A three bedroom terraced house in the Birchills area of Walsall, WS2.
It’s a very good spec and could be let as is, but there are some aspects of the decor that could be improved. The asking price is for offers in the region of £100k, which is about average for this area.
The humble semi-detached house with its bay windows and net curtains has long been ridiculed as an emblem of safe, lacklustre and desperately uncool suburban life; the homes of the likes of Hyacinth Bucket in ‘Keeping up Appearances’ and more latterly Alan Partridge – but they could have the last laugh – having enjoyed one of the highest price growths of any property type in Walsall, up by an average 227% increase in the last twenty years!
The semi is, of course, still hugely popular on new build developments; although slightly more modern in appearance compared to its older ancestor!
The semi can now laugh in the face of its posher detached counterpart, which saw a rise of only 161% in the same 20-year period. Looking at smaller properties, flats/apartments rose 106%, whilst terraced houses did slightly better at 229% although they were starting from a lower base and demand from buy to let landlords has had a big part in driving up the values on that type of house based upon its rental potential.
Honestly I could write a book about this. Time and time again through my agency career I would have landlords calling me, desperate for advice after they’ve placed a “lovely” tenant in their property using a free (or low cost) DIY advertising website. The tenant presented themselves as honest, open, and above all very capable of paying the rent.
But the truth is a different matter. They got into the property by deception, and ended up costing these landlords thousands of pounds in damages, unpaid rent, and above all…the stress. These landlords had to cover the mortgage whilst funding the legal battle. One made very difficult because they weren’t aware of all the legislation surrounding lettings. This could prejudice their position in court. Didn’t serve the Prescribed Information? Didn’t register the deposit within 30 days? That means the tenant could actually sue you for 3 times the deposit amount! And there’s more…
It has been said that some 30% of the PRS is made up of accidental landlords (Source: Landlordnews.co.uk). Here lies the problem. As an accidental, or amateur (not a bad thing!) landlord, it is unlikely that they invest the time to make themselves aware of all the legislation surrounding lettings. There is a lot, but as the saying goes “you don’t know what you don’t know,” so most are blissfully unaware – until it goes wrong, and they can do with disastrous consequences!
A 3 bed semi with three reception rooms, utility room and a garage. Not bad going for starters. It’s a decent spec overall, but will need some changes here and there with regard to the decor. Currently marketed with Purple Bricks (01926 267659) with offers over £115k.
This is a must see! A very nice semi detached corner plot in Blakenall Heath, Walsall. I know I keep banging on about it, but the area has changed for the better due over the last few years due to the housing regeneration that has happened in the area. Currently marketed Your Move (01902 596633). It’s a decent spec, but will need some attention in certain areas e.g. the decor. It has gas central heating and double glazing.
Following the publication of a recent blog article about ‘Generation Rent’ a local homeowner of Walsall contacted me. He said that he felt that the plight of our Walsall youngsters (first time buyers), was that like of a novice football player trying to bend it like Beckham! You’re in a minus game playing Beckham at his own game right? Play him a 100 times and you’re bound to lose 100 times!! There is no doubt that buy to let landlords have played a major role in driving up property values in Walsall (and the UK) and from that made housing a lot less affordable for the 20-30 somethings of Walsall.
Let us look at how affordable Walsall is. The best way to measure affordability is to measure Walsall property prices against Walsall average salary (the higher the ratio, the less affordable properties are). Looking at the table below, for example in 2014, the average value of a Walsall property was 5.95 times higher than the average annual wage in Walsall.
There is very nice spec here and can be let as is. Marketed by Goodchilds (01922 312016) and priced at £110k. There is double glazing and gas central heating.
The past does not equal the future however, it’s as good a barometer as any when it comes to making attempts to predict it.
Looking and analysing the past 5 general elections I have made some interesting discoveries on the before and after a general election and how this affects the property market…if at all.
Out of the five general elections (1997, 2001, 2005, 2010, 2015) two were not certain (2010 with the coalition government of Lib-Dems and Conservatives and 2015 with the surprising Tory majority). So I wanted to compare what happened to the number of houses sold and prices achieved between the three certain elections (1997, 2001 and 2005) against the unexpected ones of 2010 and 2015.
What is the relation to babies being born and the Walsall property shortage I hear you ask! Well…
….as more babies are being born to Walsall mothers, this increase will continue to add pressure to the already strained Walsall property market – and greatly affect the local property market in the future.
The past eight years of ever incremental increasing birth rates, a significant 3.96 babies were born for every new home that was built in the Walsall area in 2016.
My belief is that it has and will continue to aggravate the Walsall housing shortage. This means demand for housing (be it to buy or rent) has remained high. The high birth rate has meant Walsall rents and property prices have remained resilient and they will continue to remain high in the years to come – even with the challenges the economy has felt over the last eight years.
A 2 bedroom terraced house in the Highgate area of Walsall. Marketed by Acorns & Co (01922 312060). This is a very nice spec overall, but the jungle of a rear garden will need some work. It is situated in a highly sought after area for residential lettings with all local amenities within easy reach.
Walsall Property Blog 
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