For the brave who are not phased by Brexit-itis which seems to create a mental freeze for some, the following article highlights some of the areas in the UK that are considered to be worth looking at by the savvy investor.
Recent years have seen a shift in buyer activity across the UK’s property market, with London’s much publicised decline in popularity amongst buyers and renters paving the way for growth across key regional cities such as Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.
However, alongside this there are also a number of regional towns that have been quietly emerging as areas of increasing demand….
Such towns include Bicester, Bracknell and Slough, which is fast shaking off its previously dull image to emerge as a serious contender along the Crossrail route.
These areas all represent a significant change and opportunity within the UK’s diversifying property market.
Bicester
Renowned internationally for its designer shopping outlet, there’s more to this vibrant Oxfordshire market town than cut-price designer items, particularly when it comes to property…..
With such high city prices now outpricing increasing numbers of buyers and renters alike, nearby areas such as Bicester have begun to increase in popularity.
Bracknell
Sitting at the heart of the ‘UK’s Silicon Valley’, Bracknell is also enjoying a significant amount of investment. However the town is growing in appeal for very different reasons to Bicester. In recent years, Bracknell town centre has been completely transformed by the arrival of The Lexicon – a £240 million, one million square foot retail and leisure destination which now boasts top retailers including Fenwick, Waitrose, Joules, L’Occitane and Marks & Spencer as key tenants….
Slough
Slough has already seen significant investor interest over recent years due to its position along the anticipated Crossrail railway line into central London. Already just 18 minutes direct by train into London Paddington, Slough has already been named twice as a top place to live and work by leading UK recruitment platform Glassdoor, and recently named in the top three most popular locations for London commuters.
Despite house prices having already grown more than 66% per cent since the announcement of Crossrail in 2009, the town remains more affordable than London, with a current average of around £400,000.
For savvy property investors, areas such as Bicester, Bracknell and Slough all represent the new wave of UK investment hotspots that each present three significant opportunities: lower entry price for investment, higher proportionate capital growth potential than their counterparts, and the ability to generate higher rental yields due to the better affordability for tenants.
Andy Foote, Director at SevenCapital, said: “We’re seeing smaller pockets of the country starting to redevelop and emerge as important commercial, retail and technology hubs with serious potential for high, consistent growth far into the future. It’s very exciting, but as an overseas buyer it can be difficult to understand where these hotspots are.
