Horses for courses: houses for sale in Ascot, best places to live and outstanding schools in the town
Should you be in the market for a move to the commuter belt, it's worth knowing that there is more to this prosperous town than Ascot Racecourse alone.
There's a Polo club, three golf courses and the village of Bray with its Michelin starred restaurants nearby, not to mention the league-topping schools.
And all this within an hour of London on the train. No wonder Ascot has long been a commuter favourite — commanding the house prices to match.
Ascot — what you need to know
Average house price: £398,000
Journey time to London: 52 minutes to London Waterloo
Annual season ticket cost: £3,628
The good news for buyers is that the Ascot property market has slowed this year, having experienced above average price growth (41.2 per cent) for the wider Windsor and Maidenhead area (32.6 per cent) over the past five years, according to research from Knight Frank using Land Registry data.
While house prices in Ascot rose by just 1.1 per cent in the year to April 2018, it is still performing better than the rest of the local authority, where prices dropped by 5.6 per cent to £464,000.
"House prices have come down this year in Ascot – vendor expectations are falling more in line with buyer affordability,” says Jane Brabyn, head of Strutt & Parker’s Ascot office.
While Strutt & Parker expect a modest one per cent price rise in the year ahead, they forecast house price growth of between 25 and 35 per cent over the next five years.
What type of house can you buy in Ascot?
The average property in Ascot now sells for £398,000, compared with London’s £485,000, meaning that Londoners who are planning to trade in a home in the capital can expect to get more space for their money.
However, Edward Shaw, office head of Knight Frank Ascot sees more buyers from premium London boroughs with sizeable budgets for large homes with land.
"We've had quite a few people from Fulham, Richmond and Mayfair coming out and getting a lot more for their money, selling a £3million flat in London and buying a lovely Grade II-listed type scenario here," he says. "They're getting five acres, stabling and a much larger square footage for the price of a small apartment up in town."
“The majority of houses we sell in and around Ascot are detached or smaller family homes,” says Brabyn. “Most houses in Ascot sell for over the £500,000 mark, with a healthy market in the £1million to £3million price bracket.”
While the area has plenty of pretty period homes, Brabyn says that new build stock is particularly popular, with garden size and land often prized above property size.
Where to live in Ascot
Sunninghill has a village feel with period semi-detached homes and cafe culture nearby, says Shaw.
For leafy, tree-lined roads with homes up to £4.5million South Ascot roads such as Friary Road, St Mary's Road and Monk's Drive are your best bet, while the really big deals happen in Sunningdale, which is right on the edge of Wentworth Golf Club and Virginia Water.
Popular roads include Priory Road, an eight-minute drive from the station, Titlarks Hill Road and Westwood Road.
Family friendly town
“Londoners and international buyers are attracted by the excellent schooling, notably Lambrook School, which was awarded Best Prep School in the country by Tatler in 2016,” says Brabyn.
“Renters here are particularly drawn to our range of international schools on offer, including TASIS (The American School) and ACS (American Community School).”
Brabyn also namechecks Papplewick, another popular fee-paying junior school in Ascot, and top senior schools including Wellington, St Mary's Ascot, St George's Ascot and Eton.
Charters School is a state senior school, while Holyport College is a newer free school, sponsored by and sharing some facilities with Eton. Both are rated outstanding by Ofsted.