To Philip Ellis, being an estate agent is so much more than the process of buying and selling a house.

We believe in extensive customer care, and as a part of that, we like to think that having great local knowledge of the Prestwich and Whitefield areas is a massive contribution to this.

In this blog, we’re going to explain some of the elements we feel are important to be aware of when it comes to our local area and why it’s actually pretty useful.

What’s Popular in the Area?

At Philip Ellis, we pride ourselves in knowing Prestwich and Whitefield like the back of our hands. We think it’s very important to have that background knowledge of the area and to translate this across when dealing with our customers.

As estate agents, we’re clued up on the types of property that are in high demand and what properties struggle in both Prestwich and Whitefield.

The Prestwich Part…

At the moment, we know that the average price of properties for sale in Prestwich is around £295,948, with a median price of £235,000.

The average time on the market for a property is usually around 150 days with a median of 80 days.

Rest assured, however, that the majority of houses are sold within a month of being on the market.

We also know that the most popular property type in Prestwich is a three-bedroom semi-detached house, with an average price of £261,527 which will be on the market for just short of four months.

However, flats are the second most popular type of property in Prestwich, just coming behind the most popular semi-detached house (32%) at 30%.

…We Won’t Forget Whitefield

Whitefield’s typical average price for sale is around £298,207 and tends to be on the market for just over five months, which is just a tad longer than Prestwich.

The most common type of property we find in Whitefield tends to be a three-bedroom detached house, with semi-detached coming in at a mere 1% behind.

Similar to Prestwich, properties are usually sold within the same month of being put on the market.

What’s the Difference?

We believe that in the Prestwich area, properties with the least and most amount of bedrooms tend to be the ones that struggle the most — that being one-bedroom houses (flats tend to do better), and five-bedroom houses, as well as terraced properties.

This is pretty similar in Whitefield, with one and five-bed properties being the least popular, with terrace housing tending to be the least popular type of property with flats closely behind.

What Local Amenities Are Available?

Passionate about our local communities, we believe that the Prestwich and Whitefield areas have so much to offer in terms of its amenities — it has something for everyone.

For example, there is the weekly park run event takes place at Heaton Park, and is a popular event among those in the Prestwich and Whitefield areas as it’s only a 10-minute car journey away.

Starting at 9:00 every Saturday, the event is free and a great way to bring the communities together, for every age (and of course, gets that dreaded step count right up).

Places of Worship

At Philip Ellis, we appreciate that each individual or family may worship daily, or even more, so having this knowledge when coming into the areas we specialise in is going to be essential for you to know. Don’t worry, we’ve got your back.

Prestwich and Whitefield are communities which are welcoming to all religions and offer a whole range of churches, mosques, and synagogues for all to participate in their religious practices.

Health Centres

As much as you may hate the idea of the doctor’s office, and the thought of even stepping a foot in there gives you shivers, it’s important to know where the nearest offices are in case you or your family start feeling under the weather.

There are currently just under 10 working health centres in the local area, which allows for everyone to sign up regardless of age or religion.

Come on, there really is no excuse not to get that persistent cough sorted.

Public Transport Links

A pretty important one in this day and age. We know there is a lot of awareness being spread around pollution in cities, and car fumes are a big contribution to this (not to mention those hefty parking prices in city centres).

Luckily enough, we’re here to reassure you that both Prestwich and Whitefield have tram stops and regular buses which go into Manchester City Centre and the surrounding areas, both of which are regular on a daily basis.

Future Development

The multi-million pound transformation of Prestwich took a step forward last month after Bury Council agreed to purchase a ‘key site’ in the town centre.

Bury Council has agreed to purchase a restaurant on Bury New Road, which the Council says will aid the facilitation of the regeneration in the area. This new build will allow a central plaza to run between Bury New Road and the Prestwich tram stop.

Plans also include a cinema, gym, hotel, office suites and units, as well as new civic amenities.

Last month, Bury Council’s bid for government funding to help the regeneration project was unsuccessful so we’re yet to see what will happen.

This may be an attractive attribute to potential residents in the future, as it shows the kind of money that will be going into the regeneration in the coming years and likely to increase the overall value of the area.

The Rock Shopping Centre

…and no, Dwayne Johnson is not coming to Manchester, we’re afraid.

The Rock in Bury has been extremely popular since opening in 2010 and has made the area a lot of revenue, which can only be a good thing.

With the regeneration of Prestwich, this should add further business and appeal to the area, with something for all the family in areas pretty close.

And with the Vue Cinema chain setting up shop in The Rock, you’ll have no excuse not to take your children to watch the upcoming Disney remakes now. Sorry about that…

Green Belt Development

Green belt development is extremely sensitive so need to preface this as factual and not our opinion on whether good or bad but that this is what’s happening in the area…

There is set to be space for 202,000 new houses in Greater Manchester over the coming 20 years, and there is said to be 9,500 in Bury, with 5,000 of these being on Green Belt land.

This means that Greater Manchester will lose 4% of its Green Belt land, but in the Prestwich and Whitefield areas, it means about 40% will be lost.

In the Prestwich area, this will amount of 2,700 new houses on the eastern side, and further housing and industrial development in Whitefield.

The Local Authorities

We don’t want to go too much into this one, as you might be summoned to catch some zzzz’s, but we’ve picked out one of the peoples’ most frustrating attributes of most local communities…

Potholes

Potholes are a bit of an issue in our local communities of Prestwich and Whitefield, and we’re always sure to inform our customers about the issue.

However, it’s a pretty prevalent issue all over England, and councils in various areas are going to have to spend around £9.8 billion over 10 years in order for it to be at a decent and acceptable standard.

The point we try to get across to potential buyers, especially those who cycle to and from work, is that potholes are a danger and to be vigilant (we know you’re not six years old, don’t worry).

The policy director of Charity Cycling UK, Roger Geffen, believes that too many cyclists are being killed or seriously injured due to potholes.

But it isn’t just the cyclists who suffer, many drivers have to get work done to their tyres or repair a cracked windscreen due to these potholes — definitely a thumbs down to the potholes!

We’ve Got the Brains!

At Philip Ellis, we believe that local knowledge is the backbone of selling a property.

As we all move with a positive mindset that the new home is going to be fantastic, which, if you’re working alongside us it absolutely will be, we know it’s also essential to be realistic.

Whether it’s involving local events you can get stuck into, or nearby facilities from leisure centres, doctors’ surgeries and even the latest roadwork issues, everything is a contribution towards the best available knowledge.

If reading this blog has got your cogs going, and you want some advice or information about selling a property, or simply have an enquiry for the best estate agents Manchester has to offer, do not hesitate to give Philip Ellis a call today!