With more than 40 years of experience in the property market, including 17 years leading RARE! At Sanderson Young, Ashleigh Sundin has seen the North East’s prime market evolve in real time.
When people think of Ponteland, they often picture the grandest end of the market first. The landmark homes, the long driveways, the headline prices. That reputation is well earned, and Darras Hall remains one of the North East’s most established prime residential addresses. But that is no longer the whole story.
What is making Ponteland so compelling today is not only its ability to produce £2 million-plus sales, but the strength and consistency of the market beneath that level. Demand for high-quality detached family homes under £1 million has remained particularly strong, giving the area a depth that many prestige markets struggle to sustain.
Ashleigh Sundin says: “What makes Ponteland unusual is that it offers both glamour and liquidity. Rightmove’s latest sold price data shows Ponteland with an overall average sale price of around £565,000, with detached homes averaging close to £768,000 over the last year. Darras Hall sits higher still, with an overall average above £800,000, which shows the continued strength of the premium market here. That mix is what makes it so attractive. You have genuine top-end prestige, but also a highly active family market below the seven-figure threshold.”
That balance is a large part of Ponteland’s appeal. Buyers are not drawn here by architecture alone. They are buying into a lifestyle that works. Strong schooling, a polished village centre, leisure facilities, golf, green space and proximity to Newcastle International Airport all contribute to a location that offers both status and practicality.
At the very top of the market, the numbers continue to reinforce the area’s standing. Recent Rightmove sold price data shows Runnymede Road with an average sale price of approximately £1.79 million over the last year, while detached homes there averaged around £2.18 million. It is proof that the prestige tier remains very much alive. But the more revealing story is the market’s breadth. Ponteland is not being sustained by occasional trophy-house sales alone. It is being supported by a much broader pool of buyers seeking space, convenience and long-term lifestyle value.
That is what sets it apart from many other aspirational locations. In some markets, luxury can feel static. In Ponteland, it feels liveable. Families can access excellent amenities, a strong sense of community and the practical advantages of connectivity, without compromising on the quality and prestige associated with the address.
There are, of course, other exceptional places to live across the North East and Northumberland. Jesmond, Gosforth, Tynemouth and Corbridge all remain highly desirable in their own right. But Ponteland occupies a particularly strong position within that wider conversation, because it combines space, practicality and established prestige in a way that resonates powerfully with family buyers.
For Sanderson Young, that is where experience and local knowledge matter most. Prime property is never simply about price. It is about understanding the finer points of a market, the motivations of buyers and the lifestyle that sits behind the sale. In Ponteland, that bespoke approach continues to make all the difference.
That is also where the difference lies for us at Sanderson Young RARE. In the upper end of the market, success is rarely just about visibility. It is about timing, discretion, judgement and trust. Many of the most important conversations happen long before a property is launched publicly, and often long before a board is erected outside.
In this part of the market, knowledge matters in a different way. It is not only about knowing values, roads and buyer demand, but also about understanding intent. Knowing which owners may be preparing for a move, which buyers are waiting for the right house, and when a transaction needs careful handling rather than broad exposure. That level of market intelligence is built over time, through relationships, consistency and reputation rather than simply through data alone.
That is why RARE continues to lead the conversation at the top end of the North East market. Not simply because of the properties we represent, but because of the way we represent them: with discretion, depth of knowledge and a clear understanding of what this market demands.