The 10 undiscovered property hotspots every savvy buyer should know: These areas are on the up, but houses are still affordable. Here's where to snap up a bargain for as little as £225,000... before everyone else discovers the secret

When it comes to buying a new home, some areas just scream desirability – featuring all of the usual suspects, from lovely parks and good schools, to leafy streets with bijou coffee shops, and of course, well-kept properties.But all of this can come at significant cost.Instead – away from the usual des res areas – are hidden hotspots: locations where properties are easier on the pocket, but where the area itself is still firmly on the up.For savvy buyers, spotting such potential means not only being able to bag a decent home, but making a decent investment too.But how can you tell whether a location is on the rise?‘Look for towns where the price gap with the nearest major city has become too large to ignore,’ Jonathan Rolande of House Buys Fast told the Daily Mail. ‘Strong transport links are another key indicator, as are streets lined with solid family homes rather than an oversupply of flats. Apartments can often be built quickly and in large numbers when developers respond to rising demand, and that additional supply can limit future price growth.’And if you think an area may be on the cusp of change, he suggests taking a stroll around the neighbourhoods; count the skips, look for scaffolding and signs of home improvements. It may suggest owners love where they live and want to stay.Meanwhile, to save you the legwork, we’ve asked leading property experts to pinpoint the locations that could prove a shrewd move in more ways than one.1. Brockley, south-east LondonThis area of south-east London is one to watch, according to Emma Fildes, property expert and buying agent at Brick Weaver.A designated conservation area brimming with Victorian architecture, lots of green space, good schools and independent shops, it could be a particularly good move for young professionals and families. A one-bedroom flat is on the market on Lewisham Way in Brockley for £225,000Plus, with an average property price of approximately £617,000, homes in Brockley fall under the average in the capital for last year (£620,000), according to Rightmove. ‘For buyers who can’t afford areas such as Clapham or East Dulwich, Brockley has become one of London’s most compelling alternatives.'For many, a 20-minute commute into London is a small price to pay for significantly more space, which is helping drive demand in this previously under-the-radar neighbourhood,’ she said. BUY IT: A modern, one-bedroom flat on Lewisham Way is available for £225,000 with Winkworth (winkworth.co.uk).2. Newport, South WalesAs an alternative to both Cardiff and Bristol, Newport offers good value for money, as well as having excellent road and rail links to both neighbouring capitals, explains Jonny Christie, co-founder of The Property Buying Company.But you’ll need to move quickly since word is already getting out. This semi-detached, three-bed property on Badminton Road in Newport is available for £300,000Dubbed Wales’s ‘fastest-growing city’, Newport is bucking the national trend by attracting younger people, particularly those aged 25 to 34. But it may not remain such a good buy for long – so you may want to move fast.Added Jonny: ‘Prices have climbed 5 per cent year-on-year, to average around £231,000, suggesting buyer demand is beginning to outweigh supply.’ BUY IT: A charming, semi-detached, three-bed property on Badminton Road is available from £300,000 with TAUKA (theagencyuk.com).3. Dewsbury, West YorkshireThe West Yorkshire market town famed for its Victorian architecture is still one of the most affordable places of its size in the country for first-time buyers.Rightmove puts the average asking price for a first home at just £130,133, and while Dewsbury has felt the effects of post-industrial decline, revival is on the horizon. Indeed, millions of pounds of investment is expected to flow into the town centre over the next decade. There are also places to walk and relax outdoors, such as the 70-acre Crow Nest Park. A three-bed terraced home with this open-plan kitchen/diner is available from £285,000‘An average starting price of under £140,000, with reasonable rail links and plenty of family-sized terraces, is exactly what a priced-out buyer is chasing,’ says Jonathan Rolande, founder of House Buys Fast. BUY IT: A three-bed terraced home with an open-plan kitchen/diner and a south-east-facing garden on Owl Lane is available from £285,000 (barratthomes.co.uk).4. Sunderland, Tyne and WearWith affordable homes, scenic coastline and a growing reputation as a lovely place to live, Sunderland is emerging as one of the UK’s top property hotspots.There’s plenty of green space to be enjoyed, such as the sprawling Herrington Country Park, and a £2billion urban regeneration programme is set to breathe new life into former industrial sites – with plans to create a thriving, greener and more modern urban centre. A four-bedroom home is on the market from £229,995 and has a south-west-facing gardenThe average property price stands at £145,293. Yet the city sits in the North East, the region that recorded England’s strongest annual house price growth, at 9.9 per cent.Jonathan Rolande told Property Mail: ‘A price under £150,000 with that kind of regional momentum behind it is hard for a first-time buyer to overlook.’ BUY IT: A four-bed detached home on Burdon Fields is available from £229,995 with Taylor Wimpey, and features a detached garage as well as a south-west-facing garden (taylorwimpey.co.uk).5. Newcastle-under-Lyme, StaffordshireThis leafy Staffordshire town is undergoing a major transformation, with an £85million regeneration programme set to revitalise its town centre.Newcastle-under-Lyme is also within easy reach of the M6, and a short train journey to Stoke-on-Trent, while offering plenty of green space – including the renowned Trentham Gardens. In Staffordshire, this five-bedroom home with two bathrooms is available from £525,000‘As an alternative to Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme can be overlooked, but offers the attraction of Keele University, employment in the local healthcare sector, and better-value family homes,’ says Jonny Christie, co-founder of The Property Buying Company.‘Prices climbed 6.6 per cent year-on-year to average around £210,000, making it an affordable option in the Midlands with good transport links to Birmingham and Crewe.’BUY IT: Westlands View, on Clayton Road, is a five-bedroom detached home with two bathrooms. Offering the last chance to buy on this residential housing development, the property is available from £525,000 (savills.com).6. Cross Gates, LeedsFour miles east of Leeds city centre, Cross Gates is certainly one to watch, according to Steve Jackson, sales director at Redrow Yorkshire.‘Over the past few years we’ve seen significant investment and regeneration across the area, creating a thriving and increasingly well-connected place to live. A four-bedroom detached home in Cross Gates, Leeds, is on the market from £520,000‘The planned Thorpe Park Rail Station, for example, is set to provide direct rail connections into Leeds city centre in as little as 10 to 12 minutes.'There’s also plenty of open countryside and parks to enjoy, while The Springs and Thorpe Park provide a good choice of shops, restaurants and leisure facilities.Mr Jackson adds: ‘With East Leeds continuing to grow through the wider 5,000-home masterplan and ongoing investment in local infrastructure, demand for good-quality homes in the area looks set to remain strong.’The current property price here also averages at £256,000 – sitting below the national average of £272,800.BUY IT: A four-bedroom detached home on Manston Lane is available from £520,000 with Redrow (redrow.co.uk).7. Bramley, HampshireWhile Hampshire villages such as Stockbridge and Beaulieu are already well known – and attractive – to buyers, Bramley has been relatively undiscovered. However, given the area’s vast potential, that could all be set to change.‘Bramley is one of those places that offers the best of both worlds. It is a village with a fantastic community vibe, a wonderful farm shop, excellent schools and surrounded by the beautiful Hampshire countryside,’ Mark Vanson, Sales and Marketing Director at Barratt Redrow Southern Counties, told the Daily Mail. A semi-detached home with three bedrooms in Bramley, Hampshire, is available from £485,000 ‘At the same time, you can easily get to nearby Reading and Basingstoke by car or train from Bramley station, while the M4 and M3 are also within easy reach.’Yet despite this broad appeal, Bramley remains reasonably affordable – for now – with terraced homes selling for an average of £310,000.BUY IT: A three-bedroom, semi-detached home on The Street is available from £485,000 with Redrow (redrow.co.uk).8. Musselburgh, East LothianThe historic market town is an increasingly popular option for buyers looking for better value, while wanting to remain in easy reach of Edinburgh.It has plenty of independent shops, restaurants, cafés and the beautiful East Lothian coastline, as well as reasonable property prices – sitting at an average of £243,000. A four-bedroom home with a rear garden is available from £325,000 in Musselburgh, East Lothian‘Musselburgh has a unique combination of connectivity and tranquility that is difficult to replicate elsewhere in the Edinburgh market,’ said Craig Fairfoull, group director at Dundas.‘You can be in the centre of the capital in less than ten minutes by train, but come home to the coast, the River Esk and a town with a character and community entirely of its own.BUY IT: A detached, four-bed property with rear garden grounds is available from £325,000 with Warners (warnersllp.com).9. Shipston-on-Stour, WarwickshireThis Warwickshire market town has the charm of the Cotswolds without the tourists – making it a more affordable and enjoyable place to live.House prices in Shipston-on-Stour have averaged £396,732 over the last year, according to Rightmove – compared to its Cotswolds counterparts, where the average is £450,764. Springfield Farm is a four-bedroom detached family home on the market from £450,000‘People don’t go there to be seen, or to celebrity spot; you could venture out in your pyjamas to pick up a coffee at the Blue Bean Coffee Shop (where an excellent flat white is just £3!) and nobody would bat an eyelid,’ says Sharon Barnard of Stacks Property Search.‘There are very few empty shops in the pretty town square and surrounding roads, and new interesting businesses are moving in.’BUY IT: Springfield Farm, a well-presented, four-bedroom detached family home is available with Peter Clarke from £450,000 (peterclarke.co.uk).10. Takeley, EssexSitting on the Hertfordshire border, four miles east of Bishop's Stortford, this village is one of the more affordable pockets within Essex, particularly when compared with higher-value markets across the South East and London-bordering areas of the county.Indeed, the average Takeley home currently sells for approximately £491,668. In Essex, this end-of-terrace property is on the market with a guide price from £500,000Andrew Wickett, managing director at Dandara Eastern explains: ‘Residents can easily reach Cambridge as well as London Stansted Airport and Liverpool street station in London,’ he says.All of which makes Takeley one to watch for first-time buyers, families and downsizers.BUY IT: An end-of-terrace property on Haddesley Road is available from £500,000 with Daniel Brewery (zoopla.co.uk).