• 300 years have passed since the opening of Liverpool’s first wet dock
• Demand for waterside living outstripping supply (Sotheby’s)
• New residential developments continuing docks’ reputation for innovation (Prime Centrum)

Liverpool’s first commercial wet dock, The Old Dock, opened in 1715. Three centuries later, the city’s docks are undergoing a huge reawakening of interest thanks to the appeal of Liverpool’s waterfront not to traders but to investors.

Life on the docks in Liverpool these days offers an escape from the stresses and strains of city life. Waterside living is highly prized for the serenity that it brings, but it certainly hasn’t always been that way. When Albert Dock officially opened in 1846, the area was a bustling hub of goods, travellers and horses. The sounds and smells were intense, with goods arriving from around the world and others being shipped out, while travellers and migrants flitted around preparing for their journeys and new lives overseas.

Today, Albert Dock seems a calm oasis by comparison. It’s still a busy area, following the regeneration work that began in 1983, but these days the emphasis is on culture, the arts and on trend housing, as much as it is on shipping. The creation of the vast Liverpool2 deep-water shipping dock has kept the city’s docks true to their roots, but the presence of iconic attractions like the Tate Liverpool and the Beatles Story has brought a new sophistication to the area that is helping to draw they city’s bright young things to the area in search of homes.

Stuart Johnson, Business Development Manager at Prime Centrum, which is offering investment at Liverpool’s stunning new waterside development, Parliament Residence, comments,

“Liverpool’s docksides have seen a huge transformation in recent years. There’s always something going on there at the moment – I believe it’s a huge folk festival this week – which is making the area popular with city dwellers who want to be at the heart of the action. At the same time, the waterside manages to maintain a serenity that balances out the busy social life available. It’s a winning combination for many young professionals, which means that it’s also an important area for residential property investors.”

The importance of waterside locations is highlighted by auction house Sotheby’s, which points out that demand for such homes tends to outstrip supply, meaning that waterfront homes make an excellent investment, as they retain and increase their value over time. Rental demand is strong thanks to tenants seeking out the calming views and lifestyle benefits of such locations.

For many investors with an eye for future development, Liverpool Dock represents a particularly interesting prospect right now. Global investment company Aberdeen Asset Management has purchased the dock, including over 400,000 square feet of hotels, retail outlets, offices and leisure venues, from previous owners Arrowcroft, who owned it for 33 years. The sale price was agreed at £42.75 million and property investors are eager to see how the new owners – and their managing agent JLL – plan to improve the area further over the coming years.

The Albert Dock already has a reputation for innovation. It was the first structure in Britain made entirely from cast iron, brick and stone, to reduce the fire risk associated with wooden warehouses. It also featured the world’s earliest hydraulic warehouse hoists, making it the first non-combustible, enclosed dock warehouse system in the world.

Today, the Liverpool2 superport is continuing the maritime innovation, while the city council also looks to be moving forward with the next stage of planning for a new cruise terminal. On dry land, concept art showing the area in 2021 has focused on expanded pedestrian areas, pop up shop and exhibition venues and colourful seating areas. Meanwhile, property developers have taken up the challenge, developing some of the most attractive apartments in the city, offering waterside living to the new, trendy breed of Liverpool residents looking to get the most out of every moment of life in the city centre.

“Liverpool’s docksides have an exciting future to look forward to,” concludes Prime Centrum’s Stuart Johnson. “Their renaissance as one of the most exciting areas in the city to live is only just beginning – there’s a lot more to come!”

Investors wanting a piece of that future can invest in Parliament Residence from £109,900, enjoying a 22% early investor discount.

For further details please visit www.primecentrum.com, email enquiries@primecentrum.com or call 020 7183 6332.

• Liverpool one of the UK’s top B2L investment cities
• Prime Centrum host Guided City Tours for investment agents from across Asia
• ‘We give our global representatives a chance to see for themselves so they are best placed to consult with their clients’ (Prime Centrum)

Global interest for property in Liverpool is rising as it emerges as one of the UK’s top B2L investment cities. However, it’s one thing to read about a place, and quite another to actually visit it.

This is the idea behind Prime Centrum’s Investment Inspection Trips, which are bringing Liverpool to life for property investment agents from across Asia. The tours follow the release of the company’s latest free-to-download Liverpool City Guide 2016.

Prime Centrum’s Business Development Manager, Stuart Johnson, explains,

“We’ve already published a comprehensive guide to Liverpool and why residential accommodation in the city is such an excellent investment opportunity, but we wanted to give our global representatives a chance to see for themselves so they are best placed to consult with their clients.

“Our Investment Inspection Trips in Liverpool allow interested parties to get under the skin of this fascinating city and to tour the development sites that are currently available for investment.”

Held regularly and hosted by Johnson personally, the one day exclusive trips give agents and principles from Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and other Asian countries the opportunity to walk the streets and see first-hand the amazing growth underway in Liverpool, as well as the shortage of quality rental accommodation in the city.

An hour-long presentation and Q&A session on the Liverpool market, Prime Centrum’s excusive projects and the key features of the company’s investment model complete the tour, arming agents with expert, on the ground knowledge that they can take back and share with their clients.

Experiencing the city for themselves positions selling agents perfectly for passing information along to investors and to answering queries regarding the appeal of investing in Liverpool. Agents visiting the site have the opportunity to understand what it is that makes Liverpool the most exciting UK city when it comes to residential property investment – and can then share that knowledge when they return home.

Prime Centrum’s most recent addition to the Liverpool skyline is the beautiful Parliament Residence. An exclusive waterfront development, Parliament Residence is just a few minutes’ walk from Liverpool’s central business district, trendy Baltic Triangle and Albert Dock region. Comprised of 44 contemporary, high-end apartments and a private roof terrace lounge, Parliament Residence benefits from beautiful views over Liverpool’s UNESCO World Heritage waterfront.

With prices starting from just £109,900, these spacious one and two bedroom apartments are furnished to the highest quality and decorated in a luxury, modern style. As well as enjoying the communal roof terrace facilities, residents will also have access to a convenient concierge service and secure car parking and bicycle storage.

For further details please visit www.primecentrum.com, email enquiries@primecentrum.com or call 020 7183 6332. 

• Liverpool prices up 6.1% (Hometrack)
• City centre population doubles in a single decade (Census)
• Waterside buy-to-let homes from £109,000 (Prime Centrum)

Recently released figures from Hometrack have shown that Liverpool is one of the UK’s leading ladies at present when it comes to property price growth. The UK Cities House Price Index for June revealed growth of 6.1% for the northern city, increasing further from May’s figure of 5.4% and flagging it up as one of the best places to buy in the UK for capital gains.

Not only is this good news for homeowners in Liverpool, but also for investors looking for a leading location for their UK buy-to-let purchase. Stuart Johnson, Business Development Manager at Prime Centrum, which is offering investment at Liverpool’s Parliament Residence, comments,

“Liverpool is an incredibly strong contender so far as buy-to-let property investment in the UK is concerned right now. There are a range of factors supporting the city’s growth and quality homes in central areas are enjoying high levels of demand. The Hometrack data emphasises how active Liverpool’s property market is right now and the potential that it holds.”

According to Census figures, Liverpool’s city centre population doubled between 2001 and 2011, highlighting the huge rise in demand for well-located, central properties, like Parliament Residence. Investors there can own their own slice of Liverpool’s thriving property market from as little as £109,900 for a one-bedroom apartment, with 7% NET income per annum assured for the first three years.

Homebuyers and investors alike seem to have shrugged off the possibility of a post-Brexit housing market crash. As the Hometrack report states,

“The referendum result will impact turnover far more than house prices in near term.”

According to the report, house price falls are not expected during H2 2016, although some deceleration of growth nationally could occur, as buyers pause to see what Brexit brings about. However, with a new Prime Minister already taking firm action to shape her Cabinet and the Bank of England demonstrating their confidence in the economy by holding interest rates at 0.5%, there’s certainly a great deal more confidence in the housing market and the wider economy than many expected following the UK’s decision to leave the EU.

In Liverpool, where city centre living is increasingly sought after, there is certainly no lack of positivity in the market. Prime Centrum’s Stuart Johnson concludes,

“Buy-to-let investors and owner-occupiers are being drawn to Liverpool by the potential of its housing market. The city’s dynamic economy and fantastic array of entertainment options make it an extremely enticing place to live, particularly in the centre where you can have areas like the fashionable Baltic Triangle and Albert Dock within walking distance. City centre living also means that families can take advantage of economic opportunities by living near the central business district: it’s the ideal contemporary urban environment.”

For further details please visit www.primecentrum.com, email enquiries@primecentrum.com or call 020 7183 6332.

• Liverpool hosts fourth International Music Festival this weekend
• UAE nationals account for 14% of all Liverpool Q2 sales (Prime Centrum)
• Enquiries from UAE nationals increase by 65% in May while Kuwaiti buyers increase by 200% (Prime Centrum)

The fourth Liverpool International Music Festival (LIMF) arrives this weekend, as people from all over the world participate in the four-day celebration of new talent, household names, musical heritage and cultural diversity. Combining artists from the award-winning LIMF Academy and LIMF Presents, the festival culminates at the LIMF Summer Jam in Sefton Park, Europe’s largest free music event.

Liverpool has long been a global destination for music, for both artists and fans alike, but it is the city’s property market that is currently making its way onto the international stage. Leading real estate consultancy, Prime Centrum, have certainly experienced increased interest from overseas buyers with UAE nationals accountable for 14% of their Q2 sales, second only to buyers here in the UK, and Kuwaiti buyers listed third, responsible for 9%.

In May, enquiries from UAE nationals increased by 65% in comparison to the previous month, with enquiries by prospective buyers from Kuwait increasing by a substantial 200% in the same period. This recent trend is set to carry on throughout the coming months, as Liverpool’s growing property market continues to excite investors from all over the world.

Stuart Johnson, Business Development Manager at Prime Centrum, highlights the Brexit result as the driving force behind the continued rise in interest from international buyers. He comments,

“The short-term uncertainty in the UK market combined with a weaker Sterling, has presented a chance for overseas investors to purchase very competitively priced property in the UK. With many Middle Eastern currencies linked to the US dollar, investing in GBP denominated property assets is currently a once in a generation opportunity to buy at significant discounts. Liverpool’s culture is celebrated on a global scale and international buyers are now recognising its potential as one of the UK’s up and coming property hotspots.”

Prime Centrum’s most recent addition to the Liverpool skyline is the beautiful Parliament Residence. Parliament Residence is an exclusive waterfront development, just a few minutes’ walk from Liverpool’s central business district, trendy Baltic Triangle and Albert Dock region. Comprised of 44 contemporary, high-end apartments and a private roof terrace lounge, Parliament Residence benefits from beautiful views of Liverpool’s UNESCO World Heritage waterfront.

With prices starting from just £109,900, these spacious one and two bedroom apartments are furnished to the highest quality and decorated in a luxury, modern style. Situated on the waterfront with a stunning rooftop garden, Parliament Residence provides a semi suburban environment from a prime city centre location. As well as enjoying the communal roof terrace facilities, residents will also have access to a convenient concierge service and secure car parking and bicycle storage.

For further details please visit www.primecentrum.com, email enquiries@primecentrum.com or call 020 7183 6332. 

• Liverpool’s rental value expected to grow 5% per annum for the next several years (Sutton Kersch Rental Feasibility Report)
• New build values shot up 4.6% in April 2016 (ONS)
• Liverpool Mayor has pledged to build 6,500 homes since 2012
• Brand new Parliament Residence apartments offer waterfront living from £109,900 (Prime Centrum)

It always adds a surge of confidence to a property investment when the city it’s located in is clearly committed to brightening its own future. Take Liverpool, for example. The city’s Mayor pledged in 2012 to add 5,000 new homes to Liverpool’s stock. That commitment is now ¾ of the way towards being fully met, with 1,144 new homes completed across the city from January to October 2015 alone.

The progress in building new homes has been swift and decisive – Liverpool is clearly a city that is committed to its future development, not just with expensive public regeneration projects (though there are plenty of those going on too), but with joined up thinking about population growth and migration. In fact, the Mayor has already pledged a further £200m to build 1,500 more houses (in addition to the 2012 target of 5,000 homes) and bring 2,000 empty properties back to life.

Liverpool’s rental sector is thriving in the wake of demand for housing in the city. According to Sutton Kersh’s Rental Feasibility Report, rental values rose by approximately 1% during Q1 2016, with the rental market continuing to perform strongly and rental value growth of 5% per annum foreseeable for the next several years. Sutton Kersh, which is part of the UK’s largest estate agency network, Countrywide, has itself seen lettings increase by 8.5% within the city since Q1 2015.

The Liverpool Residential Development Update confirms the city’s focus on providing residents with a good choice of decent accommodation. It’s an emphasis that Stuart Johnson, Business Development Manager at Prime Centrum, applauds. He comments,

“Liverpool is taking a really proactive approach not just to building housing but to ensuring that it is housing that people really want to live in. The local authority is committed to an ideal of choice for residents, with the focus on high spec dwellings with contemporary décor, fixtures and fittings. Those working there are building a true city of the future, with some really inspirational developments under construction, particularly in response to the population migration patterns that we’re seeing, whereby more and more professionals and their families are looking to live in the city centre as well as work there.”

Parliament Residence is an excellent example. The smart one and two bedroom apartments are part of an exclusive development of just 44 contemporary, high end homes, with a private roof terrace lounge offering        breath-taking views of the impressive UNESCO World Heritage waterfront. Within minutes’ walk of the trendy Baltic Triangle and Albert Dock regions, as well as the city’s central business district, Parliament Residents is just the type of development that is being cited as part of Liverpool’s bright future.

It’s also a particularly attractive investment thanks to a 22% early investor discount, with apartments available from as little as £109,900. With central Liverpool house prices below market value, Parliament Residence offers an excellent investment opportunity for those with a keen eye for healthy returns and likely capital growth.

Indeed, Liverpool’s property prices have risen by 5.5% over the last 12 months, according to the latest Hometrack House Price Index. Meanwhile, the newly released Office for National Statistics (ONS) House Price Index has shown that the North West region experienced the greatest monthly jump in values during April 2016, standing at 2.3% compared with a national average of 0.7%.

The ONS figures also highlight how new build values are rising faster than those of resale properties. During the year to April 2016, new builds increased in value by 10.2%, while existing resold properties lagged behind at 8.0%. The monthly comparison was even more pronounced, with new build values going up by 4.6% in April, compared with a resale property rise of just 0.3%.

Buying a new build property also comes with other advantages. According to the Home Builders Federation and YouGov Why Buy New survey, only 1% of homeowners found that they didn’t have to spend money on improvements when moving house. 51% of those buying a resale home said they had to make improvements to their kitchen and 52% had to pay for bathroom improvements. A full 70% of buyers said they had to redecorate.

For investors looking for a hassle free buy-to-let property, new builds make absolute sense. The cost and bother of repairs and redecorations can be taken out of the equation entirely and the property is ready for tenants from the moment it has been completed.

With prices in the North West rising faster than anywhere else, new build values outstripping resale property values, a city-wide focus on improving Liverpool’s housing offering and a superb managing agent available, Parliament Residence is ticking every box for investors at present. Those looking to invest in a city that’s investing in its future need look no further than Liverpool.

For further details please visit www.primecentrum.com, email enquiries@primecentrum.com or call 020 7183 6332.

• 70% of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2050 (UN)
• A new home needs to be built every 4 minutes in the UK (UKIP)
• New waterfront homes helping to cope with re-urbanisation in Liverpool (Prime Centrum)

The ongoing EU Referendum debate has led to some fascinating figures being bandied about regarding the UK’s lack of housing. Ex-Cabinet Minister and ardent Leave campaigner Liam Fox has stated that,

“At current levels of immigration, the Office for National Statistics project that our population will continue to grow by around half a million a year – a city the size of Liverpool every year.

“This will mean that, in England, we will have to build a new home every six minutes, or 240 a day, for the next 20 years to accommodate just the additional demand for housing from new migrants.”

By the time of the televised debate on 7 June, UKIP leader Nigel Farage had increased the figure to a home being required every 4 minutes.

Regardless of the politics and scaremongering, the UK does definitely need more homes, thanks to a growing population and a trend towards urbanisation. The theme is the same in cities around the world, with the UN projecting that 70% of the world’s population will live in urban areas by 2050.

In UK cities like Liverpool, re-urbanisation is leading to intense demand for housing. From a peak of 846,101 recorded in the 1931 Census onwards, the city’s population has been in decline, but the most recent Census (2011) showed a reversal of the trend, with Liverpool’s resident numbers increasing for the first time in 80 years, to 465,700.

Yet despite the increased appetite for city centre living, and in particular for rental accommodation in recent years as the private rented sector has grown to account for 19% of homes, decent apartments to rent in Liverpool are hard to find. A search on Zoopla reveals only 83 two bedroom apartments available to rent in the sought after L1 postcode area and just 42 one bedroom apartments. In neighbouring Toxteth (L8), the situation is much the same, with 63 two bedroom and 53 one bedroom apartments available across the entire postcode area.

Toxteth makes for an interesting case study. The once notorious area has seriously smartened up its image in recent years, with swanky bistros and artsy coffee houses spilling over from L1 into L8. The gentrification has in fact been so pronounced that Toxteth’s ‘Granby 4 Streets’ was nominated for the Turner art prize in 2015.

In light of Liverpool’s re-urbanisation then, why is so little housing available to rent in the L1 and L8 areas? And what is being done about it?

Stuart Johnson, Business Development Manager at Prime Centrum, explains,

“Liverpool’s re-urbanisation seemed to come as something of a surprise to city planners, so the city is playing catch up in terms of providing new, decent homes in areas where demand has spiked. The timing of the population increase was also a factor. Developers in 2011 were still coping with the economic hangover from the previous decade, so there weren’t many cranes on the move in Liverpool. Professionals were flocking to the city to work and demanding smart, new waterfront homes but the supply just couldn’t keep up.”

The situation is now beginning to improve. Prime Centrum is one of those companies working to tackle the shortage head on. Their new Parliament Residence development will provide 44 high end one and two bedroom apartments in what is being hailed Liverpool’s most iconic waterfront development. The apartments have been released for sale to investors (prices start at £109,900 with
7% NET income per annum assured for the first 3 years) and will be available for rent to professional tenants and families working and living in the city centre.

Given that Zoopla is currently listing just 36 two bedroom new build apartments for sale in the L1 area, Parliament Residence will come as a welcome relief both to investors looking for a quality buy-to-let property in Liverpool city centre and to tenants looking for high spec homes with views of the city’s UNESCO World Heritage waterfront. No wonder then, that Parliament Residence had sold more than 25% of its apartments less than two weeks after the building was launched to investors.

The re-urbanisation of cities such as Liverpool has become the new reality for city planners. Gone is the ‘managed decline’ approach, with regeneration projects capturing the interest of everyone from large tech companies to business start-ups. City living is on the up once more and the UK’s cities are racing to catch up.

For further details please visit www.primecentrum.com, email enquiries@primecentrum.com or call 020 7183 6332.