Hello readers,
 
Medway investors familiar with the local market will undoubtedly resonate with this title. As you drive around the Medway towns or search for that next investment purchase and familiarise yourselves with floor plans (particularly near the town centres), it will quickly become clear that a large portion of houses on the market are 2/3 bedroom terraced properties.
 
Having a good knowledge of the local area is always a crucial aspect for investors and the property type / style is a key one. I’ve pasted an example of this floorplan below and whilst there are several variations of this, a large proportion tend to follow a similar layout.

Much of the housing stock in Medway is Victorian and was built to follow the layout of a posh front room, rear room for day-to-day use and scullery which led to a rear yard. Built for people moving away from the packed slums; largely to work on the dockside.
 
In the 1960s and 70s, inside toilets or bathrooms were added. They were generally located in the third bedroom; however other properties extended the kitchen on the ground floor to create a new space for the room.
 
Interestingly, 42% of all properties within Medway are terraced. This compares to just 27% for both Kent and the whole of the UK.

When it comes to property values, terraced houses tend to not only be the most affordable for investors but are also seeing excellent growth when compared to not just Kent, by the rest of the UK at 12.10% growth over the past year!

Let’s take a look at a few popular roads and see how this compares at a granular level. This is data from Rightmove, so some areas do not have properties such as detached house stats.

So, not only are 2/3 terraced houses affordable, in-demand and have great future potential but they offer excellent opportunities for investors. However, when it comes to investing you will want to be selective as the variety of layouts can vary quite a bit in terms of value and desirability.
 
For example, the most desirable layout is where the staircase has been rotated to create a through lounge and three separate bedrooms. This layout can often be worth 5-10% more than the typical 2/3 bedroom layout.
 
There’s a lot of other layouts I have seen such as a tiny bathroom crammed in upstairs, a corridor through the second bedroom to get to the third bathroom and more. Properties also vary quite a bit in terms of internal size, so it’s always worth viewing if you see something you feel would be suitable.
 
For HMO investors. Terraced houses present a great opportunity to investors as they are more reasonable priced than other property types. If of a suitable size, they generally have the right proportions and dimensions to allow for new layouts, and the addition of extra bathrooms.
 
As Medway’s leading HMO agent, I am extremely familiar with the local market and would be happy to answer any questions you might have. Just drop a reply to this email and I’ll be in touch.
 
Hasan