Historically, London was recognised as the pinnacle of every property investor’s portfolio. As one of the most lucrative financial centres in the world and the largest urban zone of the European Union, the naturally competitive market attracted a safe haven for any canny investor.
London was a vital cog in the worldwide commodities market and capital appreciation surfaced as a principal focus amongst property investors looking towards entrusting their money in the Big Smoke, after all it is the capital city.
In an increasingly connected world, major cities are in contention with one another, although there seems to be no winning formula for creating a city that attracts the eye of a discerning investor, but quality, diversity, and capability all add to the recipe for success.
Trends are starting to change, and many investors are looking towards the more affordable, up and coming cities of the Northern Powerhouse as opposed to the staggering higher prices that London is reaching.
Take the more affluent areas of London, such as Chelsea and Kensington for example, these properties are creeping up to 38.5 times the average annual salary with the average price of 1.4 million and the mortgage costs of £27,855 per year. On the other hand, Liverpool remains slightly different with salaries of around £24,000 and an average house prices of just over £115,000 equating to a multiple of 4.8 times average salary indicating good relative value.
In terms of rental yields, when evaluating the London property market, besides many desirable attributes, much of London averages around 4%, although some areas offer measly rental yields of less than 1.5%. Looking towards Liverpool, there are countless opportunities to secure rental yields in excess of 6%. Liverpool emerges as a property hotspot which attracts graduates and young professionals due to the decrease in cost of living and the influx of jobs being created in the area due to the evolving regeneration schemes helping the city to prosper.
With Liverpool boasting significant and varied employment prospects for residents, alongside an exhilarating future, the city maintains investment in its people, universities, commercial infrastructure and property. London is progressively contending against Liverpool to withhold its reputation surrounding property investment, however many London investors are keen to cash in their ‘London premium’ to acquire larger properties for less money outside of the capital.
Regeneration across the city of Liverpool is the main catalyst in securing an economically robust future and companies like RWInvest capture Liverpool’s capability in this saturated property market through buy-to-let property opportunities.
A plethora of new innovative designs stand proud next to archaic buildings that glorify the city’s historic roots and the vibrant community offers an amalgamation of old and new industries. Millions of pounds have been spent on reinventing the city of Liverpool and the redevelopment schemes are dominating the skyline prompting an incessant demand for buy-to-let properties across the city.
Liverpool represents a powerful brand, a distinguishable city not only for investors in the UK, but also from its global competitors. A true front runner amongst all Northern Powerhouse cities.