Strutt & Parker's Scottish offices have found there has been a large demand for houses within 20 miles of major Scottish cities in the first half of 2012

The Banchory Office - There is a good market and demand for houses which are priced sensibly within 20 miles of Aberdeen. The other area which is seeing competitive bidding is Royal Deeside, which continues to be much favoured by purchasers. Further afield from Aberdeen (ie, if it is beyond commuting distance) results in a slackening in demand for houses.

The Inverness Office - We are finding that there is a similar theme developing insomuch that well-priced country houses and farmhouses within 20 miles of Inverness continue to be popular. Interestingly, the best demand in the current climate is for smaller sized houses priced between £300,000 and £450,000 in the Highlands.

The Glasgow Office - Again, a similar theme insomuch that properties within 25 miles of Glasgow are proving easier to sell than those further afield. There is a relatively high number of civil servants in the west of Scotland, and the austerity measures rolled out by the UK Coalition and the Scottish Parliament is meaning that there are challenging conditions within the property market in this part of Scotland.

The Edinburgh Office -
a) City residential
There is good demand for family-sized houses with 4-6 bedrooms in the centre of Edinburgh, and ideally with a garage and garden. Houses in the £1 million to £1.5 million bracket are particularly sought after at present.
There is also a keen demand for flats in the city centre and west end in the region of £300,000 to £700,000.

b) Country properties
Farmhouses and country houses within 35 miles of Edinburgh are proving easier to sell (same reason as above), and demand is from those buyers choosing to commute to work in the city every day, and also from purchasers relocating from England, as well as overseas buyers. For country houses, there is keener demand for the smaller properties in the £400,000 to £800,000 price bracket (probably because the cost of maintenance and fuel and heating are less)  and this demand is less apparent for the larger houses over £1.5 million in value.