So here we are, like a butterfly coming out of its chrysalis, well may be that is over the top a little bit but hey, it feels like we have been held captive in our own little bubble with no joy or freedom for a while now.
Some families have realised that with all the fantastic weather that we have had they now want to change up so that they have a suitable garden for them to enjoy.
Since the government stated that we could reopen our doors on Thursday 21st May, Cross Keys have been inundated with lots of leads on all kinds of properties across the board from larger flats to maisonettes, from terrace houses to detached ones but the most common theme that comes through has been that they all want to upsize either accommodation or outside space. This is the same for the rental market.
One of the consequences from spending so much time in your home is the question “Does this home work for me?” With lots of people taking the opportunity to work from home, a lot of you are considering changing up your property so that you have a dedicated office space. Some families are looking to change up so that their children can have a dedicated play room or even a room to home school.
With all that being said, I want to take some time to talk to all the vendors and landlords that are out there currently with your properties on the market or about to place your properties up “for sale” or “to let”. Consider what it is about your property that might make it appealing to the general public. Are you looking to upscale? If this is the case what can you do with your property that will make it stand out? What special features can you accentuate? The main thing to remember is that presentation is key.
According to a news article, Landlords and Vendors putting their homes on the market are being told to show off gardens in marketing photos as house-hunters search for that coveted outdoors space.
Usually most browsers have previously been interested in what the kitchens, bathrooms and interior features look like, but this period of lockdown has altered our perspectives on what is important to us and what we are now looking for according to research by the property portal Rightmove.
Unfortunately small flats just do not have the space that we now desire, combined with fact that there are so many flats and apartments currently on the market without any outside space at all, means that they are now losing out to houses which have now become more popular with the buying and rental market, especially four and even six bedroom houses.
Some house hunters are taking the decision to move further out from the town and city centres. Suburbia and further in to rural areas are proving more and more popular as these places have been purposely designed for family life with larger houses and generously proportioned gardens usually coming as standard. Many people would usually have been priced out of larger homes with big gardens, but indications suggest they are willing to accept a slightly longer commute to work in order to cast their nets wider for that more affordable and suitable property.
Some of the more sceptical elements of the press believe that this surge in demand will be short lived due to the possible financial problems that the shutdown will have on the economy in the not too distant future, however, Cross Keys are not seeing any signs of this nor do we expect to as here in the West Country, we tend to be shielded from the larger problems that the capital and other larger cities experience.
Some of the adverse effects of this lockdown has had on the public include relationship break ups, loss of employment or the 20% loss of income due to the furlough scheme which have led to the rise in rental enquiries.
Rightmove research for the BBC, based on the website’s data and a survey of 4,000 potential movers, has suggested 49% of renters and 39% of buyers have changed what they are looking for as a response to living in lockdown.
As half of those asked wanted to work from home, a third of movers wanted a better domestic workspace with good internet and a spare room now higher up on wish-lists.
Searches by buyers for homes with gardens on Rightmove were up 42% in May compared with the same month a year ago, and increased by 84% over the same period among renters.
During these unprecedented times we’ve been quietly working in the background to ensure that we minimise the disruption to our clients in both our sales and lettings departments by implementing certain aspects and features which we consider to be vital moving forward with the ‘new norm’. Here’s a quick update for you:
Video Tours – As previously mentioned, we are currently unable to conduct viewings on any of our properties as we are following the government strict advice to keep both our valued clients and our wonderful colleagues safe. This however is very inconvenient for those of you who are looking for a property during the lockdown, therefore we have taken the time to create quality, detailed video tours which we aim to be head and shoulders above the competition. This feature has assisted us to continue with some levels of activity, especially within our lettings department, in which the video tours have been vital to the numerous lets we have agreed during the lockdown. Not only do our video tours allow us to conduct ‘online viewings’, but they also help landlords who are not able to visit their empty properties be able to see that we are checking up on the property for them and it is in good order. This feature is here to stay and will be available to all of our clients as another marketing tool to generate the highest levels of interest for any property. Currently we have 38 properties available with these video tours, including our entire available letting stock and this number is growing by the day.
New Website – alongside our investment in quality video tours, we have also taken this time to reflect on our website, which has had a makeover in order to make our home www.crosskeysestates.net as user friendly as it can possibly be and to incorporate our comprehensive marketing strategies for our clients properties.
Virtual Valuations – During the lockdown we have provided a number of virtual valuations via Facetime, Skype or photographs provided in order to provide our professional Propertymark Accredited valuation service to those who need us; however we do recommend that in order for us to give the most accurate valuation and provide an in-depth account of the service available from Cross Keys Estates that we attend any property requiring a market appraisal once the government advises us that it is safe to do so. Should you require any advice with regard to the sale or marketing of your home then please do not hesitate to contact us.
Preparation for Re-opening – In anticipation for when the government’s advice is for us to return to our office we have implemented some changes in order to ensure the safety of both our clients and our team, such as moving all working stations around to ensure the 2m rule is in place at all times as well as installing hands-free antibacterial hand wash stations upon entry into our offices. We want to keep you safe!
We want to hear from you – Thanks to all of you, our wonderful clients, alongside our fantastic team we are able to move forward from these unusual times as Plymouth’s Recognised Number 1 Estate Agent and continue to support the community that we love so much! But any good business is forever looking for ways to improve, so if you have any suggestions for us, we’re all ears.
Lastly, thank you to all of our fantastic key workers, without you we wouldn’t be able to look forward optimistically about opening our doors once again!
So here we are in unprecedented times and for once everyone is in the same circumstance. This is a disease that does not discriminate against anyone at all. I do not profess to be an expert by any stretch of the imagination but I have been watching the daily updates from the government and that has been enough to keep me obeying the guidelines on everything from social distancing to how to do my shopping and more importantly how to keep our business going.
There have been many new words that this disease has created such as furlough, how many people had even heard of furlough before last month, let alone Covid19. At Cross Keys Estates we have taken many measures to to ensure that the safety and welfare of our staff and our customers comes before profit. We were the first estate agent in Plymouth to issue personal protection equipment to all our staff, here is another relatively new phrase for the masses (PPE), we issued all staff with hand sanitisers, disposable gloves and face masks. To start with, I think most of them thought it was a bit excessive but as the days and weeks have passed I am so pleased that we took this measure. We were also the first agency to close our office doors to the general public ahead of the government’s advice that followed 2 days later.
All these actions at the time seemed to be quite drastic but have now become the norm for most businesses. In the last month we have heard many upsetting stories about how devastating this disease has been for many people, weddings that have had to be cancelled, holidays, festivals, concerts, sporting events and even such things as charity events which bring in much needed money to help such good causes. I think that one of the worse things that has happened during these times is the isolation that has had to come with it, so sad to hear about families having funerals where only five people can attend, hospital patients that need the love a reassurance from family members that are not allowed to see them. We currently have a member of staff in exactly this situation and our love and best wishes are with her and all of her family.
As a result of this distancing and isolation that we have had to embrace, we have brought forward our plans for a new website. Due to come in to play in July/August time, we thought that somehow now would seem more appropriate. Our new website went live this weekend enabling us to have the extra facility of doing property video tours. Obviously we can only go to unoccupied properties at this moment in time, we have started with the properties that are available for renting and I am pleased to say that all of our vacant rental properties will have a proper video tour available to watch from this weekend onwards. Once we have got all of these live, we will then make a start on all of our sales properties that, again, are unoccupied, with the hope of getting these live by next weekend 24th April.
We have had several enquiries for potential buyers wanting to arrange viewings on some owner occupied properties. We have had to say categorically “NO” even if the owners are willing to show potential buyers around themselves, the answer is still “NO”, viewing a house is not deemed as an essential thing to do according to government guidance and we would never put either the home owner or their family nor the people viewing a property in such unnecessary risk. What we would advise to all potential buyers, is to look at our new website, take the video tour, not a virtual one with lots of different moving photos but an actual video tour starting from the front door all the way through the property. This should hopefully give you a very accurate impression of the property. If you have any further questions that you want answering, you can email them through to sales@crosskeysestates.net where one of our distance working staff will be more than happy to answer it for you, however please bear in mind that it will not be possible for anyone to actually get moved into a property until such times as the government guidelines have changed.
If you are looking to rent one of our available properties, we now have the ability to action your rental requests completely remotely, meaning that you will not need to come in to contact with anyone else and therefore complying with all guidelines set out by the government to comply with any end date to the current restrictions.
Finally, I thought I would tell you about another great thing that is happening during these difficult times. Cross Keys Estates joined forces with Fuel Catering to make a charitable donation. We gave £200 which Fuel matched. This meant that between us, we made it possible for the nursing home in Stoke Village to get many much needed freshly prepared meals. We also had a request for a Plymouth family where the husband has terminal cancer, they have three small children and all five have had to go in to self isolation for obvious reasons, making it impossible for them to get any shopping done. Together with the help of Fuel, we were able to get 20 meals to them. We later got a text from the family expressing their gratitude as life at the moment for them just does not allow them to leave the house. It was a very small thing for us to do but a massive thing for the family. It is nice to be nice in these circumstances and hopefully the whole world will look back on these times once this is all over and remember that the most important things in life are your family, your friends, your community and your sense of morality.
Well, the post Brexit bubble has definitely popped; the fatigued market has been awoken and spring is around the corner. We predicted that there would be a bounce back after the general election and we were not wrong. We have seen record breaking numbers of valuation for January and so far, February is also on track to beat all previous years.
Family houses are still the most in demand and we simply can not get enough of them, larger period family properties are proving to be a big hit as well as buyers looking for the larger size accommodation that builders have not been building for many years. Traditional is best and remains head and shoulders above modern new builds.
First time buyers are hot on the heels of families when it comes to buying three or four bed houses and the up-take form the under 30’s is a fantastic sign that 2020 will be a very good year for the housing market.
Currently there are over 500 flats and apartments available online to buy in the Plymouth area. This is having a bit of a knock-on effect for onward purchases and some sellers are now looking at renting their properties out in order to be in a position to buy on. New home builders are offering so many large incentives to entice buyers to purchase their leasehold new builds that the second hand property sellers cannot compete with this and unless they look at more competitive pricing on these homes they are remaining on the market for prolonged periods of time.
With all the new build student properties being built and with Plymouth University encouraging all first, second and third year students to use these over the traditional Victorian and Georgian house shares that are in the locality, we have seen an increase in older HMO’s (Houses Of Multi Occupancy) coming to the market. As these are no longer filled to capacity, sometime only having 50% occupancy rates, families are considering buying these city houses and refurbishing them back in to lovely family homes.
Here at Cross Keys Estates we have taken on larger numbers of higher end and fine homes since the general election than in previous months. This tells me that the market had been stagnated by the indecision of Brexit, indeed the forecasters are telling us that initial signs of an independent United Kingdom are good. Cross Keys has had its fingers crossed that this would be the case and it looks to be so.
The North of Plymouth is becoming increasingly popular with buyers now, as the end of the road improvements and the Derriford roundabout widening scheme have been completed for the higher levels of commuting traffic from the Woolwell, Roborough and Tavistock areas. Having Border Terriers, I love going out on the moors for walks and this has been made so much easier now and I can see the attraction of buying here. The new eco village is almost complete, many of our resale homes are being snapped up within days of them coming to the market.
Finally, I have to say a big thank you to all of the Cross Keys Estates customers that left reviews for us on www.allagents.co.uk ranking us the “Best Estates Agent in Plymouth” again, and also the “Best Estates Agent in Devon” and the “Best Estates Agent in The Southwest” As if that wasn’t enough, we also won the award for the “Best Letting Agent in Plymouth”as well. It has been the best start to the year that we could have wished for and we are really looking forward to what this year may bring.
As most of you dedicated readers will know, there is nothing I love more than talking about property and property issues. I am sure that I must need to find a hobby or something else to help occupy my time, which is a good link to the subject for this article.
Usually most people think that a new year must mean a new fitness regime or gym membership and most of us start with really good intentions but then find it difficult to keep it up, so here is a thought for you, what about using your home and the things in or around it to help you maintain your levels of fitness, for instance, if you have a first, second or even a third floor apartment, try using the stairs instead of the lift. If you have a garden, gardening is a really good and gentle way to keep fit and surprisingly therapeutic as well.
If like me, many of you use a local car wash, have you thought about changing it up and occasionally doing it yourself. I have seen some people using bags of sugar or filling jam jars up with water to be as weights, in general, there are a lot of things that you can be doing to try to have a less sedentary lifestyle.
I am one of those highly annoying people who gets up at 5.30 most morning and go to a spin class at my gym, thankfully it is only five minutes away but this year I intend on cycling to and from instead of using the car. I will also be trying to eat less pizza, but that might be pushing it a bit far.
So, what will the new year hold install for you, will a move be on the table? Now that we have had the general election, and it seems that the United Kingdom will be leaving the European Union on January 31st, will we see the general condition of the housing market improve? Normally, in September of each year, the housing market, sees an uplift as buyers want to be in their new homes ready for Christmas, however in September 2019, due to the fact that there was so much uncertainty surrounding Brexit and weather or not it would even happen, we did not see this uplift, indeed across the board on most of the retail markets, the uncertainty made most people hit the pause button on their plans to spend any money. Investment buyers, especially, have decided to wait as not only Brexit but also the 3% stamp duty imposed on all second home up to £125,000 or even the 5% on any second properties between £125,001 and £250,000 have certainly been one of the nails in the coffin for the (usually) flat or apartment type property market.
The term Green Shoots suggest that there are slight signs that an improvement is on its way. Here at Cross Keys Estates, we are already seeing some of those Green Shoots of recovery that now fills me with some hope that 2020 will be a more prosperous year than 2019. We left last year with a splurge of sales that lead be to believe that the general public had either had enough of the hesitancy in the market or that they think this year will be a better time for them to buy their dream property.
I, myself, am currently in the midst of looking for my forever home and I am certain that this will be the year for me find it.
Before you all cringe at the thought of late night shopping and the crowded shops, getting dark at 4pm, forgetting which relations to buy for and which ones disappointed you with their present for you last year, spare a thought for your house.
Many people take the festive season to consider if it is time to move. Some families actively look for a new home at this time as it is the only time some couples / families have off together.
If you are looking to place your home on the market over Christmas, remember these few pointers to help you market your property successfully.
- Make sure your photographs are done before you put up your Christmas decorations – If your property does not sell in the time period expected and is still on the market in the New Year, the photos will tell that the property has been on the market for some length of time.
- If your chosen agent is coming to take the photos, ensure that they are there in plenty of time to make sure that the photos are done in natural daylight – there is nothing worse than photos with all the lights on or when you look at the windows, they are all dark outside.
- Even though it is now winter conditions, your garden is another room of the property – If your outside space looks untidy or unkempt it will give the impression that you either don’t use it or that your maintenance is lacking and could lead them to have a less than positive impression of the property overall. Kerb appeal sells properties.
- Check that your gutters have not filled up with the autumn falling leaves – This could lead to overflows that can cause damp to come in to the property. Nobody likes the sound of water splattering down on you from up high. Some properties have lead lined valley gutters, if these fill with leaves and begin to overflow, the water usually comes over the lead and into the property directly causing considerable damage.
- If you have any viewings booked on your property or if you are going to view property yourself, try to get there during the daylight hours – You will see more of the property and also be able to see if there are any obvious defects which might not show up in darker evening conditions such as damp patches or staining.
- If you have a big Christmas tree, remember that it does take up a lot of space in the room – Lots of Christmas decorations tend to make rooms look and feel smaller than they really are. If you have a small property, try to keep your festive decorations to the same proportions as the room. If you have ceiling decorations they can also make the room feel lower and sometime slightly claustrophobic, also if you have low ceilings with decorations and tall people coming to view then the two don’t go together very well.
- If you are lucky enough to be able to get away for a festive break, remember to let your agent know so that they can book appointments accordingly – Another good reason not to put your wrapped Christmas presents under the tree too early as this can say a lot about your property and your plans, remember there are some not so honest people out there that will target properties that have trees with lots of lovely looking gifts under them.
- If you are moving property around the Christmas / New Year period, try to plan your packing ahead – Take it from me as one who has moved in the first week of January, trying to pack a house is difficult enough as it is let alone trying to clear up and pack away from the Christmas season. I for one don’t think that I will move again during the festive period.
- What opening hours your solicitors are working – Yes even solicitors deserve some time off over Christmas. If you have to go to your solicitors to sign any documents or to fill in any forms, remember that they may have differing opening hours to normal due to the Christmas holiday period or having staff off during this time period.
As Plymouth’s gold award winning agent for customer service, Cross Keys Estates will always be happy to advise and guide you on this journey. Buying or selling can be one of the most stressful times of your life, trying to remember all the things that you need to do, informing the utilities companies of your move, meter readings, removals, finances, redecorating that may be required, cleaning or even signing documents at your solicitors can be quite demanding as it is, but add the stresses of Christmas and family commitments to that and you might find it a bit more challenging than you initially imagined, your agent should be understanding and as helpful as can be.
For any advice or even if you just want to talk about your property or plans for moving, please feel free to give our dedicated staff a call, we are here to help.
May I personally take this opportunity to wish you all a very merry Christmas and happy, healthy and prosperous 2020.
