Footballers and the property market
If you want to live near a premier league footballer then not only do you need enough money to buy an expensive property you also need to buy in Surrey as it is the favourite place for the nation’s top players, research shows.
As the latest player transfer window has ended, estate agents across the UK will now be kept busy helping to find homes for the relocated players and their so called WAGs, wives and girlfriends who have a major say in where they will move. Oxshott in Surrey, home to ex-England captain John Terry and celebrity couple Jamie and Louise Redknapp, tops the list of Premier League Property Hotspots, according to research from property website Zoopla.
The average property prices in this area are in a league of their own at an eye watering £1,456,865 so only the rich can afford to be the neighbour of these kinds of players. Wannabe WAGS will also be eyeing Hampstead in north London, which comes in second place with average property values of £1,068,955 and is a long time favourite amongst Arsenal players including current Russian star Andrei Arshavin.
Those players and WAGs looking to surround themselves with premier league neighbours should look no further than Esher in Surrey, where a star studded line up of residents includes Chelsea and England star Frank Lampard and wife to be Christine Bleakley, Ashley Cole and Gary and Danielle Lineker – here average property prices currently stand at £756,016.
Quote from PropertyCommunity.com : “Cities have typically recorded higher house price growth than the UK average over the past 10 with the majority also outperforming their region, new research shows.”
In terms of performance, Cobham in Surrey, home to Chelsea’s training ground, comes out on top. Average house prices in the area have risen 6.35% since last February, making it the top performing Premier League Property Hotspot over the past year. In second place is Hale in Cheshire, home to Manchester United captain Nemanja Vidic, where average property values have increased by 5.90% over the last 12 months.
Another notable Premier League Property Hotspot is Alderley Edge in Lancashire, whose list of current and former property residents reads like a Manchester derby team sheet. Rio Ferdinand, Michael Carrick, Gareth Barry and England number one Joe Hart all live in the small village where the average property is currently worth £472,821. Former residents also include Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham.
The world’s most famous footballer and WAG couple, David and Victoria Beckham, are property hunting in London as they relocate from Los Angeles. They are currently renting a £20,000,000 house in south London but are rumoured to be considering buying in either Notting Hill, where average property values stand at £1,284,353 or Primrose Hill.
‘If a premier league footballer is the main prize for an aspiring WAG, then a premier league pad is not far behind. Average property prices in these hotspots are sky high, especially in some of the more renowned Premier League Property Hotspots like Oxshott, Cobham and Esher in Surrey. However, a transfer to a northern club will buy a lot more bang for the WAG buck, thanks to notably lower property prices in the north,’ said Zoopla spokesman Lawrence Hall.