Spotlight on Wimbledon

What's your patch like?

It is rather like a village with a London postcode. Admittedly it is not very rural but there are lots of outdoor spaces and good recreational facilities. Transport links to central London are great – you can be in the City of London in just over 40minutes, and there are lots of excellent shops and restaurants on our doorstep. It is a very family-oriented area. And then of course at this time every year, the world descends on SW19 for the AELTC Championship Tennis.

Why should people think about moving to these areas?

Families come here as there are lots of good schools: Kings College School, Wimbledon Common Preparatory School, The Rowans, Ursuline Preparatory School and Holy Trinity C of E Primary School to name just a few. Often families are looking for houses in the tiny catchment areas for good state schools such as Dundonald Primary School, so they are very focused on location, while families looking for independent schools are interested in gardens and proximity to Wimbledon train station.

And what about the tennis?

It definitely creates short term demand. There are people renting out their properties for two weeks, and achieving a short term rental of £10,000 per week whilst they go away perhaps on holiday. We have just started arranging short lets, so we will be ready for that next year. People start planning in February or March by making contact with sports agents looking for rentals for the players. Normally they are searching for large houses with good facilities and good security.

What kind of housing stock is there in Wimbledon?

We sell houses in Wimbledon Village for around £5 million – and exceptional houses in the area can go for up to £17 million. Most of the terraced houses locally date back to the 1920s or 1930s but we recently valued a house on the Common that dates back to 1640. In Raynes Park SW20 there are smaller and cheaper flats, so there’s a real variety of homes.

How's the local property market performing at the moment?

It is good – this morning we agreed the sale of a property for £2.5million. There is a lot of demand, though we have had a shortage of homes available for iur numerous waiting buyers for more than 18 months now. Whereas people were bidding up a few months ago, they are more wise now that interest rates have gone up  – but still want to buy before rates go up again. Lots of buyers had previously put their search on hold at the end of 2022 but they now need to move so there is still a lot of activity with £142 million worth of property sold in the last 3 months. Tenants are definitely having to pay more – if we have rental property it is let very quickly.  

What advice would you give to sellers?

I would probably sell now - if rates potentially spiral towards 6% then logically it makes sense to sell now rather than waiting until next year or the next rate rise.

What are your predictions for 2023/2024?

I think Wimbledon will always be a popular area due to the green spaces, transport links and great schools so we do not envisage  prices falling significantly and they are still likely to be higher than they were at the start of 2021.

Current best buys

1. Worple Road Mews

This one bedroom flat in Worple Road Mews would be great for someone who doesn’t need a car but wants to be very close to the station. It’s priced at £350,000 with Winkworth Wimbledon 020 3761 4044 and would give an investor a rental yield of around 5%.

2. Warren Road

This impressive house in Warren Road is up for £4m at Winkworth Wimbledon 020 3761 4044, with potential to extend; it’s very private and next door to the golf course. There are seven bedrooms and lots of space.

3. Chambers Park Hill

Chambers Park Hill is a luxurious gated Barclay Homes development built in 2015 and Winkworth Wimbledon 020 3761 4044 is selling a two bedroom apartment here for £1.29m. Everything is finished to a very high specification and the development includes a residents’ gym and private parking, all set within 19 acres of parkland.