Wettest January on record has little effect on house sales in Torbay

The last two January's have both broken records for the wrong reasons. This January has been the worst rainfall ever recorded in a single month. What is happening with the weather in the UK? Is this all to do with global warming? I recently read an article from the Met office in Exeter saying the storms are almost certainly down to global warming. They also delivered a grim warning that the country should prepare itself for more similar events in future. It is the strongest link yet made by the Met Office between the intense weather and climate change, and backs David Cameron’s remark last month that he “very much suspects” a connection.

At least it hasn't dampened the spirits of house hunters as we have had an excellent start to the year despite the inclement weather. There seems to be a lot of confidence in the local and global economy that has been well reported in the press and on TV over the last few months. This has helped fuel 'buyer confidence' and the UK housing market seems to be well on its way to a recovery.

I do hope this is an end to the bad weather and hope we are rewarded with a barmy summer and see a good number of buyers flocking to The English Riviera to either start a new life or retire by the sea. 

Darren Hole
Regional Manager
Bradleys Estate Agents

Going the extra mile in Looe!

A damp day in Looe!

Wow, it's very wet and windy in the South West and it's been going on for a while. There are some adverse circumstances but life also goes on and in the business of selling and letting property and all related services you might expect things to slow up. Not on your Nelly! The market is strong and the buyers are very serious. One office that springs to mind is our Bradleys Looe Office on the South Cornish Coast. Looe has had some flooding brought on by the combination of southerly gales, torrential rain and spring tides and the result was the harbour walls were breached and the sea poured into the main street. The photo shows the sea in the street and in fact inside our office. It takes more than a bit of water to put a good agent off their stride and I can confirm that on the same day as this photo was taken the Looe team of Niki, David, Jacqui and Ella agreed the sale of a penthouse apartment with lovely sea views. A good agent will never let anything come between themselves and doing a good deal for their customer, let alone a bit of sea water! So well done Bradleys Team Looe for putting the customers first even in the most extreme of circumstances.

If you are a seller or thinking of selling your own property I am sure you would also want to know you were going on with an agent who would show this dedication to delivering great service combined with the right result no matter what tried to get in the way. It's easy, just go to allAgents.co.uk and look at Bradleys great ratings, there is no better indicator of an agent who goes the extra mile to deliver the best service, although hopefully we won't have to contend with the sea coming through the front door again to prove it! You can bet that there will be other challenges to be overcome so make sure you chose an agent who has a history of delivering the service even when the going get as tough as it did in Looe.

If you are thinking of visiting the South West then don't be put off by what you see on TV, they are just showing the very worst incidents, the whole area is open for business and is still one of the most beautiful parts of our country. The pasties are still hot and the walks are spectacular and David Cameron has just visited to promise extra help to return us all to normality as soon as possible, we look forward to seeing you.

If you found this helpful or know somebody else that would please feel free to like it or share it.

Francis Marshall FNAEA
Managing Director
Bradleys Group

Working with a smile on a Sunday?

It was like any other normal day, I was speaking to a lady that wanted to view one of our properties, except there was a genuine element of surprise in her voice as she simply didn’t expect to receive a call from an estate agent on a Sunday! The lady highlighted that not only calling her was a surprise but spending time with her to listen to her requirements and then going on to arrange the viewing was as well.

The next stop was to contact our clients. When I rang the vendors, the husband answered the phone and called to his wife saying Bradleys were on the phone, all I could hear his wife saying was Bradleys, Bradleys! I could tell by the pitch of her voice that she was also surprised we were calling on a Sunday. I explained to the client that Bradleys operate 7 days a week dealing with enquires until 10pm, this way if someone wants to view their property we can deal with the enquiry when it comes in immediately.

So the viewing appointment was made and both applicant and vendor were very surprised and also very happy. I do like to hear the surprise in a clients voice when we call out of normal working hours, which in turn puts a smile on my face!

Suzette Richardson
Bradleys Customer Services Manager

Wow! Bradleys

Last week I wrote about the perfect conditions to buy a property and I think my advice must have been taken because on Monday this week we got the new month off to a flying start with a massive 21 sales agreed in just one day! Wow is all I can say, the confidence is there and the ability to buy at a reasonable cost exists so I know we will see the recovery continue and if you are thinking of buying then don't leave it too late.

Obviously if this level of sales continues then we will need more new instructions to come on to the market and at Bradleys we have many reasons why we are voted the Best Estate Agent in the Country for Customer Service. Our Marketing is second to none and our new website is on the verge of launch which will take us to a new level. We also have great new technology being installed into all offices and the combination of all of these things will enhance our sales capability and the whole customer experience for our customers. To add to the technology we also have our fantastic Customer Services department which is open until 10.00 at night and on Saturdays and Sundays as well, to ensure we answer our customers enquiries as soon as they are made, which does give us a good head start over the other agents who go home in the evening and don't work at the weekends.

If you are thinking of selling your existing property and want it sold quickly, for a good price and appreciate good customer service then look no further, give us a call at Bradleys. But don't just take my word for that, just read what our customers have said about us at the Review site www.allagents.co.uk

Let's face it nobody does anything without first checking the reviews anymore do they?

If you found this useful or think others would please feel free to share it or like it.

Francis Marshall FNAEA
Managing Director
Bradleys Group

Is there a New Homes Boom in the West Country?

Comments such as “those homes sold quickly” or “they’re selling them as fast as they can build them” have started to creep back into everyday conversation in the West Country.

Demand for new homes throughout the South West appears to be at fever pitch when compared with the housing market for the last seven years, and in isolation, the supply and demand imbalance going into 2014 looks similar to the boom conditions of pre-2007, but with one exception. 

During the Boom, buyer demand not only outstripped the supply of new homes, but prices increased on a weekly basis.  This time round, whilst demand is good with most new homes sites reporting the majority of homes selling from plan stage, pricing has shown only modest growth over the last year with expectations in 2014 for demand to strengthen but for house prices to stay in check. 

According to Chris Baxter, Corporate Director of Bradleys Estate Agents, the  levers behind increased new homes demand are, the introduction of Help to Buy in the second quarter of last year, relatively stable interest rates on mortgages and because new homes developers HAVE to sell their product to tight deadlines, reasonably priced homes. This is likely to continue into 2014. 

Going forward, again unlike the boom of pre 2007 where almost anything sold irrespective of house type or position, this time round if the product does not fit the demand in any specific location and/or the end product is priced too high then the homes will not sell. This is a factor of the market that Bradleys can help developers with at planning stage given its extensive market intelligence on buyer trends across its network of 32 West Country Offices.

Anecdotal evidence at branch and site level also suggests that many buyers in the market place are showing a preference for a new home purchase with a home offering lower running and maintenance costs, a ten-year NHBC warranty and the reassurance that they are purchasing a home that has no on-going property chain. 

Bradleys New Homes department, which handles sales on new homes sites throughout Somerset, Devon and Cornwall, has seen a relative uniform picture of this trend going into 2014 irrespective of County or price range. There are a couple of factors on the horizon that may exacerbate the situation, one being a possible shortage of skilled labour in the house building industry and the other being any intervention by the Government or the Bank of England to adjust interest rates or impose lending constraints, although it is perceived this is highly unlikely in the run up to the 2015 election.

 

Chris Baxter 
Bradleys New Homes Director 

Free! - 23 Hours and 50 minutes

The news for the property market just gets better and better. Mark Carney has now stated that even if the unemployment threshold he set at 7% before he would consider increasing interest rates is achieved, he still won't consider increasing  rates for the foreseeable future. He has also confirmed that increases when they eventually come will be gradual and will remain lower than before the crisis. This is fantastic news for buyers and homeowners and again proves that there has never been a better time to buy. Cheap mortgages are available and so long as buyers have a 5% deposit then now is the time to buy. The Governor of the Bank Of England also confirmed that the UK economy has the strongest growth in the developed world so confidence is high and the market is set to grow further. I have said previously that nothing is spiralling out of control and the modest 3.5% increase seen in 2013 should be similar again for the South West in 2014. In the world of estate agency that just means that here at Bradleys we are actively seeking new instructions to feed the increasing supply of buyers. It is documented that 25% of sellers make a snap decision  on choosing an agent based on no more than 24 hours' worth of research. I for one, if I was one of those vendors would do myself a favour and cut the research to just a very quick 10 minute search on allAgents.co.uk to see who delivered the best customer service in my area and therefore save my self the other 23 hours and 50 minutes of research! Equally it is also well documented that 40% of vendors research and consider their choice of agent for 4 - 6 months before taking the plunge and giving their instructions. Those people will make their choice based on all the factors needed to gain a good rating on allAgents.co.uk so think how much time those people could save? Why take chances with the sale of your most important asset, trust Bradleys, the agent with a proven, tried and tested track record as confirmed by their customers. If you are thinking of selling then use allAgents to choose your agent, you can read the reviews given by Bradleys previous very happy customers, I guarantee it will save you time, money and heartache.

Francis Marshall FNAEA
Managing Director
Bradleys Group

Getting the best price for your property.

With more people viewing properties now than in the last five or six years, it is extremely important that houses for sale look their very best to maximise their value potential. Richard Greetham Director Bradleys Estate Agents makes a few suggestions on how to start.

In the US staging – preparing a property for sale - is big business. Professional staging firms clean, de-clutter, furnish, re-furnish, hang pictures and even decorate to make sure that an individual property looks, smells and feels its very best. Getting a property ready for sale sometimes costs thousands but can add tens of thousands to a sale price so is usually well worth doing.

In the UK staging hasn’t really taken off - despite the TV property programmes that show just what a difference a fresh pair of eyes and a bit of imagination can make.

But while we may not feel the need for a stager we should be aware of that vital first impression which is influenced by the cleanliness, neatness and order of a well-maintained and well-loved home when it is shown at its very best.

As we come into the spring, property selling season now is a good time to think about how your property will appear to a buyer. Your home will look more spacious with fewer things in it. Surfaces should be cleared of clutter. Also it is surprising what a difference can be made by taking away just one piece of furniture from each room. Everywhere will look so much more spacious. Give your home a deep clean and if you don’t want to do it yourself get in a good cleaning company to do it for you. As the evenings draw in get the fire going if you have one. A fire in the home is one of the basic human needs and people always respond.

Telling a seller that the look or condition of their house is not actually doing them any favours can be hard for anyone including an estate agent. It is a highly personal subject. So make it easy on yourself - ask your agent what should be done. And then follow his or her advice.

Preparing a house for sale takes practice and the understanding that more of a blank canvas is preferable, so potential buyers can build and decorate in their imaginations without the distraction of other people’s taste. So if you are selling this Spring choose an agent who is not merely going to put your home on the market but  make yours the one that’s most desired.

That is the real way to make more money from a sale - it won't come simply by adding a few thousand pounds to the asking price and hoping for the best.

For a free appraisal of your home contact you’re nearest Bradleys Estate Agents.

Richard Greetham

Director