by Jo Earle

The new high speed rail service has added to the "sale-ability" of properties in east Kent.

That’s the latest from estate agents in the county.

Dover, Folkestone, Ramsgate and Canterbury have been getting a taste of what it can offer since September.

Property experts believe the new service will increase house prices further once the trains begin their full service in December. Come 2012 they will be known as 'Javelins' to tie in with the Olympics at Stratford.

Simon Barker, from Strutt and Parker estate agents in east Kent, said the housing market does now look promising.

He said: “It will open up a whole swathe of east Kent from Deal to Sandwich that has traditionally not been commutable.

"What it has added is sale-ability. There will be an increase in values but because of the whole economic climate at the moment the market is improving. There is a little bit more confidence and buoyancy coming back into the market place, which previously there wasn't here in East Kent."

Neil Boswell is managing director of Caxtons in Canterbury. He admits it has been significantly noticeable people searching for properties in the area over the past two years.

He said: “It has made an improvement to the housing market and the demand for houses in Canterbury.

"The buy-to-let sector of the market has been sustained throughout this year and kept the market going, so to that extent the high speed service has been an asset and a benefit."

Elsewhere in east Kent, Fell Reynolds Estate Agents based in Folkestone said it should be able to tell if house prices have gone up by the spring.

Manager Rod Mallet said: "It's very difficult to tell if house prices have gone up because of the high speed rail link.

"House prices going up are justified and inevitable, but hopefully they will not go up by that much as it tends to cause troubles.

It’s also thought the high speed service will give property experts access to the commuter sector of the market which they may not have seen before.

Mr Mallet adds: "We've some Londoners moving into Kent so there's no reason why it won't happen more."

The news comes just months after we reported how house sales in Ashford had increased after the high-speed link was launched in early summer - while around Ebbsfleet there had been little noticeable difference.

• Related article: Ashford house sales see a boost after high-speed link launched