The Locks Heath housing market is a fascinating beast and has been particularly interesting since the Credit Crunch of 2008/9 with the subsequent property market crash.  There is currently some talk of a ‘property bubble’ nationally as Brexit seems to be the ‘go-to’ excuse for every issue in the Country.  Upon saying that, looking at both what we do as an agent, and chatting with my fellow property professionals in the area, the market has certainly changed for both buyers and sellers alike (be they Locks Heath buy to let Landlords, Locks Heath first time buyers or Locks Heath owner occupiers looking to make the move up the Locks Heath property ladder).

Locks Heath House Values are 4.97% higher than a year ago, and the rents Locks Heath Tenants have to pay are 1.5% higher than a year ago

When we compare little old Locks Heath to the national picture, national property values have risen by 0.4% compared to last month and risen by 3.0% compared to a year ago, and this will surprise you even more, as nationally, property values are 19.8% higher than January 2015 (compared to 11.4% higher in the EU in the same time frame).

However, if we look further back…

Since 2006, Locks Heath House Values are 57.84% higher, yet the rents Locks Heath tenants have had to pay for their Locks Heath rental property are 26.4% higher

… which sounds a lot, yet UK inflation in those 12 years has been 42%, meaning Locks Heath Tenants are 15.6% better off in ‘real spending power terms’.

Looking at the graph, the rental changes have been much gentler than the roller coaster ride of property values.  I particularly want to bring to your attention to the dip in Locks Heath house values (in red) in the years of 2008 and 2009… yet as Locks Heath property values started to rise after the summer of 2009, see how Locks Heath rents dipped 6/12 months later (the yellow bars)….  Fascinating!

So, we have a win for tenants and a win for the homeowners, as they are also happy due to the increase in the value of their Locks Heath property.

However, maybe an even more interesting point is for the long-term Locks Heath buy to let Landlords.  The performance of Locks Heath rental income vs Locks Heath house values has seen the resultant yields drop over time (if house prices rise quicker than rents – yields drop).

Whilst, it’s true Locks Heath Landlords have benefited from decent capital growth over the last decade, with the new tax rules for landlords, now more than ever, it’s so important to maximise one’s yields to ensure the long term health of your Locks Heath buy to let portfolio.  More and more I am sitting down with both Locks Heath Landlords of mine and Landlords of other agents who might not be trained in these skills – to carry out an MOT style check on their Locks Heath portfolio, to ensure your investment will meet your future needs of capital growth and income.  If you don’t want to miss out on such a MOT check up, drop me a line – what have you got to lose?  30 minutes of time against peace of mind – the choice is yours.