The latest value, rental, and demographic data paints an interesting picture
There has been a jump in the number of new listings of property for sale in the UK, with November 2017 supply up 11% when compared to November 2016. Some have suggested the cause could be buy-to-let landlords putting property onto the market, as higher property taxation and increased regulation take their toll. While extra supply could put pressure on price growth, it is very localised and appears to be limited to those areas where yields are low, and government policies have turned previously profitable property investments into loss makers.
Where are values and rents ratcheting up?
In some regions, rental prices and property values continue to move higher at a fast pace. The UK’s top performing regions are East and West Midlands, and the North West. In these locations, rental prices have increased by 9.5%, 4.9% and 5.5% respectively, according to home.co.uk. Property values in these areas are rising at up to more than twice the average rate of house price inflation in the UK (which stands at 2.6% over the last year).
Properties in these regions are also selling faster than in other parts of the country. Combining these three factors – rapidly increasing rents, higher values, and faster selling times – it’s unlikely that these regions will suffer oversupply in 2018.
Star cities for property investment
Echoing the findings of home.co.uk, TheHouseShop.com has revealed that the cities of Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds are in the top five for tenant demand in the UK. Its co-founder, Nick Marr, believes that demographic and rental profile data for these three cities (and London and Bristol) will help investors make profitable investments.
Who wants to live where?
Delving into the analysis, TheHouseShop’s data indicates that Manchester is the most popular destination for renters in the Generation X category (35 to 50-year-olds), while Birmingham has the highest proportion of renters in the Baby Boomer demographic (51 to 69-year-olds).
In London, more than half of tenant enquiries come from the Millennials (18 to 34-year-olds). This may be because of the greater career opportunities in the capital for this age group.
Meanwhile, Leeds has the highest proportion of renters seeking one-bedroom properties (more than a third), while Birmingham’s most popular size of rental property is three-bedroom homes.
What does this mean for property investors?
Savvy property investors take such data and analysis into consideration when deciding where to invest and what type of property to buy. It helps to know where supply is most constricted, and where tenant demand is highest. It also helps to know what type of property you should be buying in different locations.
Buying in the best places to invest in property UK, and ensuring you have the most sought-after property type, should help you maximise capital growth and rental income while minimising void periods.
How do you maintain a profitable property portfolio?
The increase in the supply of properties in some areas shows that landlords in those areas are doing what the best property investors do – re-evaluating their portfolios regularly. Just because a region is today’s hotspot, doesn’t mean that it will continue to be so.
It’s important to buy the right properties in the best locations, but equally important to keep your portfolio on review, and analyse markets for the next investment and rental hotspot. Staying in tune with news, analysis and data will help you discover the best property investment opportunities in the ever-changing UK market.
Stay on top of regional property variances
When we research areas for their investment viability, we analyse 108 data points. We consider every factor, before scoring regions, areas, and locations for their investment potential. We then search for properties that will best serve the needs of long-term investors.
We aim to help investors buy ‘everyperson’ properties in the best places to invest. An every person property is one that is most likely to be in the highest demand in that area.
Like the best and most profitable investment strategies, this approach is easy to understand. And with a dedicated research team doing the analysis and property hunting for you, we help to decide where to invest and what property to buy as easy as possible.
To get our latest research, news and views, contact one of the Gladfish team today on +44 207 923 6100, and take the first step to join hundreds of other property investors we have helped to make profitable investment decisions.
Live with passion
Brett Alegre-Wood
