A Kent estate agent says it is seeing the "direct opposite" to a report by Zoopla which claims demand for coastal properties in the county is disappearing.

Online property portal Zoopla said the "tide had turned" when it comes to demand for rural and coastal areas. And it highlighted parts of Kent were set to feel the pinch the most.

Richard Donnell, its executive director of research, said: "Rural and coastal areas, beautiful locations with pleasing home-office views, were in hot demand as buyers went on the hunt for more space in idyllic settings.

"Competition for the perfect new home became fierce, with buyers willing to pay well over the odds to secure their next hot property.

"That surge in demand inevitably pushed up prices, with some of the largest gains in house prices seen across Wales, the South West, Norfolk and east Kent."

Analysis of Land Registry data earlier this year, revealed the average cost of a home in the county had soared by £56,000 (19%) since March 2020 – the sharpest spike in two decades.

The areas leading the growth were the districts of Thanet - up 26%, Dover (24%), and Folkestone and Hythe (23%).

Adds the Zoopla executive: "Now, thanks to cost-of-living pressures and rising mortgage rates, affordability and value for money are playing a much greater role in determining what buyers are looking for. And we believe these two factors will continue to be the big key drivers for the housing market in 2023.

"Flats, cheaper to heat and run, in affordable urban areas, with plenty of jobs and services, have become a more appealing prospect for buyers at a time when living costs are running at such a high."

It added there had been "a greater slowdown in demand and sales" across the beachside locations of east Kent as well as Torquay and Portsmouth.

He concluded: "These markets are all slowing off a high base of activity but it now looks as though the initial wave of pent-up demand, brought about by more working from home and a spike in retirement, has run its course for now."

However, the view is not shared by estate agents serving the east of the county.

Tom Ross-Bason is senior operations director of Arun Estates, which owns the Wards of Kent estate agency.

He explained: "We're seeing the direct opposite of that. When we're looking at the numbers of people interested in those types of property, our offices in Deal, Ramsgate and Broadstairs are seeing anything but a decline.

"Of course the general appetite for a second home by the coast, which became incredibly popular during the lockdown period, has certainly become less prevalent.

"But what we're seeing is far more motivated people coming out of the city lifestyle and wanting that element of space, that differential between being in the city and being by the coast.

"That's not me trying to spin the market, that's a genuine observation.

"The motivation for coastal properties is something we're not seeing a decline in..."

"It has always been the case people have wanted affordable living in towns and urban areas - regardless of the economic situation.

"I was surprised when I heard about the Zoopla report. There are other areas of our business which have seen a decline, particularly due to this time of year - the economic climate is definitely having an impact on people's thinking. But, bizarrely, the motivation for coastal properties is something we're not seeing a decline in, which ordinarily you would."

Due to the rapid increase in interest rates this year, a move by the Bank of England in an effort to slow the inflation rate, mortgage costs have soared.

That, in turn, is expected to see a drop in house prices during 2023.

Adds Tom Ross-Bason: "Sellers may have to be more realistic in terms of their asking price - but that's across the whole industry not just coastal areas."