The first ‘BMV Buying Index’ from Property Investor News ™ magazine in conjunction with Home.co.uk underlines the opportunities and risks to investors currently attached to buying and selling property in today’s UK residential market.

The ‘BMV Buying Index’ gives detailed analysis across all towns and cities in the UK which have a minimum of 500 properties on sale at local estate agents.

The detailed analysis encompasses 456 individual postcode locations and it points out specific locations where property is more likely to be bought at a discount due to the underlying sales trends in each locality.

The data also underlines specific UK locations which are enjoying a relatively buoyant sales marketplace for which a potential strategy of ‘buying to sell’ by investors and property developers could prove successful.

Doug Shephard, business development director of Home.co.uk who provided the underlying data exclusively for ‘Property Investor News ™’ said that overall the north-south divide is widening in terms of sales prices and marketing time.

“Government stimulus measures seem to be shoring up the banking and
services sectors in London but not it seems as yet in manufacturing, tourism or agriculture.

“Affluent northern towns such as York and Harrogate are the notable exceptions to a widening North v South divide, and many properties in the industrial areas are typically 200 or more days on the market with local estate agents.

“As such prices should fall in any towns or city locations which are above the national average of 204 days on the sales market,” said Shepherd.

Richard Bowser, the editor of ‘Property Investor News ™’ said: “This unique index will enable residential property buyers, investors and landlords to identify those specific locations which currently offer greater investment risk but also to point out those which offer the possibility of potential reward.

“Obviously much further detailed research will be required from investors as to the local rental prospects for those with buy to let strategies as well as for rental yields - and of course circumstances can change.”

The latest data shows that an average property with an asking price of £149,500 in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland has been on the sales market for 435 days which clearly demonstrates a stagnant property market. This is in sharp contrast to Frimley, Surrey which is enjoying relative buoyancy with a typical property at an asking sales price of £265,000 having only 81 days on the sales market.