Supply and Demand Issues mean Stoke-on-Trent Property Values Rise by 3.1% in the Last 12 Months

The most recent set of data from the Land Registry has stated that property values in Stoke-on-Trent and the surrounding area were 3.1% higher than 12 months ago and 12% higher than January 2015.

Despite the uncertainty over Brexit as Stoke-on-Trent (and most of the UK’s) property values continue their medium and long-term upward trajectory. As economics is about supply and demand, the story behind the Stoke-on-Trent property market can also be seen from those two sides of the story.

Looking at the supply issues of the Stoke-on-Trent property market, putting aside the short-term dearth of property on the market, one of the main reasons of this sustained house price growth has been down to of the lack of building new homes.

The draconian planning laws, that over the last 70 years (starting with The Town and Country Planning Act 1947) has meant the amount of land built on in the UK today, only stands at 1.8% (no, that’s not a typo – its one point eight percent) and that is made up of 1.1% with residential property and 0.7% for commercial property. Now I am not advocating building modern ugly carbuncles and high-rise flats in the Cotswolds, nor blot the landscape with the building of massive out of place ugly 1,000 home housing estates around the beautiful countryside of such villages as Caverswall, Whitmore and Butterton.

The facts are, with the restrictions on building homes for people to live in, because of these 70-year-old restrictive planning regulations, homes that the youngsters of Stoke-on-Trent badly need, aren’t being built. Adding fuel to that fire, there has been a large dose of nimby-ism and landowners deliberately sitting on land, which has kept land values high and from that keeps house prices high.

Looking at the demand side of the equation, one might have thought property values would drop because of Brexit and buyers uncertainty. However, certain commenters now believe property values might rise because of Brexit. Many people are risk adverse, especially with their hard-earned savings. The stock market is at an all-time high (ready to pop again?) and many people don’t trust the money markets. The thing about property is its tangible, bricks and mortar, you can touch it and you can easily understand it.  

The Brits have historically put their faith in bricks and mortar, which they expect to rise in value, in numerical terms, at least. Nationally, the value of property has risen by 635.4% since 1984 whilst the stock market has risen by a very similar 593.1%. However, the stock market has had a roller coaster of a ride to get to those figures. For example, in the dot com bubble of the early 2000’s, the FTSE100 dropped 126.3% in two years and it dropped again by 44.6% in 9 months in 2007… the worst drop Stoke-on-Trent saw in property values was just 19.33% in the 2008/9 credit crunch.

Despite the slowdown in the rate of annual property value growth in Stoke-on-Trent to the current 3.1%, from the heady days of 8.39% annual increases seen in late 2015, it can be argued the headline rate of Stoke-on-Trent property price inflation is holding up well, especially with the squeeze on real incomes, new taxation rules for landlords and the slight ambiguity around Brexit. With mortgage rates at an all-time low and tumbling unemployment, all these factors are largely continuing to help support property values in Stoke-on-Trent (and the UK).

 

For more thoughts on the Stoke-on-Trent Property Market, please visit the Stoke-on-Trent Property Market Blog or give the Martin and Co team a call on 01782 262880, we would love to talk to you.

Stoke on Trent Apartments are 14.8% more affordable than 10 years ago

My research shows that certain types of Stoke on Trent property are more affordable today than before the 2007 credit crunch.
Roll the clock back to 2007 just before the credit crunch hit which saw Stoke on Trent property values plummet like a lead balloon and the Stoke on Trent property market had reached a peak with the prices for Stoke on Trent property hitting the highest level they had ever reached.  Between 2008 and 2010, Stoke on Trent property values lay in the doldrums and only started to rise in 2011, albeit quite slowly to begin with.
Nevertheless, even though property values have now passed those 2007 peaks, my research indicates that Stoke on Trent property, especially flats/apartments, are now more affordable than they were before the 2008 credit crunch.
Back in 2007, the average value of a Stoke on Trent flat/apartment stood at £93,797 and today, it stands at £104,296, a rise of £10,499 or 11.2%.

However, between 2007 and today, we have experienced inflation (as measured by the Government’s Consumer Price Index) of 25.97% meaning that in real spending power terms Stoke on Trent apartments are 14.8% more affordable than in 2007. Looking at it another way, if the average Stoke on Trent apartment (valued at £93,797 in 2007) had risen by 25.97% inflation over those 10 years, today it would be worth £118,156 (instead of the current £104,296).

                           

The point I’m trying to get across is that Stoke on Trent property is more affordable than many people think.  Stoke on Trent first time buyers can get on the ladder as 95% mortgages have been readily available to first-time buyers since 2010.
It really comes down to a choice and if Stoke on Trent first-time buyers can get over the hurdle of saving the 5% deposit for the mortgage on the property – they will be on to a winner, especially with these ultralow mortgage interest rates, a mortgage can be between 10% and 30% cheaper per month than the rental payments on the same house.
So why aren’t Stoke on Trent 20 somethings buying their own home?
 Back in the 1960’s and 1970’s, renting was considered the poor man’s choice in Stoke on Trent (and the rest of the Country) a huge stigma was attached to renting. However, over the last 10 years as a country, we have done a complete U-turn in our attitude towards renting - meaning that many people find renting a better option and a lifestyle choice.
Saving the 5% deposit means going without many luxuries in life (such as holidays, every satellite movie and sports channel, socialising or the latest mobile phone – even if only in the short term) therefore instead of saving every last pound to put towards a mortgage deposit Stoke on Trent 20 somethings choose to rent.
There is no denying the simple fact that over the next 10 to 15 years, the people who choose to rent instead of buy in Stoke on Trent will continue to rise.
Therefore, everyone in Stoke on Trent has a responsibility to ensure that an adequate number of quality Stoke on Trent rental properties are safeguarded to meet those future demands. Interestingly, what I have noticed though over the last few years are the expectations of Stoke on Trent tenants on the finish and specification of their Stoke on Trent rental property.
I have perceived that in the past, what a tenant wanted from their Stoke on Trent rental property was moderately unassuming because renting a property was only a short-term choice to fill the gap before jumping on the property ladder. Before the millennium, wood chip wall paper and twenty-year-old kitchen and bathroom suites were considered the norm.
However, Stoke on Trent tenants’ expectations are becoming more discerning as each year goes by.  I have also noticed the length of time a tenant remains in their Stoke on Trent property is becoming longer (and this was backed up recently by stats from a Government Report), although I have noticed a tendency for many Stoke on Trent landlords not to keep the rental payments at the going market rates - maybe a topic for a future article for my blog?
The bottom line is this … Stoke on Trent landlords will need to be more conscious of tenants needs and wants and consider their financial planning for future enhancements to their Stoke on Trent rental properties over the next five, ten and twenty years -  e.g. decorating, kitchen and bathroom suites etc etc ..
The present-day and future situation of the Stoke on Trent private rental property market is important, and I frequently liaise with Stoke on Trent buy-to-let investors looking to spread their Stoke on Trent rental-portfolios. I also enjoy meeting and working alongside Stoke on Trent first time landlords, to ensure they can navigate through the minefield of rental voids, the important balance of capital growth and yield and ensuring the property is returned back to you in the future in the best possible condition.