Northumberland, Romford & Brockenhurst local agent diaries

NORTHUMBERLAND local agent diary

AILSA MATHER
Director and Relocation Manager, Andrew Coulson

The main challenge we are facing at present is the lack of available stock in our area. There is huge demand for decent three and four-bedroom family homes, both to buy and to let, but vendors seem reluctant at present to put their homes on the market. More of our properties are going to Best Offers as there is so much interest in them. This is being driven by local families moving around the area but also people relocating to our area, due to the good schools and excellent road and rail links we have to Newcastle and Carlisle.

The Tyne Valley covers a huge area, but has very few chimney pots. We have an array of different properties in different locations, from one-bedroom flats to a farm with 60 acres, an Old Mill House and Gin Gans, as well as your usual semis, detached and terraced properties.

Another challenge we have is a fee war in our area. Three agents doing 0.5% + VAT and one agent offering to sell any home at any price for £795 + VAT. We are also up against agents who over-value to get the business. We believe in realistic valuations and give solid advice to all of our buyers and sellers. We won’t reduce our fee or put a property on the market that we think is overvalued. We do pick up a lot of business second time around when vendors have been unable to sell through the cheaper agent.

We deliver exceptional customer service, and all our staff members are independently trained and assessed guaranteeing professionalism and competence, helping people to move into their dream home with less stress as qualified staff deal with sales progression. We also have a bespoke Pre-sale Legal pack for each vendor therefore avoiding delays and legal issues at the critical selling stage.

We set ourselves apart by being different; an independent Hexham based family business. Both directors live and work in the town and both work at the coalface of the business. Our office is in a prime, central, busy retail location, with excellent footfall and passing trade. Our unique buyers and sellers lounge allows clients to browse in a relaxed atmosphere. We have exclusive national connections through Relocation Agent Network and The Guild of Property Professionals with an associated London office presenting vendor’s homes to the City. We have one office, one focus, one desire and that is to sell a vendor’s home.

BROCKENHURST local agent diary

CHRIS HAYWARD
FNAEA, Managing Director, Hayward Fox

Brockenhurst is, without doubt, one of the most popular villages within the New Forest National Park. It is well served by a good range of shops, pubs and restaurants, a primary school, college, doctors’ and dentists’ surgeries and a mainline railway station serving London Waterloo and Weymouth with a branch line to Lymington. The Georgian market town of Lymington lies four miles south whilst to the north is the busy village of Lyndhurst.

Hayward Fox is the largest independent estate agent in the New Forest and Solent coastal region with offices in Bransgore, Brockenhurst, Lymington, Milford on Sea, New Milton and Sway. An outstanding location boasting National Park status and some of the finest coastline in the UK.

In the 35 years I have been an agent here, it has always been a sought-after location. With ever improving technology and excellent rail links, the attraction continues. Being a National Park, development is very limited so supply never quite meets demand. So despite increased stamp duty, Brexit and a change in leadership, our property market has remained very buoyant.

We had a very busy start to the year in all price ranges with well priced homes selling quickly at asking prices, or very close to. We do not specialise in any area of the market, we register hundreds of new applicants each month looking in all price ranges. Our team members are all capable of handling sales of starter homes right through to country mansions. Currently we have property in our Brockenhurst office ranging from £270,000 to £3,000,000.

Everyone at Hayward Fox understands that effective estate agency is not just about bricks and mortar, it’s about people too. Buying or selling a home is one of the biggest transactions most of us will undertake in our lifetime so it is important to choose your agent carefully to guide you through every step of the way.

Our team lives, works and breathes the New Forest and Solent coastal region, with a wealth of local knowledge and expertise. We pride ourselves on being a privately owned independent estate agent with a personal, professional service and a no-nonsense approach. In 2016 Hayward Fox sold more properties in SO41, SO42 and BH25 combined than any other agent.

I am immensely proud of my dedicated teams in all of my offices who provide first class customer service for all property needs. You can trust Hayward Fox to provide an efficient, reliable and courteous service.

ROMFORD, ESSEX local agent diary

KEVAN WIMBORNE
Sales Manager, GBP Estates

The market in general has been through some fluctuating times over the past year, with many factors including the financial implications of Brexit, causing ripples of uncertainty.

However, locally, in the market we cover throughout East London and Essex, we seem to have taken all of this in our stride and there seems to have been very little or no effect on buyers wanting to move – and prices do not seem to have been affected.

We are finding the demand from purchasers to move into some of our area’s more popular locations, which include Romford, Gidea Park, Hornchurch, Collier Row and Harold Wood, are as strong as ever. For example, many people are relocating from more expensive areas of London and taking advantage of good quality housing that is more realistically priced. In addition, the increased awareness and impact that Crossrail will have, with ease of access into the City, is also helping to fuel the interest.

Presently, demand is outstripping supply. Seasonal trends are as not important as they once were – if people need to move, for whatever reason, they’re not waiting for a particular time of the year to look. This means the market is always active. Currently the lower to mid-price ranged three and four-bedroom semi-detached houses around our local areas of Havering are performing particularly well, and the upper range in areas like Emerson Park are also starting to pick up.

GBP estates work online. We also happen to run an accessible office that sellers and buyers can call into at any time. Our level of service remains dedicated and professional and more importantly, available, when our clients need us. We remain competitive and although we are always looking at new technology to improve – it’s the personal service and experience that ensures we are successful.