Help to Buy Valuation in Winterslow

A Help to Buy valuation is the RICS Red Book valuation Homes England asks for before you alter an equity loan. That applies if you are paying the loan back in full, staircasing to increase your ownership share, or remortgaging for a better rate, because the equity loan is worked out against the market value of your property at the point the transaction takes place.

Winterslow is not a one-size-fits-all market. Values have seen a 20% adjustment over the past year compared with the previous year, so the valuation figure needs to be properly grounded. The local mix runs from 15th-century cruck-frame houses such as Kings Farm in West Winterslow through to modern new builds on the Witt Road development, and our surveyors take those differences into account rather than treating every Winterslow address the same way.

Homes England requires the valuation to be carried out by a RICS-registered valuer who is independent of any estate agent, with the report addressed to Homes England. We include at least three comparable properties of a similar type, size, and age, ideally within a two-mile radius of your home, so the report matches Homes England requirements and gives you a fair view of current market value.

Listed buildings matter in Winterslow. The village includes several of them, with Grade II* examples such as Roche Old Court and the Church of All Saints, and any historic or listed status can have a marked effect on value. If that applies to your home, it needs to be reflected clearly in the valuation report.

• Full equity loan repayment
• Partial repayment (staircasing)
• Remortgaging to a new lender
• Selling your Help to Buy property

Some new build homes in and around Winterslow may have been bought through Help to Buy. The Witt Road development includes three-bedroom detached houses from £575,000, four-bedroom detached homes from £785,000, and two-bedroom bungalows from £425,000. A number of Witt Road plots have already been completed and reserved, which points to firm demand for new build property locally.

Over in West Winterslow, the Back Drove development includes three-bedroom houses at approximately £695,000 and two-bedroom bungalows at £425,000. There was also a major planning application submitted in June 2021 for up to 86 residential properties on land off Middleton Road in Winterslow, with one-bedroom, two-bedroom, three-bedroom, and four-bedroom houses proposed if approved.

If your Winterslow home was a new build bought with Help to Buy, the valuation needs to deal with the realities of new construction. That includes any builder incentives or discounts that formed part of the original purchase price. Our valuers know how to assess new build homes so the final figure reflects true market value, not just the original deal structure.

The local housing needs report for Winterslow records that 86.1% of total parish stock is privately owned. Turnover is relatively low, suggesting strong owner-occupier sentiment, but it also means comparable sales evidence can be thinner than in faster-moving markets. That is where local knowledge becomes particularly important.

• New build properties on Witt Road
• New build properties on Back Drove
• Bungalow developments
• Any future developments from approved planning

Construction in Winterslow tells the story of both the older village and later development. Roche Old Court at East Winterslow was partly rebuilt around 1620 in red brick with stone quoins, while other older homes use timber-frame construction with brick infill or roughcast render. The rare cruck-frame houses in the area, including Kings Farm in West Winterslow, are an important part of the local architectural heritage and need careful valuation treatment.

Our surveyors are used to the quirks that Winterslow properties can present. Older timber-frame houses may raise particular structural points, while period buildings need their listed status considered in relation to value. Brick and flint construction, seen in older chapels and farm buildings, is another local building tradition we look for during the assessment.

Ground conditions can also affect a Winterslow valuation. Specific shrink-swell clay risk data was not identified for Winterslow, but clay soils are found across Wiltshire, so our valuers consider the possibility of ground movement when looking at older homes. That is especially relevant where foundations are shallow or trees sit close to the building.