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This Secret Grocery Hack Could Predict Where to Buy Your Next Home

This Secret Grocery Hack Could Predict Where to Buy Your Next Home

Do you want to move house soon? Listen (Photo: Getty/Metro.co.uk)

Do you want to move house soon? Listen (Photo: Getty/Metro.co.uk)

When it comes to considering a new area to move to, you might consider things like public transportation, schools, and even takeout locations.

But did you know there’s a little-known hack that can help you predict upcoming property locations?

If you’re wondering where to do your weekly shopping when viewing a potential home, you’re on the right track because this secret grocery store hack is actually a trick. very Useful indicator of where it’s hot.

This is something that is often called the “Waitrose effect” – and it’s an old-school way of deciphering whether an area is “worth” investing in from a property perspective.

Yes, Waitrose may not be the most affordable supermarket, but using it as an indicator when looking for a new home doesn’t necessarily mean you have to shop there.

In fact, a recent survey by price comparison site Which? found that Waitrose is actually the least affordable supermarket in the UK, with the average price of 59 items coming in at a staggering £130.37.

A photo of the entrance to the Waitrose supermarket

The ‘Waitrose effect’ could help you choose your next home (Photo: Getty Images)

In comparison, Aldi was voted the cheapest supermarket, with the weekly total for the same price ranked at £102.68, whilst Lidl came second with a marginal difference of £1.18 to £103.86.

So what is the Waitrose effect all about? As Benham and Reeves director Marc von Grundherr told Metro, “The general belief is that when a brand, like Waitrose, appears in an area, it can be a precursor to upward growth in house prices and more gentrification. broad.”

“The reality is that these areas were already gentrified before these brands arrived and it is the changing face of these property markets that attracts household names in luxury to set up shop there,” adds Marc.

“While it’s a very basic measurement of an area, keeping an eye out for the names of supermarkets that appear nearby can help buyers gauge what kind of area they’re looking for a home in.”

And, as an article in The Telegraph wrote this week, a Waitrose is a “sign of yuppie appeal and a safe place to invest”, noting that the first new Waitrose in six years is set to open in Hampton Hill in south-west London, marking it as an area of ​​interest.

Likewise, in Marc’s opinion, increasingly it’s not a Waitrose you need to look for, but a Whole Foods. Boujie or what?

Contactless home delivery of groceries

You might want to look for a Whole Foods in your next area, not a Waitrose (Photo: Getty Images)

However, on the other hand, Marc argues that an area that is ‘posh’ (i.e. having a Waitrose) does not necessarily mean it is a property hotspot.

“In many of these areas, house prices are already inflated and therefore observed rates of house price appreciation may be dampened,” explains Marc.

‘You want to look for areas with a lot of potential for price growth and in this case a Lidl or an Aldi are the ones to look at.

‘Both supermarket chains have become synonymous with good value at good prices and therefore may well be indicators of pockets in the property market where investment costs are reasonable, with plenty of room for further growth.’

So next time you want to move (if you’ve managed to scrape together enough of a deposit in this wild property market), why not spend a minute researching the supermarkets in the area?

Not only will this ensure you don’t walk to the ends of the earth for a simple liter of milk, but it could also be a sign of good things to come.


The 10 cheapest areas to rent in Britain, according to Go.Compare

  1. Dumfries and Galloway (average annual rental price: £5,796, salary required: £19,320)

  2. Hartlepool (£6,408, £21,360)
  3. Burnley (£6,876, £22,920)
  4. Redcar and Cleveland (£6,924, £23,080)
  5. Hyndburn (£6,948, £23,160)
  6. Neath Port Talbot (£7,032, £23,440)
  7. Darlington (£7,044, £23,480)
  8. Blaenau Gwent (£7,056, £23,520)
  9. Pendle (£7,068, £23,560)
  10. Kingston-upon-Hull (£7,200, £24,000).


The 21 most affordable places to raise a family in Britain, according to the Daily Mail

  1. Hanley, Staffordshire (average house price: £114,683)

  2. Nelson, Lancashire (£114,860)
  3. Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire (£269,558)
  4. Grimsby, Lincolnshire (£114,860)
  5. Liskeard, Cornwall (£231,228)
  6. Southampton, Hampshire (£244,800)
  7. Irvine, Ayrshire (£123,295)
  8. Bishop Auckland, County Durham (£138,114)
  9. Stoke, Plymouth, Devon (£203,768)
  10. Dundee, Scotland (£177,699)
  11. Skipton, North Yorkshire (£261,629)
  12. Gainsborough, Lincolnshire (£144,275)
  13. Mutley, Plymouth (£202,755)
  14. Sandown, Isle of Wight (£252,908)
  15. Bootle, Merseyside (£134,823)
  16. Stirchley, Birmingham (£210,489)
  17. Gloucester, Gloucestershire (£287,183)
  18. Hartlepool, County Durham (£145,167)
  19. Northallerton, North Yorkshire (£237,468)
  20. Greenock, Inverclyde (£129,063)
  21. Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot (£163,879).

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