Come on Andy!!

A busy start to the week for me with Directors 6 month reviews and the 2 Area Meetings taking place.

The market is definitely warming up a bit and my main focus is to ensure everyone remains 100% focused on exceptional customer service to make the most of the improving situation. If we make sure we deal with people well with careful attention to detail allowing every customer a little more time to make sure we get their requirements right and give them a service they will be pleased with then we will continue to enjoy good business levels. Up until now most property pundits have been hesitant to mention that we may be starting to see a recovery in the property market but now the sun has come out and Andy Murray has won Wimbledon it's going to happen for definite according to the RICS so thank god for Andy and the sunshine!

 

Francis Marshall FNAEA
Managing Director
Bradleys Group

The price is right?

I am preparing for tomorrow's Board Meeting and it promises to be a very interesting one. Lots of performance analysis, will the stronger sales hold up? when will the exchanges ever take place? how are the conveyancing results going? and future marketing in tune with the changing world and market! We are still getting plenty of instructions but price is deadly critical so that's the challenge for our instruction takers at the minute. If the property is priced correctly it will sell but a few K too much and it is stuck and will eventually sell for less. I think July will be a very important month in our year, if we maintain the current levels of sales then the year will be a good one as I expect the activity will then continue right through. If sales drop off in July then I guess the rest of the year may return to being a bit tougher.

Francis Marshall FNAEA
Managing Director
Bradleys Group

Its all the Lawyers Fault!

On Friday I attended Marketing Live in Bristol. We arrived just after 8.00 so wide awake after the drive up from Cornwall. The event was well supported by the region's leading agents and it was good to hear that the picture and issues are very similar all over the region. Sales are up but exchanges are slow and there was a unanimous condemnation of lawyers for causing the bottleneck! I really do think something has to be done. Sellers want to sell and buyers want to buy but as soon as the agreed sale hits the legal process it comes to a halt and in some cases never gets going again. That is just wrong but it is becoming more common where one side or another pulls out because they have lost the will to live. My advice if you are buying or selling is to spell out your expectation to your solicitor and make sure they work to your timescales. Many facts were shared on Friday and the most interesting was how the shift in research has gone online and away from newspapers along with the amount of time someone researches before deciding to move and where they research. At Bradleys we are right on top of the game with a new website about to launch and great on-line coverage. I guess that's why we are selling well in what is still a challenging market.

 

Francis Marshall FNAEA
Managing Director
Bradleys Group