I love Christmas and always have done. Normally I go over the top and try to make everything perfect at home and at work. I always think back to when I was growing up, my mum and dad would do absolutely everything to make sure we always enjoyed the festive season.

It sounds idyllic but the house was always decorated to within an inch of its life, food was plentiful and there was always lots of presents under the tree (I still believe that Santa had a lot to do with the presents though), most of all the house was always filled with love.

I know that not everyone has such a fantastic time and I am fully aware that for some people, Christmas can be very difficult for many, many reasons. Covid-19 and especially this newer Omicron variant have certainly played a big part in this year’s celebrations.

It seems strange to think that taking lateral flow tests or going for a PCR test are now part of our daily routines. I have friends and family affected by these things like my dad, who has just had an operation, so has had to be careful not to get any form of illness especially Covid, or his operation would have been cancelled.

Another friend needs to see a family member in a care home and has to ensure that he is safe, so he takes a flow test every day. We recently had a party at our house for a select few friends, we asked all of the guests to take a lateral flow test prior to coming to ensure that the event could take place with a real sense of security. 

I managed to do most of my Christmas shopping online this year, not as a preference but as a precaution. I had to go in to the city just once in the build up to Christmas and I will admit it was not a pleasant experience, it felt suffocating and isolating having to wear face masks and not being able to read people’s expressions as their faces were covered, it also felt uncomfortable to see some people not wearing masks (I know that there are some people that are exempt), but without wearing their lanyard or badge to show this, it caused a sense of worry.

When you hear that the Queen has cancelled her family Christmas celebrations you have to ask whether this virus will ever let us have a normal life again?

Going in to 2022 feels like going in to the unknown again. Will pubs and clubs be forced to close over the New Year celebrations? Will sporting events have to be held behind closed doors? Will theatres and concerts have to be cancelled or rescheduled (yet again)? The biggest question that is worrying everyone is will we need to go into another lockdown? 

The housing market has seen a bit of a boom during these Covid days, as home owners are now looking for bigger and better homes to live and to work in. Houses are being snapped up as soon as they come on the market and rental properties are in the highest demand for a decade.

Interest rates have been at their lowest for a long, long time, even with the quarter percent rate rise, borrowing is still cheap. Combine this with the fact that most people have stated that this year they have not spent nearly as much on Christmas, holidays, clothes, concerts or anything else as they normally would have, makes me wonder if we might see another New Year house buying boom.

At Cross Keys Estates, we introduced a new customer portal called PropertyFile. This is a clear online window for a seller to see what marketing has been done for their property and what viewings have been booked, as well as what the feedback from these viewings was.

If you are a landlord, this portal will show you all actions that are related to your rental property such as any maintenance issues, inspection reports, viewings, feedback, marketing and what offers to rent have come in. In short, this portal gives you direct access to see what your agent is doing for you and has already proved hugely popular with our existing clients.

So far over the last four years, Cross Keys Estates have seen an increase in the levels of business for the first quarter of each year, but this year we have also seen the closure of several well known and established estate agents. These closures could be due to the increased pressure from the online agents and this has also resulted in agents having to lower their fees whilst the running cost for estate agents have increased year on year.

I go back to my previous comment about going in to 2022 as entering the unknown; Cross Keys Estates finish their second decade as a leading force in Plymouth’s housing market. I am confident that if you decide that this is the year that you move, you could not be in better hands than that of the award winning Cross Keys team.

Please excuse the brash and somewhat self-indulgent title but when you have won the awards that Cross Keys Estates has over the years, it does give you the right to shout about it from the roof tops. AllAgents is our industry’s version of Trip Advisor, which gives its readers a fascinating insight into how well an estate agent looks after its sellers, buyers, landlords and its tenants. I will admit that being an estate agent is a great choice of career and gives me a bit of a kick to be able to read what clients are saying about other estate agents, as well as the phenomenal comments that we receive personally.

Society today seems more than happy to take to their keyboards when they feel aggrieved or have had a bad service, quite often they get referred to as keyboard warriors, but why do we chastise them for leaving negative reviews or comments? Surely if a company does exceptionally well in customer service, they deserve to be recognised for it and have the opportunity to use this as a marketing tool to help inform possible future clients what type of service is on offer from that company. This is exactly the same for negative reviews, if a company falls below the expectations of its clients or its contractual agreement then surely this person has the right to let other possible clients know that the service that was given was certainly not at the level of service that was promised to them.

If you click on AllAgents you can read the wonderful reviews from hundreds of our satisfied clients, you can even read a couple from clients that were not so happy but on this I can say at least they are very few and if I had to defend against them I would have to also say that they offer a bit of balance, but they are there, so please feel free to form your own opinion from what you read. It is based on these reviews that we have won the “Best Estate Agent in Plymouth” Award for the last four years on the trot. We have also won “Best Letting Agent in Plymouth” for the last three years as well as “Best Estate Agent in Devon” and “Best Estate Agent in the Southwest”

Four of our team drove all the way to Leeds to take part in the award ceremony. They left Plymouth in the wee early hours, stayed in the newly refurbished Queen’s Hotel, booked to get their hair, nails and make up done, put on their superb posh attire, ate some great food, had a few cocktails and almost swept the board for awards for this region, which were presented by Amanda Lamb. Winner, winner, chicken dinner. After a good night sleep, they came back to Plymouth with a glut of awards. To say, as their Managing Director, that I am so proud of all of our team is such an understatement.

Since winning the awards (again) we have been plastering them all over social media and trying to encourage as many people as possible to like and share the information on their social media. As the old saying goes, the best form of advertising is a good recommendation, not only are we trying to grow our reputation, but we also want to get more and more people to read the reviews of any of the other local agents that they are considering using to sell or rent their properties.

As most people only move once every ten years, keeping up with the who’s who of the house moving industry is not an easy thing. Most assume that the agent who has the most property on their books or the agent that is offering unbelievable pricing must be the best, but this is not necessarily the case. There are a few new websites that have popped up claiming to put you in touch with the BEST estate agent in your area. What you may not realise is that they only promote agents that are willing to pay either a joining fee for these websites or who agree to pay away a percentage of any agreed fees with any new clients that they put to the agent. This clearly does not mean that they are putting you with the BEST, just ones that are willing to pay for these websites to call them the best. At AllAgents you get to see the real reviews from genuine clients, not bought reviews, not reviews from corporate offices that are not even on your area but 100% bona fida honest reviews from people who have been in the same place you possibly are when it comes to deciding who will be the best agent for you.

Since we established Cross Keys two decades ago, we have grown organically based on the same foundation of good honest advice and service. If you are looking at a possible move at any time in the future, please look at AllAgents to make sure you get the right agent for you.

So here we are again, Halloween is just around the corner and there are Christmas adverts on the television already. Buyers are trying their best to buy properties to be moved in to by Christmas, companies are organizing much missed office festivities and life does seem to be back to the way it was prior to the pandemic hitting us. Even though it may seem and feel familiar to days gone by, there are a few changes that we are having to live with and incorporate in to our lives thus making things the new norm.

Stamp duty, or the lack of it, up until recent weeks, has been a major driving factor for the huge growth in both property values and property sales. The original stamp duty holiday was due to end on March 31 2021. However, Mr Sunak decided to extend the deadline until October, opting for a more phased approach. The rate of stamp duty which applies to your purchase depends on the date that you complete your property purchase and not the date that you exchanged contracts.

From March 31 to June 30 2021, buyers paid no tax on the first £500,000 on a property in England and Wales. Buyers could have saved up to £15,000 in tax thanks to the holiday. From July 1 to September 30, the threshold was tapered down to £250,000 which means no stamp duty is paid on a residential property bought for up to this amount. October 1^st saw the nil rate band return to the standard amount of £125,000 and for first time buyers, this is set at £300,000.

In my opinion the other reasons for this unprecedented bolstering in the market has simply been life style and the way in which it has changed for everyone. Previously people bought a property because they thought it would be a great fit for their lifestyles, but when you think back our way of living has changed. Previously we woke up, showered, maybe grabbed breakfast, ran out the door either to work or to school. We came home late in the afternoon or early evenings, walked the dog, cooked dinner, did some homework or housework, maybe watched Coronation Street, Emmerdale or EastEnders and retired to bed only to repeat this pattern again day after day after day.

With the Lockdowns came an enforced new way of living. We found we had time, time that previously been taken away from us with the daily commute, the school run and doing the weekly shop. What could we do with this new found luxury? We baked, we learnt a new skill or even a new language, we did a lot of gardening, some of did a little bit more drinking than previously and some did the opposite and took up fitness and well being tasks. Our homes became our work places, our classrooms, we created man caves and hobby/crafting rooms. Lots of us made bars at home, had virtual diners or quiz nights with friends that we couldn’t physically be with. In short, the need of our homes changed, we required them to be more than a place to eat, sleep and clean.

Our homes now needed to be all things to all people and this is where a lot of people realized that they needed more and in some cases much more from their homes. As a result of this thinking, buyers are now looking to future proof their new homes, if they only needed two bedrooms previously, they are now looking at 3 or 4 bedroomed properties, if they had a courtyard before now, they are looking for a garden, if they had a garden, they are now looking for bigger gardens and so on and so on. This has inevitably led to property prices going up sharply as has the demand for them. The larger and usually more expensive properties are now the ones with the most interest from buyers and since lending is at one of its cheapest rates ever, borrowing does not seem to be as much of an issue as it has been previously. With us not being able to go out, travel, dine or shop, a lot of us have managed to save up for good deposits.

From 1918 up to 1920 we had the Spanish flu and after this came the roaring 20’s. Could we be seeing history repeating itself even if it is in a slightly reduced way?

I will end with this, here at Cross Keys Estates, we are selling more properties within the first few days of marketing than ever before and most of them are exceeding their asking prices by quite some way due to the current demand.

If you are thinking of selling or if you simply want to know the current value of your property, please do not hesitate to give one of our qualified and experienced members of staff a call.

I have written many an article for various publications over the last 20 years so I thought it was high time that I wrote a blog based on one of my biggest passions in life, gardening.

Yes I am an estate agent so I write a lot about all different aspects of the property market and houses in general but the garden is one of the biggest rooms that you have in your property. There are so many benefits to gardening that people just don’t realise such as exercise, which gives you stress relief, clean air and a great sense of achievement once tasks are completed.

Another benefit from having a good garden is the added value that it puts on your property. If I have learnt anything from this pandemic that we have all endured, it’s having an outside space to go in to is a real blessing. More and more of our buyers are specifically looking for properties that have good outside areas whether it be a balcony, courtyard or sprawling gardens. The better the garden is presented then the more attractive that is to potential buyers.

Now I’m not underestimating the amount of work, time and money that it takes to create a lovely garden but I really cannot stress how important it is as part of your lifestyle or property maintenance. As a result, I have created a Facebook group “The Gardening Club” to encourage as many people as possible to join in, learn, ask questions and start discussions on all aspects of gardening from garden design to plant propagation. Please feel free to join our Facebook Group.

Having recently moved myself, I have realised just how important the garden is to me. My previous home was a lovely Victorian semi detached property in the rather urban area of Plymouth called Peverell. My garden took over two years to create and I had to start planning the garden from day one as we were doing a full refurbishment on the house, which included a large rear extension that cut into the existing garden. As I moved in to the house in early January there didn’t seem to be many plants in the garden apart from a few shrubs. When we got to March, the garden exploded with all kinds of plants in every square inch of the garden. The previous owner was obviously a massive gardening fan and did a magnificent job, however our plans for the property meant that we would have to take up nearly all the plants. I enlisted the help of my mother, who has always been green-fingered, to help me. We transplanted a few hundred plants form my garden to hers and kept around another 50 plants for me to put in our garden once the groundworks were completed, by the end of the day there was only one plant that we didn’t move, a very established and beautiful acer tree, we decided to design the garden around this tree.

At the start of the first lockdown, March 2020, the garden became a haven for Craig and myself as the weather was great and we were not allowed to go anywhere. I found myself spending hours just pottering around, weeding, taking cuttings, mowing the lawn and sitting down with a nice glass of Pinot Grigio.

Now that Craig and I have moved again (this time to our forever home) and after promising never to move over the festive period, we moved in to our new house officially on 23rd December. I will admit that this was pure and utter chaos again. Our new house comes with more garden, a lot more garden, in fact the new garden is about 50 times bigger than our previous one and comes with several lawn areas, a knot garden, a maze and a private woodland.

When we started working on the gardens. the first thing we did was tackle all the brambles and ivy that had taken over. There is a good sense of satisfaction revealing the lovely stone walls that were beneath. Now when I cut the grass it is five and a half miles (I know this as I wear my pedometer). Having such a large amount of garden also comes with a lot of responsibilities, it is our intention to make the gardens much more in keeping with the house, so far we have managed to get the gardens under control and in a manageable state, however it is certainly going to take some work (I estimate that we will need up to five years) to have the gardens the way I have imagined them.

The Gardening Club is something that I thought of a while ago, during the second lockdown, as a way to bring lots of green=fingered enthusiasts together and share ideas. Now I think that there are a lot of budding gardeners (do you see what I did there) out there who are looking for new friends to help them with advice, hacks, ideas, recommendations and even swapping plants, seeds or cuttings. I have been amazed by just how quickly people have joined the club and totally blown away by how nice, friendly and helpful the members have been. From total beginners to others who are quite accomplished at their craft.

If you are looking at a possible move, or even if it is your first property purchase, maybe consider how the outside space will work for you? Is there a garden, balcony or simply a window box that you can grow things in? If you do not have any outside space, how about trying house plants? All plants make you feel better when you know that you have grown them.

With the first two months of 2021 now over and done with, here we are in March and Spring is upon us. This time of year usually means the weather gets brighter, the sun stays out for longer and that summer is on its way… generally it’s a time associated with positivity and good things to come. In tradition this is reflected in the housing market as with the better weather and winter behind us many tend to see Spring as the perfect time to put their properties up for sale and start the process of moving, whether it be for more space inside and out, or to downsize into something more manageable. 2021 could possibly be a little different than usual given where we are in the world right now and the country just beginning to see the lockdown gradually lifted; this has of course had an effect on the property market and I’m sure there are many out there waiting for things to ‘blow over’ before making any decisions. We at Cross Keys have seen continued extremely high levels of activity right the way through from May last year once lockdown #1 was lifted until now, during lockdown #3. In the month of January alone we agreed around 60 sales… so this is evidence enough that now is not the time to hold off and if you’re thinking of selling, we advise you get the process started as at present we are still seeing record breaking prices, lots of activity and most importantly there are lots of buyers out there actively searching for their new homes!

It has now been suggested that the stamp duty holiday, something which has been instrumental in keeping the property market going during the pandemic, is likely to be extended by the government in the coming weeks. This is good news for all concerned as it will likely mean the continuation of high levels of activity and also allow those homeowners who would like to move and save money by taking advantage of no stamp duty a little more time to jump on the bandwagon and complete their sale and purchase in time. Watch this space for more news on this.

In line with the potential stamp duty holiday extension, we also wanted to help the people of Plymouth looking to move also save some money … in 2020 we decided to offer discounts on both our sales and lettings fees to our NHS Staff and Key Workers in order to thank them for all their hard work during the pandemic and lockdown. This offer was due to expire at the end of 2020, however since the pandemic hasn’t expired with the new year, neither have our discounts! Therefore, if you are a key worker and are looking to sell your home, we are continuing to offer a 50% reduction on our selling fees based on our standard rate of 1.5% plus VAT, meaning our fee will be just 0.75% plus VAT! (Subject to a minimum fee of £1,200). This includes our high quality professional photography, 2D and 3D floorplans and a video tour for your property as standard.

If you are a landlord with a property to let, we are offering 50% off of our standard Fully Managed fees for 6 months, along with a free Landlord Transfer Service to bring your property (or properties) across to us! This is based on our standard managed fee of 14%. If you are looking to use our tenant find only service, we are also offering a 20% reduction on our fee making this service just £400! Also including our high quality photography, 2D & 3D floorplans and video tours as standard.

Especially during these unprecedented times, we really want to share the love in any way we can, so these discounts are essentially a big thank you from us and a promise to help as many people as we possibly can with their moves and also make it as affordable as possible.