Although the press is always keen to promote London as the UK’s leading “Property Hotspot” we beg to differ here at Philip James.

Rob Cuffe, one of Philip James’s directors , shows us why they are not alone in declaring Manchester as one of the UK’s leading places to invest in property.

Here Are Just 3 Examples Of Recent Investments…

PROPERTY 1– 3 Bed Apartment at NQ4 – This was a fantastic investment purchased for just £150,000, which is now rented at £1500pcm producing a “mouth-watering” 12% return.

“This was a great value 3 bed / 2 bath property situated in the vibrant Northern Quarter area of the city. You are in easy walking distance to some of Manchester’s finest nightlife. The property sells itself. Just look at the return we managed to secure for our landlord, it doesn’t get much better than that!”

 

PROPERTY 2 –2/3 Bed Apartment over 2 floors in a converted warehouse –

Purchased for £250,000, which is now rented at £1650pcm producing a very healthy 8% return.

“This has always been a popular development in the city. Tenants just fall in love with this property as soon as they step inside …”

 

PROPERTY 3 – SIMPLY STUNNING!! A Penthouse 2 bed apartment in Leftbank, One of Manchester’s most prestigious developments

“Situated in the financial heart of Manchester’s Spinningfields. This huge 1281sq ft. Penthouse apartment not only boasts a full length river balcony and amazing triple aspect views of the city, but also comes with 3 parking spaces!! A “Top End” development that compares just as well as anything in London…”

 

Manchester Offers Much Better Returns

 

“We are not alone too in knowing that rental returns here in Manchester far outstrip those in central London by quite some considerable margin.” Rob is keen to point out.

 

Recent data produced by ARLA shows that houses in North West England are delivering the highest rental returns in England which have remained steady at 6% or above (apartments 5.8%) compared to falls in central London from 4 to 3.5% over the last 6 months.

 

“Over the past 4 months we have completed on sales in excess of £10m a month with some of our investment properties offering returns between 7% & 11.5%.”

 

So What Does This Exactly Mean?

 

So what does that mean if you are a landlord with property in Manchester? Well, it’s surprisingly great news we think.

 

“The sales market is certainly “hotting” up here again in the City Centre. We are getting sales instructions and they are now being snapped up quicker than they have been since before the “heady” pre global economic meltdown days of 2007-8. In fact when we first opened our city-centre branch on Deansgate sales only accounted for a tiny percentage of our turnover. We focused mainly on lettings and management.”

 

“We are now seeing a lot of investors coming back into the market. The investments they made 5-6 years ago are now starting to pay dividends. Rents have increased by 20% in the last 3 years alone and investors are more confident purchasing again”

 

“Many “outsiders” reported a glut of new-build properties in recent years in the city-centre but we have always managed to either let, or more recently sell, property exceptionally quickly for our clients. Our landlords have never suffered with long void periods, which is great news. With interest rates still at a record low it makes it a great time to buy.”

 

“We are now seeing once moth-balled developments being restarted as funding for developers begins to ease slightly. Demand is certainly more robust, being boosted by the government’s Help to Buy Scheme and a more liquid mortgage market. Rightmove have also recently reported a 0.7% price rise for city centre flats over the last 12 months. All in all things are definitely improving on the sales side. The lettings side of the business has always been mad busy.”

 

Demand Is Outstripping Supply…

 

“With many leading businesses choosing to relocate in the city, such as the BBC in media city, this has already a massive impact on increasing demand for both sales and lettings.”

 

“We all know but the levels of investment required to purchase property in the Capital are massive and returns are much lower compared to places like Manchester. I know where I’ll be putting my money!”

 

Philip Nolan, CEO at Philip James commented “We have always backed Manchester as a great place to invest but it’s great to have some market leading data to help support that. Manchester is going from strength to strength and I firmly believe it will continue to do so.”

 

At Philip James we have some exciting developments in great locations offering high yields.  If you want to know more about how we can help you find the right investment call me on 0161 828 8200 or email me rob.cuffe@philipjames.co.uk