Is Slough a good place to buy right now ?

woohooteehee

Looking to buy a property in Slough a good place to buy right now ? 

If so, what areas ? Burnham, Langley or Central slough or anywhere else? Where will the value increase the most ? 
1 bed maisonette or an apartment (can't afford a house)
How is the rental market? 
Any opinions would be appreciated  

FlorayG

My cousin lives there and it's a horrible dump, most of the shops in the town centre are closed or vape shops it's really depressing but if you are determined try George Green area, just out of town, it is a bit nicer and has a park nearby

MattMattMattUK

woohooteehee said:

Looking to buy a property in Slough a good place to buy right now ? 

It is Slough, so no, there is never a good time to buy in Slough. I live about half an hour away but work not to far from it, I have to head into Slough every few months, it is bad enough driving through it, but walking about it is somewhere I genuinely feel unsafe!

woohooteehee said:

If so, what areas ? Burnham,

Burnham is a Ok village, not yet swallowed by Slough. The south of it is getting some Slough encroachment but generally it is ok. 

woohooteehee said:

Langley

Langley is just part of Slough now.

woohooteehee said:

Central slough or anywhere else?

Absolutely not, not unless you want your car stolen and be afraid to leave your home in the daylight, let alone after dark.

woohooteehee said:

Where will the value increase the most ?

Somewhere that is not Slough!

woohooteehee said:

1 bed maisonette or an apartment (can't afford a house)

Not in Slough!

woohooteehee said:

How is the rental market? 

Not great considering the property cost, lots of dodgy tenants and plenty of landlords pulling out.

woohooteehee said:

Any opinions would be appreciated  

Avoid Slough!
Maidenhead, Eton Wick, Datchet, Stoke Poges, or a bit further out Bracknell. 

Just for the avoidance of doubt, not Slough!

El_Torro

Are you looking for a place to live in or a place to rent out? It's not clear from your opening post.

I can't really argue with those who say that Slough is a dump. It is well situated though and is cheaper than other areas nearby (for good reason some would say). Burnham, Langley and the Slough station itself are also all on the Elizabeth line, which helps. 

If your only priority is to buy a place that will go up in value then I would suggest somewhere walkable to the main Slough train station. I could be wrong though of course.

horsewithnoname

read the poem by John Betjemam called “Slough”. He nailed it. 

Mr.Generous

I have zero knowledge of slough but trying to predict property price growth areas is never easy. When I did get one right it took years and years to outperform local prices. The differential is so low at first you barely notice, 10 years is a reasonable time frame for an upcoming area to noticably outperform the market.

I was hoping Crashy would have jumped on this thread though.

MattMattMattUK

Mr.Generous said:

I have zero knowledge of slough but trying to predict property price growth areas is never easy. When I did get one right it took years and years to outperform local prices. The differential is so low at first you barely notice, 10 years is a reasonable time frame for an upcoming area to noticably outperform the market.

Slough has been due cleaning up and serious gentrification for the last fifty years, yet it continually gets worst not better. It is in a prime position location wise between the M40, M4 an M25, on the Elizabeth line, Heathrow 20-30 minutes away. It seems to be so bad that it is beyond gentrification, no one wants to move in to start the process, it really does need clearing entirely and then starting again from scratch. 

Martico

Mr.Generous said:

I have zero knowledge of slough but trying to predict property price growth areas is never easy. When I did get one right it took years and years to outperform local prices. The differential is so low at first you barely notice, 10 years is a reasonable time frame for an upcoming area to noticably outperform the market.

I was hoping Crashy would have jumped on this thread though.

I think they're back on gardening leave, mulling another hard-to-crack code of a username

ReadingTim

From the state of the shops on the High St and in the Queensmere and Observatory shopping centres, the town has the feel of an area in decline - and it was never particularly great to start with.  There are some slightly nicer parts nearby, but it depends on what you're looking for, and your budget.  Furthermore, as "nice" is a subjective term (as well as being determined by budget) you're better off seeing these places in person - having a drive or walk around the area and having a think as to whether you'd want to live there.  

In terms of potential for an increase in value, I'm not sure central Slough will ever gentrify - Betjeman's poem damns it still.  The Elizabeth Line provided a real boost to places like Southall, Hayes, West Drayton, Langley etc, but that ship sailed when the line opened.  A 3rd runway at Heathrow might help in terms of increased employment opportunities, but might depress values as noise and pollution rises.  And it's 10+ years off at least, if it even happens.  

Not sure if you're talking about the rental market from a landlord or a tenant perspective, but there are plenty of people living in those areas (I won't comment on the extent to which they want to live there...), and new housing is being built, so there is both demand and supply, albeit at the lower end of the market, as essentially it's a fairly poor area.  

woohooteehee

Thank you for your replies everyone! 

I actually live in slough with my parents and I struggle to defend it against those who don't, so i get the slough hate lol. I have a love hate relationship with it

I am able to buy a house in slough (doesn't have to be central) and thought it would be a good idea to live in it for a bit and then when i'm ready to move out of slough, i can rent it out and then finally sell when the area has developed. I have heard that Slough has a good rental market and that there are development plans so i was thinking it might be worth having a property here if it's going to develop + its close to london, heathrow etc - i just don't know if its smart or dumb haha. 

Albermarle

Avoid Slough!
Maidenhead, Eton Wick, Datchet, Stoke Poges, or a bit further out Bracknell. 

The trouble is that some of the alternative places mentioned, are not really alternatives. Much smaller and more posh. Burnham Beeches ( mentioned by another poster) is 4/5 bed detached houses in a nice country like setting.

Maidenhead is a more realistic alternative. Nicer than Slough, although the Town centre is surprisingly drab and lifeless.
Bracknell is also a possible alternative. However away from the newish shopping mall, Bracknell is a sixties new town and it shows. Lots of concrete underpasses, terrible traffic in the rush hours and a dire shortage of decent pubs.