Notting Hill House Sales |
Houses and apartments in Notting Hill are some of the most popular in London.
What exactly constitutes Notting Hill?
As with many parts of London different areas mean different things to different people.
Technically, Notting Hill’s northern boundary is The Westway. The eastern boundary is Arial Way, the southern boundary is Holland Park Avenue. The eastern boundary curves down Pembridge Road/Pembridge Villas, then down Chepstow Road to the Westway.
While this is technically accurate, the owners of houses and apartments in Pembridge Place, Pembridge Square, and Dawson Place, amongst others, will tell you that they are in Notting Hill rather than Bayswater.
Likewise, the Portobello Road runs north into what is technically North Kensington but again many regard the area around Golborne Road as Notting Hill too.
But Notting Hill housing sales were not always popular. 150 years ago it was a slum with one census describing the population as being 97% criminals. Of course, things have changed a lot and Notting Hill is one of the most vibrant and sought after locations in prime central London.
Notable Features and Attractions of Notting Hill: Exploring the Best of this Vibrant Neighborhood
The epicentre is the two main shopping streets – the world-famous Portobello Road with its market and antique shops which intersects with Westbourne Grove. The latter has been transformed in the last 15 years. With many of the antique shops and somewhat dowdy stores being replaced by boutiques and cafes.
The schools have improved in tandem, with Wetherby Prep, Notting Hill Prep, Norland Place School being some of the most popular.
The biggest difference between Notting Hill and areas such as Belgravia, Knightsbridge and Mayfair is that it has a far more relaxed, less urban and more bohemian atmosphere.
This due to the wider streets, lower density of housing and far fewer office and commercial buildings.
The Best Houses In Notting Hill
There is a variety of architecture in the area and some amazing homes. Some of the most sought after of which are the houses which back directly onto communal gardens. These were extremely popular before the pandemic but have boomed since then and have outperformed the rest of the market in prime central London.
The attraction is that you have your own small garden. But, you can also walk through a gate at the end of it into several acres of gardens.
These gardens are secure because they can only be accessed by people who live on the communal gardens. Which generates a wonderful sense of community. They are also far less formal than the garden squares of Belgravia and South Kensington where ball games are not allowed.
As there are only a relatively small number of houses in Notting Hill (or indeed London) that have this direct access to such incredible green & open spaces, demand is high.
But, there are other houses in Notting Hill that are highly prized, because not everyone likes the thought of communal gardens. So the wider houses in Clarendon Road, Dawson Place and Pembridge Place to name a few streets have also performed even better than they had done before the pandemic.
Nevertheless, the highest priced house in Notting Hill sold for £33.5m in 2018 which was also the highest price per square foot at £4357. However, this is on a 75 feet wide plot with a 150 feet long garden. There aren’t many of these in prime central London.
There are also certain properties when looking at Notting Hill housing sales that I think will significantly outperform the market in the next few years. Although, I’m afraid, this is information that is reserved for my clients at Mercury Homesearch.
Notting Hill House Sales – Common Mistakes to Avoid When Purchasing Houses and Apartments
One of the biggest mistakes you will make is not understanding the area. Notting Hill is a small but incredibly diverse area with huge wealth next to less affluent areas. Even just 10 years ago, Notting Hill was a lot less safe than it is today. But there are still areas where one has to be careful.
While I have clients who wouldn’t dream of living in Notting Hill. This juxtaposition also attracts a large number of my clients. You need to work out if Notting Hill is right for you. If it is, which areas within Notting Hill are the ones you like.
Each area within Notting Hill has different price ranges, within that, certain properties trade at significant premiums. As just one example, the houses and apartments on communal gardens. Conversely, there are properties that might seem good value on a pound per square foot basis. Which are in fact horribly overpriced and very bad investments.
So you need to have a very good understanding of what affects prices in each street and style of property, because even if you are acquiring a home, would I be wrong in saying that you would like it to be a reasonable investment too?
One other word of warning. If you are hoping to acquire a multi-million pound property in Notting Hill, you have to be able to source off-market properties.
Contact Mercury Homesearch
As a conservative estimate, I would say that at least 50% of the houses on communal gardens didn’t appear on the websites. So how do you hope to find the best opportunities if you are only checking the property portals or relying on “property alerts”?
This isn’t a particularly good idea anyway. Because all your competitors, i.e. everyone looking to buy a property in Notting Hill, is relying on the websites. So what competitive advantage does that give you?
Do you really think you will have first refusal on the best homes and apartments in Notting Hill by following the crowd?
As ever, you need to do your due diligence to ensure that you find the best properties your money can buy. Then also have the knowledge to understand valuations and then be able to negotiate the lowest price possible.
This is time consuming but worth it.
If you have any questions or would like to know more about acquiring luxury property in Notting Hill please email dee@mercuryhomesearch.com or call 02034578855 (+442034578855 from outside the UK).
