Today’s English FA Cup final between Arsenal and Aston Villa takes place for what is arguably the most famous football cup in the world.
The two teams are no strangers to a cup final day with Arsenal having reached the FA Cup final 18 times, and lifting the cup on 11 of those occasions. Most bookmakers have London’s Arsenal as favourites, however Aston Villa from Birmingham will be confident of an upset, reaching the cup final themselves a reputable 10 times, with a 70 percent winning ratio.
What does this have to do with property, you might ask?
This is the ninth final at the new Wembley Stadium after the demolition and regeneration of the old site. Since then property prices in the London Borough of Brent have increased by 53 percent*, with the average house price in Wembley at £368,944* – substantially higher than the national average of £208,697*.
This is in part due to the rejuvenation of the Wembley area, paired with escalating property prices across the UK over the last 20 years.
The last time Aston Villa made it to an FA Cup Final, it was at the old Wembley Stadium back in 2000 when the average U.K. house cost just £85,000. Although they lost to Chelsea, property prices in Birmingham have enjoyed an increase of 94 percent in the last 15 years, with the average price now £157,942.
Arsenal supremo Arsene Wenger began his job as Arsenal boss in 1996 when the average U.K. house price was a mere £60,000. During that time he has reached the FA Cup Final six times, winning five of them whilst property prices in Islington, the area around Arsenal’s stadium, have risen by a crazy 547 percent.
It is hardly surprising given the London property market is a law unto itself, however considering Birmingham’s accolade as the second city, the property gulf between the two is vast.
At £95,942 the average house price in the B6 postcode, the home address of Villa Park is £456,210 less than the N7 post code and way below the national average. A flat in the Islington area is more than double the national average for a house, costing £459,391. With an average price of £63,585, you could afford seven flats around Villa Park for the price of one in Islington.
The extreme rate of growth in London is evident, with property near the Emirates stadium, home of Arsenal, having increased in value by £27,366 over the last year.
Villa Park can only boast an increase of £1,844 during 2014, making the Emirates a far sounder investment if you are looking to add to your property portfolio.
Andrew Batt, International Group Editor of PropertyGuru Group, wrote this story. To contact him about this or other stories email andrew@propertyguru.com.sg
