New homes snapshot – an active market keeps Stirling in house-hunters’ sights

The city of Stirling has a broad appeal to homebuyers, not just for its own heritage and variety of resale and new build homes, but also for its roughly equal distance to Edinburgh and  Glasgow, making it the perfect base for commuters to either of Scotland’s most prominent commercial centres.

Being the renowned ‘Gateway to the Highlands’, where the Lowlands meet the mountainous north, the city is ideal for those seeking the ‘best of both worlds’, benefitting from easy access to the country’s major urban areas but on the doorstep of delightful countryside, including the Cairngorms, Loch Lomond and the Trossachs.

Approximately one quarter of Stirling’s 45,000 population comprises university students, indicating a healthy rental market that will appeal to buy-to-let property buyers. New homes in particular can attract keen interest from students thanks to the facilities they offer and low energy usage, and landlords can usually get a premium price.

For buyers, Stirling was named Scotland’s most affordable city by Bank of Scotland earlier this year, with prices at around four times average earnings, compared with six times average earnings in least affordable Aberdeen and Inverness. 

With a number of developments already under way across the city, a further 400 new homes at least have been approved for the north-west district of Raploch. Up to 543 units may eventually be delivered across five sites. With the majority of homes aimed for affordable or mid-market rent, Stirling Council leader Johanna Boyd says: “This new housing… will support the City Development Framework – a programme to position Stirling as an economic and cultural powerhouse – as housing plays an essential role in promoting economic growth and social justice.”

New homes currently for sale in Stirling: 

​National housebuilder Barratt Homes is prominent in the local property market right now, promoting its collection of three- and four-bedroom homes at Highland Gate. Priced from £161,995, many of these new properties will benefit from views across the River Forth, and all benefit from a location within easy reach of the city centre. Help to Buy Scotland is available here, and there are view homes to see from Thursday to Monday every week. 

Also busy in Stirling right now is Ogilvie Homes. At Home Farm, there are steading-style homes with three or four-bedrooms starting at £219,950, some of which also qualify for Help to Buy Scotland assistance. The development is located just over the M9, from the south-west of the city, in the village of Cambusbarron, so the combination of rural living and easy city access will appeal to many.

At The High School, Ogilvie is offering two-bedroom apartments from £160,950 (or 15% less up-front with Help to Buy Scotland), with more one- and two-bedroom options available when the next phase is released. This development is just south-west of the city centre, close to Beechwood Park and the retail and commercial heart of Stirling. 

In Raploch, Cruden Homes has a new phase of Stirling Bridge available from £121,000, with two-bedroom apartments alongside two- and three-bedroom terraced and semi-detached houses, with some properties offering a striking view of Stirling Castle. A summer deal from the housebuilder on two-bedroom terraced homes includes Help to Buy Scotland as well as the option of legal fees paid, flooring supplied or £1,500 cash back, along with turf for the garden.

Coming soon is Maitland Crescent, a development from Allanwater Homes, which will offer a mix of two- to five-bedroom homes is terrace, semi-detached or detached form. Once more, the Help to Buy Scotland scheme will be available on some plots to assist those with a small deposit to offer.