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The latest census on UK property price growth has been released by HM Land Registry and Office for National Statistics (ONS), showing tht UK regional cities top property price growth in the country.
It also shows a promising annual growth rate of 5.2% recorded in the month of December, 2017 — a 0.2% increase from the previous month. The average house price in the UK stood at £226,756 in December, approximately £12,000 higher than in December, 2016 and £1,000 higher than last month.
Regionally, the Southwest, which includes the cities of Bristol, Plymouth and Salisbury, earned the best track record, with the highest annual growth rate of 7.5% approaching the month of December.
The Southwest is followed by the West Midlands, which includes the city of Birmingham, with an annual growth of 6.3%. Meanwhile, the East Midlands also recorded similar property price growth levels.
London experienced the lowest annual property price growth, at 2.5% — on the bright side, those looking to purchase homes in London for possible stay can enjoy affordable prices while they last.
James Cameron, director of estate agency Vesper Homes, said landlords are selling up in London and looking for buy-to-let opportunities elsewhere, which is benefiting first-time buyers in the capital.
“Landlords are therefore selling up so they can invest outside of London or trade up to a larger property which frees up the smaller ones for first-time buyers,” he said.
Property price growth: what this means for investors
What can be derived from recent trends seen in areas outside England’s capital is that the regional market holds the greatest appeal to the savvy investor.
Savills identifies Birmingham, Manchester and the overall Northwest as the top places for buy-to-let investors, with the highest comparative returns. They predict a 4.5% average annual return for Birmingham and Manchester, and 4.1% for the Northwest. Mortgage brokers Private Finance place Liverpool at the top for nett rental yields in 2017 once mortgage costs are taken into account, at a whopping 8%.
While house prices in London remain the highest, the affordability and potential of regions outside London make investing in property outside the capital so much more attractive.
Addressing the elephant in the room
While Brexit continues to amass uncertainty within the property market, the house price growth indicates resilience in the housing market supported by the undersupply of housing in the UK.
Recent news regarding property in London illustrates the housing crisis. Micro-flats, housing units that can take up as little as 31 square meters in total, show the extent to which the UK must reach to meet the demands of a growing population.
Just this month, the Mayor of Watford, Dorothy Thornhill, voiced her concern after the council learned it might have to double the amount of houses it must build as part of the latest attempt by the Government to tackle the nationwide housing crisis.
In Birmingham, last month, a plot of land previously caught in a “store-wars” battle between a shopping centre owner and supermarket giant Sainsbury, has finally been claimed by Seven Capital, a property investment company in the UK. The plot of land, between Sutton road and Orphanage road, is being converted into new apartments, undoubtedly a consequence of critical undersupply of houses currently affecting the city.
Late last year, it was reported that the dire undersupply of houses in Brighton and Hove would scarcely be supported by the Prime Minister of England’s solution to deliver 5,000 houses a year throughout the UK, which would bring only around a dozen new houses to the previously mentioned areas. This leaves room for private developers to establish themselves where demand is exceptionally high.
The housing market in the UK is still growing and you can be a part of it – should the positive outlook on the property market in the UK pique your interest, do contact us to get involved.
Article by Nimue Wafiya
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CSI Prop proudly promotes international investment property with high yields at low risk. Our portfolio comprises residential property in cities across the United Kingdom (London, Luton, Manchester, Liverpool, Newcastle, York, Glasgow, Scotland; Sheffield, etc) and Australia (Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane). Our projects are concentrated in high-growth areas with great educational, infrastructural and job growth potentials. We aspire to make a difference in the lives of our clients by helping them achieve their investment goals through strong market research backed by third party experts.
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