How to Analyse a Local Property Market from your Desk
Location is a critical factor for any landlord looking for a new property, and understanding the market dynamics of an investment area is an essential part of the research process when looking at potential property purchases.
Of course, in some ways property is a human business and nothing can quite beat the intuitions gathered from walking the streets and having a chat with the pub landlady.
But if people say data is the new oil, surely the process of researching local property markets now starts with analysing some objective statistics and data points.
The right tools to turn data into insight
Thankfully, many new tools have emerged in the last several years which make it easier than ever to examine local residential property markets from the comfort of your office.
At PropertyData we source, clean up and regularly update data from more than 26 different organisations. Just like oil, raw data isn't always much use in and of itself, and the real value in what we provide is the easy-to-use interface we've built to help you break down data, spot trends, and draw important insights.
Define custom local markets to analyse
One of the most popular tools we offer is our 'Local Data' tool, where you can create bespoke local areas and explore a comprehensive dashboard of data customised specifically for that area, including:
- Extensive pricing data for the sales and rental market, including asking prices, sold prices, and the UK's most comprehensive £/sqft data
- A breakdown of rental yields by property size
- Accurate local capital growth data for the last five years
- Activity levels in the market, with buyer and tenant demand
- Analysis of the existing property stock in the area
- Demographic data including deprivation, health, education & travel modes
- Up-to-date planning permission data covering all councils in the UK
- Data on state and independent schools
With our Local Data tool, you can save areas to keep track of market movements, and compare different investment markets side-by-side.
Do ask how the sausage gets made
Insights from data are only as reliable as the underlying data itself, so it pays to beware of data providers who are all “secret squirrel” about where their data comes from.
A data 'chain of custody' is essential. At PropertyData we believe in data transparency, so on every page in our Local Data tool you'll find a description of where the data has been sourced from, how it has been processed, and how it's kept up-to-date.
Make data your competitive advantage
Fifteen years ago using property market data like this was complex and expensive only the very biggest landlords and property investors in the UK could think about using it.
Now, with tools like PropertyData, data software is affordable for all landlords. Why not join the thousands of property investors around the UK already using PropertyData to make better informed decisions.
