The Chelmsford housing market is a fascinating beast and has been particularly interesting since the Credit Crunch of 2008/9 with the subsequent property market crash. There is currently some talk of a ‘property bubble’ nationally as Brexit seems to be the ‘go-to’ excuse for every issue in the Country. Upon saying that, looking at both what we do as an agent, and chatting with my fellow property professionals in Chelmsford, the market has certainly changed for both buyers and sellers alike (be they Chelmsford buy to let landlords, Chelmsford first time buyers or Chelmsford owner occupiers looking to make the move up the Chelmsford property ladder).
Chelmsford House Values are 0.7% higher than a year ago, and the rents Chelmsford tenants have to pay are 1.8% higher than a year ago
When we compare little old Chelmsford to the national picture, national property values have risen by 0.4% compared to last month and risen by 3.0% compared to a year ago, and this will surprise you even more, as nationally, property values are 19.8% higher than January 2015 (compared to 11.4% higher in the EU in the same time frame).
However, if we look further back…
Since 2006, Chelmsford House Values are 67.3% higher, yet the rents Chelmsford tenants have had to pay for their Chelmsford rental property are 22.0% higher
…which sounds a lot, yet UK inflation in those 12 years has been 42%, meaning Chelmsford tenants are 20.0% better off in ‘real spending power terms’.
Looking at the graph, the rental changes have been much gentler than the roller coaster ride of property values. I particularly want to bring to your attention the dip in Chelmsford house values (in red) in the years of 2008 and 2009 … yet as Chelmsford property values started to rise after the summer of 2009, see how Chelmsford rents dipped 6/12 months later (the yellow bars)…. Fascinating!
So, we have a win for tenants and a win for the homeowners, as they are also happy due to the increase in the value of their Chelmsford property.
However, maybe an even more interesting point is for the long-term Chelmsford buy to let landlords. The performance of Chelmsford rental income vs Chelmsford house values has seen the resultant yields drop over time (if house prices rise quicker than rents – yields drop).
Whilst, it’s true Chelmsford landlords have benefited from decent capital growth over the last decade –with the new tax rules for landlords – now more than ever, it’s so important to maximise one’s yields to ensure the long term health of your Chelmsford buy to let portfolio. More and more I am sitting down with both Chelmsford landlords of mine and landlords of other agents who might not be trained in these skills – to carry out an MOT style check on their Chelmsford portfolio, to ensure your investment will meet your future needs of capital growth and income. If you don’t want to miss out on such a MOT check up, drop me a line – what have you got to lose? 30 minutes of time against peace of mind – the choice is yours.
