Skip to main content

2009 here we come!

Just a short commentary on the start of 2009.

Most agents weren't back until the 5th of January after finishing on the 23rd or 24th of December. Don't misunderstand me, 2008 was one of the toughest years for estate agents on record so I'm not knocking anyone who took the opportunity to recharge batteries that were severely drained by the market. We were around between Christmas and New Year and a lot of the time our phones were switched through to my mobile. During the break we let two properties and since the start of 2009 it has been the rental market that has shown most life. We let 3 on Saturday 11th alone!

So, the rental market is alive and kicking strongly – for us anyway.

Sales need to get going and we have certainly arranged plenty of viewings so we are hoping for some offers to work with from 12th January onwards. Judging by the activity on our website and Rightmove there appears to be some pent up demand. In truth the lenders need to lend – then we will have a market in recovery. Not fixed, but in recovery.

I'll keep you posted!


 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

House builders discuss 95% mortgages with lenders

So the house builders and the lenders have had a meeting to discuss how they can create 95% mortgages. Basically a good thing, as you would imagine most estate agents would say. But what proportion of the housing Market is represented by new homes sales to first time buyers? Also any first time buyer who purchases a new home is then a cost to the second hand Market of who knows how many sales! If I think back 30 years my wife and I as first time buyers were providing a deposit of 10%. To do this we sold her car, saved up by not going out as much and generally committed ourselves to the task of buying our first home together. Ah, you might say, but house prices were so much cheaper then. True but my salary was just under £2,000 per annum with the prospect of perhaps another £1,000 in commission from selling at lease 6 houses per month personally. The first 4 didn't count towards commission but were to cover my costs to my employer! I personally don't think 95% mortgages are ...
3 comments
Read more

Coming soon...

The iPhone (iOS) and Android powered phones have been around for a while now and 1000's of 'apps' have been downloaded to enable users to go about their daily lives, hobbies etc.  Developers were not slow to target estate agencies and convince them that their own App was a 'must have'. I have always been resistant to their charms and pleadings as I firmly believed an agent's app was n othing more than egotistical vanity! After all, I would rant, why does anyone want to use a search tool for just my listed properties? Homebuyers are looking for their next home and they really don't care who has it for sale - that's why Rightmove has been so successful. That was until I was introduced to Paul Fuggle (rhymes with Bugle) www.gobusinessapps.com  . Paul is currently creating me an app that let's me communicate with everyone downloading it, via Push technology. I can reach out to people rather than passively waiting for them to search my website or use the ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The New Way to Market Your Property

As a truly forward thinking and independent estate agency, David Clark is proud to be the only agent in the area with an innovative online TV channel: www.clarkhomes.tv . This tool is at the forefront of our service and is the latest and most cutting edge product in property marketing. David Clark TV shows our dedication and commitment to providing the best possible level of customer service.  This revolutionary marketing tool showcases all of our properties with a high quality virtual tour, and is a method of marketing proven to be 48% more effective than traditional techniques.  What’s more, you will be able to view these virtual tours wherever you are and whenever you want, as they are accessible from a variety of devices, such as smartphones, tablets and laptops. This means that not only will you be able to search for property on the go, but if you are selling your property, you know it will be receiving maximum exposure and coverage.  “48% mor...
Post a Comment
Read more