To misquote Albert Arkwright in Open All Hours, so far it’s been a funny old year. Speaking to property buyers, sellers and agents up and down the country, broadly speaking, most seem to share our experience of the housing market over the course of the first half of 2015 in that it’s been something of a mixed bag.
We at Rural View were busy with viewing appointments right from the start of the year, even back in January and February when the housing market is usually in a state of hibernation. The spring and early summer months saw our diaries particularly full with appointments although lately this has been a little more erratic with some days being fairly quiet whilst with others it has been a job to fit in all the viewing requests.
However, rather than viewing numbers, what is more relevant to the agent and their vendor clients is whether they generate offers and subsequently; sales. Depending on prevailing market conditions, the desirability of the individual property and its pricing policy, one would normally expect around 8-10 viewings to generate an offer. This statistic certainly did not apply in the early part of the year and up until May as despite all the viewing activity, buyers appeared reluctant to commit to making purchases. Since then it has been a different story and the last two months has seen a marked increase in the number of offers being made and accepted.
It is perhaps a little too easy to explain the pattern of house buyer behaviour so far in 2015 as being down to the political uncertainty in the lead up to the general election and it’s outcome as there was plenty going on prior to the 7th May. It does appear however, that the election did play its part in influencing prospective purchasers’ decision making but there are other factors as well. These include simply the time of year with the late spring/early summer period traditionally being one of the most active periods, a hint of an easing of the stringent mortgage lending restrictions and the general vagary of the ebb and flow of market activity which defies logic and analysis.
The other side of the demand for property coin is of course supply. Other than a number of homes that had been ‘rested’ over the winter becoming available again, there was the usual slow start to the year for new properties being put up for sale followed by a flurry of new instructions in April and May. June in contrast has seen a shortage of homes coming to the market even though there are a good number of motivated buyers actively house hunting.
Normally a favourite newspaper and dinner party topic, there has been little to talk about regarding house prices so far this year mainly because they have remained pretty stable.
So what of the remaining six months of 2015? All I can say is that the housing market will continue to be predictably unpredictable and that sellers of sensibly priced and proactively marketed homes in the best locations will, as ever, be sure of attracting good interest.
North Dorset State Primary Schools
All Saints CE VC Primary School, Bishops Caundle
Archbishop Wake CE Primary School, Blandford Forum
Blandford St Mary CE VA Primary School, Blandford St Mary
Cranborne CE VA First School, Cranborne
Downlands Community Primary School, Blandford Camp
Durweston CE Primary School, Durweston
Gillingham Primary School, Gillingham, Dorset
Milldown CE VC Primary School, Blandford Forum
Milton-On-Stour CE VA Primary School, Milton on Stour, Gillingham
Motcombe Primary School, Motcombe
Okeford Fitzpaine CE VA School, Okeford Fitzpaine
Pimperne CE VC Primary School, Pimperne
Shaftesbury CE VC Primary School, Shaftesbury
Sherborne Abbey CE VC Primary School, Sherborne
Sherborne Primary School, Sherborne
Shillingstone CE VA Primary School, Shillingstone
Sixpenny Handley First School, Sixpenny Handley
Southill Primary School, Weymouth
Spetisbury Hall & Sloper’s CE VA Primary School, Spetisbury
St Andrew’s CE VA Primary School, Fontmell Magna
St Georges CE VA School, Bourton
St Gregory’s CE Primary School, Marnhull
St Mary The Virgin CE VA School, Gillingham
St Mary’s Catholic Primary School, Marnhull
St Nicholas CE VA Primary School, Child Okeford
Stalbridge CE Primary School, Stalbridge
Stower Provost Community School, Stour Provost
The Abbey CE VA Primary School,Shaftesbury
Thornford CE VA Primary School, Thornford
William Barnes Primary School, Sturminster Newton
Wyke Primary School, Gillingham
North Dorset State Secondary Schools
The Blandford School, Blandford Forum
Gillingham School, Gillingham
The Gryphon School, Sherborne
Shaftesbury School, Shaftesbury
Sturminster Newton High School, Sturminster Newton
North Dorset Special School
Yewstock School, Sturminster Newton
North Dorset Independent Schools
Bryanston School, Bryanston (ages 13-18)
Clayesmore Preparatory School, Iwerne Minster (ages 3-13)
Clayesmore School, Iwerne Minster (ages 13-19)
Hanford School, Child Okeford (ages 7-13)
Hollyfields School, Gillingham (ages 4-9)
International College, Sherborne School Sherborne (ages 11-17)
Knighton House School, Durweston (ages 3-13)
Leweston School, Sherborne (ages 3-19)
Milton Abbey School, Milton Abbas (ages 13-19)
Port Regis Preparatory School, Motcombe (ages 3-14)
Sherborne Preparatory School, Sherborne (ages 2-13)
Sherborne School, Sherborne (ages 12-18)
Sherborne Girls, Sherborne (ages 11-19)
St Mary’s School, Shaftesbury (ages 9-19)
One of the main questions about property viewings is who should carry it out? It is an intrusive business having strangers wandering round your home and it can be unsettling or feel very personal hearing them comment on its negatives. It can also be awkward for the people who are doing the intruding and so certainly for a first viewing when most prospective buyers are really just getting an initial feel of the property, I would recommend leaving it to the agent to conduct the show rounds, it is after all a basic part of their job and buyers are often more candid with them than you as the owner.
It is essential that the person doing the viewing knows the property in advance. Some agents employ part time viewing staff who are adept at handling objections or dealing with questions but this is not always the case and some can create a negative impression through their inexperience or lack of knowledge about the specific house, the locality or the market in general. At Rural View, the directors themselves show their clients’ homes as buyers tend to prefer dealing with a senior member of staff who has a high level of expertise in the property profession.
When the agent is doing the viewing, it is best to leave them to it or go out, but do avoid joining in the tour as this can create a crowd effect and be distracting to both the buyer and agent. How a good agent carries out a viewing will often come down to his experience and ability to ‘read’ the applicant and judge just how much or little information they might require. He will use the time to find out more about the buyer and tailor his approach accordingly.
There may be times when the agent simply cannot accompany a viewing at the time requested and it is perhaps better to have a viewing with the owner doing it rather than no viewing at all. If this is the case, avoid a hard sell. Give the prospective buyers a brief guided tour of the house and gardens, commenting on any particularly attractive features or attributes and why you have enjoyed living there so much. It is not necessary to point out where every single socket is or provide a detailed history of absolutely everything that has been done to it, just an overview will suffice. Afterwards and if you are comfortable to do so, allow them the opportunity to wander around on their own and invite them to ask any questions that they might have.
One of the most common complaints I hear about estate agents in general is their failure to follow up viewings and provide feedback. Make sure that you employ an agent that does their job properly and informs you of what buyers actually think of your home whether it’s good or bad criticism. There may some things like the railway at the bottom of the garden that you can’t do much about but there may be practical things you can do based on the feedback you get like adjusting the price or painting Suzie’s bedroom (see part One)!
For the second year in succession, Rural View has been recognised for our outstanding customer service by the ESTAS, the largest and longest running award scheme in the UK residential property industry.
THE ESTAS determines the best estate & letting agents in the country through research carried out amongst customers. This year’s competition saw 25,000 surveys completed and Rural View have been shortlisted to receive an award for Best Estate Agent in the Southern Region of Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.
We are thrilled to be recognised yet again for all our efforts and quality of service. Last year we scooped ‘Best Agent in Wiltshire’ and it would be tremendous to be able to repeat this success in 2015.
We sell, let and manage village, rural and market town property over a wide area and have become well regarded for our success. The criteria for shortlisting is high and we have been selected along with six other Agents to represent the whole region.
It just shows that you don’t have to be a large multi-office agent to do the job well. We provide a very good, lean and efficient service and we are delighted that our clients feels the same way.
After careful consideration you have selected the right estate agent to market your home, they have produced a lovely brochure with lots of well taken photographs and a floor plan, advertised it in the local press and displayed it on a wide variety of websites. Now comes the key part in selling your property, the viewings!
Although ultimately the house should sell itself, when it comes to viewings get it right and you can hook a buyer, get it wrong and they can be put off irretrievably. To succeed, there are a number of points to consider.
Firstly, before the phone starts ringing off the hook with appointment requests, take a look around your home with a critical eye and put yourself in the shoes of a prospective purchaser, is there anything that would obviously put you off buying it? Seek advice from your agent and ask yourself whether it needs de-cluttering, have you done those routine maintenance jobs that you have been meaning to do since last autumn or is granny’s old disused caravan with the mouldy green roof still languishing in the drive?
A fresh lick of paint here and there using light, neutral colours can help to brighten up a home and make it more welcoming particularly in dark rooms such as Suzie’s bedroom when she was going through her maroon phase before heading off to uni. It is important however to know when to say stop and sometimes new decoration in one area can emphasise how dowdy another might be. I also would not advocate spending a fortune on titivating your home, the new kitchen cliché comes to mind and sometimes one has to accept that a new owner will see your home as a project.
Prior to a viewing, it is only fair to expect a reasonable amount of notice to have time to tidy up, make the beds, put the washing away and mow the lawn etc. before visitors arrive. Although this can involve a couple of hours of hard work, it will help to create a good first impression but do remember that it is still your ‘home’ and that most buyers do not necessarily expect to see five star hotel standards.
There are a few basic ‘tricks’ that you can employ. Although it is not necessary to go to the lengths of baking bread or percolating coffee, make sure there are no unpleasant odours by opening windows before the viewing whilst scented candles or reed diffusers are to be encouraged. What lights to have on really comes down to the individual property, time of day and the weather. Avoid having every light blazing away but a few strategically placed lamps, particularly in dark corners can be helpful.
Turn off televisions, radios and Motorhead playing on the music system. Quiet classical music in the background is fine but the best sound if one lives in the country is simply birdsong in thegarden. Make sure the house is neither too hot nor too cold, just pleasantly warm. We may be a nation of dog lovers but our furry friends can get in the way or jump up so it is normally best if they are taken out.
