Costa del Ayrshire? Costa Lotta Ayrshire!

An interesting news report from the BBC reveals that house prices in the South Ayrshire seaside town of Girvan have outperformed every other part of Great Britain over the course of the last year.

Figures by the Bank of Scotland show that the average cost of a home in Girvan rose 41% to £131,512 last year. Over three quarters of Scotland's seaside towns saw an increase in house prices of at least 10%.

House prices in Girvan and some other Ayrshire seaside towns have not been high in comparison to other places in Scotland and it is interesting to speculate what might be driving this surge in prices.

One of the factors undoubtedly will be the ripple effect of rising prices in other nearby towns. Ayr, for example, has seen significant absolute rises in house prices and this will undoubtedly force some to look further afield.

Could it also be that some people are starting to think about what effect global warming and action on C02 levels might have? One assumption might be that in the coming years cheap holidays and flights abroad will not be so readily available. Another assumption might be that Scottish summers may become reliably warmer.

The combination of these two factors might make property purchase in Ayrshire seaside towns a reasonable long term bet - particularly as property prices in these communities are not. comparatively high.

One downside of course might be that sea-levels are predicted to rise. So if you are thinking of purchasing a seaside property in Ayrshire it might be wise to make sure its at the top of the cliff and not right on the beach!