Hereford has seen a greater jump in demand from home buyers since the market reopened than any other English town or city, figures from Rightmove reveal. 

The top 10 most popular places for house hunters was dominated by towns in the North West, Yorkshire, according to the property listings website.

Rightmove looked at the number of people phoning and emailing estate agents about properties for sale over the past two weeks, compared to the first two weeks in March. 

On average across England there was a 32 per cent increase in demand, but in Hereford, where the average asking price is £233,400 it was more than double at 77 per cent.

Wigan, where the average asking price was  £165,448, was close behind with a 71 per cent increase in demand.

Rochdale, Wilmslow and Scarborough all saw demand rise by more than 60 per cent while Bolton, Bradford, Rotherham, Hastings and Accrington all saw enquiries jump by more than 50 per cent.

Nine out of the top ten have average asking prices that are below the current average for England of £337,884.

The only exception is the affluent town of Wilmslow where the average asking price is £461,535.

Rightmove property expert Miles Shipside says: “The fact that towns are bouncing back better than cities is indicative of many prospective buyers choosing smaller areas to live, but still looking for places that will have all the facilities they need on their doorstep. 

“Many of the towns in the list have cheaper prices so a buyer’s budget goes further allowing extra space for possible home-working and gardens for private relaxation.

“Our new analysis of the prices that buyers are agreeing to pay shows that properties in the typical family home or second stepper sector are achieving closest to their asking prices.

“If you exclude London and some more expensive areas in the south then these types of home are typically in the £250,000 to £500,000 price band. “These are currently appealing because they’re likely to benefit from more space and a private garden, attributes that home-movers tell us are now even more important than before lockdown.

“There are still 175,000 sellers missing that would usually have come to market when it was closed, so sales agreed numbers will take a while to recover to normal levels, and much hinges on the deals that lenders are able to offer buyers in the current market.”

Hereford estate agent Steven Thomas, director of Watkins Thomas, says: “Our market has been very busy since we were able to reopen in May. There’s been a shift in the type of buyer since before lockdown. 

“We were dealing with a lot of first-time buyers with limited deposits in March, but now it’s families looking for more space. 

“It’s a bit like what we see in January – families spend Christmas sitting down and talking about their next move and they get going in January. “

“We are seeing a surge of late spring buyers. 

“There’s also a lot of real interest coming from the South East, from people in their 50s and 60s realising they can get a lot more for their money and can live in an area with acres of open countryside.”

Wigan estate agent Kristian Derrick, director of Ashtons, says: “Since the market reopened we’re finding that the majority of our three and four bed homes are selling for at least asking price, with many going to sealed bids with a number of buyers interested. 

“Typically these buyers have been local families looking for more space. “We’ve also seen a big increase in the buy-to-let market, with investors able to purchase a terraced home in relatively good condition in a good area for under £100,000.”