DIYWEEK.net

The latest research by tradespeople comparison site, HaMuch.com, has looked at where is home to the highest level of tradesperson demand based on the number of existing properties being bought and sold and in need of further work.  

Spring is fast approaching bringing a boost in the number of both residential and commercial property sales and while moving to new property presents its own substantial list of things to do, once the dust has settled the majority of home movers and business owners still have a whole host of DIY jobs that require professional help. Across England and Wales, there were hundreds of thousands of property sales last year and the vast majority (89%) of these were existing properties, not newly built ones. 

For the large part, those moving into a newly built premise will have little need for a professional trade person, however, for those acquiring an existing property there is often work to be done that goes above and beyond your light touch DIY jobs for the weekend.

On a monthly basis, the number of properties sold last year spiked in March and remained high right through until dropping again in November, so the nation’s professional tradespeople will currently be gearing up for the incoming rush of work.  

Blaenau Gwent in Wales is the biggest trade job hotspot with existing properties accounting for 99.7% of all transactions and newly built properties accounting for just 0.3%.  

Wales sees likely tradesperson demand with Merthyr Tydfil ranking second with 99.3% of all transactions coming within the existing property space.

Portsmouth ranks third (98.7%), followed by Ceredigion (98.6%), Brighton and Hove (98.2%), Rhondda Cynon Taff (97.7%), Bournemouth (97.7%), Powys (97.4%), Poole (97.2%) and Caerphilly (96.7%). 

Founder and CEO of HaMuch.com, Tarquin Purdie, commented: “Searching for a local tradesperson used to limit you to companies within the immediate area, but technology now allows us to receive instant quotes from much further afield, and with strong competition for work, many tradespeople will travel much longer distances and even work away during the week for a well-paid opportunity.

"Whether this is at a commercial or residential property, the best paid opportunities with the more substantial workloads often come via those who have recently acquired a property and have a number of things to remedy before they can call the job done.

"With peak season for property buying almost upon us, it would seem the best chance of maximising your workload if you do work in the trades is to up sticks and move to either Wales or the South coast of England, as these are the areas with by far the most existing property sales as a proportion of all transactions.”