Where would Father Christmas invest in Guildford?

A landlord dressed as Father Christmas came to see me the other day and asked if the real Father Christmas wanted to invest in property, so he could have somewhere to put his feet up and therefore call "home", somewhere away from all those houses to which he delivers at Christmas, where would it be?

Well obviously it would have to have a chimney that would "stack up" with sufficient room for his reindeer, Rudolph, and accommodation for himself and Mrs Claus plus a couple of bedrooms for his helpers but most importantly a grotto to which local children could come to meet him and collect their presents. 

This would require a fairly large garden in which he could dig down to build a cave and therefore create the grotto. The garage would have to be fairly large not only to store the sleigh for Rudolph and all the presents but somewhere for the elves to pack the presents ready for delivery to all the children.

Having considered this requirement for a second, it suddenly dawned upon us. We knew the very place. It would be ideal. It would be located in a village just outside Guildford with a population of just 2,981 living in 1,310 households. The local area has woods and several commons ideal for Rudolph to munch grass and to play with all the other local four legged residents.

The property would be located at Christmas Pie Avenue, in the village of Christmas Pie, one of the most festive sounding street names in the U.K.

The curious name of Christmas Pie owes its name to a property once owned by a prominent local family named Christmas. They were major landowners during the 17th and 18th century. 

"Pie" is a word derived from the Saxon term "pightel" or "pightle" meaning a small piece of arable land. Until the area was built up during the 1920s there was a small field called "Pie Field" located near the Christmas Pie crossroads not far from the village of Wanborough.

The village is the home to Christmaspie Cottages, converted from the original Christmaspie Farm built circa 1823 which probably took its name from the association with the Christmas family. Nearby Santa will be able to work off a bit of his Christmas dinner on the local Christmas Pie Trail, a 8.5 miles long, leisure cycle route running from the northwest edge of Guildford to the east side of Farnham. 

However Santa would have to buy quickly as there have been only 15 property sales since the beginning of 1995 in Christmas Pie Avenue and when they do come onto the market they do seem to sell very quickly. The name of the road is probably the main reason why because people are sold on the name.

Local bungalows all with chimneys designed for Santa Claus

The majority of owner occupiers are couples and families so Santa will not have far to travel to deliver presents to the local children. Most of the properties in Christmas Pie are bungalows so Santa will not have to negotiate too far down to the Christmas tree to drop off the presents either.

Now that Santa is having to live off a pension and savings and cannot obtain a mortgage because he is now 'elf-employed it is unlikely that he will be able to obtain a mortgage. In any case, there will probably be too many Claus' to comply with. The fact that he seems to be so poor is probably why he is always seen in the red. Fortunately for him, properties in Christmas Pie Avenue are reasonably priced compared to other areas of Guildford so he should be able to afford his purchase there.

For example, the most recent sale was at no 42, back in May 2012, when a 2 bed bungalow sold for £320,000 and would now be worth approximately £391,000 though this is slightly less expensive than the asking price for 2 bedroom bungalows currently on the market and situated closer to Guildford town centre, at over £400,000.

However the current average value of property in Christmas Pie Avenue is £615,740, having risen by 8.47% in the last year and by 309.11% in the last 20 years, which is almost the same percentage at which Santa Claus' waste line has expanded in the same time.

This is my last blog before Christmas so all that remains for me to do is to wish all my readers a very, very Happy Christmas, good heath and lots of fun over the festive season. Ho! Ho! Ho!

Celebrating Christmas for charity in Guildford

If you would like to have a chat about property prices in Guildford or would like to discover where and how you can gain a greater return for your money in the bank call 01483 320207 or email richard@guildfordpropertyblog.co.uk