If you're looking for that perfect blend of town and country in the UK, there's nowhere quite as spectacular as Inverness. That's because Inverness has all the amenities you'd expect of a city and yet also has the unique, stunning beauty of the Highlands on its doorstep. It's just one reason why it's a location that's attracting more people than ever before to live and work there. Indeed, it's estimated that the city's population will double from the present 50,000 to 100,000 by 2030.
In terms of work opportunities, it's a thriving town, particularly in terms of the service industries. In addition, the advancement of communications technology in recent years means, for many people, they can work from home just as easily as from an office and many choose to make Inverness their home.
The city is seen as a more attractive, as well as cheaper, place to live than some other parts of the UK. Trying to capitalise on this, there's been a campaign to make Inverness Scotland's next 'Gigabit' city. This would mean Inverness having broadband speeds of up to 1Gbps, around 100 times faster than the UK average in the near future. The importance of broadband speed should be taken into account when buying property here as it can even have an effect on house prices in this region more than other places.
It's thought that property prices have doubled from where they were in 2006. Even so, new home prices still offer great value compared to many places elsewhere. Barratt Homes, Kirkwood Homes, Robertson Homes and Tulloch Homes are just four housebuilders worth mentioning to have built new houses in the Inverness area.
For first-time buyers, there are excellent opportunities with Help to Buy Scotland and Shared Ownership available. In addition, there are retirement properties on offer from housebuilders such as McCarthy & Stone. The most sought-after locations are generally on the outskirts of the city or within a twenty-mile radius of the city centre. The rental market is also very strong with properties usually finding tenants within days of advertising.
Transport links are good with Inverness Airport having direct flights to towns and cities right across the UK. There are direct rail services to Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and London. The A9 is the main road south whilst the A96 leads to Aberdeen. There are a wide range of quality schools with Inverness also being the main campus for the University of the Highlands and Islands.
Inverness offers many exciting opportunities for those wishing to buy a new home. The town is regarded as one of the fastest growing in the whole of Europe and that in itself says much about what the city has to offer.