The number of properties selling for more than £1 million in Norfolk rose by almost 130pc in 2021.

A total of 225 homes were sold subject to contract for more than a million pounds and estate agents have attributed the rise to the pandemic changing lifestyles.

The research by Savills using data from TwentyCi, a home-buyer behaviour data agency, found that sales of million-pound properties have increased in Norfolk by 129.6pc, from 98 in 2019 to 225 in 2021.

North Norfolk saw the highest number of sales, with 58 homes selling for more than a million pounds, a rise of 132pc since 2019.

Great Yarmouth saw the lowest amount of high-end sales, with 9 sales in 2021 compared to 2 in 2019.

Natalie Howlett-Clarke, head of residential sales at Savills Norfolk, put the rise of high-end sales down to the pandemic.

“The lifestyle factors that motivated people to move after the first lockdown – the need for more space, an increase in home working and the desire to be close to the coast or countryside – continued throughout the year and the market just kept getting busier and busier," she said.

“The traditional hotspots in North and West Norfolk have remained popular, but buyers’ focus has also shifted to other areas that perhaps weren’t previously on their radar – quieter, more rural locations which have good connections and a range of amenities.”

Fellow head of residential at Savills Norfolk Ben Rivett said there are not enough properties on the market to meet buyer needs.

“Even in the £1m+ market there is still an appetite for more,” he said.

“This has created fierce competition among buyers and many properties have been selling within days of becoming available for considerably more than the guide price.

"There are highly motivated buyers who are ready to move and we are seeing more activity at the start of the year than we would normally expect.”

A total of 24,000 homes were sold in Norfolk in 2021, an increase of 22.4pc from 2019.

The area where the most homes sold was King's Lynn and West Norfolk, at 4,369, and the least sold in Great Yarmouth, at 2,871.

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