11,100 People Live In Every Square Mile Of Chelmsford – Is Chelmsford Over Crowded?

Chelmsford is already in the clutches of a population crisis that has now started to affect the quality of life of those living in Chelmsford. There are simply not enough homes in Chelmsford to house the greater number of people wanting to live in the city. The burden on public services is almost at breaking point with many parents unable to send their child to their first choice of primary or secondary school and the chances of getting a decent Dentist or GP Doctor Surgery next to nil.

Well that’s what the papers would say.. but let’s look at real numbers, and in particular my specialist subject of Chelmsford Property, with the housing issue in Chelmsford. To start with, the UK has roughly 1,065 people per square mile – the second highest in Europe. The total area of Chelmsford itself is 9.926 square miles and there are 110,500 Chelmsford residents, meaning …

11,100 people live in each square mile of Chelmsford, it’s no wonder we appear to be bursting at the seams!

… but yet again, newspapers, politicians and property market bloggers quote big numbers to sell more newspapers, get elected or get people to read their blog (I recognise the irony!). A square mile is enormous, so the numbers look correspondingly large (and headline grabbing). Most people reading this will know what an ‘acre’ is, but those younger readers who don’t, it is an imperial unit of measurement for land and it is approximately 63 meters square.

In Chelmsford, only 15.86 people live in every acre of Chelmsford … not as headline grabbing, but a lot closer to home and relative to everyday life, and if I am being honest, a figure that doesn’t seem that bad.

Yet, the issue at hand is, we need more homes building. In 2007, Tony Blair set a target that 240,000 homes a year needed to be built to keep up with the population growth, whilst the Tory’s new target since 2010 was a more modest 200,000 a year. However, since 2010, as a country, we have only been building between 140,000 and 150,000 houses a year. So where are we going to build these homes .. because we have no space! Or do we?

Well, let me tell you this fascinating piece of information I found out recently in an official Government report. Looking specifically at England (as it is the most densely populated country of the Union), all the 20 million English homes cover only 1.1% of its land mass. That is not a typo, only one point one per cent (1.1%) of land in England is covered by residential property. In more detail, of all the land in the Country -

·         Residential Houses and Flats 1.1%

·         Gardens 4.3%

·         Shops and Offices 0.7%

·         Highways (Roads and Paths) 2.3%

·         Railways 0.1%

·         Water (Rivers /Reservoirs) 2.6%

·         Industry, Military and other uses 1.4%

.. leaving 88.5% as Open Countryside (and if you think about it, add to that the gardens, which are green spaces, and the country is 92.8% greenspace)

As a country, we have plenty of space to build more homes for the younger generation and the five million more homes needed in the next 20 years would use only 0.25% of the country’s land. Now I am not advocating building massive housing estates and 20 storey concrete and glass behemoth apartment blocks next to local beauty spots such as Hyde Hall or Hylands Park, but with some clever planning and joined up thinking, we really do need to think outside the box when it comes to how we are going to build and house our children and our children’s children in the coming 50 years in Chelmsford. If anyone has their own ideas, I would love to hear from you.

In the meantime, if you would like to read other articles about Chelmsford Property Market, please visit the Chelmsford Property Market Blog www.chelmsfordpropertyblog.co.uk

2 Bed apartment in Chelmsford for investment.

Hello everyone, i have another property for you to look at, it's just come to the market with House Network on Haig Court in Chelmsford. This could be a lovely buy to let property to either add to your portfolio or as the first one.

Have a watch of the video where I talk about it in a bit more detail and the link below will also take you to the online particulars. I hope you enjoy!

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-56181967.html

“Clutter costs!”

 

In the current market, if you are to maximise your price, it is more important than ever to ensure that your property is a highly saleable proposition, rather than one that makes another house look good by comparison.      

Of course, there are several basics that should be in place. The price needs to be as attractive as the décor, and you should aim to be flexible on things like fixtures, viewing times and completion dates. You also need to be with a pro-active estate agency – not just one who simply lists your house and then waits for the market to deliver a buyer to your door.

But there are other things that you can do, which can have a significant bearing on whether a buyer will purchase your property instead of the one down the street.

                       

A recent survey supports our own view that clutter in an otherwise charming property can thwart an early sale. Over 76% of estate agents questioned said that de-cluttering your home is among the top three most important things a seller can do, and is an inexpensive way of dramatically increasing the perception of space. 68% of agents said that a thorough interior clean was important, followed by 48% who said that the garden should be tidied.

If you have lived in your property for a while, you can become oblivious to what is clutter and what is an asset to the presentation of the property. So it’s a good idea to ask a friend to help you sort the wheat from the chaff, and we are of course happy to offer straight-talking good advice if required.

But don’t just bung your superfluous possessions it in the garage. Why not be rigorous and take a few carloads to one of our local charity shops? It can be a liberating exercise as well as a social benefit!  

However, should you be thinking of selling, before doing anything, please do ask us to provide you with a marketing proposal – it’s completely free and might just give you all the pointers you need for a successful sale. After all, that’s what we do best!

1 Bed house in Chelmsford for Buy to Let

Good Morning, I hope you all have had a lovely weekend. Autumn definitely seems to be setting in now, time to think about getting those winter coats out! 

The property I have chosen to post today is a 1 bedroom house in the popular location of Chelmer Village in Chelmsford, it's just come to the market with a company called Nest in Essex, who are based in Rayleigh. If you have a watch of the video below, I've talked about the property in a bit more detail and the link will take you to the on-line particulars.

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-44454393.html

Great 3 bedroom house in Chelmsford for buy to let

Good Monring everyone, I hope you like my final post for this week, I've picked out a 3 bedroom house in the Springfield area of Chelmsford. It looks like a really good size family home and is exactly what the market is looking for at the moment. If you are thinking about investing in property in Chelmsford, this would be a good starting point. 

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-44467719.html

September 2016 Chelmsford Property Market - My thoughts

Hello,

Three months after the Brexit referendum and there has been no property market apocalypse as some had predicted. As ever, we British are very good at keeping calm and carrying on. Fortunately the referendum itself was simply a pointer to change, not a change in itself and we probably have three years over which to adjust to the gradual implications that may affect the market.

In the meantime, as with any major economic or political event, the market was somewhat put on hold over the summer, with reported transactions only now showing themselves. Whilst the latest transaction volumes were up year on year to July by 8.3%, this is lower than the 9.7% recorded last July. And most of these latest transactions would have been agreed prior to the referendum result.

More telling might be that mortgage approvals, according to e.surv, were nearly 5% down on the same time last year and house price growth according to The Halifax house price index is at its lowest for three years at 6.9%, down from 10% in March, although much of this fall could be attributed to seasonal effects and wild differences across the country. Some areas of London for example have experienced a slowdown whilst others have seen rises of up to 18.7%. The Land Registry now puts the average house price at £216,750 nationally – up 8.3% on the year based on July’s figures, while Rightmove reports a 10.5% hike in asking prices of new sellers during August.

Interestingly, the RICS reports that new sales listings have fallen at the fastest rate ever, possibly indicating a “wait and see” attitude from sellers. Buyers on the other hand appear much more confident, especially with interest rates at 0.25%! This imbalance of supply and demand, plus medium- to long-term uncertainty suggests that people considering a sale in 2017 and beyond might be well advised to bring their decision forward. Not only would they be able to maximise their own sale price, but they’d be in a stronger position as they themselves become buyers as more properties potentially come to market, at a time when things might not seem so rosy.

If we can help you reach the right decision for your own circumstances, then please feel free to call us on 01245330500 for friendly, sincere, expert advice

Have a good Day

Steve

3 Bedroom house in Chelmsford could make a lovely buy to let property..

Morning all! Got a lovely 3 bedroom house in Springfield, Chelmsford for you to get your teeth into today, just come to the market with Hamilton Piers.Have a watch of the video and see what you think...

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-56121307.html

New House Building in Chelmsford increased by 19.3% in the last year

Let me speak frankly, even with Brexit and the fact immigration numbers will now be reduced in the coming years, there is an unending and severe shortage of new housing being built in the Chelmsford area (and the UK as a whole).  Even if there are short term confidence trembles fueled by newspapers hungry for bad news, the ever growing population of Chelmsford with its high demand for property versus curtailed supply of properties being built, this imbalance of supply/demand and the possibility of even lower interest rates will underpin the property market.

When the Tories were elected in 2015, Mr. Cameron vowed to build 1,000,000 new homes by 2020.  If we as a Country hit those levels of building, most academics stated the UK Housing market would balance itself as the increased supply of property would give a chance for the younger generation to buy their own home as opposed to rent.  However, the up-to-date building figures show that in the first three months of 2016 building starts were down.  Nationally, there were 35,530 house building starts in the first quarter, a long way off the 50,000 a quarter required to hit those ambitious targets.

Looking closer to home, over the last 12 months, new building in the Chelmsford City Council area has grown.  In 2014/15, for every one thousand existing households in the area, an additional 6.84 homes were built.  For 2015/16, that figure is now 8.16 homes built per thousand existing households.  Nationally, to meet that 1,000,000 new homes target, we need to be at 7.12 new homes per thousand, which means Chelmsford City Council is actually above the National target, the problem is the country is only building at a rate of 4.9 for every thousand exiting households – we can’t just rely on little old Chelmsford to build for the rest of the Country.

To put those numbers into real chimney pots, over the last 12 months, in the Chelmsford City Council area,

·         460 Private Builders (e.g. New Homes Builders)

·         130 Housing Association

·         Nil Local Authority

I am of the opinion Messer’s Cameron and Osborne focused their attention too much on the demand side of the housing equation, using the Help to Buy scheme and low deposit mortgages to convert the ‘Generation Rent’ i.e. Chelmsford ‘20 somethings’ who are set to rent for the rest of their lives to ‘Generation Buy’.  On the other side of the coin, I would strongly recommend the new Housing Minster, Gavin Barwell, should concentrate the Government’s efforts on the supply side of the equation.  There needs to be transformations to planning laws, massive scale releases of public land and more investment, as more inventive solutions are needed.

However, ultimately, responsibility has to rest on the shoulders of Theresa May.  Whilst our new PM has many plates to spin, evading on the housing crisis will only come at greater cost later on.  What a legacy it would be if it was Mrs. May who finally got to grips with the persistent and enduring shortage of homes to live in.  The PM has already referenced the ‘need to do far more to get more houses built’ and stop the decline of home ownership.  However, she has also ruled out any changes to the green belt policy – something I will talk about in a future up and coming article.  Hopefully these statistics will raise the alarm bells again and persuade both residents and Councilor’s in the Chelmsford City Council area that housing needs to be higher on its agenda.

In the meantime, for more thoughts and opinion on the Chelmsford Property Market, please visit the Chelmsford Property Blog www.chelmsfordpropertyblog.co.uk

Nice 2 bed flat in Chelmsford for buy to let

Hello there, have a look at this tasty morsel of a property. Another Chelmer Village Beaut. It's got come potential to be a great investment property, have a watch of the video and see what you think. It's just come to the market with BAlch for £199,950...

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-61890575.html

Getting Personal Through Technology

The opportunities opened up by technology in Chelmsford estate agency have been enormous, yet many local agents simply use their website as a glorified shop window. Like any agency window, the properties displayed need to be regularly updated and presented in a way that inspires buyers to take things further.  

But a good estate agency website is more than a simple property search tool. If that's all it did, it would be a bit like only being able to get the news on TV!

The first thing many prospective sellers do is check out local agents’ websites. Does the home page give a clear impression of the "personality" of that particular agency?  A list of features is one thing, but does it highlight the people behind the business and the company ethos? 

Going beyond this, our website is fast becoming pivotal to the management of ongoing sales. It allows buyers and sellers to track the progress of their sale in real time on-line! Add to this the ability to email and SMS property details including pictures and floor plans directly to a buyer's smart phone, PC or iPad and we have a system that is way beyond the norm for Chelmsford.

However, the most important benefit derived from our huge investment in technology is the amount of time released by our enhanced efficiency. Because the system captures and automatically matches buyers to properties (within our manually predetermined parameters) we have more time available to do what we do best – look after our customers through personal communication.

Therefore, and somewhat ironically, our use of technology has streamlined us to the extent that we have been able return to, and develop, the traditional service levels appreciated by so many of our delighted customers to date. Why not phone us for an informal chat about how we could maximise your own sale prospects?