It looks as if summer might finally be here with some very welcome sunshine, can we expect a big improvement in the property market now?

Although sales and general activity in June were well up on last year, as we moved into July there was a slight drop in sales.  This was due to both the election and the football. Inflation has stayed low, and with the promise of interest rate cuts in either August or September there is every promise of a surge in the housing market. In addition, asking prices fell slightly in June and whatever your politics we have a great deal of certainty going forward.

In short, the coming months will be a very good time to move, average five-year mortgage rates are about 4.9% with strong competition amongst lenders.

If you would like help with your sale, purchase or mortgage, please do contact us.

The residential property market has been steadily improving month by month since January. This has continued into June where we are seeing an increase in both properties coming onto the market, and sales being agreed. The Election should have little or no effect, despite warnings to the contrary.

The lettings market continues to race ahead with sometimes up to 100 enquiries for attractive properties. If you are thinking of letting contact us for the latest advice on rents as they are still rising.

Two of the most searched features for properties are garages and gardens, the former are very important to city dwellers, but gardens are important to all.

Now that we are starting to see more and more sunny days it is important for sellers to show gardens at their very best, neatly maintained, full of colour and with plenty of photographs.

Hopefully following some of the wettest first four months of the year we can now look forward to some sunshine. A well-maintained garden is very important for a successful sale so now is the time to get outside to spruce everything up, mow the lawns, cut the hedges, and dig out the weeds from the flower beds.

There is increasing confidence that interest rates will start to come down in June with more and more homes being listed for sale. This is giving an ever-increasing selection for interested buyers, and with fixed rate mortgages also starting to fall renewed confidence in the housing market is starting to build.

At the same time many leading figures in the property industry are now forecasting price rises this year and next year having only foretold doom previously. It would appear a very good time to start looking for a new home.

It is springtime in the UK and there is nothing but good news.

Wages are rising, the economy is growing, inflation is falling, and interest rates will shortly be going down too, current forecasts put them at 3.5% by the end of next year.

The sun is shining as we move into much warmer weather and there are more and more properties coming onto the market for sale and to let, giving the widest possible selection.

There has never been a better time to consider moving.

Spring officially begins this year on March 19^th, but the daffodils are already with us. Spring traditionally marks a noticeable improvement in the property market, and it is likely this year will be no exception.

There is plenty of good news to be found with an improving economy and talk of falls in interest rates. Therefore, it is a very good time to consider selling, a little bit of sunshine would help as well.

The latest statistics from Rightmove indicate asking prices are creeping up again, so good news all round.

After a surprisingly strong January the housing market continues to grow, with more and more properties coming to the market providing an ever-widening selection of homes for sale.

Now is the perfect time to put your property up for sale as we approach the spring market.

Reports from both Rightmove and OnTheMarket confirm the current improvements with inflation, and interest rates all forecast to fall in the coming months. There are already some very attractive five-year mortgage rates available.

The letting market also continues the strong growth of last year with a better selection of available properties.

Welcome to the January Newsletter

January brings a New Year and renewed optimism for a much better property market than last year.

Prices did fall last year although by a smaller margin than many expected. In fact, prices are now 10% higher than they were two years ago, so there is every reason to be positive.

Latest reports indicate an increase in the number of properties coming to the market so over the coming weeks there will be a much better selection of available properties. With mortgage rates positively plummeting now is a very good time to consider selling.

The Letting market remains very buoyant and rental prices are still rising but tenants are becoming more discerning, and landlords are advised to make sure their properties are in good order before letting.

Welcome to the December Newsletter

The property market in December traditionally tends to be much quieter as families start to concentrate on Christmas, and this year is no exception.

This then transforms for the 10 days after Boxing Day with a dramatic increase in on-line enquiries for property as people start to formulate their plans for the next year.

We also see a plethora of forecast at this time for the new year and the most recent ones suggest that house prices will remain much the same for the first half of next year.

There are also some indications that the frenetic rental market is cooling, and we will see a more steady growth in rents.

Welcome to the November Newsletter

The property market over the last month has been surprisingly busy after such a slow summer.

A good choice of properties have been coming onto the market and sales have held up very well.

 Pricing remains absolutely critical, if you over price a property it has no chance of selling and you waste those very valuable first few weeks of marketing. Various price reductions have borne this out with homes selling very quickly after substantial price reductions.

The letting market continues to boom with most homes letting within days of coming to the market at ever increasing rents.

 The market will go much quieter in the coming weeks as we lead up to Christmas but then goes very busy from Boxing Day.

The housing market remains mixed with some properties selling readily and others struggling to attract interest. The normal autumn surge in the housing market has not been seen and pricing remains critical.

If a property is seen to be overpriced it will not sell. A property will attract the most interest in the first two weeks of it being on the market, this time will be wasted if it the price is too high.

Interest rates did not rise at the end of September and there is now hope we have seen the last of the increases and can look forward to rates falling next year.

The lettings market continues to boom with several applicants going after each property as it comes on the market.  As a result, rents are continuing to rise with increases in the last year of around 10%. Rental property does now make an excellent investment with very good returns providing it is fully funded.

Welcome to the September Newsletter.

After the summer months the housing market has shown steady improvement as we now move into the autumn.  More homes are coming to the market and more homes are selling, providing sellers are realistic with their pricing.

The rental market continues to boom with high levels of enquiries for a limited stock of available properties.  Landlords of older property have had some good news with the Government’s requirements to improve properties on the back of climate change and the level of the EPC’s has now dropped.

Welcome to the August Newsletter.

The housing market in July proved to be quite challenging after the 0.5% interest rate rise at the end of June followed by another 0.25% in July.  Now we are in August there are signs of an improvement.  There is a feeling interest rates have peaked, and some lenders have indicated they will reduce rates soon.

Although prices have fallen there are signs of returning confidence to the market with a good selection of homes being offered and attracting good levels of interest.

We can look forward to a more buoyant September market.

Welcome to the July Newsletter.

June is always seen as one of the peek months for home selling.  We have had some lovely sunny weather, gardens are in full bloom and it does seem a very good time to buy. 

Mortgage rates have risen again, but now inflation is coming down we have hopefully seen the last of rate rises, and perhaps they might even fall later this year.

There is a larger and better selection of houses for sale than we have seen for many years so it is a very good time to start looking.

Welcome to the June Newsletter.

We have seen a real improvement in the property market in May with enquiries and viewings well up, and a steady increase in sales.  Prices are down from their peak last year, but we have still seen a considerable increase over the last two years. 

Above all, the sunshine is here and that always helps with selling houses.

Welcome to the May Newsletter.

After a difficult April the housing market has finally started to pick up over the last week as we go into May.  Sales were down in April and in many areas, prices have now been reduced by 10% since the beginning of the year.

The Coronation this weekend will give everyone a chance to celebrate and now the weather is improving it looks like May will be a very good month for the housing market.

Welcome to our March Newsletter.

The improvement in the housing market that we saw in February continues. It is particularly pleasing that we are starting to see a lot more properties coming to the market, giving buyers a much better selection.

Sales prices are a little mixed with lower priced properties selling readily at asking prices. Above that, clients are usually having to sell below the asking price.  There are however one or two hotspots where very expensive properties are still in heavy demand.

Welcome to our February Newsletter.  After a slow start to the year there are clear signs that the residential property market is picking up.  This was helped by the better weather at the end of January.

A lot more homes are coming onto the market to give a better selection, plus viewings and sales are steadily increasing. Prices have fallen a little in some areas but not at all in others.

The rental market continues to boom with demand for houses at its highest level and with rates rising.

Welcome to our December Newsletter.  Despite the weather being somewhat unkind lately with an excess of rain, we are still seeing lots of interest in the property market.

December is generally the quietist month of the year but the period between Boxing Day and the 8^th January is the busiest for enquiries on the main portals Rightmove, Zoopla and OnTheMarket.  This is therefore a good time to make sure your property is available.

Welcome to our November newsletter, we have a very seasonal article for you as well as news on popular places to live and our Christmas competition.

The property market always goes a little quieter at this time of year, but with all the political goings on this is somewhat earlier than usual. Things will return to normal in the new year and we expect so will the property market. It will be something for us all to look forward to.