Rural Sales - Market Comment
Head of Rural and Professional
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Join mailing listThe national farmland market in 2024 was the busiest it's been for some years. It was influenced by a General Election, anticipation of CGT changes in the Autumn statement, and, following that, the unexpected proposed changes to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief.
All this is alongside the reduction in farm subsidies through the transition period, which requires farm businesses to review how they do things and restructure as needed. As ever, changes in economics, government and taxation lead to business decisions being made and more significant market activity as a result.
According to a recent survey undertaken by Savills, which was recently published in the Farmers Weekly, there was an increase in the number of larger farms being sold in 2024, with 56% of farmers selling to either manage debt, financially restructure, or invest capital elsewhere in pursuit of better returns. Nationally, the increase in farmland values was less than 1%; however, within the southwest, their survey reports stronger demand and a rise in values for bare arable land of 5.7%. The market for residential farms was more challenging. That said, these market trends can be very different in regional hotspots.
One hotspot is the Cotswolds, where Butler Sherborn is a residential property and farmland market specialist. "2024 was our busiest year yet where we sold a record level of farm and equestrian property," says Richard Greasby, head of the Rural Department. "Around 25% of our sales have been private/off-market, and 62.5% have been agreed in excess of the guide prices". The Cotswold remains a very popular area with buyers ranging from existing farmers looking to increase their holdings and non-farming investors to entrepreneurs and celebrities alike. The proposed Inheritance Tax changes, effective from April 2026, may influence some buyers and sellers in the market; however, we are not expecting values to change noticeably in 2025.
Butler Sherborn has a very exciting year ahead with new instructions to bring to the market during 2025. This includes a wide variety of properties from both our equestrian and rural team, from a residential farm with several hundreds of acres, bare land, and many more instructions in the pipeline.
We have a strong book for potential buyers, so if you are thinking of selling your farm, equestrian property, or bare land, then please call Richard Greasby or Ben Way to discuss your plans confidentially.
Land Sales and Acquisitions | Butler Sherborn
Richard Greasby
E: richard@butlersherborn.co.uk
T: 01285 883 740
Ben Way
E: ben@butlersherborn.co.uk
T: 01451 830 731
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