croeso i'r blog Bradley!

Another busy weekend has come to a close, I have been to a wedding in West Wales which was conducted entirely in Welsh and out of 300 guests I think I was only 1 of 3 where English was their first language! I haven't got a clue what was said in the speeches but I could see they all spoke very well and it must have been humorous because there was a lot of laughter. I did feel a bit like a seal clapping at the right points but on the whole it was an excellent day and it was nice to be there as the groom was our page boy 26 years ago! I hope I have got that timescale right or else I know somebody who will be giving me a hard time tonight!!

I am late sending out this morning's Monday Communication as I normally write that on a Sunday evening but when we got home last night I couldn't remote my laptop into Cornish HQ. Enid found out why this morning when she got there to find the front door forced open and it had been burgled over the weekend. Probably kids as £3.70 from the petty cash tin was taken but the computers and some other items of value were left behind. They must have disturbed the router as it had to be reset this morning.

A very strange week in Bradleys last week where sales number were really up and down. We need a good run at the minute and I was really pleased with very good performance on Monday and Tuesday then it died a death on Wednesday and Thursday before retuning again on Friday. From what I can see the weekend was busy so hopefully the month will have a strong finish.

Quite what makes the market stop and start so much is getting beyond a joke, it appears that the market is related entirely to the news. If there is some bad economic news then sales slow if there is no economic doom and gloom reported for a week or so the buyers seem to get their confidence back and dip in again. There was a suggestion that the 2 slow days last week related to the lovely weather that we all enjoyed but the improved performance over the weekend doesn't really agree with that theory.

Francis Marshall FNAEA
Managing Director
Bradleys Group

Blue is the colour...

For once my week ahead is a bit quieter and is mostly taken up with Directors 1:1 monthly meetings so that will have me in Head Office for most of this week. A bit of calm after the weekend which contained my Birthday, the mighty Chelsea winning the Champions League and then me routering 580 meters of oak skirting and architrave!

So what is the market doing right now? I can see buyers being cautious, if something is the right price then there is a skirmish over who buys it but if there is a standard property at the standard price then interest is low so it is the outstanding properties and asking prices which are getting all of the attention.

We have just had our second online auction come to a successful conclusion within the past few days and this new modern method is a great way to sell in these tough times. Where else can you guarantee to get the market value and within a set time scale from the outset, the sale goes through quicker and hardly any go wrong due to us having taken a non-refundable reservation fee. When you realise that the seller doesn't pay any sales fees then you must start to wonder why more sales are not conducted this way.

Francis Marshall FNAEA
Managing Director
Bradleys Group

The time to buy...

Another varied week ahead. On Monday I am in Head Office doing new Managers induction. Tuesday has the Plymouth, Torbay and Cornwall Managers Area Meeting. Wednesday back to Head Office for the Eastern Region Area Meeting and then a meeting with the Directors and then The Chairman in the Afternoon. Thursday sees me visiting the 2 Exeter offices and then Friday is quite a special day for me so I am going to celebrate it by visiting the Callington office.  

The rather poor financial news both in the UK and in Europe this month seems to have upset the market which is a shame as it was starting to shape up quite well. There isn't anything we can do to change the market so we will just keep doing our best to sell in the most challenging of circumstances and hope that some confidence starts to come back soon. It's a great time to buy, with the prices realistic and loans still relatively cheap, so why let what's going on in Greece or Spain stop you from moving house in Cornwall, Devon or Somerset?

Francis Marshall FNAEA
Managing Director

Tough Gig!

I seem to have been on a tight schedule for the last couple of weeks and in the process forgot to blog last week! If you are one of my regular readers please accept my apologies and I will try to do better from now on.

So what have I been doing? Lots of office visits, seeing first-hand how everyone is working hard and seeing that even in this tough market the Bradleys teams are still agreeing sales and for that I am very thankful.

We have all just enjoyed a Bank Holiday weekend and the weather was good enough for me to get on with a bit more house building! Lisa was rowing in the World Pilot Gig Championships as part of the Looe Ladies A Crew and came 10th out of 125 teams which she is really pleased about. The Looe men's A Crew came second which was a fantastic result.

I am off to Penzance and Newquay in the morning and have a meeting with Westcountry Publications on Wednesday then a Board Meeting on Thursday so another full week is lined up.

Francis Marshall FNAEA
Managing Director