Taplow Property Market – What has 2016 got instore for us?

I had an interesting chat with a Taplow homeowner after he popped into our offices for a coffee whilst his wife was doing some last minute Christmas shopping (that reminds me, I must start thinking about mine!). We got taking about the Taplow housing market and I thought other Taplow homeowners and Taplow landlords might be interested in what we discussed.

You see, property values didn’t stop dropping in Taplow until January 2010, so after a strong run over the last 6 years, the ever upward drive of house price rises has started to turn, with increases in property prices now easing in Taplow. Taplow property values last month increased by 0.6%, yet the month before they dropped by 0.1%. Now part of this can be attributed to the time of year (last year property values in Taplow dropped by 0.1% in October but recovered by 0.6% a month later), but it is obvious as with ourselves and other property professionals in Maidenhead, we are wary about the direction of the market as a result of the not as strong demand and fewer house sales. However, to put a wider perspective on this, whilst Taplow prices were rising by 12.1% year on year earlier in the Summer, they are still currently rising at 8.7% year on year!

Interestingly, looking at the Land Registry data, 88 properties have changed hands and sold in Taplow over the last 12 months, a drop from the preceding 12 months before that (2014), when 118 properties sold and 93 in the year before that (2013). The main indicators suggest that buyers will start to gain the upper hand. However, there are many homeowners who don’t need to sell and won’t bother unless it’s economically beneficial to do so, but most homeowners are homebuyers, so what they lose with one they gain with another.

For Taplow landlords, things are looking good, especially for those looking to buy rental property with the changes in stamp duty in 2014 and earlier in 2015 the new rules regarding pensions, where you will be able to take money out of your pension pot to invest in property. However, at the same time, I would say don’t just buy any old property in Taplow. First time landlords need to be cautious. The doubling of house prices every seven to ten years which has taken place since WW2 doesn’t seem to have been seen since the mid 2000’s. The property market is shifting with more properties being built and restrictions put on mortgage lending, the likelihood of the property market increasing at the same levels as the past are questionable.

For more thoughts and articles like this on the Taplow Property market, please visit the Taplow Property Blog

Taplow’s £151million Mortgage ticking Time-bomb?

I was having an interesting chat with some Taplow residents, when I popped into for a swift half of shandy at the Oak and Saw after my cricket training a few weeks ago. When they found out I was the author of the Taplow Property Blog, they wanted to know my thoughts on the current state of the Taplow’s property market.

With the Conservatives winning the General Election in May, this did release some pent up demand as people were holding back due to the political uncertainty of a potential hung parliament. However, with the result that ensued, confidence has returned and the signs are good in the area as a whole, as the underlying picture is likely to be one of decent yet modest recovery. This will be supported by favourable conditions in the Berkshire economy, though it will be limited by a reduction in the number properties coming up for sale, the new mortgage lending rules introduced just over a year ago and affordability pressures.

... and it was the mortgage lending that particularly interested one of the residents as he worked in Corporate Finance in Reading. He had read a report in the Sunday newspapers that according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders, the level of mortgage lending had soared to a seven year high in the UK and they were worried that people were mortgaging themselves to levels that they wouldn’t be able sustain when interest rates rose.

I was able to tell them that if you added up everyone’s mortgage in Taplow, it would total £151m (£151,063,604 to be exact). That is a huge amount of mortgage debt until you realise it is a drop in the ocean when compared to the total value of all the properties in Taplow.

The total combined value of all the

Properties in Taplow is £945,078,680  (ie £945 million)

Therefore, in Taplow, the level of mortgages as a whole is not an issue, as the level of mortgages only represents 15.9% of the total value.

If you want to pick my brain on any aspect of the Taplow property market, feel free to send me an email or pick up the phone. I am more than happy to give you an idea of the current value of your Taplow property be it for sale or rent, in today’s market, either over the phone or in person, at no charge or obligation to you as the property owner. 

Fairview Road, Taplow, Maidenhead - 4 Bed Semi - Would make a good investment?

Heading towards the Lent Rise Road area, this place is on the market with Roger Platt for £375K. Its quite unusual to get a 4 Bed semi for under £400K especially in the district of Taplow....! Therefore at a glance I would say this house is fairly priced. Being just half a mile or so from Taplow train station you will see some great capital growth over the next 3 to 5 years. 

As an investor or someone just looking to get a foot on the property ladder this may be worth following up with Roger Platt to get some more info.....

http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/38552371

Marsh Lane, Taplow, Maidenhead - 3 Bed Semi - Should get some interest!

Good morning, today we are heading over to Marsh Lane. This attractive 3 bed semi has just come on the market with Prospect for £480K.....I must be honest I think that price is optimistic, but given the way house prices are going up in the Taplow area it wouldn't surprise if the market catches before too long. I think this type of property lends it self to someone who is thinking of downsizing or possibly getting onto the property market......its just a question whether the current asking price would appeal to either of these groups.  

Take a look below for some more pics.....

http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/38284959

Taplow Property Values jump by 4.02% in 3 months

Well the latest results have been published by the Land Registry and they confirm that property values in Taplow are now 4.02% higher than they were 3 months ago. Interestingly, that leaves values in the village 11.6% higher than they were 12 months ago, meaning we are currently outperforming most of the London property market! The majority of property sales in Taplow during the last 12 months were flats/apartments, selling for an average price of £278,031, whilst terraced properties sold for an average of £482,781 with semi-detached properties fetching £382,248.

Looking at Taplow in greater detail, the village has bucked the national trend as more people own their own house now, compared to a decade ago. At the census before last, 37.9% of people in the village owned their property outright, whilst 40.4% owned their house with a mortgage. Roll the clock forward ten years and it shows 44.6% of you own your property outright and 30.8% own, albeit with a mortgage. Looking at the census, one can quite clearly see, Taplow is a village you move to, but once here, people don’t tend to leave. In fact, the number of people retired in the village has risen from 1 in 8 a decade ago (12.7% to exact) to less than 1 in 6 (17.1% to be exact).

However, for those of you who do want to move soon, I must stress homeowners still need to be realistic in their pricing. If you recall a couple of months ago, in the first newsletter, I stated 35.7% of properties that had come on the market in the previous 8 weeks (ie in April/May 2015) had found a buyer. In June/July, that figure has in fact slipped  to 24.4%, as only 11 of the 45 properties that have come on to the market in June and July (2015) have a buyer (at the time of writing). Remember something is only worth what someone  is prepared to pay for it!

Devonshire Gardens, Taplow - 3 Bed Semi Detached - Great Family Home!

Good evening! This place has just come on the market with Roger Platt for £465K - This stands out from the crowd because it is really nicely done out. This house was built in 2012 and new builds that are kitted out like this always gain interest from families looking to move into the area. This house was originally bought for £370K in April 2013.....so with that level of capital growth I don't think the investors will be turning their nose up at this place either...

For more pics take a look at the link below....

http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/38100155

Buffins, Taplow - 3 bed terraced - Investment opportunity in great location!

Good Morning! I just love this place....its in a great location just a minute or so walks from the village green. Its not very often you find "affordable" housing in such a great location within the village. Well within the catchment area of St. Nics school this place would be really attractive to tenants with a young family or anyone looking to get their foot on the property ladder in a great village! 

As an investment opportunity I think this would need some work to get a bit more of a modern feel about the place.....as I keep mentioning tenants these days do like the all mod cons....especially with some many other rental places on the market with all the bells and whistles. It last sold in Jan 2003 for just under £189K.....and its now on the market with Glenn Fegg and Co for £335K...I'll let you do the maths but looks a sound investment!

http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/38053368

Bath Road, Taplow, 10 Bed Detached - Substantial Family Home!

Well these places just don't hit the market very often! Its on with Roger Platt for £1.4m and for that you get quite a lot of bang for your buck! Set in 0.6 acres and still with real opportunity for further development this could be someones dream home very soon! As with all these one off places it is very difficult to benchmark in terms of the valuation.....all I can say is that it will get interest from our colleagues looking to relocate from London plus a host of investors that are eyeing up places with scope for further development!

Take a look at the link below for loads more info.....

http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/38041767

Hag Hill Rise, Taplow - 3 Bed Terrace - Worth a look!

Good evening! The Hag Hill area is starting to gain some interest from the investors....for this type of property you could expect a rental income in the region of £1,100 per month and at the asking price this would give a yield of 3.7% - As an investor you might want to try and do a bit of haggling on the price to get that yield up a bit more.

I think this place is well worth investigating....!

Its on the market with Glenn Fegg for £350K

http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/37965027

Mill Lane, Taplow, Maidenhead - 5 Bed Link Detached - Rare find for Taplow!

Evening everyone! Its not very often you see places like this come on the market in Taplow - the vendors have opted for a bit of the DIY online sales process and have got this advertised at £975K! Even the pro's have a job getting the price right with these one off type places but without a back garden just maybe people would expect a little bit more for this price.....more than happy to get proved wrong though! Whatever happens the village is just as popular as ever so a place like this well get some clicks on Zoopla and alikes!

Have a look at the link below for more pics and details!

http://www.zoopla.co.uk/for-sale/details/37743558

Maypole Road, Taplow - 3 Bed Semi - Some Updating Required....

Good morning Taplow Property Fans! 

I think this is what all the property programmes call on TV a "blank canvas"....yes this place needs some work but it really is cosmetic! I think this would be a really opportunity for any landlords and investors who are looking for a highly rentable property that would be snapped up in seconds. Yields would be in the region of 4% and with property prices in Taplow only going one way this looks like a good investment. 

All the analysis shows that although demand for rental properties is on the increase....in return though tenants expect high standards so don't scrimp on those modernisation tasks and they will be queuing up to get a look at this place.

Its on the market with Carson and Co for £350K....I wouldn't expect this would hang around though!

Have a look at the link below for more details..

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-35362335.html

The Taplow Property market outperforms Maidenhead’s

The subject of Taplow and its popularity was brought up in conversation by a couple of solicitors I met at a recent networking event in Maidenhead last week.  Over the last two months, since the General Election, 405 properties have been put on to the market in Maidenhead (excluding Taplow). Of those 405 properties, 137 have found buyers -  an impressive 33.8%. Yes, very impressive, until you look at Taplow. Of the 56 properties that have come on to the market since the Election, 20 of those 56 have found a buyer, or 35.7%. That means the Taplow property market has performed better than Maidenhead’s.

Interestingly, when we look at the village itself, it has one of the highest proportions of homeownership in Berkshire. In Taplow, 81.7% of houses are owner occupied and 7.2% of properties are privately rented. Pop over the bridge into Maidenhead, and only 69.8% of houses are owner occupied whilst 14.3% of properties are privately rented.

In the coming months, we will discuss the property prices in Taplow in greater detail, but to give you a sneak preview, average property values in Taplow have risen 65.4% since 2002 – impressive don’t you think – especially as Maidenhead property values have only risen by 61.4% in the same time frame!

If you want to pick my brain on any aspect of the Taplow property market, feel free to send me an email or pick up the phone.