Wanstead Property: Going straight

George C Parker, Wansteadium’s property blogger, writes:

Autumnal greetings, gentle readers. Your correspondent returns from a business trip of sorts, an occupational hazard that crops up every couple of years in my extremely specialised line of work.

Returning to the chestnut-lined Elysium of my dominion, I could not help but delight in the general vivacity of the old place at the moment. The new additions to the High Street seem mostly refined and thriving. I wish them all well.

What’s more, during my recent free time I’ve been reading about the inspiring work going on under the auspices of the Friends of Wanstead Parklands. Every improvement to the wonderful green space around us benefits us all, and the Group deserve a lot of support and praise for their efforts.

Additionally, whilst I was ‘travelling’ dear Tom Dyckhoff penned a charming appreciation of Wanstead in the Guardian for all to admire (unfortunately the online version is somewhat abridged). Beautifully balanced and researched, he gave well-deserved praise to the highlights of our High Street and the noble Wanstead Park in generous measures.

I also managed to catch up on the Evening Standard Homes and Property team guide to Wanstead from earlier this year.  To my mind,  the tweeted vignettes from local residents greatly improved the piece, which seemed otherwise to dwell overly much on historical goings on at Snaresbrook Crown Court.

Now safely ensconced back at Parker Towers, in some ways I feel I’ve never been away. The Farmer’s Market continues to thrive whilst the successful Art Trail and the stealth cool Fringe have underlined, in a beautiful font, the cultural credentials of our little patch.

The chestnuts are ripening and there’s a gentle background rumble about the so-called Evergreen Field on the Wanstead Society page on Facebook – it was ever thus.

Property-wise the news seems to be mixed. People trying to move locally seem stymied by the lack of liquidity. Renters are frustrated by the barrier to ownership. Estate agents are the last to squeal, it seems; we now have houses advertised above £2M
such as this  – a beautiful place to call home, for sure, but looking at that asking price, I’m calling my probation officer to check just how long I was “on holiday” – double life?

My inspection of rental market has thrown up opportunities like this  and this. I truly sympathise with those who find the rental market expensive at the moment – the laws of supply and demand are useful to property traders but not to those who are on the ladder towards their first purchase. Every town and village depends on a good mix of ages, professions, statuses and amenities in order to thrive.

To those currently searching – may you find a good home in Wanstead before long. And to the local property firms – a hat tip for their generous recent support of the Wanstead Fringe, and the Christmas crowdfunder.