Winkworth, the leading franchisor of residential real estate agents, has opened a new office in Highbury, building on its extensive London network.  This latest addition is the 58th office in London, and the fifth office opened in the UK this year, following recent openings in Fulham and Romsey.

Highbury has a strong local market with property prices increasing steadily over the past 12 months – up by approximately 12%, compared to 2008/9.  The area is increasingly popular with young professionals and families, attracted by the green open spaces and more affordable prices than neighbouring Islington, with the benefits of a quick commute into the City.  Highbury is well-connected with excellent rail and tube connections – Northern, Victoria and North London line links – and the completion of the northern extension of the East London Line in spring 2011 will only increase the appeal of the area.

Dominic Agace, CEO of Winkworth PLC says:

‘This is the right time for Winkworth to establish an office in Highbury, as the area will benefit immensely from ongoing regeneration programmes over the next few years – Islington Council’s plans to upgrade Highbury Corner; the northern extension of the East London Line at Highbury & Islington; and the Finsbury Park Towers – just a short walk from our new Highbury office – which will regenerate the Brownswood Park / Blackstock Road area from the north, just as the redevelopment of the Arsenal stadium is doing from the south.  This planned investment in the area will enhance Highbury’s desirability and it is likely that property prices in the area will improve above trend’.

The Highbury office will be owned and operated by Ian Fraser, who already runs the Winkworth office in Islington, and has experience of selling property in Highbury through that office.

Ian Fraser, Franchisee of Winkworth Highbury, says:

‘There has been a sharp recovery in the Highbury property market since Spring 2009, and at that point we saw a four fold increase in the numbers of buyers, with specific requirements for property in Highbury, compared to the previous year. This enormous demand has sharply pushed prices back to where they had been at the peak of the market in 2007, and even a little beyond.

This year has seen a continuation of this strength, and our Islington office is still registering a very healthy number of buyers interested in Highbury property.  There are huge benefits of opening a Winkworth office in Highbury; although we are already selling properties in the area through the Islington office, a Highbury presence allows us to better market these properties through both offices, and the wider Winkworth London network’.

The franchise in Highbury is located at 106 Highbury Park, N5 2XE.