Are Walsall landlords stifling the Walsall property market…?

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , , , , ,
Are Walsall landlords stifling the Walsall property market…?
Are Walsall landlords stifling the Walsall property market…?

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.

Continue reading →

Today’s Buy To Let Deal, 3 Bed Terraced House, West Street, Walsall, WS3. With Yields Of 6.00%.

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Buy to Let Property Deals , , , , , , , ,

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.

Continue reading →

The 2017 General Election and the Walsall Property Market.

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , ,
The 2017 General Election and the Walsall Property Market.
The 2017 General Election and the Walsall Property Market.

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.

Continue reading →

Walsall Babies Cause Walsall Property Shortage!!

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , ,
Walsall Babies Cause Walsall Property Shortage!!
Walsall Babies Cause Walsall Property Shortage!!

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.

Continue reading →

Today’s Buy To Let Deal Of The Day, 2 Bed Terraced House, Vincent street, Walsall, WS1. With Yields Of 5.50%.

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Buy to Let Property Deals , , , , , , , ,

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.

Continue reading →

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.

Continue reading →

Today’s Buy To Let Deal, 2 Bed Terraced House, Tong Street, Walsall, WS1. With Yields Of 5.85%.

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Buy to Let Property Deals , , , , , , , ,

A traditional two bedroom terraced house in the Chuckery area, Walsall, a popular area of Walsall for rented accommodation. Many photos here showing a not too shabby property, so it would be prudent to arrange a viewing asap. Though I would say the decor looks like it needs some improving.

The location is ideal for local schools both public and private (Mayfield Prepatory and Queen Mary’s Grammar schools being less than a mile away). Healthcare amenities such as doctors, dentists and chemists are within easy each. Transport services are very good with bus routes and major road networks nearby with Walsall town centre just a mile away. There is double glazing, gas central heating and parking is on-road.

Continue reading →

Today’s Buy To Let Deal Of The Day 3 Bed Town House, Walsall, WS2. With Yields Of 6.25%.

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Buy to Let Property Deals , , , , , , , ,

A three bedroom town house, Norfolk New Road, Reedswood, Walsall, WS2. An excellent spec on this one and ideally positioned in the Reedswood area of Walsall, close to the Reedswood Way Retail park. There are a large selection of schools locally and many are within a mile distance including the Reedswood E-Act Academy and Castle Business and Enterprise College. Healthcare amenities eg doctors, dentists etc are also nearby. Transport services are very good with bus routes and major road networks adjacent lending easy access to Walsall, Bloxwich and Willenhall. Junction 10 of the M6 is literally about a mile down the road.

Continue reading →

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):

Continue reading →

Today’s Buy To Let Deal, 3 Bed Terraced House, Telford Road, Walsall, WS2. With Yields Of 6.82%.

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Buy to Let Property Deals , , , , , , , ,

A traditional three bedroom terraced house in the Beechdale area of Walsall, WS2. An impressive spec here, which beats comparable properties I have seen in the area. It is very much good to go as it is, no changes required unless you really want to. However as always, I would urge a viewing as soon as possible, because somebody somewhere will be interested. There is no harm in going to have a look. The asking price is about right, but no harm in a little bit of a haggle. There is double glazing, gas central heating and parking is on-road.

Continue reading →