Buoyant market for Spey Valley dream homes - plus photos
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A DREAM home near Grantown has just gone onto the market with a £1.5 million price tag.
Top-end property consultants CKD Galbraith are handling the sale and have said that the market for luxury homes in the Spey Valley remains buoyant despite the recent credit crunch.
A firm spokesman said: "Whilst many reports indicate that the residential property market in Scotland is still experiencing a downturn, there are ‘hot spots’ in the market which are bucking the trend.
"In particular, the Spey Valley, has been a popular area for many years with demand at the top end of the property market remaining strong.
"This part of the Highlands has a number of attractive, large detached houses offering fantastic accommodation and more often than not with great private grounds.
"And it’s this level of property, combined with the beautiful countryside that we believe is underpinning its attraction to those seeking their rural idyll.
He continued: "As a firm, CKD Galbraith has experienced a lot of activity in the residential sector with a number of notable sales in this area and a number of new properties coming to the market."
The comments come as the firm’s Inverness agency department has just launched the sale of Garvault Lodge, which is near the Tulchan Estate, by Advie.
A CKD Galbraith spokeswoman in the Highland capital said: "Garvault is an outstanding Highland lodge set within magnificent landscaped grounds, in an enviable location on the stunning Tulchan sporting estate.
"It is set amidst some of the best fishing and shooting in the world, whilst boasting panoramic views across the Spey to the hills beyond.
"The interior of the house has been completed and finished to the highest standard, providing every comfort for modern family living, whilst also incorporating the traditional features of a Highland shooting lodge.
One of the recent sales by CKD Galbraith was Strathtulchan, a baronial-style country house set in the heart of the famous Tulchan estate, which had belonged to House of Bruar boss Mark Birkbeck.
The spokeswoman said: "The design of the house was the inspiration of the previous owners, who established the House of Bruar, incorporating the traditional features of a Highland shooting lodge, including a gun and rod room as well as stables and kennels, to create a highly bespoke and exceptional property.
"Strathtulchan sold for over the £1.8 million asking price, emphasising that quality and scarcity are still the main factors that underpin value."
Invereshie, near Kincraig, has also recently been sold by CKD Galbraith for a "substantial sum over the £1.35 million asking price".
The estate boasts a mansion house and holiday cottages and even its own nine-hole golf course
CKD Galbraith is also handling the sale of Easter Laggan House, just to the west of Grantown, with a guide price of £850,000.
The property has eight bedrooms and has been extended to offer a west wing, including a drawing room as well as a separate cottage, traditional steading and a range of additional outbuildings.
The Register of Scotland quarterly report for April to June 2011 states that the volume of detached house sales in the Highlands rose by 34.6% over this period compared to the previous quarter, January to March 2011.
The average residential property price in the Highlands rose by 3.4% for the same period, with the volume of residential sales increasing by 23.4% and the value of sales rising by 27.6%.
