Buckinghamshire, Nottinghamshire and The Lake District

MARLOW, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE

Gemma Parr, Partner
Simmons & Sons
www.simmonsandsons.com

The lettings market seems to be fluctuating at the moment. From our Marlow and Henley-on-Thames branches we saw a few weeks of quiet time around springtime with little activity, however moving in to the summer months we have seen a sudden rise in available properties and applicants looking for suitable homes. Demand for larger family homes is always high as the local schools are very much popular – we are now seeing a large number of these hitting the market ready for the new school year in September.

The main focus for our Property Management department is making sure that all properties are meeting the correct ratings to comply with MEES. Most landlords seem very open to having work done where necessary, and of course tenants are thrilled that their properties will be made more energy efficient as a result. As far as we are concerned this can only be a positive and ensures that the properties we offer are up to a good standard.

Simmons & Sons are trusted property specialists with expertise in residential sales, residential lettings, commercial property, development, new homes and rural and agricultural property.

We are the only appointed members of The Guild of Professional Estate Agents for Marlow, Henley-on-Thames and Basingstoke and with our prime town centre locations and an enviable reputation for quality and service the Residential Sales and Lettings Teams at Simmons & Sons are the first choice for anyone considering buying, selling, renting or letting in the Buckinghamshire, Hampshire and Oxfordshire area.

As ARLA Propertymark Licensed Letting Agents we have qualified staff and comply with a professional code of practice. We let and manage all sizes and styles of residential property from studio apartments to large country houses and offer a comprehensive range of Residential Letting and Property Management services ensuring a trouble free tenancy for both Landlord and Tenant.

As well as being members of The National Association of Estate Agents Propertymark we are delighted to have become part of the Waterside Properties Network and are proactively looking to build our portfolio of river and lakeside homes For Sale and To Let.

We are the only agent on the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire stretch of the Thames able to offer this service.

Pictured property (above): A six bed farmhouse in the beautiful Chiltern countryside close to Swyncombe at a monthly rental of £3,950.

NOTTINGHAMSHIRE

Kirsty Keeton, Director
Richard Watkinson & Partners

Richard Watkinson & Partners celebrates 30 years this year and has seven offices in Nottinghamshire, specialising in residential, new homes, land and commercial property, from sales and lettings, to RICS valuations, development and advisory work.

We are still very much a family business, with two generations still working in the business bringing a wealth of experience to the Nottinghamshire property market. Richard Watkinson FRICS started the business from his home in 1988.

Kirsty Keeton has been in in the profession for 20 years and is RICS qualified, she says, “We are members of The Guild Property Professionals and Relocation Agent Network, both of which enhance our estate agency, not just by referrals, but with National Conferences which help us to keep abreast of market conditions.

“We believe the investment we make as a company in to these events is what has seen Richard Watkinson & Partners continue as a leading practice within the region for 30 years and able to continue to provide market leading advice to our clients.

The last couple of years have brought Brexit, a changing government, continued inflation, interest rate rises, increased stamp duty and tax implications for landlords, so why are property prices still rising? House prices across the UK increased by 5.1 per cent in 2017, according to the latest UK House Price Index and two per cent in 2018 so far, but the East Midlands was the strongest performing region with prices up 4.4 per cent year-on-year. In Newark we have seen a rise of 19 per cent in the last five years.

The market is still largely hampered by a lack of housing supply. New supply is entering the market within Newark and surrounding markets, but not at the pace to meet demand.

In the UK, we still fall short of the government target of 300,000 new homes to be built a year, last year house builders created 183,570 new homes in England. In Newark we are starting to see the new homes coming as part of the expansion plans for the land south of Newark, which has the approval of 3150 new homes and supporting facilities, this much needed urban extension will provide much needed options for home movers and increasing supply.

Pictured property (above): Hall Farm, Kneeton £1,800,000

LAKE DISTRICT

Matt Dixon MSc MNAEA, Director
Matthews Benjamin

At present our local market is unpredictable. Even office to office there are different markets. There has been a lack of instructions for some time, even though sales have been relatively strong in parts. The lower end of the market i.e. sub £500,000 appears most buoyant with the strongest and fastest sales. Viewings fluctuate month to month, although the viewers are genuine and are buying but we just haven’t been inundated. That being said, we are achieving some positive sales across the company and feel in a strong position heading further into the summer season. Its quality not quantity.

As the leading estate agent in The Lake District and sole agent affiliated with Fine & Country, we offer bespoke and unrivalled marketing services across the Lake District & North Lancashire. We are a forward thinking estate agent handling quality residential and commercial property sales in the Lake District, North Lancashire. With offices in Ambleside, Windermere, Kendal, Lancaster and Garstang, we are able to offer a comprehensive range of services and advice to a wide range of clients. With every team member having achieved or working towards a recognised training award Matthews Benjamin are well placed to offer up to the minute guidance and advice.

Our unique sales marketing approach includes that of professional photography including drone aerial images to really help capture a property and the beautiful surroundings we enjoy in our local area. We are also pleased to announce our recent expansion into lettings, meaning we now cover all aspects of the property market.

Pictured property (above): Claife View, Bowness on Windermere £517,500