Tuesday 13 May 2014

Where should you buy property in Grantham?

Unless you get phenomenally lucky, you cannot have your cake and eat it! There’s a general rule that the better the area you buy in (say Barrowby Gate, Gonerby Hill Foot etc etc), the lower the return you’ll get. This is because you’ll have to pay more to buy property in a nice area, and the amount of rent you’ll get doesn’t rise at the same level. Buying in a less plush area (Earlesfield, Queensway etc) doesn’t mean a property won’t rent, but it does have a bearing on the type of tenant you are likely to attract.

Different landlords value different things – some prefer to accept a modest yield (the monthly return) on their rental investment, in return for more certainty regarding tenant quality. Others are simply more interested in high returns. Before you start out, it’s a good idea to be honest about what would work, or more importantly what wouldn’t work for you. This will then enable you to filter much more easily..

Better Area, Lower Return
The most expensive 3 bed houses are in the new build areas on the outskirts of town.
Because you pay more for these to start off with, the return is never as good. Some
landlords prefer this because of the ‘comfort factor’ of owning in these areas. Paying £160k to £170k gets you a 3 bed detached house, which will let for £650 to £670 per month, a lowish yield of 4.8%. Maybe the 3 bed semi, which will cost you £130k to £135k and a rent of £625K(tops) gives the same safety factor, but a better yield of 5.6%

Middling Area, Average Return
Grantham has a town centre of Victorian Terraced properties, taking in places like Cambridge/College/Oxford Street’s, Victoria / Stamford Street, Dudley Road area, New Street / Redcross Street areas to name but a few. This is staple rental territory - there’s always good demand here from private tenants. Three bed terraced houses can be bought for £85,000 to £90,000 and with rents of £450 per month (depending on condition) , that’s a nice yield of 6.2%

Cheaper Area, Higher Return

If you want your money to work as hard as it can, you need to get into some of the less expensive areas of town. Much of the Earlesfield falls into this category, together with areas like Queensway and Brittain Drive. I know someone who has bought a one bed flat on Shaw Road (back of Northern Foods) for £50,000 recently. Done up, it should rent for the early £300’s a month, giving a yield of 7.7%