WHY settle for one home, when two will do? A new report has predicted the second homes market is set to grow in the UK in the next decade as people snap up extra properties in this country rather than abroad. Direct Line Insurance reckons the number of people with second homes in the UK will increase by 24% to 405,000 by the year 2015. This would compare with an estimated 250,000 second homes bought by Britons abroad. Such a boom would see the value of second homes in the UK increase to £53bn. Hotspots for UK second homes are set to include east London and Bradford, while Liverpool, Glasgow and Newcastle would also be popular, said Direct Line. Parents were likely to increasingly buy properties to house their children through their university years, so cities like Birmingham would also see growth. Exmoor and the Scottish Island of Mull will also make the hotspot list as people buy second homes in the country, says the report. Andrew Lowe, of Direct Line, says: "A strong economy, warming climate and regenerated urban landscape are the key factors set to make Britain more attractive than ever as a second home location." | 
