Windsor, Ascot, Maidenhead, Sl4 Region..

[enworb]

Does anyone have any recent anecdotal evidence to share for the wider Windsor area ?

I am (again) looking more in-depth into the local market and what I have seen so far is that properties are still selling well in Windsor and surrounding areas. Prices might not be going up anymore it seems, and I am sure there are quite some discounts, but a lot of them are still selling fast. The house next door for instance sold within a few weeks, no sign of a slowdown here it seems...

Anyone else having an opinion ?

I've been following the property market in and around Slough since I bought my 1st place in 2001. Back then, flats were as much as twice as much in Windsor as they were in Slough. There are still plent of people prepared to pay £300k for a 2 bed apartment in Windor and £200k+ in Slough. But elsewhere you can get a resale 2 bed flat in Windsor for £210k. I recall similar properties on the market for £190K not long after I bought my place.

There are areas of Windsor that do command obscene amounts of money (Alma Road, Sheet Street) )but they will be bought by families with no mortgage and plenty of cash in the bank.Unfortunately, 1st time buyers in Windsor don't earn a significant amount more than those in Slough. Result, prices have hardly risen.

Old Windsor and Datchet are fairly cheap compared to Windsor because of noise pollution from low flying planes.I used to aspire to live in Windsor but it doesn't offer enough for me personally to pay over the odds for less amenities than Slough has to offer.I now aspire to live in the Castleview catchment in East Slough. It offers better views of Windsor castle than 99% of properties in Windsor.

[adrian101]

Just my take on Maidenhead

I am biased towards a crash partly because I hear the same arguments as for dot com valuations, partly because most non vested interest people claim stagnation at best and partly because i have rented for 10 years and seen myself get priced out (two crap paid jobs then a job at a well known reservations systems company in Langley when they made me redundant after specifically telling me there were no plans - not that I am bitter or anything but i am extremely bitter anyways rant over and if you're reading this dont ever trust G*****o/C*****t)

i have been following the massive construction of a series of 2 bed flats nr the golf club priced at c300k,

i have also noticed a new build on the windsor maidenhead road nr the lake which were priced at 275 a few years ago - last yr one was priced at 230/235 and did not sell, it is now on the market at 249 though i didn't see it in last week's advertiser

i have spoken to many people of my thoughts of a crash only to be told, "oh maidenhead is different" nice to know that there is an area of the planet which immune from economic cycles

1 have we had a boom in property over the last 10 yrs yes

2 what happened last time it crashed

3 what happened the time before it crashed

4 what happened the time before it crashed

5 are the optimists saying it will be different this time

6 did they say that the last time

7 and the time before

8 has there ever been a soft landing before not in my knowledge

contrary to popular belief humans are not the most intelligent of creatures, fising debt problems, stricter lending, a clampdown on mortgage fraud,,,,,as the herd mentality gathers questioning the price tag of 150k on a i bed flat, e

[chiefduffer]

I started another thread on Windsor & Maidenhead not realising this was already out here. Having lived in Windsor (central & west), Stoke Poges, Chalfont St Peter, Gerrards Cross and also Oxford suburbs, I moved abroad 2 years ago. My parents and several family members live in Chorleywood (South Herts). This has given me a bit of perspective on what is good and bad about the SL4 region. Here's my thoughts...

Pluses

Good transport links - yes I know everyone says it but you don't really appreciate it till you live in an area where the transport sucks. Airport connections are the best & most competitive in Europe.

Good Schools - if you want or have kids this is a big advantage for this area.

Proximity to London- Lots of employment opportunity.

Negatives

Environmental Pollution- It really is bad. Combination of air/water quality and noise is apalling.

Housing Affordability- If you didn't get on the ladder before 2001 you're basically screwed. Unfortunately this seems to be the case with most of the UK and Europe. Problem is that our salaries in the UK are much lower than many of our european neighbours and cost of living is higher.

Additional comments on Windsor- aircraft noise in central Windsor is far worse than West Windsor, Ascot, Bracknell etc. This is made doubly bad by the poor noise insulation of the Victorian properties. On the plus side it has the great park, long walk, good restaurants, ok train connections (though could be better), and of course the castle. Basically Windsor has a good image and lots of pluses which probably give it a bit of an edge over some of its neighbours. Sorry but its true. When we moved from West to Central windsor in 2001 we did look at Maidenhead, Ascot and Bracknell. Reasons we didn't move to those places.

Traffic- I worked in Slough and the transport time doubled when you moved further out. Basically if you're driving from Ascot you have to go through the Windsor bottleneck. From Maidenhead you have the A4 bottleneck.

Entertainment- Basically there is nothing to do in Ascot. Maidenhead is a little better but its a bit yob-ish.

Environment- Great Park, Long walk, Riverside are fantastic places to go for walks. You just don't have this in other places. In Bracknell area you pretty much have to drive everywhere as it is so spread out.

On balance, if I were returning to the area, now I have a kid I might be tempted to re-look at Bracknell area as we could get a bigger house and garden than we currently have but really would prefer to stay in Windsor for the schools.

[libitina]

Its nice if you like roundabouts.

Only redeeming feature of Bracknell imo, is thats where I met my husband and sprog was born in Heatherwood hospital in Ascot. If it wasn't for the fact that my Nan still lives there, I'd quite happily never set foot in the place again.

Edited May 13, 2006 by libitina

[uforia98]

agree with most of chiefduffer's comments on WIndsor. The only downside really is the noise from the planes and the high prices.

Has anyone seen any price drops in the area yet ? Apart from some houses which are wrongly (over)priced, I still see lots of activity and prices just do not seem to drop... At least it seems they are not rising anymore but that simply isn't enough for me, because they are on such a high plateau...

[Son of Taeper]

agree with most of chiefduffer's comments on WIndsor. The only downside really is the noise from the planes and the high prices.

Has anyone seen any price drops in the area yet ? Apart from some houses which are wrongly (over)priced, I still see lots of activity and prices just do not seem to drop... At least it seems they are not rising anymore but that simply isn't enough for me, because they are on such a high plateau...

Not sure about the Windsor market but I've been tracking Maidenhead, Cookham & Marlow areas very closely for a while. Sensibly priced stuff is moving but the overpriced stuff (and there is a lot of it) just stagnates. IMO, prices ( 4bed det) have not increased at all since Oct 2005.

I should imagine the EAs will have their work cut out if they continue to try to hike the prices and it may start to bite into their businesses. One local agent in particular had a property on its books in Devon. Smelling a rat I checked it out and it transpired he had a VI in it. A sign that times aren't too good? Maybe he can see the writing on the wall.

[misfit]

I like Windsor and would like to move as near as possible but unfortunately I am priced out even at the lower end of St Leonards which I am particularly found of. I spend a lot of time entertaining in the evening there and it is one of the few places where there is not such a yobbish culture - if you steer clear of McDonalds that is.

Even though Maidenhead is not particularly nice in the evening I can think of worse areas but I agree it is overpriced 210K-250K for a nice 2 bed flat (I lived in North Manchester and Salford a few years ago and High Wycombe after this which are all roughly comparable). I know I will get shouted at for that but I have my own views on Wycombe. It has the most disgusting bus station and hospital in the centre of the town. It has estates to rival Blackley and Salford with Micklefield and Castlefield where prices are still in the 200K realm similar to Slough. I agree with all the posts on the new flats in Slough at the traffic lights. There are some nice areas near the M40 off the industrial estate but seriously overpriced because they are near the M40.

My girlfriend lives in Marlow with her parents and this is a much nicer area although a 3 bed semi will be about 350K or a 2 bed in the nicer York Road area will cost approx 370K. There was a post on this thread somewhere which said Bracknell or Maidenhead can be a little rough in the evening. Well I have been out in Marlow and that too can get a little rough at times because a lot of people come in from outside Marlow especially on a Friday/Saturday evening. I think this will always be the case if the town is nice as I have also lived in Nantwich in Cheshire and this had the same problems. I therefore think if you live in a town this may have to be a risk which you will have to take no matter how small the town.

I am waiting for the prices to fall so I can afford Maidenhead which would probably be my ideal location despite all the bad press in the Maidenhead advertiser. It depends on what you hold dear but it is central to all the major commuter towns for work and has excellent rail links. What more could you ask for?

[uforia98]

I like Windsor and would like to move as near as possible but unfortunately I am priced out even at the lower end of St Leonards which I am particularly found of.

Agree with you Misfit, Windsor is nice.

Why not just rent in Windsor and wait until prices drop ? That is what we are doing. We live in a detached house which which we could never afford to buy in a nice street (Hatch Lane area). I am just waiting for prices to drop and then hopefully I can buy one day too..... With today's interest rate rise this might become true soon, I doubt prices can go up anymore after today, I think from now it is all downhill

[misfit]

Thank you but I bought a one bedroom flat in Aylesbury as I had no girlfriend at the time. I had previously rented a 3 bed house in Naphill for 6 years and I was becoming complacent and not saving and I became used to the comfort. For no other reason than the previous rent was a similar cost to my mortgage I decided to buy. I was seduced by the 3.49% interest rate on a fixed rate.

My aim now is to pay off as much as possible (more incentive now) and use this as a deposit to buy in Windsor in a few years although my girlfriend lives in Marlow (with her parents) so she wants to stay in this area. This too is a lovely area so we will have to wait and see.

Thank you for your advice

[chiefduffer]

If you want to get into the Windsor market, you could do worse than look in west windsor as an entry point. This is what I did a few years back. Basically, if you can find yourself a reasonably priced period property in some of the lower price areas (try Clewer Hill or Oakley Green to start with) then you can use this as a stepping stone. I know the appeal is lower in these areas but the fact remains that the price difference between West Windsor and other "less desirable" areas is negligible. Last time I checked it was virtually identical with many areas of Slough.

Although bargains are few and far between in today's market, I think you still see some good deals here and there. As a long term investment, I think Windsor will continue to outperform its neighbours- especially if they get the transportation links sorted out. Since Eton is an olympic venue in 2012 I would anticipate some improvements in this area in the next few years.

[misfit]

Dear Chief Duffer

Thank you for the tip and this is definitely worth a look as I have been looking in and around the town for transport links. I go into London quite often and I have an aversion to congestion charges!

At the moment though I have decided that now is not the right term to invest in a major asset so I am increasing my pension contributions and using my tax free allowance to improve my savings.

I am in a situation at the moment where I can comfortably pay the mortgage and still go out for the odd meal. I think this is a situation which is good for the soul rather than overstretching myself.

I do not want this situation to change so I have decided to opt out at the mo and get ready for reduced prices over the next year or so. If I am wrong then I will miss out but this is a risk I am willing to take.

I think the BTL market is young and potentially volatile so rising interest rates could lead to forced sales. If I buy now and interest rates do increase I could struggle later on as I have a nice long term fixed rate at the mo.

You may have guessed but I don't like struggling.

Thanks

[chiefduffer]

Windsor update...August 06

I keep an eye on Rightmove every now and then to see what new houses come onto the market in Windsor. Most of the time the price seems comensurate with the market "value" but every so often I see something that beggars belief. Yesterday I saw a terraced house outside the centre come on the market at £435K- this has to be at least £50K over the normal asking price for something in this road- even if its in good condition.

Windsor Terraced

Not sure what's going on here but as I own a house nearby I will be watching this one with interest. Could it be that supply is so low that the market has risen this much?

[doric-woman]

Windsor update...August 06

I keep an eye on Rightmove every now and then to see what new houses come onto the market in Windsor. Most of the time the price seems comensurate with the market "value" but every so often I see something that beggars belief. Yesterday I saw a terraced house outside the centre come on the market at £435K- this has to be at least £50K over the normal asking price for something in this road- even if its in good condition.

Windsor Terraced

Not sure what's going on here but as I own a house nearby I will be watching this one with interest. Could it be that supply is so low that the market has risen this much?

Is that the 19 year old estate agent's car parked outside????

435k for a terraced house????

[Gone baby gone]

Is that the 19 year old estate agent's car parked outside????

435k for a terraced house????

Just judging by the decor and the aspirational car outside this is a flip.

[chiefduffer]

Just judging by the decor and the aspirational car outside this is a flip.

Well spotted on the car. Since I know this road pretty well, I did a bit of research on the selling prices there. Obsessive, I know, but its still quite revealing. Either they're banking on an undiscerning London buyer coming into Windsor or they're desperate to sell at the max. to move up the ladder. And yes, the red dot is my house...

[misfit]

I do not think I will be moving to Windsor at those ridiculous prices as price range would only be half of this

[uforia98]

435k for a terraced house????

Exactly ! Are they serious ? And they might even find someone who buys it slightly below the 435k, what a madness !

This is an excellent example that shows how overheated this market is, with Windsor being even more extreme then other towns.... I'd rather wait and rent and save money until the market has dropped.....

[uforia98]

it seems crazy, but the market is still hot in Windsor for certain properties in good areas. the house opposite were we live just sold within days, without even a 'for sale' board coming up ! It seems buyers were lining up to get a house in this area.

I am convinced though it is just a matter of time until the market will head downwards......

[subsidiser]

I'm not sure where people are "coming from" on this topic. And I mean that literally. If you're a Martian you might not know that places like Windsor, Maidenhead, Ascott etc are very wealthy areas. Always have been, always will be. There are towns nearby (well quite near) like Wycombe, Slough, Reading etc that are a lot cheaper. These towns are near but they're a million miles away.

Have you ever thought about all those poor souls living in London who have to live in the servants quarters or in stables because they cant afford to live in real houses. Yes, all those poor souls living in their Mews houses, spare a thought for them. Well I bet that when people first started buying up stables and living in them someone was saying it was madness. The same goes for the expensive terraced houses in Windsor. The point is that those terraced houses are...

... in WINDSOR !!!

Its good old "LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION" again.

If you wanted to be in London in the sixties but couldn't afford anywhere actually posh you bought a mews house. Now no one thinks twice about those prices being astronomical. Those houses are in Chelsea, Kensington, Bayswater etc. Theres nothing else there thats more affordable.

The same goes for the terraced houses in Windsor.

If anyone out there is looking for a bargain snap them up now while you can still dream about it.

I know theres something annoying about it (I come from Glasgow) but thats how it is.

[zag2me]

Have to agree with the above post, windsor is pretty much the most expensive place to live outside london in the country.

Its just a nice place to live, thats why you are seeing such rampant house price inflation.

If there is this house price crash people will still want to live in Windsor and ascot, and will pay for the privilege.

[uforia98]

I do not agree with the previous 2 posters.

While Windsor is nice of course (that's why I live here), I cannot see it being so special that prices are staying that high. Once the market goes down, surely Windsor will follow. Of course location matters, but when the overall downtrend comes, Windsor wil not be able to get away with its unrealistic prices. After all, it is about affordibility, and right now a lot of places are no longer affordable without stretching your finances like mad. That is why Windsor and other 'nice' areas will go down as well.

By the way, Windsor, Ascot, Maidenhead have not so nice places too. Remember the riots in Windsor a few weeks ago ?

[Son of Taeper]

I do not agree with the previous 2 posters.

While Windsor is nice of course (that's why I live here), I cannot see it being so special that prices are staying that high. Once the market goes down, surely Windsor will follow. Of course location matters, but when the overall downtrend comes, Windsor wil not be able to get away with its unrealistic prices. After all, it is about affordibility, and right now a lot of places are no longer affordable without stretching your finances like mad. That is why Windsor and other 'nice' areas will go down as well.

By the way, Windsor, Ascot, Maidenhead have not so nice places too. Remember the riots in Windsor a few weeks ago ?

Ditto.

The place I sold in June was in Maidenheads 'River Area' Whist it has been nice for many years one can see the changing face of the place and, as someone pointed out in an earlier post, "the smart money is moving over the river" Marlow, Bourne End, Flackwell, Beaconsfield, and the like. These towns and villages now outstrip Maidenhead in price.

[enworb]

Ditto.

The place I sold in June was in Maidenheads 'River Area' Whist it has been nice for many years one can see the changing face of the place and, as someone pointed out in an earlier post, "the smart money is moving over the river" Marlow, Bourne End, Flackwell, Beaconsfield, and the like. These towns and villages now outstrip Maidenhead in price.

To some extent someone living in Maidenhead will in most cases give birth to children wanting to buy themselves in Maidenhead - the reason that I still live in Slough despite there being far cheaper (and nicer) areas to live.

But I agree that Windsor and the surrounding areas cannot keep up with the HPI of London because the majority of us don't earn as much as Londoners.

I saw a small article in The News Of The World yesterday. Santa Clause will be visiting the Bomber Estate in Maidenhead but only with a police escort

I do like the other areas that you mention but apart from Marlow there is not much in the way of nightlife, and transport links aren't the best either.

[50%deposit]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/apr/30/s...stle-lawn-queen

i was totally busted today

Tourists enjoying a day of sightseeing at Windsor Castle got more than they bargained for today when a couple were caught having sex on the Queen's lawn.

Ignoring signs asking visitors to Please Keep Off The Grass, the man and woman, said to be in their early 30, selected a spot near the castle's Garter Tower and stripped off in full view of hotels, pubs and shops.

An employee at the Harte and Garter Hotel, which overlooks the castle, said guests went out to observe the scene and could not believe their eyes. The woman, who asked not to be named, said: "People were shouting things like 'what are you doing?' but the couple didn't seem to care at all. It was going on for about 10 or 15 minutes, which is quite a long time, considering the location."

Another witness, Mark Robinson, 44, said the couple carried on until police intervened. He said: "The officers told them to stop and the sight of the uniforms seemed to snap them out of it. They were unsteady on their feet and the guy pulled his trousers up and helped the girl put hers back on.

"The Japanese tourists were comparing their videos."

A spokesman from Thames Valley police confirmed that two people had been arrested and cautioned for outraging public decency. It is not known whether the Queen was in residence at Windsor Castle at the time.

[funkydung]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/apr/30/s...stle-lawn-queen

i was totally busted today

That's one way of driving house prices down and having fun at the same time! We should all try it - find a house you would like to live in, but can't afford, and start fornicating on the neighbours lawn to lower the tone of the neighbourhood. If after that the prices aren't falling quick enough, then return the following month with all your swinging/dogging mates and try again.