Where do people move the most in St Albans?

Continuing the theme of interesting local data, take a look at this list of the top 5 roads where people move most often in St Albans.  It's quite revealing to see that on these roads people tend to make a quick stop before moving on, and very few residents remain for long periods.

The prices are the average current values at the time of writing and sourcing the data, and the last column are the number of Sales that have taken place on that road since 1995 according to Land Registry data.

The top moving street, London Road has had an average of just under 19 Sales per annum since 1995. This will have a great deal to do with the fact that London Road is in excess of 1.5 miles in length and accommodates over 600 residential properties.

Park View Close on the other hand, with just 128 addresses noted and 289 Sales (an average of just under 15 Sales per annum since 1995) the density is much higher.

These seem to be the roads that are the 'stepping stones' for first time buyers, or have been quick investment vehicles with the turnaround suggesting they are equity-hungry and could be a good investment.

1London Road£452,963374 Sales

2Camp Road£363,645336 Sales

3Hatfield Road£303,799326 Sales

4Dexter Close£288,915314 Sales

5Park View Close£285,549289 Sales

Data sourced from Mouseprice.co.uk

Want to know if any of the properties on the market in these roads really is a good investment for you?  Well, I think I've demonstrated my pedigree! I can help you crunch the numbers and work out what's going to work best for you. Come and have a chat at my Hawk & Chadwick offices in Harpenden or call me on 01727 226 253 or 01582 346 111.

Deposits and the Deregulation Act 2015

Here's a great bit of information from the TDS (Tenancy Deposit Scheme) for Landlords who are confused about the protection of tenancy deposits. Contact the TDS for more information and guidance.

"If you received a deposit before 6 April 2007 and the tenancy became statutory periodic after that date, you now have until 23 June 2015 to make sure it is protected.

The Deregulation Act has clarified several points in deposit protection law, and TDS has published some guides to help you understand the changes.

Click here to read TDS's guide to the Deregulation Act, and click on our handy infographic below to quickly see where you stand with all your tenancy deposits." 

For more in depth property advice, speak to Hawk & Chadwick Ltd on 01727 226 253

Check out the Harpenden Property Blog too!

Since it's been such a massive success in such a short time, we decided that rather than try to combine the two towns, they deserve their own sites, so here's the sister page for the Harpenden Property Blog;

http://harpendenpropertyblog.blogspot.co.uk/

Please take a look and let us know what you think!

Most expensive property in St Albans

8 bedrooms for £2,500,000 in St Albans, bar the new build property listed by Collinson Hall this is the highest price home in the town.

It's on with Savills, Strutt & Parker and a couple of others.
Worth a look if it's in your budget!

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/s6p/48346921

Cheapest property in St Albans

Following on from my last post on the most expensive roads in St Albans, I thought I'd see what is the lowest priced property in town.

I skipped the park homes and land available to find something more permanent and residential.

I found this property on Rightmove and wanted you to see it:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/s6p/51456974

It's on with our friends over at Space Estates and well worth booking a viewing in to pick up a piece of St Albans property for a rock bottom price.

Most expensive roads in St Albans

I found this quite a revealing bit of information. The most expensive streets in St Albans based on transactions since 1995.

The prices shown below are the average prices paid for properties on those roads. Interesting to note that the entire top 10 is in seven figures!

1 Pondwicks Close £1,784,797

2 Homewood Road £1,572,798

3 Marshals Drive £1,500,694

4 York Road £1,496,909

5 Faircross Way £1,372,328

6 The Park £1,317,890

7 Cunningham Hill Road £1,235,682

8 Sunderland Avenue £1,207,225

9 Kensington Close £1,143,536

10 St Peters Close £1,114,804

Data sourced from Mouseprice.co.uk

House Prices in Hertfordshire - who gave us more, Labour or Conservatives?

Now here's some interesting statistics.  The graph below shows the trend in house prices in Hertfordshire since David Cameron's Conservative party came to power in May 2010 in coalition with Nick Clegg and the Liberal Democrat party.



In 2013 the market suddenly rocketed upwards and has been on a steady increase ever since. Now compare this to the chart below which details the performance of house prices in Hertfordshire under the Labour government term, starting with Tony Blair in 1997 and ending with Gordon Brown in 2010 (Gordon came to office at Number 10 in May 2005)



It's interesting to note that the general performance of both governments generally seem to have had a positive influence in rising house prices, which is handy for those owning property, although Labour have clearly had to carry the can for the economic collapse during their term.

This analysis is important as it gives an impression of how different governments deal with creating wealth through housing - the Conservatives seem to be able to generate property wealth much more rapidly than Labour which shows how their respective policies to government operate.

It'll certainly be interesting to plot the rise (or fall!) of house prices in Hertfordshire over the next five years with the next government.  What do you think will happen to house prices if we have a UKIP / Labour coalition?  What if Conservatives remain in power?  Post your thoughts in the comments below.

If you're interested in knowing what YOUR home is worth, contact me directly over at Hawk And Chadwick on 01727 226 253 or 01582 346 111.

St Albans and Harpenden House Prices - Have we hit the top of the market?

I was doing some research today and looking through house price data, and found this information which I found really interesting and so I have decided to share it with you.

The graph above shows the House Price growth in Hertfordshire since 1995. You can plainly see the astronomical growth enjoyed in the Hertfordshire region, topping out at today's average price of £410,175 (source: Zoopla.co.uk).

But how does this pan out in the St Albans and Harpenden area?

Well, narrowing things down, in St Albans the prices are above the Hertfordshire average at £495,183 with an average asking price of £691,585 (meaning most properties currently on the market are over valued by 14%) so take that into account when making your offers.

Just up the road in Harpenden the average home owner enjoys 43.38% more equity in their property with an average house price of £709,980. Interestingly though, the latest data suggests that Harpenden prices have started to cool in the last year with home owners feeling the stinging ripples of the softening London housing market.

Prices are down on average by just £1,503 in the last year, which may seem like a drop in the ocean, but this cooling could be hinting at a soft market correction, which may indicate that now is the time to sell if home owners are to retain their equity.

What do you think?  Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comments.

Landlords must improve Draughty Properties

Landlords must improve draughty properties

St Albans and Harpenden Landlords may be interested in reading through this article, particularly if you are the owner of an older property that lacks double glazing, modern doors and insulation measures. It will soon be law that Landlords must improve draughty properties to comply with new EPC guidance.


Luckily most homes in the local area already have significant improvements since the introduction of EPC’s and HIPS in 2005/2006, but some older homes that are new to the market may be caught out by the new laws which could significantly impede any plans to generate an income from empty property.


Not only this, but properties with low EPC ratings give tenants and buyers significant leverage when making offers due to perceived higher heating bills. Since Landlords must improve draughty properties it is worth spending the extra to provide adequate insulation and draught prevention measures where required.


“Landlords with properties rated F and G will be unable to let them out from 1 April 2018 as new legislation will see landlords banned from renting out England and Wales’ draughtiest homes.


The regulations also mean that from 1 April 2016, tenants living in F and G rated homes will be able to request improvements, such as more insulation. The landlord will then be legally bound to bring the property up to an E rating.


Almost 10% of England and Wales’ 4.2m privately rented homes* currently fall below the E rating. (Source: Government statistics, February 2015).


It is estimated that….[Read More..] “






For more information on how you can improve your EPC rating, refer to the existing EPC for your property which you can access on The EPC Register by using your postcode and searching for your house number. Once you open the EPC, it will contain guidance on improvements that can be made to boost your EPC rating. A re-assessment will cost anywhere between £40.00 and £100.00 to complete, with certificates usually dispatched via email within three working days.