The Property Sales People

Someone said the other day that they hadn't had anything new to read on my blog for a while. After I told them they should get out more I realised that I was just building up a head of steam!   This week has been exasperating. For estate agents all over the UK that is probably an understatement and I think even my favourites in Government might have something stronger to say about the way the country's lenders have responded to being bailed out by the tax payer i.e. you and me.   To step away from the 'Big Picture' for a moment my exasperation has been caused by so called fellow professionals at a local level.   We have sold a development of high specification 2 bedroom apartments in a very central location, all bar two plots. Our client told us to get them sold and I found a first time buyer prepared to pay £120,000. This offer was duly accepted on a property where similar apartments had sold between £184,950 and £190,000 in the last 9 months. I make that a reduction ...

Do we need to say more? Only Ely agent with a satisfaction score! (8.8/10) Printed from OEA website 8 September 2008

Today has made me certain, if it was ever in doubt, that there are only two 'professions' worse than estate agents. Media journalists and politicians.   That fumbling idiot today announced with great fanfare the abolition of Stamp Duty for 12 months up to the sum of £175,000. Just a few first time buyers may save themselves a few pounds but I suggest that in the main it's more of this government's 'Spin' – something it really does know how to do well.   By refusing to make a proper comment earlier in the summer he probably cost the jobs of thousands of people employed not just in the property industry but all those trades and manufacturers that follow on its train. A stalled property market was given another reason for buyers to wait and see what the great announcement would be.   So now we have the announcement only to find that hardly anyone in the UK will benefit so the delayed purchases, caused by the inept leak and fumbled comment, were all for next to not...

Over the last 14 days my office on Market Place has been going through a transformation and building works will continue for a little while yet.   About 5 years ago, when the market was starting to get warmed up and lots of money was sloshing about the banking system looking for a home, we decided to take on more staff and expand the premises into what was the launderette at No.22.   Well ,all good things come to an end and I have now reversed that expansion. This has been in response to a number of factors but in the main due to the severe downturn in the market , my landlord conducting a rent review (this means putting it up thousands of pounds) and also down to the place where estate agent meets buyers/sellers is increasingly 'on the web' these days, rather than face to face in an office situation.   There is a new tenant in No.22 from about the end of August and I won't steal their thunder by announcing who they are just yet! Pass by and they are actually trading now.  ...

This week I went to give some marketing and pricing advice on a two bedroom modern ‘cottage’ in Sutton which we had sold from new to the now owners when they were first time buyers. Nothing unusual in that you might say but, apart from the very well presented interior and the larger than average rear garden this excellent starter home concealed a secret! Our clients are accountants and are emigrating to Australia but unfortunately have to leave behind their pride and joy in the rear garden. Following a course at Hugh Fearley-Whittingstall’s River Cottage they returned to Sutton to build their clay oven. ( http://www.rivercottage.net/ and http://www.rivercottage.net/Events 37~16/BuildandBake.aspx ) They have enjoyed superb stone baked pizza from their wood-fired oven which has to be protected from the rain or it will dissolve back to it’s constituent parts! Equally it can be used for roasting meat and grilling fish. The Inghams intend to build another when they are settled in Austral...

I've been pleasantly surprised by the number of people who have said to me "...oh, yes, I read that on your blog"! There was me thinking that I was writing without an audience. One of the questions I get asked most often is how I lost the weight and subsequently lost the title of 'Ely's Chubbiest Estate Agent'. It is all down to the Cambridge Diet which you can find out about here http://www.cambridge-diet.com/newccinfo/19809.html Bev, the local councellor for Cambridge Diet, is a lady with a very positive and sunny personality who helped me get there. Anyway, enough about diets. The media is full to bursting with stuff about 'belt tightening', 'recession', 'price crashes', 'profits warnings' and 'redundancies'. This is not a market place for the faint hearted. The one area of the industry that is experiencing superb levels of growth is residential lettings as is our newly established lettings and management department. ...

In today’s challenging sales market it is more important than ever to make sure you price your home as accurately and competitively as possible. No doubt you will have had it’s marketing price appraised by more than one estate agent, but did you actually appraise how their figures were arrived at? Today’s agent has more tools available for arriving at an accurate figure than ever before but a recent statistic from the country’s leading property website, Rightmove, shocked me. Every agent advertising on the site has access to a tool called ‘Best Price Guide’ which enables agents to compare the property they are going out to look at with similar properties that are or have been advertised by themselves plus all other agents. The properties may be sold subject to contract, for sale or withdrawn. Another feature is the Land Registry recorded sale price. You would have thought that this section of the website would have been suffering from server overload in these difficult times but a Righ...