Value of Chatham Property Market rises £291.9m



The combined value of Chatham’s housing market has risen by £291,855,520 in the last 6 months, meaning the average value of a Chatham property has increased in value by an average of £11,120.  

This is great news for Chatham homeowners and Chatham buy to let landlords, as property prices have risen despite a slight hesitation in the market because of the uncertainty over Brexit. As I have always said, investing in Chatham property, be it for you to live in or as a buy to let investment, is a long-term game.

The RICS’s latest survey of its Chartered Surveyor members showed that nationally the number of properties actually selling has dropped for the 16th month in a row. Locally in Chatham, certain sectors of the market are matching that trend, yet others aren’t. It really depends which price band and type of property you are looking for, as to whether it’s a buyers or sellers market.

The RICS also said its member’s lettings data showed a lower number of rental properties coming on to the market. Anecdotal evidence suggests that (and this is born out in the recent English Housing Survey figures) Chatham tenants over the last few years are stopping in their rental properties longer, meaning less are coming onto the market for rent. I have noticed locally, that where the landlord has gone the extra mile in terms of decoration and standard of finish, this has certainly helped push rents up (although those properties where the landlord has been remiss with improvements and standard of finish are in fact seeing rents drop). Chatham tenants are getting pickier – but will pay top dollar for quality. So much so, I believe there will be a cumulative rise of around fourteen to sixteen per cent over the course of the next five years in private rents for the best properties on the market.

Back to the Chatham Property Values though …

The fact is that over the last 6 months 376 properties have sold for a combined value of £94,455,712. 6 months ago, the total value of Chatham property stood at £6,586,040,010 (£6.59bn), and today it stands at £6,877,895,530 (£6.88bn).

In the short term, say over the next six months and assuming nothing silly happens in Korea, the Middle East or Brexit negotiations, it will be more of the same until the end of the year. In the meantime, the on-going challenges ensuring we as a Country build more homes (although the Office of National Statistics figures released in Julyshowed nationally the number of new homes started to be built over the second Quarter of 2018 had dropped dramatically) makes me think that Chatham (and Nationally) property value is likely to maintain an upward trajectory as we go into 2019.


Two final thoughts, firstly for all the buy to let landlords in Chatham (and indirectly this does affect all you Chatham homeowners too). I do hope the recent tax changes towards buy to let landlords don’t bite as deep as it is possibly starting to with certain landlords I know.  We talked about this in an article a few weeks ago and I know why the Government wanted to change the balance by taxing landlords and providing a lift for first time buyers .. however, this may well come at the expense of higher rents for those Chatham tenants that don’t become first time buyers, as the appeal of buy to let potentially weakens. Secondly, even though values have increased, realistic pricing (i.e. the asking price) is still the key to achieving these figures… so if you are considering selling in the next 6 months – please bear that in mind.

One place for more information is my Medway Property Market blog. If you are a landlord or thinking of becoming one for the first time, and you want to read more articles like this about the Medway property market together with regular postings on what I consider the best buy to let deals in Medway, then it is well worth reading. You can also email me at spencer@docksidekent.com

If you are in the area feel free to pop into the office which is based at Station Road, Strood, Kent, ME2 4WQ


Don’t forget to visit the links below to view back dated deals and Medway Property News. 

Blog – http://www.medwaypropertyblog.com/

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