A man has revealed he swapped London for Scotland so he could get more for his money and bag a spacious property.
Gary Webb, 33, upped sticks and left South Croydon for a cheaper traditional two-bedroom flat in a desirable area of Glasgow.
He sold his expensive London pad worth £575,000 and bought his new home up north for £210,000 - with an eye-watering £365,000 difference in price between the properties.
It comes as the number of UK buyers looking at properties in Scotland surge following lockdown as homeowners seek to move out of big cities.
In fact, the market has seen a spike of 71 per cent of London buyers viewing properties up north between May and June this year, according to online mortgage broker Trussle.
Gary, who owns a plumbing and heating company, said: "Last year, I sold my house in South Croydon, which I shared with my then-partner and our daughter.
"When my ex and I separated, she decided to move to Scotland and initially I thought I’d commute to spend time with my daughter.
"But when I looked at the prices of properties in Scotland, moving there myself was a no-brainer.
"The value-for-money in Scotland is incredible. I now live in a spacious, two bedroom flat in a desirable area of Glasgow, and the price I paid for it wouldn’t even buy a studio flat in a less desirable area in London.
"The cost of living here is much better too, so I have disposable income to fly back to London if I need to."
Gary, who also started up a trainer and clothing line during lockdown, said he has fallen in love with Scotland's slower pace of life and picturesque countryside.
He said: "It’s very easy for me to drive to scenic places, which is great for my daughter.
"I found the purchasing process here to be much easier and less stressful than in England - there’s smoother processes in place in the Scottish market.
"I put in an offer on my flat in March, and was moved in by mid-May.”
Gary is not the only Londoner looking to move up north to take advantage of cheaper property prices.
From May to June this year, there was a 136 per cent spike in mortgage applications for homes in Scotland.
Scotland is also among the top ten most popular destinations for relocation in the UK, according to research.
Miles Robinson, Head of Mortgages at Trussle, said: “It’s encouraging to see the Scottish property market back up and running again."
