Housebuyers are prepared to pay up to pay a £143,000 premium for a home with a seaview in Felixstowe, it has been revealed.

East Anglian Daily Times: Househunters will pay more for a sea view Picture: GREGG BROWNHousehunters will pay more for a sea view Picture: GREGG BROWN (Image: Archant)

And upwardly mobile Felixstowe has been identified as one of the `top performing’ seaside property places, in a survey by Rightmove.

It doesn’t have the kudos, or the higher prices of Southwold and Aldeburgh along the Suffolk coast but Felixstowe has seen millions of pounds of investment in recent times; in attractions like the Seafront Gardens and Felixstowe Pier.

And now homeowners are reaping the benefits because Rightmove says prices for a home with a seaside view in the Suffolk resort town are 57% higher than for those without.

Rightmove said “sea view” is one of the most popular searches in the keyword sort feature on its website,

Seafront resident Dean Wales, a communications executive said: “It is lovely to see Felixstowe changing.

“We have lived on the seafront for 18 years, between the busier areas, though you still get the buzz of the resort.

“We have unbroken sea views, which is lovely. We have seen Felixstowe bump along the bottom since we have been there and we are watching it rising; and it is quite rapid.”

He has been surprised to see the asking prices for some homes with views of the sea and beach, he said.

The landmark former Bartlet Hospital, now converted into apartments, has one of the best positions on the clifftop, overlooking the bay and Felixstowe beach.

And one of the best three-bedroom apartments is currently on sale, with Savills.

Max Turner of Savills said: “If you are looking for sea views, then the Bartlet is pretty much unrivalled. It is one of the best positions in town

“This apartment is double aspect and you can see up towards Bawdsey in one direction and across the towards the Port of Felixstowe in the other.”

No 19. The Bartlet, a first floor apartment with a balcony, has a guide price of £650,000.

Rightmove says that across the country homebuyers can expect to pay a £68,000 premium - or 29% higher than the average for properties without sea views.

The highest price premium was found in Felixstowe in Suffolk, where a sea view could attract a 57% premium - meaning buyers could pay over £143,000 more on average.

Mark White, branch manager at Nicholas Estates in Felixstowe, said: “Properties with sea views are very popular in Felixstowe and they aren’t on the market for long.

“We recently sold a two bedroom ground floor apartment in Old Felixstowe, with sea views, for £400,000. It is definitely about location. Certain roads in Felixstowe have premium prices.”

The resort of Lowestoft, however, is one of the least expensive for properties with a sea view.