Where are the best places to buy a property in Dumfries?

Homeowners interested in the market town of Dumfries in the Scottish Lowlands County of Dumfries and Galloway will be pleased to hear that the town is officially one of the happiest places to live in Scotland. Indeed, the town even appeared at the top of the list in Rightmove’s comprehensive Happy at Home Index in recent years.

Locals will be unsurprised to hear this of course, since they already know that Dumfries has something for everyone, including plentiful woodland acres, beautiful countryside, charming seaside villages and sandy beaches on the doorstep.

Indeed, the stunning Galloway Forest Park and impressive 90,000-acre Drumlanrig Castle estate are both nearby and in the town itself Dumfries locals have Mill Green Park, Castledykes Park and the Riverside Dock Park and playground.

There are also great local amenities such as the Theatre Royal, Scotland’s oldest theatre still in operation, the Robert Burns Centre Film Theatre, the Loreburne Shopping Centre and the DG1 Leisure Centre, plus various swimming, rowing, squash and horse-rising clubs to name but a few. The town’s residents, known as ‘Doonhamers’ are also a friendly bunch with plenty of social events on the calendar including the family-friendly Doonhame Music Festival, the Dumfries Market Festival and the Dumfries Agricultural Show.

For parents of school aged children and beyond, there are a number of highly rated primary schools locally and four secondary school options within the local catchment area, plus the University of the West of Scotland (UWS), Dumfries & Galloway College and the University of Glasgow for further and higher education.

Dumfries is also only 30 minutes’ drive northwest of the English and Scottish border and offers great transport links via the M74 and M6 to the rest of the county, Scotland and the rest of the UK. Carlise is less than an hour’s drive and Glasgow and Kilmarnock less than an hour and a half each. Dumfries train station also offers regular connections to Glasgow, Kilmarnock, Ayr and Carlisle in 1 hour 45 minutes, 90 minutes and 40 minutes respectively and other destinations besides.

So, Dumfries might be ticking all of the boxes, but where are the best places to buy a property within the town?

According to Yopa, the south and west parts of the town are particularly sought after with homebuyers. If you are after a traditional period property complete with gables, turrets and red sandstone then the city centre is your best bet, particularly to the south near Pleasance Avenue. Central Castle Street is also popular and Edinburgh Road, Lovers Walk and Lockerbie Road provide a great selection of Victoria villas and semi-detached properties with traditional stone terrace homes on Brooms Road.

Suburban Kingholm Quay and Glencaple, which is around 7 miles south of Dumfries, offer a quieter setting on the River Nith with a mixture of traditional stone and more modern homes and are popular with families thanks to amenities like the Castledykes Park and Unity Skate Park. They are also an ideal spot for anyone studying or working at the nearby university.

The quiet village of Lochmaben which is 10 miles east of Dumfries also attracts families thanks to its easy transport access via the M74, great leisure facilities like a sailing club, tennis courts and golf course and a highly rated primary school.
For more contemporary homes, head to the suburbs on the edge of Dumfries like Lochside and Summerhill. Indeed, it is possible to snap up a large 4 bed detached property (modern or period) for less than £350,000. Making the town a tempting proposition indeed!

When it comes to property prices, homes in Dumfries had a very competitive average price of £139,004 over the last year. This is significantly more affordable than the Lowlands region at £182,118 and Dumfries and Galloway (£164,582) overall, especially pricey hotspots Kippford (£344,923) Moffat (£210,873) and Gatehouse of Fleet (£210,377).

Christopher Walkey

Founder of Estate Agent Networking. Internationally invited speaker on how to build online target audiences using Social Media. Writes about UK property prices, housing, politics and affordable homes.

You May Also Enjoy

Breaking News

Ticking time bomb that could be growing in your garden

Property industry body flags the ticking time bomb that could be growing in your garden rapidly during the summer months There have been widespread concerns about Japanese Knotweed over the years, but for those who may not be aware of the pesky plant, Propertymark highlights that now is the time to act, as warmer conditions…
Read More
Breaking News

Working-age Britons, poorest households

Working-age Britons, poorest households and the North East are suffering most from substandard housing, new data shows Never before seen analysis of the latest English Housing Survey has exposed the staggering inequalities in the monetary and social cost of living in poor-quality homes. In the North East, households are paying five times more than those…
Read More
Breaking News

Deposit Size Could Make or Break Your Budget in 2025

Mind the Deposit Gap: Why Your Mortgage Deposit Could Make or Break Your Budget in 2025 As UK homeowners and buyers face rising costs and tight affordability, specialist lender Hodge Bank warns that the size of your mortgage deposit could now play an even bigger role in long-term financial wellbeing. Hodge is urging homeowners and…
Read More
Breaking News

Government continues to withhold Renters’ Rights Bill court impact study

Government continues to withhold Renters’ Rights Bill court impact study, citing policy ‘safe space’ despite ‘unacceptable’ court delays Reapit appeals decision. The government has again declined to publish its Justice Impact Test for the Renters’ Rights Bill, this time in response to a Freedom of Information request, citing the need to preserve a “safe space”…
Read More
Breaking News

Urban Property Values Outpace Coastal & Countryside Markets

City Living Resurgence as Urban House Prices Outpace Coastal and Countryside Markets The latest research from eXp UK has found that city living is firmly back in favour, with the nation’s major cities seeing a stronger average rate of house price growth compared to coastal and countryside locations. The research by eXp UK analysed the…
Read More
how to present your property for sale
Breaking News

This one property size has grown by almost 20% in the last five years

The latest research from over-50s property specialists, Regency Living, reveals that the average size of park homes in England has increased by almost 20% over the past five years, reflecting a growing demand for park homes as primary residences, not just holiday getaways. Regency Living has examined the five-year change in the average footprint of…
Read More