During the fourth quarter of 2016 (October December) property sales across Dumfries and Galloway have increased by 27% compared with the previous quarter. The number of viewings conducted by the team also rose by 14% and new instructions increased by 33% in comparison with the same period of 2015.

The CKD Galbraith Castle Douglas office has recently celebrated its 10th Anniversary and relocated to a more prominent location at 93 King Street. The office has continued to expand its professional team and the move ensures they remain well positioned to offer a wide range of residential, lettings and rural services.

David Corrie, Head of Residential sales at CKD Galbraith's Castle Douglas office, said:

The fourth quarter of 2016 saw a steady flow of sales and was a relatively busy period considering that the winter months can typically be a quieter time for the property market.

Since the start of the new year we've experienced a boost in buyer activity with the Castle Douglas office handling 66 viewing enquiries and 101 new applicant registrations during the first five weeks of 2017.

Whilst there has also been a good range of properties coming to the market in January, supply is still outstripped by demand and prospective buyers are prepared to make offers on the right property now rather than waiting until the spring. Good quality rural homes remain highly sought after but larger country houses towards the higher end of the market still tend to have longer selling times.

The rental market in Dumfries and Galloway also continues to show encouraging signs with the number of properties let by the firm's Castle Douglas office increasing by 11% compared with the final three months of 2015.

Aaron Edgar, CKD Galbraith's lettings agent for the region, commented:

To ensure that the services we offer are appropriate for the different areas in which we operate the firm has a range of services and Castle Douglas has found its Tenant Finder Service' a popular choice with the regions landlords. This is a simplified service whereby the office markets the property to rent and introduces a selection of prospective tenants to the landlord, who then selects the tenant most suited to their property.

This has proved to be a very popular and effective regionalised approach which suits the high number of land and farm owners in Dumfries and Galloway letting out properties which they are well situated to manage themselves. This service allows landlords to still benefit from the firm's vast pool of prospective tenants or our window to world', as it's often referred to, but maintain complete control over who they let their property to.