Walsall Letting Agents

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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Walsall’s ‘Baby Boomers’ Vs Walsall’s ‘Millennials’

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , , ,
Walsall’s ‘Baby Boomers’ Vs Walsall’s ‘Millennials’ Walsall’s ‘Baby Boomers’ Vs Walsall’s ‘Millennials’

I was talking to my financial advisor friend the other day. He is an Independent Financial Advisor (IFA) who does both residential and commercial mortgages. Recently we completed a property portfolio review for a Walsall Landlord. We got talking about the current mortgage market and why Walsall youngsters were choosing to rent.  It was fascinating listening to a different point of view which I thought my blog reading friends on here may be interested in.

Some property experts are directing the current crisis towards the 55 to 70-year-old Walsall citizens.

Also known as the ‘Baby Boomers Generation’, these Walsall people were born after the end of the Second World War when the country saw a massive rise in births as they slowly recovered from the economic hardships experienced during wartime.

Throughout the 1970’s and 1980’s, they experienced (whilst in their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s) an unparalleled level of economic growth and prosperity throughout their working lifetime on the back of improved education, government subsidies, escalating property prices and technological developments, they have emerged as a successful and prosperous generation.

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Predictions for Walsall Property 2017

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , ,
Predictions for Walsall Property 2017
Predictions for Walsall Property 2017

January 2017 is almost over and finally I feel like the dust has settled allowing me the opportunity to catch my breath to reflect on the past year.

2016 was certainly eventful. The ongoing saga that is Brexit, the Queen’s 90th , Andy Murray winning Wimbledon, Trump, Bake Off to Channel 4, the Autumn Statement and something close to the hearts of every buy to let landlord and homeowner in Walsall… the changes in the local property market.

So, let’s look at the headlines for the Walsall property market in 2016…

In the last month, Walsall property values rose by 0.48%, leaving them, year on year 4.34% higher, whilst interestingly, Walsall asking prices are down 0.7% month on month. All three statistics go to show the Walsall property market has recovered well after the summer lull, which was worsened by the uncertainty surrounding the EU vote back in June. Irrespective of all the issues, the average value of a Walsall home now stands at £176,085.

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How Much Rent Can I Get For My Walsall Property?

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , , , , ,
How Much Rent Can I Get For My Walsall Property
How Much Rent Can I Get For My Walsall Property

Welcome back to the first Walsall Property Market blog article of the New Year! I hope you enjoyed a well deserved break over the holidays?

Over the weekend I received a call from a newbie landlord living in the south who was purchasing his first buy to let Walsall property.  He said he had been following my blog for a while and wanted to ask a few questions. His first question was “How much rent can I achieve for my property?”  A question I get asked once or twice a year…!!

I thought it was only fair to explain the thoughts behind an appraisal and how I arrive at the appraisal level when I go out to a property.  Below are the key points of that conversation and my thoughts…

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WALSALL LANDLORDS – THREE THINGS I’LL BE DOING OVER CHRISTMAS

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , , ,
WALSALL LANDLORDS - THREE THINGS I’LL BE DOING OVER CHRISTMAS
WALSALL LANDLORDS – THREE THINGS I’LL BE DOING OVER CHRISTMAS

I don’t know about you but at some point over the Christmas break I get fed up of all the eating, drinking and partying.  “Bah! Humbug!” I hear you say…but in reality I think it’s simply that as a busy business owner, my mind and body can’t take the change in pace from mad and hectic to practically a vegetative like state.

So when I hit that point and I need to re-engage my brain, this is what I plan to do…

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Pace Yourself with Walsall Property…!!

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , , ,
Pace Yourself with Walsall Property…!!
Pace Yourself with Walsall Property…!!

With the fast approaching Christmas holidays soon upon us some prayers are being offered by the local bob sleighing enthusiasts for snow although, we are more likely to see it between January to March than December.  However, the Walsall property market has a pretty confident feel to it.

With the underlying fundamentals of a continued lack of properties being built, a shortage of properties – both in terms of quantity and quality -coming to the market and the continued low mortgage rate environment, enquiries from first time buyers and buy-to-let landlords is strong and motivation is even stronger, given those inexpensive lending rates and general demand caused by under supply.

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Have Walsall Rents Truly Risen?

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , , , ,
Have Walsall Rents Truly Risen?
Have Walsall Rents Truly Risen?

Back in the Spring, there was a surge in Walsall landlords buying buy-to-let property in as they tried to beat George Osborne’s stamp duty changes which kicked in on the 1st April 2016. If you are a football fan, think of it like transfer deadline day!

To give you an idea of the sort of numbers we are talking about, below are the property statistics for sales either side of the deadline in the WS1 postcode taken from the Land Registry;

Jan 2016 – 20 properties sold

Feb 2016 – 19 properties sold

March 2016 – 36 properties sold

April 2016 – 9 properties sold

May 2016 – 17 properties sold

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Walsall Landlords and Tenants : What does the Tenant Fee Banning order mean for you?

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , , ,
walsall-letting-fees-ban
walsall-letting-fees-ban
  • Tenant Fees set to be banned within 12 to 18 months
  • Rents due to rise as those fees passed to Landlords
  • Landlords won’t be worse off – and neither will tenants or agents

With our new Chancellor of the Exchequer revealing a ban on tenant fees in his first Autumn Statement on Wednesday what does this actually mean for Walsall tenants and Walsall landlords?

The private rental sector in Walsall forms an important part of the Walsall housing market and the engagement from the chancellor in last Wednesday’s Autumn Statement is a welcome sign that it is recognised as such. I have long supported the regulation of lettings agents which will establish and cement best practice across the rental industry and, I believe that measures to improve the situation of tenants should be introduced in a way that supports the growing professionalism of the sector. Over the last few years, there has been an increasing number of regulations and legislation governing private renting and it is important that the role of qualified, well trained and regulated Lettings Agents is understood.

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Walsall Landlords vs Walsall Savers

Head of Juicing @Ashmore Lettings & Sales Ltd Walsall Property Market , , , , , , , , , ,

A couple of articles back, I did a piece on the effect of the 0.25% base rate on the Walsall property market. This time, I want to look at the situation that Walsall ‘savers’ find themselves in.

What, you might ask, has the plight of Walsall savers have to do with the Walsall property market… well, everything in fact!

Read the newspapers, and every financial wizard is stating that with the decision of the Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee in early August to cut the Bank of England base rate to an all time low of 0.25%, savers should prepare themselves for interest rates to stay low well into the early 2020’s.

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