Weylea Farm or Weybrook, Burpham? Timing might be the answer.

A potential investor called me the other day to say they had read our recent article regarding Merrow Park, so wondered what my thoughts might be regarding other developments built locally, in the 1980's. 

We therefore started talking about Burpham and the pros and cons of investing in both the Weybrook and Weylea Farm developments. She was considering purchasing a semi-detached house there.

Burpham has been the subject of much debate recently with the proposed development of an Aldi store and the impact it might have on the local Sainsburys store around the corner; and the volume of traffic along the London Road.

Weylea Farm estate is well manicured and attracts more homeowners

The Weybrook and Weylea developments were built during the 1980's on farmland and consist of higher density, similar style housing with smaller gardens and limited spacing around the properties. Winding roads with limited width, twist through these compact areas. The roofs are high pitched with minor architectural changes to give the appearance of variation within the standard format, all with identical roofing tiles and brickwork. 

There are some bungalows and flats within the housing mix, dedicated to the elderly, and housing to accommodate most buyers and their requirements, whatever their stage in life. There are one bedroom flats and starter homes at one end of the scale and 4/5 bed executive homes, at the other end of the scale.

Weybrook is a little overgrown and attracts a more transient population

The street scene in Weybrook is dominated by a herringbone style brick road surface plus ‘hedge-buried’ homes in an undergrowth of mature hedges, to soften the density of homes in these areas. The Weybrook estate tends to have a higher transitory population, with more starter homes especially on Ladygrove Drive and Dairymans Walk, so consequentially, there tends to be a slighter busier rental market here.  Weylea estate has more family sized homes and a less transient population. 

The average value of a semi-detached house on Weylea Farm estate is £350,314 whilst on the Weybrook estate a semi-detached house has an average value of £312,538. 

On the Weylea Farm estate, a three bedroom semi-detached house can achieve rents of around £1675-£1795 per month, while a three bedroom semi-detached house on the Weybrook estate delivers a slightly lower rent of £1550-£1675 per month. Both developments therefore have similar yields of around 5.7%-5.95% per year, so in this case, the conclusion reached depends on when you want to buy and what will be available at this time.

If you would like any advice when choosing properties, please call for a chat 01483 320207 or email richard@guildfordpropertyblog.co.uk