Monkey Island Lane, Bray - 2 Bed Bungalow - Development Opportunity

Just having a quick last look at the property sites before xmas.... and noticed this development opportunity come up near Bray. It's on the market with Purple Bricks for £800K and needless to say this will get a huge amount of interest! Whatever your plans for this property the Gross Development Value will be absolutely key in terms of what you should be paying for a property like this..... if you need any assistance with this then feel free to get in touch. 

More pics below......

http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/42530928

Maidenhead Housing Crisis? Only 3.9% of Maidenhead Homes Are For Sale

The Maidenhead Property Market continues to disregard the end of the world prophecies of a post Brexit fallout and continues to perform well against most parts of the UK!  

The challenge every Maidenhead property buyer has faced over the last few years is a lack of choice – there simply hasn't been much to choose from when buying (be it for investment or owner occupation). Levels are still well down on what would be considered healthy levels from earlier in this decade, as there is still a substantial demand/supply imbalance. Until we start to see consistent and steady increases in properties coming to the market in Maidenhead the market is likely to see upward pressure on property values….. despite us being in a comparative lull to recent times!

However, there may be hope for first time buyers, with homeowners looking to move upmarket and buy to let landlords looking for their next investment, the Maidenhead property supply crisis just might be starting to ease, as the number of new properties coming onto the market in Maidenhead has increased.

For example, recently we have seen over 250 new properties coming on to the market every month, not bad when you consider for the last year the average has been in the 200 to 220 range. With the average Maidenhead property value hitting a record high, reaching almost £564,500 according to my research, this shortage of properties on the market over the last two years has contributed to this ‘fuller' average property figure, but there is a glimmer of hope that the Maidenhead's supply crisis may be starting to ease.

As I write this article, 3.93% of Maidenhead properties are up for sale. In terms of actual chimney pots, that equates to 843 properties on the market in Maidenhead (within 3 miles of the centre of Maidenhead) – which, when compared to only a year ago when that figure stood at 507, this is a serious increase in the number of properties available to buy. Split down into the type of property, it makes even more fascinating reading...

 

• Detached Properties in Maidenhead  - 188 on the market a year ago compared to 256 on the market now – an increase of 36%
• Semi Detached Properties in Maidenhead - 124 on the market a year ago compared to 216 on the market now - an increase of 74%
• Terraced Properties in Maidenhead - 56 on the market a year ago compared to 98 on the market now - an increase of 75%
• Flats / Apartments Properties in Maidenhead  - 99 on the market a year ago compared to 226 on the market now - an increase of 128%

Realistically priced properties will continue to shift quickly, and this increase in new properties (especially semis and apartments), this is evidence of strength in the Maidenhead housing market that many didn't expect. Many believed that the Maidenhead property market wasn't going to be strong enough post Brexit - as what was a sellers' market before the Brexit vote and Buyers' market in the early months after it, may now be somewhere in between and the market might just be coming back into balance.

However, all this will mean property values won't continue to grow at the same extent they have been over the last 12 to 18 months, and in some months (e.g. the run up to Christmas and early in the New Year), values might dip slightly. This won't be down to Brexit but a re-balancing of the Maidenhead Property Market – which is good news for everyone.

Maidenhead Property Market in 2017 and Beyond

Now the trees have turned from green to hues of red and brown, it is worth reflecting on how the Maidenhead Property market has also cooled as we enter the Winter season. With the underlying fundamentals of a continued lack of properties being built and low mortgage interest rates demand for Maidenhead properties has certainly cooled off over the past 6 months….

There may also be a few potential hurdles coming towards us in the coming months that could affect the Maidenhead (and UK) property market. Mrs. May has yet to get her teeth into Brexit negotiations and we don’t know what the result of the US Presidential elections might do to the money markets around the world, meaning that on the run up to Christmas, some savvy buyers may take advantage of the lack of certainty by making cheeky offers, but I don’t believe these will have a huge impact on property values (like the 2008 Credit Crunch).

You see, property ownership, whether it’s for yourself as a homeowner or buy to let landlord, is a long term investment. In fact, focusing on buy to let, a number of landlords who own property in Maidenhead have made contact with me recently asking for my thoughts on the future of the buy to let market in Maidenhead.  Well, as the Politician Edmund Burke said in the 18th century, "Those who don't know history are destined to repeat it." .. in other words, to see the future you must look into the past.

Since the Millennium, the housing market has had everything thrown at it. The recent Brexit, last year’s General Election, the near melt down of the World Economy with the Credit Crunch, The Dot Com boom and bust, the housing market crisis in 2008, the housing boom of 2001 to 2004 .. the list goes on. In fact here is a graph (courtesy of the Land Registry) of average Property values since the Millennium in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council area.

Even though we had the Dot Com bubble burst in 2000, two years later in January 2002, property values in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead Council area have risen from £167,300 (in Jan 2000) to £213,300 .. and kept rising to January 2008, when they peaked at £356,300. Then we had the Credit Crunch and property prices continued to fall until January 2009, where they averaged £270,000 .. but look where they are now…  £489,200.

The point I am trying to get across is long term future property values are more helpful to landlord investors than the month by month headline grabbing micro movements in the property market.  Look at the graph and you will see the growth in property values is an upward trend BUT, the average darts about as each month goes by.  So don’t watch the property indexes and panic if values drop next month or the month afterwards, because even in the glory days of 2001 to 2004 and 2012 to 2014, without fail, values always dropped slightly around Christmas, but people will always need a roof over their heads, and if they can’t buy and the council aren’t building anymore  .. only buy to let landlords can meet that demand.

Maidenhead landlords are being hit in the pocket with the new up and coming taxation rules and yes we might have a bumpy ride on the run up to Christmas (because of the points raised earlier), Brexit or no Brexit, but the trend will be a slow and steady upward momentum of property values, demand for rental properties and yields in the Maidenhead property market into 2017 and beyond.

Moorfield Terrace, Maidenhead - 1 Bed Flat - Great First Time Investment!

Just seen this tidy one bedroom flat come on the market with Waterman's for £229,950. As a first time investor this could be a great starting point..... from the pics it looks in good condition so no need to get the paint brushes out before you get this on the rental market! For a one bedroom flat in this part of town you could expect to achieve a rental income of around £850 PCM..... worth a look!

http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/42428225

Fotherby Court, Maidenhead - 2 bed Terrace - Prime Location!

Fotherby Court is always a popular area for tenants, so if you are looking to grow your property portfolio I would give the guys at Hamptons a call to find out some more details on this place. It's on the market for £365K and you could expect a rental income in the region of £1,200 PCM. 

For more details take a look at the link below.....

http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/42432089

Harvest Hill Road, Maidenhead - 4 Bed Detached Bungalow - Development Opportunity

Not for the faint hearted this one! This place does offer real opportunity..... but at what cost? To maximise your return this maybe a knock down and start again project? It's on the market with Hamptons for just under £600K..... and for the Harvest Hill area this is pretty much the average asking price. Time to do your maths..... this could be a real development opportunity..? 

More details below

http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/42391929

Clare Road, Maidenhead - 3 Bed Semi - Work Required!

Good morning, we are off to Clare Road again today. Just seen this house come on the market with Waterman for £435K. A semi detached on this road will always command a slight premium in price, but you really need to book your self a viewing to see how much work actually needs to be done to make this an attractive proposition for all those tenants..... as I keep saying tenants expectations on the standard of a property are higher than ever. For 3 bedroom semi's in Clare Road the average sold price is around the £460K mark..... so you just to make sure you leave yourself enough for them refurb costs.... well worth a look though!

http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/42379048