So what could go wrong?

I appreciate the whole property industry has had it hard for quite a number of years and we are all due some good news but how much more can we take and how much can we believe? I know most Estate Agents have had their best year in 2013 since a very long time previously and all the signs are good for the next few years. Low mortgage rates set to continue, Help to Buy making it possible for first time buyers to join in, foreign buyers investing in our market and new found confidence in the market has set prices moving upwards in virtually the whole of the country. At Bradleys we have just concluded another month which turned out to be our best month for ages. All sectors of the market had movement and all areas of our business reported good activity.

So what could go wrong? Christmas perhaps? Our annual phenomenon that puts all buyers interest on hold when their thoughts turn to other priorities. Perhaps some inclement weather, let's face it, who would want to go viewing in torrential rain, but what about the Bank of England? they now also have the power to control our market so let's hope we have a mild winter, the Help to Buy does only as it was planned and just reintroduces First Time Buyers to the market place and that Father Christmas brings his joyful effect just to the official 12 Days of Christmas and then the market continues where it currently is. Through all of this, new instructions coming to the market hold the key to what will happen next year. If the supply is slow then prices will rise more quickly, if there is a reasonable amount to satisfy demand then we should just see a sustainable growth which is what everyone wants.

So if you are thinking of selling or know somebody who is then do your research on allAgents, chose the best agent in your area and get on with it because one thing is for certain, prices and the ability to move will never be this good again. To save searching on allAgents just click on www.allagents.co.uk/bradleys-estate-agents/    to read what our customers say about our service and then you will see there is no need to look further than Bradleys with our 33 office coverage from Penzance to Taunton.

If you found this blog useful or you think it would help someone else please feel free to share it or like it.

Francis Marshall FNAEA
Managing Director
Bradleys Group

The Undercover Estate Agent

Did anybody see Dispatches, the Undercover Estate Agent on Channel 4 last night?

Just a week after the allAgents awards where Bradleys were named as the best Sales Estate Agent in the Country for  customer service, we see the worst of the industry named and shamed on National TV. Of course it was nothing to do with the companies and only the fault of some staff who have since been reprimanded. Like anybody would be foolish enough to believe that! 

My daughter Lisa was recently buying in London and she phoned me in despair that one of the companies named last night refused to register her or inform her of new instructions if she did not take their financial services! Now isn't that a great example of them working in their clients best interest? Just think of their customers being deprived of a buyer because she wouldn't take their overpriced mortgage to provide excessive mortgage fees for them. I advised her to contact trading standards but just like everybody else she was not interested in sorting out the agent or the industry she just wanted to buy a house, so didn't bother.

Bradleys operate in sleepy old Devon, Cornwall and Somerset where the practices such as these shown last night are much fewer but it is completely beyond me why Trading Standards and the Ombudsman, now in receipt of the irrefutable evidence don't prosecute those firms and start to sort out the shady practise which tarnishes all of our reputations. Just as a matter of interest has anybody looked up the allAgents reviews for those firms featured?

At Bradleys we consistently deliver the very best service in the UK covering the entire region with 33 offices spanning from Taunton to Penzance. When making one of the biggest decisions of your life be sure you are dealing with a professional you can trust, come to Bradleys, the best in the UK and right on your doorstep. If you think this was helpful why not like it or share it?

Francis Marshall FNAEA

Managing Director

Bradleys Group

Bradleys take GOLD!

Two blogs from me in one day must mean something special has happened and it has!!

The allAgents annual awards have just been announced and we have done very well at Bradleys.

I am thrilled to say Bradleys have been awarded the titles of Best Large Agency nationally and Best Sales Agent nationally.

In the overall national combined awards from all sectors Bradleys were awarded third place and the same place in the 'Best Transparent Agent' award.

 

Pretty much in line with what I said in my previous blog it is essential when choosing an agent to pick one with a good track record and how better than to find an agent which has just been independently judged to have the best sales service in the country and to be the best large agent in the country based on our own customer feedback.

If you need the services of an Estate Agent or know somebody who does then you don't have to look any further as the best in the country is available right here on your doorstep in the South West with 33 offices covering between Penzance and Taunton and the best staff offering the full range of property related services. If you think this was useful to know or know somebody who might find it useful why not like it of share it.

Francis Marshall FNAEA
Managing Director
Bradleys Group

A bit of advice... Use a good Estate Agent!

After all the fuss about the introduction of 'Help To Buy' I finally heard of a sale last week through Bradleys that was using the scheme.

 

The Bradleys Mortgage Advisors are completely independent and therefore can offer advice on the whole of the market place and are experts on the new scheme which certainly does make it possible for anyone who now has their 5% deposit and enough cash to cover the fees as well, to buy a home up to a value of 600K.

 

A few pundits predicted a house price bubble but it as I advised on this blog several weeks ago, it will just open up the market to more buyers so demand will increase slightly which will start prices rising. The increase in demand is not as strong as others have forecast and there will not be a bubble, just a sustainable recovery in the property market which will be to the whole country's benefit. What does this mean to buyers and sellers? Well if you are selling then price is still critical. Buyers use the portals including allAgents.co.uk to compare prices and where the properties are so easily compared then if the price is too high then you won't get any viewings and the property will remain unsold.

 

If you use a good agent who knows their patch and prices accurately then the market is improving and a buyer can be found reasonably quickly. If you are a buyer then you can see which properties are correctly priced but you need to act quickly, as I have said the market is improving and there is competition for the correctly priced houses so use a good agent who can help you to get everything you need in place and then buy as soon as you are able because prices are only going one way and with mortgage rates looking set to remain low for some time it will never be this cheap to buy again.

 

Probably the single most important bit of advice I could give is use a good Estate Agent, find one with a good track record and one who will be able to help you with all you need as well as just the house purchase. It is essential when you make the biggest purchase of your life that you are able to rely on professional honest advice and where better to find an agent than where their previous customers comments are available to read than at allAgents.co.uk If you think this advice would help others you know why not share it or like it. 

 

Francis Marshall FNAEA
Managing Director
Bradleys Group

 

The good ship Bradleys!

Friday evening saw the Plymouth Boat trip take place. 60 Estate agents travelled right across Bradleys region coming from as far West as Penzance and as far East as Taunton. Everyone embarked at the Mayflower pontoon at 8.00 and enjoyed a 3 hour cruise across Plymouths historic water front and then up the Tamar to above the bridge and back. The food that was served was good, the beer excellent and the company fantastic so all in all a very good night was had by all. I have included a couple of photos which sum up the night and give anyone who was not there a good idea of how it went. It does appear that a requirement of working in Bradleys Rental Central Administration Department is you have to be a good pointer, that is something not many people know as they are largely the Unseen Heroes of Bradleys.

 

Francis Marshall FNAEA
Managing Director
Bradleys Group

The Great West Run!

The day is upon us! As I write, several of our negotiators from the Exeter and Exmouth offices are embarking upon the infamous half marathon around the roads of Exeter, along with 3000 other runners.  The race which started at 9am this morning not only gives our team an oppourtunity to show off their athletic abilities but offers a scenic tour of the best Exeter has to offer, from Exe Bridges to Stoke Woods. For more information on the run and for the lastest news visit : http://www.thegreatwestrun.co.uk/

Good Luck Guys!

The 'A Team'

The Inter-Estate Agent football tournament is an annual event organised on behalf of the Exeter Estate Agents Association by our proficient Exeter North Street Manager, Robin Middleton (although sources say he was seen sporting his team shirt backwards at the event). The tournament which has this year ran for its 6^th consecutive event gives Bradleys a chance to boast its competitive edge over 7 other local estate agencies as well as giving the team a chance to prove they play just as hard as they work.

For the sports-minded amongst you, our very own Bradleys ‘A team’ won 5 out of the 6 games played, drawing 1-all in the final against Winkworths. The boys brought home the gold however, triumphing in a tense penalty shoot-out.

The Bradleys troupe went into the tournament with a fantastic set of team players, led by none other than ‘employee of the year’ and former semi- professional footballer, Lewis Rossiter.

Together with a valiant effort as well from the ‘B Team’, Bradleys once again proves it always comes out on top!

In other sporting news, the Bradleys Honiton office turned out to support cycling legend Sir Bradley Wiggins on his Tour of Britain during stage 6 of the cycle, commencing in Sidmouth. Negotiators from the Honiton office, proudly featured on the front page of the official Tour of Britain website sporting the new Bradleys signs!