Where now for house prices in the Coventry Area?
Trying to predict where prices will go next is every-one’s favourite party trick. Most people have an opinion but is there any way of really knowing what the future holds?
In reality the big question is “Do we buy now or wait a bit longer?” The best time to buy anything is at the bottom of the market and property is no different. Trying to forecast the bottom of the market is a mug’s game though so the real question ought to be “Is this the right time for YOU to purchase?” Your own circumstances are more important than predicting which way a line on a graph is going to head for next! If you can comfortably afford the repayments and the house you are buying is suited to your needs then now is always a good time to buy property.
Try to look at it from a long term perspective. Over a period of many years houses and other types of real estate are always a safe form of investment, they have traditionally increased in value in real terms at a greater rate than household income and many other types of investment. So even if you were to purchase a house tomorrow and the initial trend was a fall in value, over the long-haul you’ll be in safe hands. It’s not such a popular term nowadays but the saying still goes, “Safe as Houses”.
Previous Price Trends in the Coventry Area
The one thing we can talk about for certain is where prices have been in the past. If you bought a property in Coventry in the last few years you may be rather confused as to what its worth now. House price trends reported in the national news have very little relationship to localised property prices in the Coventry and Warwickshire Areas.
At the time of writing (April 11) prices in Coventry are now level with where they were back in September 2004. By stark contrast property prices in prime London have doubled in the same period. Take the price index for Merthyr Tydfil and you’ll find an equally disproportionate change. In other words, listening to national house price trends is an utter nonsense. They don’t mean anything to anybody.
My own prediction for the Coventry Area is for prices to hold steady for the next 18 months and then to begin a slow and steady recovery. The number of house sales will start to increase again this year as vendors (and Estate Agents) become more realistic with their expectations and price their properties accordingly.
If you have a different opinion please feel free to comment:
