Another year gone and a selection of just a few of our favourite homes sold. They all had their own tale to tell and with many, it wasn’t just the house, but the vendor or the buyer’s journey that made them so memorable.
Over 2015, we’re delighted to have expanded our presence in and around Stourbridge, being instructed on even more new instructions,...
Wednesday, 16 December 2015
Friday, 4 December 2015
Another 3% to pay if you’re ready to put spare cash into bricks & mortar for the future…
Last week’s Autumn statement brought into sharp focus the government’s need to raise additional revenue without touching the Holy Trinity of income tax, VAT or national insurance contributions and at the same time not upsetting large swathes of the electorate. So with second home ownership being embarassingly buoyant in and around Westminster,...
Wednesday, 25 November 2015
Value for money isn’t about the cheapest or the most expensive… It’s all about satisfaction.
A friend of mine bought a new car recently and was wowed by the way she was looked after. It wasn’t a particularly expensive car, but the flowers that were sat on the passenger seat and the warmth of the process and a request that she promise to come back to the showroom in a couple of weeks time to let them know how she was getting on made a big...
Wednesday, 4 November 2015
It’s dull, dull dull! And that’s not just the weather forecast…
In preparing a home for marketing, a lot rides on the overall presentation that the public will see and read and its impact cannot be underestimated. I’ve frequently preached about getting the photos right, but what about the wording?
It’s easy to fall into classic ‘estate agent speak’, so it makes a refreshing change to tell it as it is and...
Friday, 30 October 2015
With the clocks going back, a few simple ideas will keep your home on form for dark nights.
I’ve been showing buyers around a few empty properties recently and even though the weather remains mild, stepping into some properties seem more like we are opening the door to a giant fridge. Old houses in particular need heating and I suggest now is the time to dust off the thermostat - an hour or two twice a day will work wonders, not only for...
Wednesday, 21 October 2015
The online Estate Agent has support, but a ‘wait and see’ service just doesn’t deliver...
With a small
fortune being spent on TV marketing, some backed by celebrity ‘property
experts’, the writing is on the wall for the demise of the traditional High
Street estate agent. Except we disagree!
For starters, a good High
Street agent knows that one of their most valuable resources is their database
of prospective buyers. The sales team...
Thursday, 15 October 2015
Success isn’t achieved by radical means, just by doing it right…
It was approaching a year on the market and their house was still for sale by another agent. With little effort being made to try anything new the couple from Quarry Bank decided radical action was needed and they asked us to take a look at the situation and come up with a plan. After a good look around, we discussed their experience to date, looked...
Thursday, 23 July 2015
Money is cheap to borrow - but for how much longer?
With the Bank of England base rate at its lowest for six years, Governor Mark Carney has indicated our economy is sufficiently robust to accept some gradual increase over the coming period. As light follows day, and bankers being bankers, one thing is certain - mortgage rates will rise! Let’s not panic though - the deals are still good compared...
Wednesday, 22 July 2015
“We sometimes wondered whose side our agent was on…”
The house selling process, stressful at the best of times - up there with death and divorce no less - means that you rely on your estate agent to do the right thing, steer you wisely and advise what’s best for you. So here’s the rub - in the course of discussing client’s past experiences, I often hear the phrase "we sometimes wondered whose side...
Friday, 19 June 2015
Supply and Demand - take control and don’t hope for the best!
Read any news article and property-wise they are all making the same point - lack of supply has a direct impact on raising property prices. What has this got to do with me you may ask? During our market appraisals, we frequently hear the comment ‘We’re ready to move, but we won’t go on the market until we find the right house to buy!’ And who...
Friday, 12 June 2015
It’s not always what you know - in house selling it’s who you know!
When it comes to selling your home, there are basics that your agent must address to provide you with the best chance of finding the best buyer in order to sell at the best price. Thoughtful...
Friday, 5 June 2015
Most People think that ‘Help To Buy’ is Just for First Time Buyers or New House.
It’s a really natty Government backed scheme, enabling people with a relatively small deposit an opportunity of getting access to many more mortgage products at much better rates. If you have a 5% deposit (or more) and are looking to buy a home for less than £600,000, the Government will up to 15% of the loan – How good is that?!!
For more information...
Friday, 29 May 2015
Now that you’ve sold, if time is of the essence - read on…
With your buyer in place, deal done and all that worry over with - the rest is a breeze. Except, that it might just have been the easy bit…! After our sales memorandum rattles your letterbox, it’s the turn of your solicitor to send an even larger bundle. Like War & Peace, it’s lengthy, you may not like it or read it in one go, and thank goodness,...
Friday, 22 May 2015
Get it wrong - and a picture really will paint a thousand words…
A book showing the very worst efforts of estate agents to photograph homes did the rounds recently and hugely entertaining it was too. Extreme examples perhaps, but unlikely to help sell the houses. Don’t underestimate the power of the image though on high definition screen, in the agents window or newspaper advert. That two second glance could...
Friday, 15 May 2015
The public were holding their breath last week - now we’re on the up!
As a seasoned veteran of many an election outcome, my wise colleague Mr Allan commented last week that we were enjoying a “stable, vibrant and positive property market”. Following a resoundingly positive result at the polls, there’s no doubting the impact of the public’s desire for continuity and growth in the economy which we...
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