Merseyside – What to look for in houses for sale?

Whenever looking for a house for sale in the UK or in Merseyside, it is vital you look at the market trends and house price fluctuations in the wider area of Merseyside too. House prices of houses for sale can change even among different streets very close to each other so, as a landlord, it would be a good idea to be familiar with the area of Merseyside.

In this article, we will be looking at the city of Merseyside in detail so you know how to navigate the area and have a better understanding on where to invest.

In Merseyside, what are the rental yields?

Is the housing market in Merseyside growing?

Before making an investment and move forward with buying a house for sale, another important set of data an investor should analyse is the growth trends of the area in question.

Below are the forecasted growth rates for the city of Merseyside at 1 year, 3 year and 5 year intervals:

	1 year	3 years	5 years
Merseyside growth rate	-1%	9%	19%

Examine this figure carefully as the addition of a lot of new houses to meet demand could mean that house price of the houses for sale in Merseyside gradually reduces with an increase in the housing supply. This could be a good indicator to understand if your house will appreciate or not. Too many houses and too much supply could drive down the prices of homes or stagnate them. So be sure to check out what is exactly happening in Merseyside.

The figure of rental yield is commonly looked at by investors who wish to increase their income by investing in areas where rental yields of the houses for sale are higher. Usually, the higher the rental yield, the more attractive a house for sale is for an investor.

Nonetheless, there are also instances where an investor will go with a house with lower yields in order to benefit from the appreciation of a house too which is why it’s vital to look in to all the details of Merseyside.

The data below shows the rental yield, rent turnover and the percentage of the money made on the sale of a house. The data is broken down into the county city is in (Merseyside) as well as the broader region; North West.

	Average Yield	Average Asking rent	Turnover (rental)	Turnover (sale)
Merseyside	4.6%	£802	no relevant data for this city	29.5%
Merseyside	4.76%	£735	120.31%	21.51%
North West	4.36%	£808	120.36%	20.19%

Also, you can compare other data to the table above such as the number of houses sold per month in Merseyside which is 48 and get a better understanding of the housing market.

This is great if you want to gauge if investors are actively looking for houses for sale in the area over other areas in the UK which may be an induction of how profitable Merseyside is to invest in. Both in terms of rental yield and capital appreciation.

What are the asking prices for the houses for sale in the city of Merseyside?

As you go ahead and make offers on a house for sale, it is sometimes best to know what other people are offering for the same type of house for sale so you know what to offer yourself to get a good deal. So you should know, the average asking price of Merseyside is £212,706.

Even though the asking price is not what the eventual price the house is sold at, making a note of the averages for the city of Merseyside is useful when negotiating and knowing what to expect for every type of house for sale.

In the city of Merseyside, what is the average asking price for the houses for sale?

Average asking price (1 bed)	no relevant data for this city
Average asking price (2 bed)	£153,124
Average asking price (3 bed)	£203,953
Average asking price (4 bed)	£340,818
Average asking price (5 bed)	no relevant data for this city

After looking at this table about prices of houses for sale in Merseyside, someone who is buying a home would be able to know in great detail what kind of house for sale available on the market best suits the amount of money they are looking to invest. Also, using a more general figure like the average asking price per square foot of a property which is £0 will help them to have a more wholistic understanding.

In general, what do houses for sale sell for in Merseyside?

For the city of Merseyside, the average price a house sells for is £166,058. This value usually depends on the exact location of the house within Merseyside as well as other factors like the population growth in Merseyside which is 4% over a ten-year period.

Housing category	Total final sale price
Aerage sold price (detached)	£242,547
Aerage sold price (semi-detached)	£159,260
Aerage sold price (terraced)	£120,317
Aerage sold price (flat)	£87,852

The above table puts this figure into perspective as you can see the various average sale prices of a house for the specific type of house you’re most interested in. This comparison is important because the type of house you’re considering to buy may be more or less in demand based on variations in supply and demand in the city of Merseyside.

Housing category	Sale price per square foot
Aerage sold price/sqft	£1,840
Aerage sold price/sqft (new build)	£2,030
Aerage sold price/sqft (old stock)	£1,725

Generalising the bottom table, the average value per square foot of a house for sale is £1,840. This value averages all of the types of houses for sale in Merseyside. So, if you’re not sure what type of house you want specifically, you can still get an idea of the real estate market of Merseyside.

In Merseyside, what are the demographics like?

In the city of Merseyside, has the population grown or shrunk?

Population growth in Merseyside is important to know if there is housing demand and the total population may also be looked at as large populations commonly have a lot of buyer demand.

In Merseyside, 61,466 people live in the city as their main place of residence.

It is important to note that it is not the case that everyone likes a large population to live in. People who tend to prefer a more relaxed life are more likely to buy or rent somewhere to live that has a small population and perhaps also wouldn’t mind if the population isn’t growing.

Other people also like to have a mix of both. Where they can visit rural areas and also benefit from the amenities of a busy city.

In Merseyside in the previous five years, have population numbers transformed?

Five years may seem like a long time but it is rare for a city to grow that much unless there is dramatic population growth. In Merseyside, this change has been 3%. Read more here

Someone who wishes to find out how this change has occurred over a longer period of time may also wish to read the headings below and see if the change has continued throughout the past decade too. Or if the change is only true for the more recent figure for five years of 3%. Click here to know more on the UK population trends.

Over the last decade, how has the population differed in Merseyside?

Populations change all the time but if there is a clear change in population in the last ten years this is even more reliable data about the population of the area as opposed to five. This adjustment in population works out to be 4% in Merseyside.

What this statistic is like in comparison to the population change in five years should provide you with a comprehensive understanding of what direction the population is heading in.

In recent years because of the pandemic, it is common to see dramatic differences in the population change in the last five years when comparing it to ten as people realise they can work from home but still keep the current jobs they have.

This means they can move to cities they wouldn’t have considered otherwise and be location-independent of their source of income. Perhaps making a longer commute into the office every week for example.

How deprived is the population of Merseyside?

The number of people who are deprived can have an impact on the perception of your house in the general marketplace. Additionally, if you are looking for a house to live in for the long term, you can start to picture what your neighbours and the people in your area live like financially.

If the proportion of deprivation of Merseyside is 29% and in general for the UK this figure is somewhere around 33%, you can see if this figure is something you are happy with as you search for a house to buy.

What is the social grade score of Merseyside?

The social grade score is a good indicator of what type of jobs people generally work in the area. Whether that be working in the primary sector, secondary sector, tertiary sector or maybe the quaternary sector of jobs.

The scale is slightly different to this though on a scale of A to E. A refers to people who are in the most skilled, managerial roles whereas E include people such as casual workers.

In Merseyside, the percentage of people in the two highest categories, A and B is 16%. This figure includes people who are therefore most likely to be more skilled and have higher paid jobs.

When contrasting these figures, the average household income for the area is £38,600. This income will generally get bigger as the percentage of people in the A and B categories go up too (16%).

In the city of Merseyside, how much green space remains for residents?

In the city of Merseyside, there are 12.1 acres of green space per 1000 residents.

The charity, ‘Fields in Trusts’ recommends a minimum of 6 acres of green space per 1000 people so it is easy to see where Merseyside is when seeing if green space availability is sufficient. This green space could be parks, nature reserves, public gardens or playing fields.

Is the crime rate bad in the city of Merseyside?

The crime rate of Merseyside must be looked at sceptically. The reason for this is that the crime rate can vary within a city greatly and the type of crime committed can also vary too.

For example, the area has a crime rate of 128, but another city may have a higher crime rate but not be deemed as dangerous due to lower level crime or minor offences being committed.

Either way, high crime rates are never a good sign so consider the rate against the UK average of 79.52 for every 1000 people as a benchmark.

Lower rates could mean things like home insurance is cheaper and you have to install fewer security measures throughout your house. Saving you money in the long run. So the statistic of crime rate (128) is both useful and is recommended to be compared to the average.

For the city of Merseyside, what is the education level?

Interestingly, the percentage of people who have a degree in the city of Merseyside is 17%. Most of the time, the more people that have a degree, the higher the average household income and the more likely someone is to be able to afford to purchase a house. For example, the average income of the citizens in the area of Merseyside is £38,600.

Generally, areas with high numbers of people with a degree are also areas with more people likely to be home owners and therefore the value of houses and relative prices of the houses for sale are more likely to go up too.

Nonetheless, making predictions about the appreciation of a house also has to be considered alongside other factors like population growth and the rental yields of the area.

However, most of the time, being educated is a good indication of affluence with 82% of people graded a first in tertiary education going on to eventually own a house.

Located in Merseyside is the city of Merseyside, in a large part of the UK; North West. Before you look for houses for sale in this area, it is a reasonable question to ask what the people who live there are like.

Below, the population of Merseyside has been dissected in terms of if the population is educated, what the crime rates are like and much more. All important factors to consider before making a house purchase among the offer of the houses for sale.

The knowledge below is based on a lot of different variables relevant to the city of Merseyside which impacts the profitability of making an investment here or how desirable buying a house to live in is if you want to live on a permanent basis.

How much are those living in Merseyside earning?

As earning potential goes up in a city, so does the quality of schools in the area, the general infrastructure and the social grade score (16%). All in all, the area becomes a more desirable place to live in.

This is why it is vital to pay attention to how much people are making annually in any city you plan on making a house purchase in. In Merseyside, this works out to be £38,600. This can be looked at alongside the average household income which is price34,000to estimate how affluent the area is.

Advice from experts on properties for sale in Merseyside

House for sale in the same UK region

You can assess the various houses for sale offered in the area by consulting this list of cities in North West, the same UK region as Merseyside:

• Bootle in North West
• Cautley in North West
• Birkenhead in North West
• Airton in North West
• Chester in North West

You may also refer to our landing page specific to UK houses for sale, houses for sale in the UK

A house for sale appropriate to your needs

Many criteria impact the price of houses for sale in Merseyside.
Here below are the most important ones according to Lofti’s expertise:

• Affordability – (see what house for sale can you afford?)

  A guide from the UK government

• House Location – The borough and region of the UK you want to invest in is an important factor to consider when looking for a home for sale.

• Transport – Commuting can be a waste of time. Minimise it by checking how long it will take from the house for sale you’re interested in, to your office before considering buying

• Number of bedrooms – The number of bedrooms goes hand in hand with the house for sale price. If you are buying for the long period try to think if you might need an extra bedroom

• Energy performance of the house for sale – The difference between an EPC rating of A and an EPC rating of G can impact your monthly utility bills, consider this when evaluating houses for sale.

• Internet connection – Being able to take video calls from your home is crucial nowadays, always check the broadband of the area when browsing houses for sale

• Car park – Ask the property seller for parking availability. If it is included in the price of the house for sale, you can justify paying more than you would at first glance

• Conditions of the house for sale – Repair works can be expensive and take a lot of time, assess the conditions of the houses listed for sale before making an official offer.

Choosing the perfect house for sale for you might be challenging in today’s market due to the abundance of available houses.
You may wonder who can guide you through the process of selecting a house that is for sale.
There are several experts that provide guidance and support to potential buyers and the procedure can be drawn out, particularly when dealing with houses for sale.

Here is a list of who to contact to get assistance when purchasing a house for sale:

• Banks – The ones that can lend you the money you need for the house for sale
• Insurance companies – Companies that give you access to various insurances specific to the house for sale you are considering to buy
• Solicitor – The individual or business responsible for handling the legal tasks required to purchase a home that is for sale.
• Civil engineer – Provides you with an appraisal of the house up for sale that you want to purchase.
• Mortgage advisor – Professional advisors that will guide you and propose the best mortgage deals according to your finances
• EPC specialist – Getting professional advice on the energy performance of the house for sale is crucial, especially nowadays.