Walsall Property Market

Comment on the Walsall property market

The effects of a ‘Hard Brexit’ on the Walsall Property Market…

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , ,
The effects of a ‘Hard Brexit’ on the Walsall Property Market…
The effects of a ‘Hard Brexit’ on the Walsall Property Market…

Through the many conversations I have with my clients on a daily basis I find the Brexit effect is a real and worrying one for many.  This is usually the case when there is uncertainty in the air and as many questions remain unanswered…we can but attempt to make educated guesses on the how, what, when and if’s of the Brexit effect on the Walsall Property Market.  I can only comment on matters as they unravel and we learn together what the strategies of this exit may be as and when these are revealed to us.

Recently I feel Theresa May has wasted an opportunity to give peace of mind to our EU co-workers by not confirming their rights as EU citizens working and living in Walsall (and the rest of the UK). No.10 Downing Street’s point of view is that in promising the rights of EU citizens in the UK, it will postpone the same guarantee to the 1.5 million UK citizens living in the other nations of the EU.

For a moment let’s put aside the politics…the simple fact is now Article 50 has been set in motion, we have two years to make a deal with the EU, otherwise it will be a ‘hard Brexit’.  Now you might not think a hard Brexit will affect you in your home in Walsall…but nothing could be further from the truth.

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Walsall Property – 5 Helpful Tips on Getting the Best Out of a Refurbishment

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , , ,
Walsall Property – 5 Helpful Tips on Getting the Best Out of a Refurbishment
Walsall Property – 5 Helpful Tips on Getting the Best Out of a Refurbishment

Not everything you do to a property adds a premium to the price.  A question I get asked time and time again from landlords, who think by maintaining a property where they replaced a boiler or a tenant, who through choice, changed the flooring and some minor decorative work feel they have done. So what does constitute value and how does this work with Walsall property?

Below are my thoughts and examples of 5 improvements that will add the most value to your next Walsall refurbishment (weigh up the costs against the extra you will achieve in rent though, each project is different):

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Walsall’s Train Stations are used by 1.2m People a Year!

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , ,
Walsall’s Train Stations are used by 1.2m People a Year!
Walsall’s Train Stations are used by 1.2m People a Year!

My blog reading friends may or may not be aware that I source and manage properties for a living.  I have my own portfolio therefore, I am a landlord as well.  Perhaps at times I haven’t made this obvious which was highlighted by a landlord who recently asked me the question.. “so what is it that you do apart from writing this blog”..?!  I have many clients locally, nationally and internationally who use my services to source and manage property meeting their criteria.

Of the recent conversations I have been having with people looking to enter the Walsall property market, I’ve noticed a common thread in my response.  It might surprise you to learn that our small and quaint town of Walsall is serviced by 3 train stations (Bescot, Tamebridge Parkway and Walsall).  This makes it an ideal location for commuters to our two neighbouring cities – Birmingham and Wolverhampton.  I mean, there is a reason why one of the most popular property programmes on television is called Location, Location, Location!

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Rents in Walsall Will Increase More Than Walsall Property Prices By 21%!

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , , , , ,
Rents in Walsall Will Increase More Than Walsall Property Prices In Next 5 Years!
Rents in Walsall Will Increase More Than Walsall Property Prices In Next 5 Years!

Last weekend I had a meeting with a professional landlord who has an extensive portfolio of properties.  By his own admission, he confirmed that he has somewhat neglected the portfolio which he has kind of left to look after itself.  In recent years his focus was his family-run business so the portfolio wasn’t a priority.  He wanted to change this attitude and become more aggressive with his Walsall property ambitions by expanding on a healthy and varied portfolio.

During our meeting he asked me where in Walsall and what type of property he should purchase to create the best capital growth and great rental yields.  This got me thinking about our property market in Walsall and what has actually happened to rents and property prices..and more importantly for him..projections for the future.

Some fascinating changes are in the air in the Walsall property market.  Just to give you a flavour of the full article below, upon conclusion of my research I found that the rent private tenants pay will rise faster than property prices over the next five years. Creating further issues to Walsall’s growing multitude of renters.  In fact, my examination of statistical forecasts found that –

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Walsall Property Owners and Selling Values..

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , , , ,
Walsall Property Owners and Selling Values..
Walsall Property Owners and Selling Values..

A local property investor/ landlord contacted me last week with a million questions which I really enjoy.  Those of you that know me personally know I love to talk about Walsall property to anyone who would lend me an ear (at this point I wish I had some emoticons to add a couple of smiley faces)! Now, our investor was a shrewd individual it seemed and informed me how he had several properties achieving, what seems like from the outset, some great rental values..which got me thinking..what is actually happening with current property values and rents over the past year? What is the route to getting more ‘bang for your buck’?

The new year started with some positive interest in the Walsall property market. Taking a snap shot of the Walsall property market for the first quarter of 2017, the picture suggests some interesting trends when it comes to the asking prices for property and what prices properties are actually selling for.  This is really important to understand as everything connected to these two factors has a ripple effect which ultimately affects your final numbers whether you decide to flip (re-sell) or rent it out.

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Walsall Property Values Increase by £15.84 a Day!

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , , , , ,
Walsall Property Values Increase by £15.84 a Day!
Walsall Property Values Increase by £15.84 a Day!

Investing in Walsall buy to let property is a little different to investing in the stock market and arguably more rewarding than the latter. Or you could of course pledge your hard-earned cash in the Building Society. When you invest your money in the Building Society, this is considered by many as the safe option but the returns you can achieve are, in my opinion, miserably low (the best 2-year bond rate from Nationwide is a whopping 0.75% a year!). The Stock Market can give good returns, but unless you are a city whizz kid or on the phone every day to your Stockbroker it is difficult to make positive returns. The masses usually invest in stock market funds, making the investment quite hands off and one always has the feeling of not being in control.

However, with buy to let, things can be more hands on. One of the things many landlords like is the physical nature of property – the fact that you can touch the bricks and mortar. It is exactly this which attracts many of Walsall’s landlords – they feel they are making their own decisions rather than assigning them to city whizz kids in Canary Wharf playing Russian roulette with their savings.

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Humongous Change of Walsall’s Shared Households!!

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , , ,
Humongous Change of Walsall’s Shared Households!!
Humongous Change of Walsall’s Shared Households!!

A day in the life of a Property Manager is never dull. One of the joys of my profession is meeting interesting people every day. If I had to choose who I enjoying meeting the most (landlords, tenants, contractors, developers, solicitors, other fellow professionals) then, I would have to say…landlords! The cogs of a landlord have always intrigued me and they can come up with some of the most interesting topics/ thoughts/ questions ever!!

The other day I met with a Walsall landlord who told me that he had been chatting with an architect friend of his who informed him that back in the mid 2000’s, the developments he was asked to draw up were a balance of one and two bed properties, compared to today where the majority of the buildings he is designing are more towards two and sometimes three bedrooms. Now of course, this was all subjective but it made me think if there was any truth in that and how this affected the Walsall property market?

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Walsall Property and the Housing White Paper..Back to the Future Part 2 (2037)!!

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , , ,
Walsall Property and the Housing White Paper..Back to the Future Part 2 (2037)!!
Walsall Property and the Housing White Paper..Back to the Future Part 2 (2037)!!

I had an interesting conversation with a landlord who called me last week.  He manages his own portfolio and seemed well versed with the lettings industry.  He kept himself updated of the constant and fast changing world of housing and all the happenings in the Walsall Property Market.  He said he had been receiving my newsletters for some time now and followed my Blog with interest and wanted to pick my brain on the much awaited housing White Paper.  A summary of my thoughts and discussion with the landlord follows…

In case you didn’t know, a few weeks ago, the Government released a White Paper on housing.  It was interesting to note that the Private Rental Sector (PRS) played a key part in the future plans for housing. This is especially important for our increasing Walsall population.  It follows nicely from the article I wrote last week regarding Walsall property since 1981 where we looked back at what has happened since then.  In today’s article we can marry both the White Paper impact on Walsall’s Property Market, together with projections for the future and how they both tie in.

In 1981, the population of Walsall stood at 255,509…

…and today it stands at 278,902.

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Walsall Property – Back To The Future 1981!

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , ,
Walsall Property – Back To The Future 1981!
Walsall Property – Back To The Future 1981!

Oddly, for some reason, as a 5 year old back in 1981, I remember some things quiet vividly and others not so much thankfully!  I can remember there was a lot of snow and black ice everywhere which had me and my father playing games such as taking a running slide to see who can ski the furthest!  In other parts of the living world I was happily oblivious to the fact that; Mrs. T was in power, we had a Royal Wedding, England won the Ashes, Walsall FC were managed by Alan Buckley and Bucks Fizz won Eurovision!!

So what has happened to property prices since then I thought?  How have things transformed?  The number of homeowners and property investors who wished they had in hindsight, purchased up every house in Walsall all those years ago, particularly when you consider what has happened to Walsall property prices since…

…Walsall Property Values since 1981 have risen by 646%!

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Walsall And The Next Generation Of Households.

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , , , ,
Walsall And The Next Generation Of Households
Walsall And The Next Generation Of Households

Do you remember the good old days of the 1970’s and 1980’s? The new generation may be surprised to learn certain facts such as the days when we had 24% inflation, 17% interest rates, a 3 day working week, 13% unemployment and power cuts! But hey…at least people could afford to buy their own home! So why aren’t the 20 and 30 year old’s buying in the same volume as they were 30 or 40 years ago?

A number of people blame the credit crunch and global recession of 2008, which had an enormous impact on the Walsall (and UK) housing market. For the most part, the 20-something first-time buyers who, faced with a tricky mortgage market, the perceived need for big deposits, reduced job security and diminishing disposable income, discovered it simply too challenging to get on to the Walsall property ladder.

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