Will Royal Leamington Spa OAP homeowners be forced to sell their home as their gas & electric bills are set to double in 2022? What can the 6,143 Royal Leamington Spa OAP homeowners do to mitigate this? What are their options if they do need to sell? And what will that mean for the Royal […]

The average house price in Royal Leamington Spa has increased by 184.7% to £366,700 in the last 20 years, a profit of £237,900 That means, when adjusted for inflation in those two decades, Royal Leamington Spa house prices have risen in real terms by 112.6% What does this mean for existing Royal Leamington Spa homeowners […]

The Headlines… Royal Leamington Spa rents up by 7.1% in the last 12 months Royal Leamington Spa house Prices up 10.9% in the last 12 months Royal Leamington Spa landlords helped by ultra-low mortgage rates and a stamp duty holiday  Yet, some landlords in Royal Leamington Spa anxious about a possible end to no fault […]

Finding your next Royal Leamington Spa property, be that for yourself to live in or as a Royal Leamington Spa buy-to-let landlord, can sometimes be a scary task. You are possibly making one of the biggest purchases of your life, and you want to ensure you make the right choice. Buying your next property is […]

The 7 Things Royal Leamington Spa Home Sellers Should (and Shouldn’t) Do in 2022 Did you know 2,727 Royal Leamington Spa homeowners are considering selling their Royal Leamington Spa home between now and the summer of 2023? Reports in the press suggest 1 in 5 homeowners are considering moving home in the next 18 months. […]

What is going to happen to Royal Leamington Spa house prices in 2022? Some people asking this question are local buyers troubling themselves that they are about to buy their home just before a potential property crash, yet others are Royal Leamington Spa homeowners wanting to know where the top of the market is before […]

The Housing Minister, Chris Pincher, has suggested older homeowners are “rattling around” in their homes as they are too big for them. He implied they are selfish and should sell up and move to a retirement home when he spoke to a committee in the House of Lords. He stated that many British homes are […]

Everyone should be doing their bit to help reduce the UK’s carbon footprint on the globe – yet the question is, is that burden being put too much on the shoulders of Royal Leamington Spa landlords with potential bills of £7,600+ in the next four years? The background – the UK has obligated itself to […]

House prices tend to rise with inflation, so with the UK annual inflation hitting 4.2% last week, that’s good news, isn’t it? Yes and no – let me explain what it means for Royal Leamington Spa homeowners. The year-on-year cost of living rose by 4.2% in October, its highest rate in almost a decade. The […]

The Government’s scheduled publication of their White Paper for the Renter’s Reform Bill, which incorporates proposals to forbid Section 21 evictions and introduce ‘Lifetime Deposits’, has been suspended until 2022. The additional time is required to give a chance to create a level playing field to reforms for both landlords and tenants in the private […]

In recent articles on the Royal Leamington Spa property market, I have been talking a lot about house prices over the last 12 months and 5 years in Royal Leamington Spa.   When it comes to newspapers talking about the property market, the headline most people look at is what is happening to house prices. […]

How far would you go to help your child get on in the world? Many Royal Leamington Spa parents move area to ensure their child gets into the best primary school or fund their university costs. Many of you reading this have even helped your children with the deposit for their first home from savings. […]

With grocery, energy and other household prices/costs rising and hitting everyone’s back pocket, inflation (rising prices) may feel like an unimportant issue when it comes to the cost of keeping a roof over your head. Yet nothing could be further from the truth for many Royal Leamington Spa homeowners and Royal Leamington Spa landlords. Because […]

Has Buy-to-Let Changed the Royal Leamington Spa Property Market? The ‘Buy-To-Let’ Mortgage is celebrating its Silver Anniversary (25 years) this autumn. Isn’t it fascinating that a decision between a group of letting agents and bankers all that time ago to offer ‘Buy-To-Let’ (BTL) mortgages has changed the face of the Royal Leamington Spa (and national) […]

The stamp duty tax holiday is over, furlough finished at the end of September, unemployment is due to rise and inflation is rife … is this the end of the post lockdown Royal Leamington Spa property boom? Surely, we are heading for house price correction? Forecasting what will happen in the Royal Leamington Spa property […]

The number of properties for sale in Royal Leamington Spa has fallen by 27% since this time two years ago (October 2019). One of the reasons is that many Royal Leamington Spa buyers feel overwhelmed and fearful they will be made homeless if they sell their home and can’t buy another. So, I have decided […]

As they struggle to meet demand, Argos have had to increase the wages of their HGV drivers from £11.41 an hour to £15 an hour – a rise of 31.2% meaning their pay goes from £27k to £35k. Care home providers are offering signing-on bonuses of many thousands of pounds to entice nursing staff away […]

Royal Leamington Spa landlords are becoming progressively more self-assured about expanding their rental portfolios; as Royal Leamington Spa rents rise, mortgage interest rates fall and demand for decent Royal Leamington Spa rental properties outstrips supply. A number of reports nationally would suggest around a third of UK ‘portfolio’ landlords (i.e. landlords with more than one […]

Why Are More Royal Leamington Spa OAP Homeowners Deciding Not to Move Home? A recent report by Legal & General stated that, since the pandemic, many older homeowners had put their plans to move home ‘on ice’. It said that fewer OAP homeowners are planning to downsize from their large family homes after the pandemic […]

Royal Leamington Spa Homes Asking Prices Down 5% With Rightmove announcing a national drop of 0.3% in average asking prices in August, some are asking if the steam has been let out of the property market. Yet with the gains we have seen in the last 12 months, is this just a minor bump in […]

Should you sell or should you buy in this most interesting Royal Leamington Spa property market? I have calculated that at least 84 Royal Leamington Spa house sellers have rented a home to break their house chain in the last 12 months, although at a cost as they face paying many thousands of pounds in […]

Whether you are a Royal Leamington Spa homeowner, first-time buyer or landlord; the last 15 months has been a roller coaster ride when it comes to the Royal Leamington Spa property market. With 213,120 UK house buyers and 58,580 UK tenants moving home in June, the summer has been manic for many people. Meaning some […]

The bungalow is a building that has represented a more leisurely, gentler way of life since the early 1900’s. Bungalows have been sold as an aspiration for those about to retire, saving them the annoyance of having to climb stairs. With an ageing population, one would think they would be building more bungalows, yet nothing […]

The Semi-Detached House – the icon of middle-class aspiration, the pinnacle of liberalism yet at the same time compromised individuality, the ‘semi’ as it is colloquially termed is, for many Royal Leamington Spa homeowners, the highpoint of modern domestic bliss. Britain’s gift to architecture is the humble ‘Semi-Detached House’. This type of property has been […]

as 143.1% more people sell in June compared to the Royal Leamington Spa area 10-year average June 2021 was the busiest month ever for UK estate agents, home removal companies and conveyancers since monthly records began, as HMRC logged 213,120 residential transactions in June, a jump of more than 216% nationally on the same month […]

And the reason you shouldn’t either… I know of many Royal Leamington Spa buy-to-let landlords who fell into property investing by accident. Many didn’t want to sell their family home when the Royal Leamington Spa housing market crashed in the Credit Crunch of 2009/10, yet still needed to move (often for work). They thought they […]

… yet Bitcoin investors would have made £15,433,490 in profit. Is investing in ‘Bricks & Mortar’ dead? Investing in property has historically been a sound investment, yet alternative investments (like Cryptocurrency) have been gaining traction over the last five years. So, should we all ditch buying our own home and buy Bitcoin? Cryptocurrency with such […]

The value of an average Royal Leamington Spa semi-detached house has increased in value by £33,999 in the last 12 months, an increase in value of 10.75%. Yet the costs of building a Royal Leamington Spa home have shot up even more in the last 12 months, meaning the price of Royal Leamington Spa new […]

Royal Leamington Spa house prices dropped by 1.5% last month, according to the Land Registry. This means the annual rate of house price growth in Royal Leamington Spa is 1.2% lower than a year ago, quite a distance from the 7.3% yearly growth experienced at the start of the year. Looking at the national figures, […]

Rogues or Saviours? There is no getting away from the fact that the rise in the number of buy-to-let properties in Royal Leamington Spa has been nothing short of astonishing over the last twenty years. As a result, many in the press have said Britain is a broken nation, with many twenty and thirty-somethings unable […]

And how new Gov’t rules will mean draughty low-eco Royal Leamington Spa homes will drop in value ‘It’s Not Easy Being Green’, was the song that Kermit sang on Sesame Street. Yet now being green is a normal way of life for most of us. Walking or cycling places instead of taking the car, recycling […]

Would it surprise you even more when I said the ratio of house prices to wages are still lower today when compared to 1871?  Yes, you read that correctly, as a proportion of average wages British house prices are 17.6% proportionally cheaper today than they were in 1871. I wish to talk about the last […]

… Whilst possible new mortgage rules for Royal Leamington Spa homeowners would make it harder to sell their draughty old properties As the UK has committed to a legally binding target to be carbon neutral by 2050, one of the biggest producers of greenhouse gasses are residential properties. To hit that target, every UK property […]

All the signs are that the Royal Leamington Spa housing market is sat on good foundations, yet one key hazard could still scupper the market. ‘UK Property Prices Rising at Record Levels’ is the headline of many newspapers. In the last few weeks, the Halifax reported they had grown by 6.5% in the last 12 […]

… as Royal Leamington Spa first-time buyers now only need a 5% deposit for a mortgage. Royal Leamington Spa landlords, sell your property portfolios, your tenants will soon be leaving in droves as they buy their first home with the new 5% deposit mortgages backed by the Government’s new mortgage-guarantee scheme revealed in March’s budget! […]

As 1 in 12 Royal Leamington Spa homes are selling within a fortnight of coming to market... One of the most astounding things that has happened in the last 12 months was something that did not happen. Even after the country saw the deepest recession since the Great Freeze of 1709 with GDP dropping 28% […]

Would it surprise you that there are 32% fewer properties for sale today in Royal Leamington Spa than a decade ago? Property values are much higher than a decade ago and the property market at the moment in Royal Leamington Spa is on fire. In all my years as an agent, I have never seen […]

So is it a good idea to rent in between moving home, to be chain free? Moving home is said to be the third most stressful thing you can do, so if you can do anything to reduce that stress, so much the better? When buying your next Royal Leamington Spa home, being chain-free can […]

A look back at the Leamington Spa housing market over the last decade… With all of us completing the Census, a couple of weeks ago, it made me realise profoundly that mine and my family’s life, which from our own point of view seems unique and delightful, makes us all into a series of statistics […]

Royal Leamington Spa Property Market: 2011-2021 A look back at the Leamington Spa housing market over the last decade With all of us completing the Census, a couple of weeks ago, it made me realise profoundly that mine and my family’s life, which from our own point of view seems unique and delightful, makes us […]

Has there ever been a better time for Leamington Spa home sellers? The Leamington Spa property market, for people looking to sell, is at its sturdiest for at least the last five years with home buyers jumping onto the Leamington Spa property ladder with abandon. Leamington Spa house prices are anticipated to rise throughout 2021 […]

Royal Leamington Spa First-time Buyers Can Now Buy Using 5% Deposit Mortgages Yet higher mortgage rates could see Royal Leamington Spa buyers paying a lot more each month for the privilege Being a Royal Leamington Spa first-time buyer in the last 12 months has not been an easy thing. Just before lockdown there were 400 […]

…and new 5% deposit mortgages for Royal Leamington Spa first-time buyers. The Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced two initiatives to keep the Royal Leamington Spa property market firing on all cylinders into 2021. Firstly, the £500,000 zero-rate Stamp Duty band has been extended to the 30th June 2021. After then it will phase down to £250,000 […]

Axing Section 21 repossessions will see some landlords leave the sector while others will refuse to rent to those who are not in work. The RLA’s largest ever research project saw almost 6,400 of you share your thoughts on the controversial government announcement that Section 21 is to go. Thank you to all those who took […]

There are 3 principles that work when selling a home – Presentation Price and Promotion. Decisions house sellers make on these principles can avoid underselling their home. Preparing your home for viewers and making the right choice of estate agent, will not only ensure your property is sold faster, but can potentially add thousands of […]

Improving the energy efficiency of Britain’s 27.2 million homes, which are responsible for more than a quarter of the country’s CO2 and other greenhouse gas emissions, is seen as key to tackling the issues of climate change, fuel poverty and our country’s energy security. This is particularly important as in June the Government announced they […]

Leamington has always been a town which benefits from its central location, just a short drive from Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwick, Kenilworth and Coventry, Leamington is also well-connected by rail to business hubs including London and Birmingham. Let’s start with some fun facts Overall prices have continued to grown by 0.7% since the end of April. An […]

Our survey collecting landlords’ views in response to recent government announcements on Section 21 reforms is still live.  Almost 5,000 landlords have given their views so why not join them?   To those who have already completed our Section 21 consultation survey, “Thank you”. If you haven’t, there’s still time – this consultation may well be […]

Many Royal Leamington Spa people ponder the best places to invest their hard-earned savings and the best piece of advice I can give you is to do your homework and speak to lots of people. It depends on your attitude to risk versus reward. Normally, the lower the risk, the lower the reward whilst a […]

What does that mean for local Landlords and Homeowners? The balancing act of being a Royal Leamington Spa Buy To Let landlord is something many do well at. Talking to numerous Royal Leamington Spa landlords, they are very aware of their tenants’ capability to pay the rent and their own need to raise rents on […]

The Tenant Fees Bill, banning landlord and agents from charging fees to tenants has now been given Royal Assent and will apply to all tenancies signed after June 1. The bill – which has now officially become an Act of Parliament – prevent landlords and agents from charging: ‘Anything not exempted, that the tenant is required to pay […]

TENANTS in private rented housing are bearing the brunt of the Government’s tax increases on rented housing. That’s the warning being issued by the Residential Landlords Association as research shows the supply of homes to rent is drying up whilst demand continues to be strong. Data released today by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors […]

New research has shown that while England’s homelessness statistics are at a worrying high, empty housing across the country is also on the increase With austerity measures causing more people than ever to tighten their belts and private rent prices soaring, many English cities have seen a rise in the numbers of rough sleepers and […]

Over the last twenty years, there has been a shift in the way the Coventry (and the UK’s) property market works. In the 1960’s, 70’s, 80’s and 90’s, a large majority of twenty somethings saved up their 5% deposit, went without life’s luxuries of going out and holidays etc., for a couple of years and […]

With over a week passing since the budget and its finance bill now published the dust is starting to settle on The Chancellor’s latest announcements. In reflecting on these there is one group of individuals which could have more reason than others to feel more than hard done by, landlords. On top of all the […]

The government has scrapped plans to guarantee three-year tenancies for renters, according to reports. According to an article in The Sun, the Treasury has opposed the move – which had been backed by secretary of state for housing, communities and local government James Brokenshire– due to fears it could dampen property investment. The article also said that Theresa May’s […]

From 01 October 2015 a new prescribed form of section 21 notice was required to be used for any Assured Shorthold Tenancy Agreement (‘AST’) commencing on or after 01 October 2015. The Form 6A was also amended following its first publication by the Department for Local Communities and Government. As confirmed by s.41 of the […]

As the bill to ban charging fees to tenants makes its way through Parliament, it has been discussed, debated and loaded with extra details. The latest amendments to the new legislation add extra layers of complexity and, in their desire to further protect the rights of tenants, have the potential to hit landlords and their […]

The RICS is calling on an overhaul of housing taxes, including changes to Stamp Duty. The RICS said that housing taxes are ‘outdated’ and need reform to help older people downsize and younger ones get on the housing ladder. This morning’s call for action follows the RICS’s usual monthly house price survey, where this time […]

The vast majority of PRS tenants are happy with their homes, according to the English Housing Survey report for 2016/17, published today. Contrary to the portrayal of landlords in the popular media, 84% of PRS tenants are satisfied with the place where they live. This compares to 81% of those living in social housing. While this is […]

The Bank of England’s Monetary Policy Committee has just announced a rise in the Bank of England base rate of 0.25% – only the second increase increase in over a decade. Whilst the 0.75% base rate is now the highest it has been since 2009, it is still historically low when many still remember the […]

The heat is on! Or rather, it has been for the past few months of the glorious summer we have been enjoying. But is the heat on, or off the property market? Here at Newman Property Experts we have seen consistently strong sales over the summer, although the national picture seems confused. It all depends who you […]

As you are no doubt aware from the recent news articles, the government are proposing three year tenancies for rented properties. Click here to learn more. Having looked at this carefully the proposal is that tenancies will have a minimum fixed term of three years, however, they will have a break clause at the 6 month period […]

As a landlord you’ll want to minimise the time your property is empty between tenancies (what we call the void period) so it is essential that your property is looking its best for showing to new tenants both in terms of condition and cleanliness. Although a tenanted property should be redecorated from time to time, […]

We are often asked by our clients whether they should withdraw their property from the market once an acceptable offer has been made. There are a number of angles on this subject which should be considered in the context of each specific set of circumstances.   Firstly, from an ethical perspective, it could be argued […]

If your property is currently on the market, it may be tempting to assume that your agent is in full control of the situation, and that sooner or later a buyer will materialise. But don’t be so sure! Sometimes an agent will take the same view and simply sit in hope, having apparently exhausted their […]

When letting your property, you naturally want your property to look its best, but how far should you go in terms of presentation? Firstly, aim to understand how your property “sits” within the market. Not all tenants have the same criteria, so walk through the house with your letting agent to identify your property’s strengths […]

Many properties in the Leamington Spa area are as unique and distinctive as the people who buy them. So when selling yours, it is most important that your estate agent has a thorough understanding not only of your property, but also of the needs and preferences of every buyer who views it.     It is […]

You only get one chance to make a first impression! When it comes to letting your home, attention to detail could be pivotal in securing the best possible rent –quickly. Most tenants have a good idea of their preferred location, minimum accommodation needs and ideal style of property. Yet it is often presentation that makes […]

There can be nothing better suited to the internet than property, and hits to property websites far outnumber those of any other industry. The ability to be able to search in the comfort of your own home, usually without having to provide any personal details, is certainly attractive and has transformed the way the public […]

Some people feel that flats and houses should be able to “let themselves” and do not need to be “shown” by letting agents. Whilst this may be true of certain exceptional properties, or where achieving the optimum rent is not an issue, most properties require the skills of a well-trained letting agent if they are […]

Our last article considered the benefits of buying to let in principle. Here we consider some practical elements:    Attitude: Buying to let is a long-term investment. So don’t over-stretch yourself, because if you had to sell in the short term you would almost certainly lose money. Choose well:  Follow your head not your heart. Take […]

It is perhaps quite worrying that anyone can start trading as an estate agent, without any qualifications whatsoever. This makes it all the more important that you choose an agency that puts a high value on training.   Better-trained staff gain an intimate understanding of what the customer is going through and are able to […]

It would not be unreasonable to assume that as a property comes onto the market, the instructed estate agent will post the property details on various property portals and wait for the enquiries to roll in.    However, this approach is somewhat simplistic! We take a much more strategic and proactive approach to handling new […]

As pension funds shrink, many people consider the buy-to-let opportunity as a viable alternative, and with good reason. The effect of low interest rates and a historically rising property market make buy-to-let one of the most attractive investments accessible to the public. And the great thing is – you can use the bank’s money! The […]

Most lettings agents see their role solely as a “purveyor of tenants”, and they pride themselves on their ability to find the right tenant for a property and to negotiate attractive terms for the landlord.   But lettings agency has moved on. Indeed, finding a tenant is arguably one of the most straightforward aspects of […]

Most people move house rarely and often have little idea of the etiquette required if the stress of moving is to be minimised. Our job as progressive letting agents is to help landlords and tenants minimise this stress by seeing the world through their eyes and advising accordingly. For example, landlords, especially those who are […]

When considering the value of a property prior to putting it on the market, many vendors understandably look at the asking price of other properties currently on the market locally, and draw pricing conclusions based on this research. Whilst this is not an unreasonable way of determining value, there are some traps for which to […]

Unlike their continental counterparts, British tenants do not generally take account of the square footage of a house or flat when renting their next home. Nevertheless, spaciousness is often a priority and invariably comes at a premium. So if you are letting your property, it’s worth making sure you create a feeling of as much […]

It is interesting to note that some sellers are not as committed to moving as they might be, and are prepared to remain on the market until what they regard as an acceptable offer comes along.   Likewise, some buyers, whilst generally remaining committed to a purchase, do not exhibit a great deal of urgency, […]

Landlords often approach us after an unsatisfactory experience with another agent, particularly in relation to poor levels of feedback following property viewings. Surely, prompt and constructive feedback should be a fundamental part of any letting agent’s service to their clients! Only when agents understand what tenants think of a property can they deliver practical advice […]

Despite the fact that many people regard letting agents as more or less the same, there are in fact numerous selection criteria on which to judge the good from the bad, and the remarkable from the mildly indifferent. For example, there are many services and innovations which can make a difference to how effectively your […]

There are numerous surveys and research that seek to prove how various home improvements add a certain percentage to the value of a property. There has recently been a marked increase in the number of people undertaking improvements whose motivation is specifically to increase the value of their property prior to a sale. If you […]

Most landlords will recognise the tremendous importance of ensuring that as many prospective tenants as possible see their property. After all, more viewings means more tenant competition thereby maximising your chances of securing the highest rental the market will pay. However, whilst one always has to be fair, there is a lot to be said […]

René Deceuninck shares his exclusive MBA Learn how to read your builder, tenant or agents unspoken words René is hosting preview sessions for Anthony ( Tony) Robbins’ Unleash The Power Within, a 4 day transformational and breakthrough event including the famous Firewalk! René Deceuninck, Master in Body Language, Motivational Speaker, Coach and Trainer, also runs […]

Moving day can be stressful enough, but a bit of forethought can go a long way. For example, many people take the opportunity to clear any unwanted junk out of their homes and lives. Charity shops, car boot sales, and friends can be grateful recipients of some items, and hiring a small skip for a […]

Just as anyone can open up an estate agency, so they can also start up a lettings business, without any training, experience or qualifications. This should concern landlords, because there is far more to the business than meets the eye. In some ways, finding a tenant is the easy bit! The issues arise over how […]

Superficially, lettings could be seen as relatively straightforward, and some firms do indeed regard themselves as a simple broking operation. However, if your investment is going to provide you with peace of mind as well as a great return on investment, then you will want to know that the property is being managed by people […]

When you are planning to move house it can be tempting to accept the first buyer who comes along with an attractive offer. However, buyers come in all shapes and sizes, and it is important to assess your purchaser’s ability to perform before accepting any offer. We often receive offers from people who themselves have […]

Is the property market up or is down? This month, more than ever, the answer depends on who you speak to. For example, according to the Land Registry, a total of 850,281residential properties were sold during 2017, which is a clear 14.6% fall on 2016 (although still 30% up on the low-point of 2008). In […]

Due to the high demand for rental properties, a cultural shift has occurred over the past few years and many people are now consider letting out their property as a profitable alternative to selling it. Indeed, letting out your property has a number of advantages. Firstly, the value of a property is, in practical terms, […]

As estate agents, our job is to sell property. Sounds obvious really! However, some people judge an agent’s ability to do the job on the amount of advertising undertaken on behalf of each client, rather than on the strategy behind their advertising policy. Clearly, it is virtually unheard of that someone will buy a property […]

It is well documented that, nationally, around 30% of all sales arranged fail to reach a successful exchange of contracts. Fortunately, our conversion from sales to exchanges in the last 6 months has been 74% so three quarters rather that two thirds. However, the sales cycle can be frustratingly slow and the longer the sale takes, the […]

2018 turned out to be a politically turbulent year, but a somewhat lacklustre one for the property market, once again demonstrating the resilience of the British when it comes to home ownership. Indeed, the latest report from LSL revealed that average house prices have seen a return to growth after several months of slowdown and […]

One of the most important aspects to consider when choosing a letting agency is whether or not they subscribe to a Client Money Protection Scheme. There have been several examples of unscrupulous letting agents who have mysteriously closed holding many thousands of pounds in client monies – primarily rental receipts that should have been paid […]

NB check latest rates before publishing. Correct as of 22nd November 2017 Stamp duty originated in the 17th century when duty stamps could be purchased and attached to a transactional document to prove that any tax due on the transaction had been paid. Today, tax relating to the purchase of land is known as “Stamp […]

One of the worries that many landlords understandably experience is the possibility that a month or more will pass between lets when their investment property remains unoccupied. This can be a serious problem that can adversely affect the short-term cash-flow you so meticulously planned as a route to longer term investment success. Even worse, each […]

There is no doubt that the Internet has simplified the property searching process as one way or another it effectively holds a fairly comprehensive list of all available stock from most of the agents. But it is only a tool – just like the property advertising pages in the local newspaper. In these times of […]

In these uncertain times it can be very difficult to know exactly when your property will sell – especially if you are reluctant to drop your price. However, there is a solution that many sellers often overlook! If you are not living in your property, or have alternative accommodation, why not rent out your property […]

If location is fundamental to a property purchase, then mapping is surely the most obvious way of highlighting location. We choose to use locational maps on our property website as they make it easy for buyers to identify the property in relation to its surroundings. This is particularly useful when a buyer is considering a […]

This November has seen both an increase in interest rates and the abolition of SDLT (Stamp Duty) for first time buyers up to £300,000. Certainly the nominal 0.25% interest rate increase is unlikely to cause most homebuyers a problem. However, this first rate rise in a decade might be regarded as a tipping point for […]

Many people whose property is on the market now would ideally like to move by Christmas, yet only those who are prepared to price realistically to reflect the current market are likely to be successful. Buyers who are currently active in the market are now getting increasingly keen to move before the end of the […]

One of the most effective ways to maximise your property investment is to appeal to sharers as the combined price paid by two or three co-tenants can often be greater than the rent paid by just one. Rising rents have priced out those who could not stretch to their ideal property without going halves with […]

We recently came across this poem about investing in property, and thought you might find it interesting. Once you have read it, and only then, take a look at the date of first publication. Makes you think! I hesitate to make a list Of all the countless deals I’ve missed. Bonanzas that were in my […]

There’s no question about it, buyers visit Rightmove and Zoopla/OnTheMarket because they provide easily-searched access to properties currently available for sale. Or do they? Certainly property portals are efficient and estate agents have embraced them for many years as being an important addition to their marketing toolbox. On the surface, people no longer apparently need […]

Some would-be sellers are reluctant to sell their home in view of the high cost of moving, or selling for what they regard as too low a figure to enable them to fulfil their plans. Others may be moving abroad and don’t necessarily want to commit to selling their UK home just yet. Maybe you’re […]

There is a very different vibe to the property market from last month, with a number of reports suggesting that the market is rapidly changing from being a sellers’ market to what is starting to look a lot like the beginning of a buyers’ market in some areas (although nobody has told our office yet…shhh!) […]

Many estate agents will flatter you and promote themselves by claiming that they’ll get you the “highest price in the shortest possible time”. This is easy to say, but not so easy for most agents to justify or indeed deliver! Effective property sales involve a combination of great presentation, attractive pricing and effective marketing along […]

Many estate agents put substantial emphasis on their ability to find a buyer, and they highlight this as a primary reason to sell through them. However, we believe in going far beyond this. In many ways, finding a buyer is the easy bit! Most switched-on agents have access to most of the buyers in the […]

“Location, location, location” may be the cornerstone of wise property investment, yet many people are unaware of the importance of location in making the right choice of letting agent – whether as landlord or tenant. Letting agency is an intensely local business. It is essential that letting agents are fully conversant with the issues of […]

According to the Department of the Environment about half of all landlords have had cause to ask a tenant to leave on at least one occasion, usually because of arrears, noise, damage, violence, or abusive behaviour. Around thirty percent of these end up having to go to court. When you let your property, you hope […]

Estate Agents are generally an up-beat type. Selling property to the right buyer, quickly and at an impressive price requires a “can do, will do” approach that is unlikely to be found in a pessimist. Agents with a positive attitude are more likely to be able to identify opportunities on behalf of our clients. Combine […]

Estate Agents are generally an up-beat type. Selling property to the right buyer, quickly and at an impressive price requires a “can do, will do” approach that is unlikely to be found in a pessimist. Agents with a positive attitude are more likely to be able to identify opportunities on behalf of our clients. Combine […]

When letting your property, you naturally want your property to look its best, but how far should you go in terms of presentation? Firstly, aim to understand how your property “sits” within the market. Not all tenants have the same criteria, so walk through the house with your letting agent to identify your property’s strengths […]

All residential tenancy deposits must by law be protected by being lodged in a government-recognised scheme, such as the Deposit Protection Service (DPS), which is evidence based. This means that the decision to either return or withhold a deposit at the end of a tenancy is made by considering any differences between the condition of […]

We are often asked to look at properties that really should have sold, but haven’t, and we understand the disappointment of vendors whose experience of the sales process has fallen short of their expectations. This disappointment can sometimes be the result of simply not knowing where you stand. We find that enthusiasm and good communication […]

Whilst both gas and electricity can be lethal, from a landlord’s perspective, the law relating to gas safety is more stringent than it is for electricity with substantial fines or even imprisonment for of the breaches of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. These regulations impose a duty on landlords to use a […]

Why is it that tenanted properties appear to be damper than those that are owner-occupied? Firstly, we’re talking about condensation here, not rising damp. Condensation is caused when warm air, which holds more water vapour, meets a cold surface, forming water droplets. This may attract fungal growths such as Mildew leading that “that damp smell”. […]

The Chancellor of the Exchequer announced a 3% hike in Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) on buy-to-let properties and second homes in the 2016 Autumn Statement. This was met with “outrage” from various quarters, such as the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) and others who describe it as “the nail in the coffin of […]

Many property transactions form part of a chain of related sales. Of course a chain is only as strong as its weakest link and, as a national statistic, unfortunately one in every three chains will fall apart, often at the eleventh hour. This happens for a variety of reasons from one party’s mortgage glitch to […]

Many of our current clients have approached us to sell their property following a less-than-impressive performance by an online alternative to “proper” estate agency. Although it is always tempting to say “I told you so”, we wouldn’t be so harsh with someone who has just been through the mill with the wrong choice of agent. […]

For many homeowners, letting provides an obvious investment opportunity as an alternative to selling. With the right expert help from your letting agent, the matter should be quite straightforward, although there are certain consents that should be obtained if you are to avoid some potentially costly problems. You will certainly need the consent of your […]

Perceptions-v-reality in property can confuse even the best-informed of armchair economists. The latest House Price Sentiment Index from Knight Frank and HIS Markit suggests that approximately twice as many households believe their property value has risen, than fallen, yet the measure of sentiment is still nearly 15% lower than its previous peak in May 2014. […]

There is a strong argument for creating maximum exposure for a property during its time on the market, and much of our effort and resources are spent achieving the right exposure in the right places. However, one of the most powerful ways of securing a fast sale at a high price can actually result from […]

You’ve made an offer on a property. You might have had to negotiate a bit, but that’s OK because this is your perfect home and you can’t wait to move in. You then get a rather awkward call from the estate agent to say that unfortunately the seller, (whom you took to be a gentleman) […]

“A fine balance” Anyone with an interest in the property market generally understands the influence of supply and demand on house prices. Just like any other “commodity”, if everybody wants something that is in generally short supply, the price tends to rise. In the property sector, the media often describes a rising market good and […]

Great news for local homeowners; Jaguar Land Rover has just announced plans to recruit 5,000 new employees. With three of JLR’s four UK plants being on our doorstep, this is bound to put extreme pressure on the local property market over the coming months – inevitably leading to even higher prices being achieved. As 1000 […]

Some landlords, especially those who are new to the experience, understandably wish to use a letting agent simply as a route to market in order to find a tenant. However, whilst a return on investment is one thing, sleeping well at night is quite another! A managed service is not just about chasing late rent, […]

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