Two West Lothian towns named among best places to live in Scotland

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Two West Lothian towns have featured in a list of the best places to live in Scotland.The Best Places to Live 2024 report ranks the best cities, towns and villages in Scotland against five criteria - natural beauty, wellbeing, employment and connectivity plus value for money.The list of 20 areas was compiled by independent buying agency, Garrington Property Finders, who placed Linlithgow at number 10 and Whitburn at 15.Kirkintilloch, a historic town at the foot of the Campsie Fells dubbed was has been crowned the best place to live in the comprehensive ranking of more than 160 communities across Scotland.Jonathan Hopper, CEO of the buying agents Garrington Property Finders, comments: “2023’s reset of prices redrew large swathes of Scotland’s property map.

Prices rose across the nation as a whole, but some highly desirable areas became better value as prices fell.“It’s early days, but 2024 so far has seen the cost of borrowing – which led many would-be buyers to hold off in 2023 – start to come down.

Suddenly the market finds itself at an inflection point, with house prices stabilising just as mortgages become more affordable.“This combination is already translating into a surge in interest from buyers who’ve decided to restart their previously paused moving plans.

If this is you, our 2024 Best Places to Live guide can help you pinpoint locations with the optimum blend of natural beauty, quality of life and value for money.“All of the 161 Scottish cities, towns and villages selected for our ranking score well in at least one category, and you can use our fun, interactive tool to find places that offer more of the things that matter most to you.”Official data shows that average property prices in Scotland rose by 2.2% in