands: &#8216;What&#8217;s more, potential sellers, worried about finding a house themselves, were reluctant to put their own house on the market &#8211; leading to a classic Catch 22 situation.&#8217;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">2. KENT REMAINS POPULAR</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="750" src="https://kent.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/Kent-Oast-House-vineyard-copy.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-68320" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/Kent-Oast-House-vineyard-copy.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/Kent-Oast-House-vineyard-copy-300x225.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/Kent-Oast-House-vineyard-copy-667x500.jpg 667w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/Kent-Oast-House-vineyard-copy-150x113.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/Kent-Oast-House-vineyard-copy-768x576.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/Kent-Oast-House-vineyard-copy-700x525.jpg 700w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>But it&#8217;s not all bad new, folks. Property prices in Kent have remained strong. There has always been a steady stream of families moving out of London to Kent, the Garden of England. But during, the pandemic, in those periods in between Lockdowns, the steady trickle became more of a flood (yup, we&#8217;re running with that metaphor). Particularly as country houses in Kent are remarkably good value compared to those in neighbouring Sussex or Surrey.&nbsp;</p>



<p>Fiona adds: &#8216;Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks, Cranbrook, Folkestone and Canterbury are some of the areas that saw the biggest growth in average house price between 2020 and the end of 2021.&#8217;</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">3.  IN LOVE WITH THE &#8216;BURBS</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="882" src="https://kent.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/182725851_4196471803717994_1112015630737505844_n.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-68319" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/182725851_4196471803717994_1112015630737505844_n.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/182725851_4196471803717994_1112015630737505844_n-300x265.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/182725851_4196471803717994_1112015630737505844_n-567x500.jpg 567w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/182725851_4196471803717994_1112015630737505844_n-150x132.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/182725851_4196471803717994_1112015630737505844_n-768x677.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/182725851_4196471803717994_1112015630737505844_n-595x525.jpg 595w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>Lockdown and WFH meant a race for space &#8211; houses in villages and the depths of the countryside were most in demand and this led to record spending on rural properties.&nbsp;</p>



<p>But 2022 will see the rise of hybrid working — part at home, part in the office — and this is predicted to deepen our passion for the suburbs. Fiona adds: &#8216;So while the chase for homes in the countryside seems set to continue, prices in commuter areas should remain strong too.&#8217;</p>



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">4. YOU NEED AN ADVANTAGE</h2>
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<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="556" src="https://kent.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/52d24d50-5e67-4c7d-833f-f128d6a7378d.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-68317" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/52d24d50-5e67-4c7d-833f-f128d6a7378d.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/52d24d50-5e67-4c7d-833f-f128d6a7378d-300x167.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/52d24d50-5e67-4c7d-833f-f128d6a7378d-720x400.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/52d24d50-5e67-4c7d-833f-f128d6a7378d-150x83.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/52d24d50-5e67-4c7d-833f-f128d6a7378d-768x427.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/52d24d50-5e67-4c7d-833f-f128d6a7378d-900x500.jpg 900w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>At the end of last year (2021) Estate Agents reported having half the number of houses on their books than they did in 2020.&nbsp;Fiona Penny confirms that, in her on-the-ground experience, there has never been a time when you had to move faster &#8211; and there’s never been more competition &#8211; than now. </p>



<p>Fiona adds: &#8216;I estimate around 75 per cent of the properties which our clients have bought in the last 12 months were not on the open market. That&#8217;s the advantage of using a specialised home finder &#8211; you can buy or sell property through private transaction.&#8217;</p>



<p>With a huge number of people wanting to move into the Kent area, whether it&#8217;s buying or renting (which is also popular), there are simply not enough properties to satisfy the demand. </p>



<p>The solution? &#8216;There&#8217;s no magic wand, but consider anything you can do to give yourself an edge &#8211; do your research or even consider a property finder. This may help prevent you getting into a dreaded bidding war, going to sealed bids or you could even avoid paying over the odds,&#8217; explains Fiona.</p>



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">5. FOCUS ON EDUCATION</h2>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-full"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="1000" height="667" src="https://kent.muddystilettos.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/music-school.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-68321" srcset="https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/music-school.jpg 1000w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/music-school-300x200.jpg 300w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/music-school-720x480.jpg 720w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/music-school-150x100.jpg 150w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/music-school-768x512.jpg 768w, https://dev.muddystilettos.co.uk/kent/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2022/01/music-school-787x525.jpg 787w" sizes="(max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px" /></figure>



<p>This summer might see the first return to normal GCSE and A Level exams in years, but Lockdown and the disruption to learning of the last two years has had a big impact on many. Fiona confirms: &#8216;Choosing the right area, with the best schools &#8211; that offer excellent pastoral care &#8211; is very much the number one priority reported amongst parents.&#8217;&nbsp;</p>



<p>Areas with good schools will be popular – whether that’s state, grammar or independent – and Kent has got them all. A good home finder service will be able to help on the school front too – using their local contacts and knowledge of important things, like school catchment areas. Fiona adds: &#8216;We would always advise helping you find the right school before finding you the right home.&#8217;</p>



<p><em><a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="http://www.fionapenny.com" target="_blank">Fiona Penny Bespoke Home Finders</a>&nbsp;is a property finding service that can help you find your dream property in Kent and East Sussex</em>.&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" href="https://kent.muddystilettos.co.uk/home/property/home-property-search/" target="_blank"><em>Read more&nbsp;here</em></a>.</p>


Property Trends 2022

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