An area of Oldham has seen house prices rise faster than anywhere else in Greater Manchester.
Property prices in Waterhead have increased by a massive 44 per cent between June 2020 and June 2021.
An average home in the neighbourhood used to sell for £90,000.
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Now, they go for around £130,000.
The dramatic price increase has been met with confusion by some living in the area.
Residents on Sharples Hall Street say Waterhead used to be a “lovely” place to call home.
But over the last few years, some say their quality of life has decreased due to anti-social behaviour, parking problems and other issues.
Andy Walsh has lived on the street for eight years.
“There’s problems with multiple housing which isn’t great for the area,” the 50-year-old says.
“The worst part is the road.
“The road is horrendous. My car got smashed into at night and if you’re double parked it’s impossible to get through.
“This area used to be nice but it’s slowly going downhill.
“I’ve lived here for eight years; it was okay but it’s getting worse. A lot of houses have been put up for sale and rebought.
“I’ve lived in Oldham all my life; it’s gone from a great town to a s*** hole.”
Susan Parker has lived on the street for around 30 years.
She thinks house prices may have rocketed because of the useful transport links and good schools.
But the 65-year-old believes life on her street is “terrible”.
“It’s terrible, we’re surrounded by two council estates and they’re pretty rough,” she says.
“The helicopters are always out and drugs are always going on.
“I like the house but I think it’s too late to improve the area.
“I don’t know why house prices have gone up. It’s got a motorway and good schools and a bus service.”
First-time buyer Kim, 38, bought her home on Sharples Hall Street a year ago.
She says she is “not surprised” to hear house prices have increased.
“I bought the house during Covid, my husband is from Darlington and the price of homes there are £100,000 cheaper, so I’m not surprised at all,” the mum-of-two told the M.E.N.
“It’s very difficult to find somewhere affordable because the deposit went up as well during Covid.
“I’m surprised Waterhead is higher than the other areas. Generally I like it, but this street isn’t my forever home.
“I have two young children and parking on a main road isn’t great.
“There’s been quite a few who have had cars hit. There are speed bumps but they still go whizzing up and down.”
The average cost of a home in Waterhead was £80,813 in the year to June 2016. And it's now multiples of the £37,457 homeowners would have typically paid in the area in the year to June 2001.
One resident, who did not wish to give her name, said police visit her street “every night”.
She thinks house prices have increased dramatically because they were already so low in the area.
“I’ve had this house for 15 years and we decided to renovate it. To be honest, we’re thinking about putting in on the market because it’s not the best area to live in.
“We’ve got neighbours from hell who rent.
“The police are up here every night.
“I think the prices have gone up because the prices have been so low around this area.
“I think people settle here because it’s still low. I think that’s why more people are attracted to it.”
Andrew Loftus has lived on the street for around 30 years.
He says he’s “very surprised” to hear house prices have increased.
The 62-year-old told the M.E.N : “I’ve lived here around 30 years and it’s been fine.
“It’s a surprise to hear that.
“There can be downsides because it used to be a lovely street.
“I would have thought house prices have gone down.”
Longford in Trafford also saw property prices increase by 44 per cent in the last year, with the average cost rising from £205,500 to £295,000.
House prices in both wards still don’t come anywhere near the most expensive in Greater Manchester - which can be found in Bowdon in Trafford, where the average house sold for £645,000 in the year to June 2021 (up by 13 per cent from £570,000 the year before).
Also making it into the top five neighbourhoods for price growth is Pemberton in Wigan.
The average property there sold for £140,000 in the year to June 2021, up 38 per cent from £101,500.
The area to lose the most value was Brinnington and Central in Stockport, which saw the price of the average property drop from £172,995 in the year to June 2020 to £144,250 in the year to June 2021.
It’s a drop of 17 per cent, and a loss of £28,745 in value.
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