Holloway, London; Wetherby, Yorkshire and St Johns Wood in London
Each month we visit three agents across the country to discover what is happening in their businesses and local markets. This month we meet members of The Guild of Professional Estate Agents in Holloway, London; Wetherby, Yorkshire and St Johns Wood in London.

HOLLOWAY, LONDON
TONY LINDESAY, FNAEA
Drivers & Norris
2016 started with a bang, as demand for sales and lettings in the area far outstripped supply. Both rents and house prices have increased this year by about five per cent versus the same period in 2015 and Holloway still offers excellent value for money in London’s Zone 2. This demand has meant that even longer-standing instructions have sold. As the year progressed however, Brexit undeniably had an effect on property locally, as uncertainty kicked in. In fact, July and August this year was the quietest couple of months for new applicants we have ever experienced. Thankfully however, nerves seem to have steadied since then and sales especially have picked up and are now heading back to earlier levels.

Situated midway between Islington’s fashionable Upper Street and well-heeled Highgate, the delights of up-and-coming Holloway are increasingly being enjoyed by young professionals with healthy deposits. They are attracted by the relative affordability of this cosmopolitan North London area which also offers a diverse range of eateries, hipster watering holes, great entertainment and perhaps most famously, The Emirates football stadium.
Accommodation in Holloway typically comprises attractive Victorian terraces interspersed with new-build infill blocks of flats. We see studio and one bed starter flats typically going for around £360,000 and decent sized two beds are upwards of £500,000.
The area is popular with families who can still have a sizeable terraced house, with a fair sized garden for just shy of £1m. At the very top end, large detached Victorian villas complete with all the designer ‘bells & whistles’ go for more than £3m and still sell very quickly. Local residents have a large Waitrose and M&S on Holloway Road. There are also super parks and schools nearby.
Buy-to-let in the area is still strong, consistently delivering annual yields of between four per cent and six per cent, which is good for Zone 2. Rents are also still manageable, averaging around £1,200 per month for a one bed or £1,550 for a larger unit much favoured by flat-sharing students from London Metropolitan University, which is located along the Holloway Road.
As North London’s oldest estate agency, we provide the best of old-school service, with a thoroughly 21st Century data-driven twist. Insight from our unparalleled data bank of local knowledge is applied across our multi-disciplined, collaborative practice that also includes Auctioneers, Chartered Surveyors, Commercial & Residential Agency and Property Management, ensuring that Clients always get “property and so much more.”
WETHERBY, WEST YORKSHIRE
KEN BIRD, MANAGING DIRECTOR AND OWNER
Renton & Parr
Renton & Parr is a proudly independent estate agent based in Wetherby West Yorkshire, established in the market town for over 66 years. Specialising in the sale of both town and country properties we have assisted thousands of clients move home over the last six decades, some several times over.

We have experienced many different market conditions both good and bad and responded accordingly. 2016 has regularly seen us rated Number 1 with Rightmove for instructions and property sales and for two consecutive quarters Number 1 for sold boards in our postcode areas, by independent analysis.
Properties in Wetherby and Boston Spa in particular have been much sought after this year, aided by having access to an excellent mix of amenities including schools, shops, bars and cafes as well as transport networks to surrounding commercial centres and further afield.
Demand generally has been outstripping supply especially in the £200,000 to £500,000 price range and the more unusual properties in good locations. Resulting in many properties selling above guide prices by sealed bids.
There has been much discussion on the impact of Brexit. Locally the market rallied quickly after the June referendum and was very much business as usual with sales in Q3 up 29 per cent on both Q1 and Q2. The most positive impact on the market has been a number of new build sites (with several more in the pipeline) proving popular with local sellers downsizing from family homes that they have occupied for 30 or 40 years. What the impact will be in 2017 remains less certain.
Our lettings department continues to grow from strength to strength with demand from tenants unabated for quality homes of all types, with average rents of £1300 pcm.
Competition for vendor’s instructions remains fierce and we continue to embrace modern technology to support our core strengths of excellent local knowledge and professionalism together with passion to deliver the best possible customer experience.
ST JOHN’S WOOD, LONDON
DARREN RICHARDS
The Estate Company
St John’s Wood is probably one of the most famous areas in London, known for its stunning architecture, multicultural community and its geographical position (only moments from the open spaces of Regents Park and a short Journey into Central London), not to mention the zebra crossing where The Beatles once crossed the famous Abbey Road.

2016 has been a challenging year for sales but there is still a lack of property on the market, which is keeping prices at a high level, and being the affluent area that St John’s Wood is, sales are only taking place as and when vendors achieve their target price.
On the plus side, it has been a good year for the rental market, due to St John’s Wood seeing many young professionals flock into the area. In addition, the Development team have sold a number of sites in and around Central London to developers who are convinced it will only be a matter of time before the London property market picks up again.
At The Estate Company, we specialise in sales, rentals, management and investments/developments covering not only St Johns Wood but also Maida Vale/Little Venice, Marylebone, Hampstead, Belsize Park, Primrose Hill and West Hampstead, with property prices ranging from £500,000 to £10,000,000 and over, and lettings from £350 per week to £20,0000 per week plus. Our average sale price is in the region of £1,500,000, and rental price is around £850 per week, with offers received for every one out of five properties that are shown.
The Estate Company has a reputation for employing experienced staff with excellent knowledge of the local areas, and who are at the professional end of the business.
I am confident that 2017 will be a hugely successful year for The Estate Company, as we build upon our success of the previous years.
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