I had a chat with a colleague about the insanity of the Cambridge property market and determined that a house here could cost more than the 1000 genomes project. In theory this would cost $1,000,000 if run on HiSeq X Ten today and only take 20 days to sequence, both phenomenal achievements all made possible by the magic Illumina have worked on SBS chemistry.
If only they could magic the Cambridge property market back to somewhere sensible. A Rightmove search in CB3 9HY for houses finds just five available in a 1 mile radius of the number 2 best place to live in the UK. Newnham in Cambridge is a nice place to live offering “country living in the heart of Cambridgeâ€, with a “genuine village atmosphereâ€, good shops, and good schools. But the cheapest house available is £750,000 or $1,260.000 for 1,407 sq ft, 2 bedrooms and planning for a house in the garden!
Isn't that mostly a product of the location you are searching in? You can get a 2-bed for £320K if you look off Mill Road (still a pretty nice area):
http://www.rightmove.co.uk/property-for-sale/property-30808560.html
I'd agree Luke, but the devil's in the detail: 'offers over' cover all manner of prices above the stated asking price. It's more likely that even this 2-bed terrace that 'needs work' will go for well over £320K.
This is a nice starting point for potential buyers to get a more realistic idea of costs to buy in central Cambridge: http://www.zoopla.co.uk/house-prices/cambridgeshire/cambridge/argyle-street/
Of course, I completely agree with you – Mill Road area is cheaper than Newnham, but isn't it funny how only in the SE would anyone consider £320K for a Victorian 2-bed with no reserved parking, a teeny garden and in need of some refurbishment a 'good deal'? It helps when we're all calibrated by outrageous £750K tags on similar piles of bricks mere miles away.
Even by 'cheap' Mill Rd area standards, you'd only need 2-3 small houses to meet the cost of 1000G. Bargain!
Good informative blog,
real estate