Escape to Corby: The town where everyone wants to live

“In the past three weeks we’ve sold 41 houses.”

Corby estate agent Ricky-Lee Brennan had warned his wife to expect a lean 2020.

”What with Brexit and then coronavirus, I wrote this year off,” said a Ricky.

”I’d said to my wife we’ll just have to get through this year as best we can.

”But we’ve just had the best few weeks in years. The growth in Corby is phenomenal.”

While most of the country is bracing itself for what has been predicted to by the worst recession in a hundred years, predictions of post-coronavirus property market slump have - for now - proved to be wide of the mark in Corby.

Ricky opened his Spencer Court branch of Chris George The Estate Agent two years ago and the firm expects to shift around four houses per week.

But in the past three weeks his business, which has four branches in north Northants, has sold a staggering 41 properties.

It comes as Office for National Statisics figures released in the past week show the number of people living in Corby grew by two per cent in just one year - an increase of 1,440 people between mid-2018 and mid-2019. The borough’s population is now 72,218.

This makes Corby the twelfth fastest growing borough in the country - and the eighth outside of London.

And it shows no signs of slowing.

People who have been locked-down in stuffy cities for the past three months are seeking fresh air and a steadier pace of life - and they’re seeking it in Corby.

“There’s a lot of out-of-area buyers coming in at the moment from places like South Beds, Luton and Milton Keynes. The attraction here is definitely the prices.

”Compared to what they can get down there you can get a huge detached house here. But it’s also very much the investment into the town centre that’s happened over the past decade or so.

“The big names that we have in the town are a real draw for people from a ten or 15 mile radius.

”It’s a really attractive to people.

”We thought we’d start doing a few sponsored Facebook posts targeted at out-of-area and we just got so much interest - more interest than from people in this area.

“We’ve done more than triple the business we’d normally do.”

Ricky’s team has just sold a huge property in Oakley Road - traditionally difficult to shift - to a family from Luton who would have been looking at £1m for a similar house there.

And while property in Corby is undoubtedly rising in price, it’s still possible to buy a maisonette on the Beanfield for sixty grand.

“There’s not all that much for under £100k these days in Corby but there are still a few about,” said Ricky.

“We’re still selling loads of estate properties but what we’re also seeing a load of interest in is cottages in places like Gretton and Weldon.

“People want to get out and have a bit more space and they can do that here. We’re getting five to eight viewings and multiple offers for each property.

“Then you’ve got Oakley Vale and the family homes all over Corby that are very popular.

”And at the higher end you’ve got places like Halgh Wood House in Weldon that was on the market for £700,000 and has jut sold.

”What we’re learning is that the market sowed a bit with Brexit but now, with the pandemic, people are re-evaluating are just going for it. Life’s too short.

“People will always need houses. If prices do come down a little bit next year then we know they’ll go back up again in Corby.”

Find out here why Corby is such a great place to live.

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