Where demand is strongest
Glasgow – especially the West End – as well as Edinburgh, are high on the buying list. The attraction, said O’Neill, comes from scale, architecture and relative value.
In the West End, “you’re talking about beautiful big villas and the value you get for them,” he noted, citing returning UHNW expatriates acquiring mansions for around £2 million and spending £3 million refurbishing them – a £5 million total investment that “would cost five or six times as much in London.”
Beyond the cities, lifestyle is the calling card. Scenic, commutable markets are drawing wealthy domestic and international buyers alike.
“Scotland has so much on its doorstep – the Trossachs, the Highlands, the scenery,” said O’Neill. “You can be in Edinburgh or Glasgow and still very close, or stay in beautiful towns like Gullane.”
At the very top, scarcity rules: trophy Highland estates and ultra-prime new schemes such as Taymouth are seeing intensifying interest.