Last week a landlord with properties in Dunstable stopped at our shop when he saw me sitting there. He had been following my blog about the Dunstable and Houghton Regis property market and thought he would pick by brains whilst waiting for his wife to finish shopping. He isn’t one of our landlords and I couldn’t say he will become one, but talking with an experienced landlord is not a one way conversation and we both finished with more knowledge than we started with.
He wanted to discuss the merits of various property types as he had focused on 1 bedroom apartments previously and wasn’t sure this was a strategy he should follow. For the last 6-8 months the demand for 1 & 2 bedroom properties has been high due to the local employers taking on more staff including Amazon who opened their fulfilment centre in October and employed 500 staff. These numbers are going to increase greatly this year as they will also be opening larger premises in front of the one that opened in October. All good news for this landlord.
We took a look at how various property types had performed so far this year so he could make a decision on the next property he is going to buy.
I started on the lower end of the market the studios and 1 beds of which he is familiar. Studio apartments rent figures don’t change price too much as they normally serve an immediate need for someone and the tenants will often move on after 6 months. They usually require the studio furnished unlike the typical property in Dunstable and Houghton Regis which is unfurnished. The typical price of studio apartments this year had ranged from £450-£500pcm.
We then looked at the 1 bedroom apartments, a property type he was very familiar with. These had ranged in price from £500-£750pcm with one exception currently on the market at £800pcm. Modern 1 bed apartments in developments such as Bramley Court and The Parklands were renting for £650-£700pcm with a few niche properties fetching £750-£775pcm. Looking at the average price for 1 bedroom apartments currently on the market (£140,000) a typical rental yield of 5.79% was going to be achievable before costs including service charges.
His current thinking was to step up to the 2 bedroom apartment market so we took a look at their performance this year. Currently the average price for a 2 bedroom apartment is £168,000 and the average rental figure is £800pcm giving a rental yield of 5.71% before costs including service charges. I had noticed that some 2 bed apartments are now pushing £900pcm with one listed at £1000pcm on the McCann Homes redevelopment on West St in Dunstable. Other 2 bedroom apartments on the same development have been advertised at £875pcm. We could see that new build 2 beds with ensuites were being marketed at £900pcm whilst older, but still modern 2 bedroom apartments with ensuites were being marketed at £800- £850pcm. The prices of 2 bedroom apartments in modern developments with ensuites and 2 double bedrooms have probably increased by a higher percentage than other properties in Dunstable the last 12 months.
We then compared this to the 2 bedroom houses which are highly sought after by tenants and investors alike and we found the average price for a 2 bedroom house was currently £215,000 with the average rental figure of £850pcm giving a typical rental yield of £4.74%. ( No service charge to include ) The rental figure for 2 bedroom houses had ranged from £800 – £925pcm so far this year but something to be wary of with houses on new developments is the current trend for developers to offer these on leases with a service charge and not freehold. Many investors prefer purchasing houses as they own the freehold and don’t have a service charge.
There have only been about 20 two bedroom houses marketed for sale on Rightmove so far this year whilst there has been a choice from nearly 90 two bedroom apartments.
His next option was of course to look at buying a 3 bedroom house instead. He was in the market for purchasing 2 apartments, but what if he changed his strategy and bought just the one house? We discussed the various obvious merits of 3 bedroom houses that tend to attract longer term family tenants, but also the extra wear and tear on the property. You can expect to redecorate and maybe replace the flooring more often if a family are living in your property.
The average 3 bedroom house price was currently £280,000 with an average rental price of £1050pcm giving a typical rental yield of £4.5%. The range in the rents that have been requested this year was quite broad ranging from £795 to £1250. If he was going to investigate this option he was going to have to carry out plenty of research first and with my help identify the right property to buy.
This exercise with him just goes to show that if you buying a a property to let out, you need to know all the numbers involved before making that decision. I don’t sell houses and don’t charge for my opinion, so feel to pop round my shop on Church Street in Dunstable or ask me for a FREE invite to the monthly Property Investors Network meeting in Luton (Luton PIN).
My message to all investors would be to take some independent advice before purchasing, unless you’re 100% sure of what you’re doing. I say this because I know what happens when people don’t. Even if it’s not from myself, there are still a few regulated agents in Dunstable and Houghton Regis who are well placed to advise on whether the property you’re buying will rent, and at what price. I’m certainly more than happy for you drop by my shop to talk about your various options including your existing properties. Meanwhile the landlord has since asked my opinion on 3 apartments one of which he is now proceeding to purchase.
