What's Happening In The Brighton Market Today
Brighton’s property market varies greatly depending upon which sub-sector you are looking at. The more budget-friendly properties are usually found in areas like Whitehawk, with average prices around £464,800, which often include smaller homes or flats. The median price bracket, around £500,000, includes areas like Bevendean, which has seen a modest price increase recently. On the other hand, more affluent areas, like the villages of Poynings and Pyecombe in West Sussex have average property prices around £883,000.
Because of this diversity of affluence, careful knowledge of the area is recommended as Brighton does not show a typical bell-curve rise and fall trend over the spectrum range of properties. As with any coastal town, your best working-class properties are found further away from the coastline, while large, older properties converted into apartments are found closer to the shoreline and city centre.
Some things to expect:
Competition for properties: Reviewing the chart and data above, most sales activity is widely and almost-evenly spread between £200,000 and £1,000,000, with average sales days similar across all bands.
Upfront costs are still significant: Because of this wide and even spread of data, let's just take the median house price of £500,000 as an example property to break down the purchase costs. Therefore, with a 15% discount (£75,000) on a £500,000 property (purchase price £425,000), the upfront cash deposit, Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) and fees will be approximately £138,750 (see summary below).
Additional challenges for non-local investors: To achieve such a discount, often you will need to allow for any repairs to bring the property up to value, or improvements to increase its value above what you paid. Without a local presence, you may end up spending more than others who hire locally or have teams in place.
Tenant management: Shared accommodations or Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) can create more “people problems”, particularly if you’re managing from a distance.
Summary
Market Value: £500,000
Less Discount: £75,000
Purchase Price: £425,000
Cost of Savings:
£106,250 (Your Savings / Existing Equity) + £32,500 (Stamp Duty Land Tax)
Total Cost: £138,750 *
* While yields can be strong, the initial outlay remains a hurdle for many.
As a beginner, you may find the Brighton & Hove market being highly competitive with many investors applying similar micro-housing strategies. With high cash turnover being the goal, a new investor may find more scope and flexibility for capital improvement
with a mix of residential housing, larger family homes in more suburban settings.
Knowing these traditional investor approaches before attending a Brighton event will help you ask informed questions and understand the local market context. You can find venues nearby by searching "property investor meetings Brighton" on Google.
When you go, ask this one key question: “How can you realistically get started with little or no money?” You’ll likely hear that the only option is deal sourcing — finding properties for others in exchange for a commission. But that’s not a long-term investment strategy.
There are alternative methods that don’t require large savings, and some of them were once popular across the UK after the 2008 financial crisis — and still work today. My colleague and I have adapted and taught these approaches for over 20 years, and we’ve put them together in a free multimedia resource. It explores practical ways to start investing with minimal upfront cash. While you don’t need to study it before attending an event, knowing these approaches will help you ask better questions and see the bigger picture.
