Both students and young professionals are prepared to pay premium rates for high quality property in the right location. Some of the factors which should ensure that Exeter remains an area for steady growth in capital values as well as letting income are outlined as follows:

• The University of Exeter, St Luke's College (teacher training) and the University of Plymouth (Exeter campus) which totals about 27,000 students - a dependable and growing rental market;
• General mobility of the population and growth in short contract employees wanting to rent property because of Exeter's development as a centre for research, development and consultancy, with the Polymer Centre, the Innovation Centre, and the Peninsula Medical School;
• Growing inward investment focusing on biotechnology, engineering, ICT and multimedia, the environment (notably the Met Office) and healthcare industries which in turn are increasingly likely to keep new graduates in the city;
• Topographical constraints on the expansion of Exeter which, despite the planned new settlements outside the city, should ensure growing rental values in the face of housing shortage. Across Devon more than 30,000 new housing units are required over the next decade.