Key commuter city sees prime listing market perform best in UK

Winchester, a popular commuter city within reach of London has seen its prime listing prices outperform the wider UK market, new research shows.

Prices in the city, famous for its cathedral and history, increased by .4% between April and June, taking the annual change in prices in the city to 6.3%, according to data from international real estate firm Knight Frank.

Such price growth means that Winchester has comfortably outperformed the wider UK prime market where values have risen by 0.9% on a quarterly basis and 2.3% on an annual basis. Winchester has also registered stronger price growth than other prime city markets including Bath, Bristol and Oxford.

A shortage of prime listings for sale, combined with strong demand for homes in thriving town and city markets, has contributed to this out performance, according to the Knight Frank analysis report.

It shows that the number of listings for sale in the city was 17% lower at the end of July than at the same point a year previously. In the prime market, the number of listings for sale valued at over £500,000 was 20% lower, a factor which, combined with strong demand, can put upwards pressure on prices, the report explains.

Against this backdrop, demand for listing in Winchester remains widespread.’As well as those moving up the ladder locally, the city remains popular with commuters both from the wider South East region and from London. Figures from the 2011 Census show that some 53% of people living in Winchester work outside of the city,’ the report says.

Buyers from the capital are also taking advantage of the price differential between listing prices in London and elsewhere in the country.

The report points out that while there has been sustained price growth in Winchester over the last year, changes to stamp duty announced in December have made buyers at the top end of the market more price conscious. This has resulted in slower than average price growth for the most expensive listings in the city since the introduction of the new rates.

Meanwhile, in geographical terms, price growth has been fairly uniform across the city. Property values in Hyde and the city centre have risen by 3.2% and 3.1% respectively over the first six months of 2015, and by 6.9% and 6.8% over the past year.

To the south and the east of the city centre in St Cross and St Giles Hill annual price growth of 5.7% and 6% respectively has been recorded.

Overall, there were over 200 sales with a value of £500,000 or more in Winchester over the 12 months to June, 23% higher than the previous 12 months, according to data from the Land Registry.

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Source: Property News Spain