What does the ‘average’ house look like in Shropshire these days, and how much should we be expected to pay for it?
Which of the following is Shropshire’s average house: A four-bedroom detached 1960s bungalow with views in Wem; a well-positioned three-bed detached home in Pant; or not one, but two, end terraces in Woodrows, Woodside?
The answer is, surprisingly, all of them.
The average national house price, according to the National Housing Federation, currently stands at a shade over £206,000.
But househunters will take the figure with a pinch of salt, because leafing through the property section of the Shropshire Star tells you everything you need to know about houses and their price tags: that there is no such thing as an average house and neither is there an average house price.
In fact, just for the record, during this search there was not one house on the market priced £206,000.
Give yourself a fantasy wallet, stuffed with £206,000 worth of flimsy Monopoly money and, give or take a penny, let’s go average-house hunting.
First stop, Shrewsbury and the surrounding areas.
You can snap up a “neatly presented and conveniently situated two-bedroom link detached bungalow” in Manor Park, Pontesbury at a shade under £200,000. You can pocket the change or buy yourself a small car to park on the drive.
New on the market through Halls estate agents is a spacious and detached three-bedroom family home with low maintenance gardens in Caerhowel Meadows, Montgomeryshire (pictured left).
It has a double garage too, which could easily be converted for more living space. Okay, it’s £210,000 but at a stretch or with a little tactful negotiation, an above-average house could become an average house.
Dial Cottage in Wem (pictured below right) is a black-and-white, timber-built building that wouldn’t look out of place on the lid of a chocolate box. Is this the nation’s average house?
Aesthetically it probably is. It would probably be the kind of property that a child would draw if you gave them a few crayons and a piece of paper and asked them to portray what they thought was the typical English abode.
With “immense charm and character” but needing some updating, this three-bedroom property is on the market through Halls at £205,000.
For a fraction more the average house could be a four-bedroom detached home in the north Shropshire village of Bronington. A modern home, there is none of the renovation needed either.
At a smidgen under £100,000 the average house purse would buy you not one but two Victorian terraced homes in Scotland Street, in the lakeland town of Ellesmere.
In Shrewsbury itself you are looking at a modern detached three-bed house in Oadby Way, Redwood Park at £207,995.
What about a three-bed semi in Meole Village? Situated in Mill Court and being sold through Monks, it comes in a “woodland setting, ideal for a professional couple”. Price? A below-average £200,000.
The pricelessly named The New Bungalow in Myddle comes within a stone’s throw of being one of Shropshire thousands of average houses with a tag just a tad over £209,000.
In south Shropshire, things get tricker. Your average househunter, and particularly your average househunter with a family, may find him or herself putting a slightly smaller roof over his or her head.
A small but perfectly formed roof comes with a stone cottage in Clun and a price tag of a trifle under £200,000. The catch is that it only has two bedrooms. Time to sell the dog.
An equal measure over and above the average is a charming period terrace in Mill Street, Ludlow, (pictured right) being sold through Lane Fox with a guide price of £210,000.
Mr Average might need to hold his nerve with a spot of haggling if he wants such a home for the average house price.
In Telford and surrounding towns it’s again a slightly different story. Mr and Mrs Average, the non-existent couple with a non-existent family, might have a happier time of their househunting shenanigans.
If size really matters, come to Telford (pictured top of page). Because here for the average house price you can snap up a spacious four-bedroom pad situated on a large landscaped plot in Caldsea Road, Hadley.
And you get six grand change out of your money. In the same street, and nearer the mark at £205,000, is an impressive, recently built four-bed pile.
It’s the old story, as Phil and Kirstie from Channel 4 Television will tell you: location, location, location. Location is not just about the property you buy but about the lifestyle and services that it affords you, such as schools and hospitals.
Just as there is no such thing as an average person, an average family or an average homebuyer, there is no such thing as an average house.
In fact, there is no such thing as an average house price.
By Ben Bentley
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