LONDON PULSE

Savills, Large

£4.25 MILLION

WHY MOVE TO OXFORD?

Aside from the continual stream of new students, lecturers and staff at the colleges, Oxford offers excellent schools, including The Dragon, Magdalen College, Oxford High School and Greycoats. High employment levels and the fast and

reliable London commute also raise the city’s game as families seek the dream combination of traditional high quality education, countryside peace and a stimulating entertainment. Jonathon Bramwell, Head of the

Country Team at Prime Purchase, says, “The Oxfordshire market is fairly recession proof compared to other areas that we cover. The market is driven by so many factors; schooling, commutability, second homers and international buyers. There is always demand from these sectors if a ‘best in class’ property comes to the market.” The proliferation of decent schools

means housing supply is always limited as people keep their homes for 10-20 years whilst they educate their children, so there is a continuous demand for good family homes as people move into the catchment areas. This means house prices are not as affected as other areas.

‘The Oxfordshire market is fairly recession proof compared to other

areas that we cover... there is always demand.’

jOnATHAn BRAMWEll

DIRECTOR, pRIME pURCHASE

26 MARCH 2010 PROPERTYdrum

£1.35 MILLION

Above: Savills, stone house in Bladon. Inset: Savills, country house near Witney, sold to London family as a weekend retreat.

Giles Lawton, Director of Residential

Sales at Savills agrees. “Our core market is good town and country houses; mainly valued at £500,000 to £5million that sell to professional families often relocating to or within Oxford so that they can be close to their children’s schools, or the colleges and teaching hospitals.”

‘Our clients vary from doctors and academics relocating to

Oxford and expats

returning.’ TIM HAMMOnD

DIRECTOR, THE BUYInG AGEnTS

detached house in central north Oxford.

WHO ARE THE BUYERS?

With its beauty and charms, Oxford acts as a global magnet. Mark Charter, Partner, Carter Jonas, says their client base is, “British with strong interest from the French, Germans and Australians,” and they aren’t short of funds, with budgets up to £1.5 million. Meanwhile Duncan Dingle, Residential Sales Manager, Connells has an interesting mix of purchasers including British, but also Nepalese, Polish, Lithuanian buyers. “Our breakdown is 45 per cent first time buyers, 45 per cent home movers and 10 per cent investors.”

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