HOUSE hunters in Hove with a penchant for a sea view will be hit hard in the pocket.

The town is now the most expensive place in England to own a property with a seaside outlook.

Statistics put together by Rightmove show Hove to be the priciest when it comes to properties under £1million, with the average cost of a home with a sea view set at almost £482,000.

According to the property analysis, buying such a home in Hove costs 12 per cent more on average, compared than those with no view of the waves.

House hunter, Liz Barnett, from Poets’ Corner, Hove, said: “My family and I would love to live closer to the beach.

“We’ve been looking for months for that dream property where we can peek at the sea, but the prices are just too ridiculous.

“We might have to wait for our youngest to move out first and she’s only six, so it could be a while.”

Chris Sawyer, director of Hove estate agents Sawyer and Co, told The Argus the sea view premium is often much higher than 12 per cent.

He said: “We recently sold a one bedroom flat with a beautiful sea view in Adelaide Crescent for £350,000.

“A similar flat, without that view, would go for at least 30 per cent less.

“We also sold a purpose-built two bed flat with a lovely view of the sea for £475,000.

“Similar, purpose-built flats, slightly further inland, along The Drive, would go for around £350,000.

“There is a huge disparity.”

Nationally speaking, homes in seaside towns with a sea view cost 29 per cent more on average than homes in the same town without one.

Mr Sawyer said: “Sea views are basically solid gold.

“There are obvious reasons why homebuyers love them, what is better than being able to see the sea from your window?”

“I’ve been in this job for 30 years and I still never tire of that view, whether the water is like a mill pond or the waves are crashing, it is still stunning.

“Homebuyers who want that view just won’t compromise and will often go away, do their sums again, and find the extra money.”

The next most expensive towns for properties with a sea view are Broadstairs in Kent and Poole in Dorset.

Morecambe in Lancashire, Cleethorpes in Lincolnshire and Scarborough in North Yorkshire are the cheapest towns to buy sea view homes.