Doug Crawford
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Latest property news
Shieldpay set to transform moving day
A new digital mortgage processing scheme launched by conveyancing firm My Home Move and the escrow account specialist Shieldpay, promises to ‘transform moving day’...
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Leading conveyancing firm MyHomeMove snaps up rival
Leicester-based Conveyancing industry giant MyHomeMove just got bigger following its purchase of rival Advantage Property Lawyers, based in Leeds. MyHomeMove, which claims to be the largest conveyancing services firm in the UK and has relationships with all the key corporate and many independent estate agents, says the two businesses will now employ 1,000 people. The company says the acquisition will double its volume of completions from 50,000 a year to 100,000 or 3 per cent of the market. Nearest rivals Its nearest rivals are Countrywide Conveyancing Services, part of the Countrywide Plc group and O’Neil Patient. All three companies are competing within a market that’s both fragmented, featuring 4,000 players, but also experiencing increased demand. The conveyancing market expanded by five per cent year-on-year during 2016 to a record high of 1,077,959 completions, according to consultant Search Acumen. “We acquired APL because of their size, reputation and long standing relationships with a number of significant introducers, which will complement our own strengths,” says Doug Crawford, CEO of MyHomeMove (pictured, above left). “APL is a superb brand managed by a strong team who I look forward to working alongside as we continue to revolutionise the customer experience of conveyancing through further…
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Property prices: Are TV series worth all the drama?
When a TV drama announced that it’s going to film in an area, it can be exciting for local estate agents and good for property prices. Or at least that’s the theory. As well as the thrill of famous actors mooching about the local area during filming, the saturation media coverage that a famous TV show brings can only be good for business, agents often hope. Recent examples include Broadchurch starring David Tennant and Olivia Coleman (pictured, above), which was filmed on the West Dorset coast; Poldark in Cornwall, Wiltshire and Bristol; and Downton Abbey in Oxfordshire. And for those longer in the tooth, there’s Inspector Morse in Oxford, the Midsomer Murders in Buckinghamshire and Heartbeat in and around Whitby. But does such televisual fame really help make areas more popular with house hunters? Conveyancing firm MyHomeMove.com reckons it does. After crunching Land Registry data the company says popular shows add between 1.2% and 6.6% more to local house values in surrounding areas within a year of the highest ratings for a show. Period dramas “What is particularly interesting in the findings is the correlation between period dramas and the locations they are filmed in,” says Doug Crawford, CEO of…
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RIBA House of the Year: Murphy House
The RIBA House of the Year has been awarded to the best new house designed by the British architect Richard Murphy.
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Only 4% of new builds are affordable, says conveyancer
It has been revealed that only 4% of all affordable homes sold in England are new builds. Conveyancing services firm MyHomeMove looked at all property transactions under the £125,000 zero percent Stamp Duty threshold between January and September this year and found that just 3,841 new homes were sold out of a total of 100,656. Doug Crawford, CEO of MyHomeMove, says he doubts whether the government can deliver its affordable homes promises of 40,000 units made in the recent Autumn statement, as so few new homes are being built that can be classed as affordable. “From our own research we know that two thirds of people believe affordable housing should cost less than £120,000,” he says. Some of the figures will make for grim reading for Housing Minister Gavin Barwell. In Berkshire, Herefordshire, Surrey and London only 1,544 properties were sold for less than £125,000 of which just 57 were new builds. The research also reveals the three areas where the most affordable homes, and new homes, were sold. These are Manchester, West Yorkshire and the Midlands, reflecting a strong north/south divide in the figure. The further south you go the fewer affordable homes of any kind are found for sale.…
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