Kirsty Mckenzie
BRITAIN is becoming a nation of “corona nomads” as people flee to sunnier climes to escape the brutal lockdown measures in the UK.
Research shows that there has been a huge increase the number of UK residents browsing homes overseas during lockdown.
Overseas property portal Kyero has reported a 30% rise in UK visitors to its site between April – June 2020 compared to the same period in 2019.
Analysts say the latest coronavirus restrictions have caused a people fantasying about moving abroad to make their dreams a reality.
Louise Dell, founder of Kyero.com said: “Lockdown and widespread remote working over recent months has had a significant impact on the types of people looking to buy property in Europe. Greater numbers of younger people, and those now working remotely full time – ‘Corona nomadics’ – are considering a move abroad as we all become less tied to the office and are able to live, work and play where we really want to.”
In the three months after the start of lockdown-1 in the UK, Kyero saw a 19% increase in interest in overseas property by those aged 25-34 compared to the same period last year (April – June).
Louise added: “It seems that a global pandemic has made many people realise that time is precious, and rather than putting dreams off until tomorrow, they are seizing the day and making it happen. With the new second round of lockdown restrictions coming into force, we only expect this trend to continue.
“Travel may still be unpredictable, but far from curbing ambitions of moving abroad, it appears that the challenges of this year have prompted people to plan their escape, perhaps partly because it now really doesn’t make much difference whether people are joining an online meeting from Croydon or the Costa Del Sol.”
Interest in overseas properties continued to be high among Brits over the summer, despite ongoing uncertainty around travel, with Kyero.com seeing an 18% increase in British people viewing Spanish properties between July – September this year compared to the same time in 2019.
With the average (median) price of Spanish properties for sale on Kyero.com €280,000 (£253,123) Spain remains a popular destination for many UK buyers, with international sales having grown every year in the three years following Brexit.
This is despite Spanish property prices increasing since 2015, with a total 26% increase in price over the last five years according to data released by the Spanish Government.
