Rural View are delighted that the Housing Secretary Sajid Javid has announced plans to introduce new measures to speed up the house selling/buying process and professionalise the estate agent sector, driving up standards and bringing an end to ‘rogue managing agents’. This is something that is more than overdue and we, together with the rest of the property industry, have been calling for for many years.

With over one million homes bought and sold in England each year, delays and complications during the process cause unnecessary financial and emotional stress to customers. This uncertainty can lead to delayed decisions and contributes to over one quarter of house sales falling through annually.

According to government research, more than 6 out of 10 buyers and sellers have experienced stress, and around a quarter of sellers said they would use a different estate agent if they were to go through the process again.

Estate agents will now be required to hold a professional qualification and to be transparent about the fees they receive for referring clients to solicitors, surveyors and mortgage brokers. Other measures to make the system easier, faster and more transparent include:

– encouraging the use of voluntary reservation agreements to help prevent sales falling through and crack down on gazumping
– setting a timeline for local authority searches so buyers get the information they need within 10 days
– requiring managing agents and freeholders to provide up-to-date lease information for a set fee and to an agreed timetable which will end the current situation where leaseholders are at the mercy of freeholders and their agents
– strengthening the National Trading Standards Estate Agency Team so they can carry out more enforcement activity which includes banning agents

Housing Secretary Sajid Javid said:

– “Buying a home is one of the biggest and most important purchases someone will make in their life. But for far too long buyers and sellers have been trapped in a stressful system full of delays and uncertainty.”
-“So we’re going to put the consumers back in the driving seat. We will require estate agents to hold a qualification so that people are no longer at risk from a minority of ‘rogue agents’ and can trust the process when buying or selling their home.”

Mark Hayward, Chief Executive, NAEA Propertymark said:

-“We particularly welcome the commitment to further regulation – we have long argued that estate agents should be recognised as professionals, this is an important step towards achieving this and we look forward to working with the government.”

There are approximately 20,000 estate agent businesses across the country, and currently, anyone can practice as an estate agent. The changes set out will professionalise the sector, creating a more trustworthy and reliable industry who will be better held to account.

Guides on ‘How to Buy’ and ‘How to Sell’ will be developed and published to ensure customers are better informed of the process and know what questions they should be asking. The government will work with consumer groups and industry to develop a consistent set of performance metrics for conveyancers, so consumers can make a more informed choice.

To bring the profession into the technology era, a working group will be set up to bring industry and partners, such as HM Land Registry, together to look at developing innovative digital solutions to speed up the home buying and selling process.

Government will consult on how the industry can be brought up to professional standards, like those in the same trade such as conveyancers, solicitors and surveyors.

Sitting proudly on top of a hilly promontory on the Dorset/Wiltshire border, is an ancient Saxon market town of tremendous historic interest as well as being a lovely place to live or visit. However, it is one street that really puts Shaftesbury on the map even though this modest twisting cobbled lane only has buildings on one side and requires a certain amount of effort to climb up and down due to its steepness.

Gold Hill Shaftesbury

Gold Hill is one of the most iconic and recognisable streets in the country although many people don’t actually know where this romanticised idyll of a traditional English country town is. With its higgledy piggledy period cottages and sweeping backdrop of the beautiful countryside of North Dorset’s Blackmore Vale, it has appeared on countless chocolate boxes, biscuit tins and calendars.

Gold Hill really came to fame in 1973 as the star of director Ridley Scott’s television advertisement for Hovis bread showing a young grocer boy valiantly pushing his bike up the steep hill to make his deliveries to the musical accompaniment of Dvorak’s Symphony No. 9. In 2006 it was voted by the public as the most loved advertisement ever. Ironically the voiceover was made in a Northern accent and the music performed by a brass band giving the impression that the scene was actually in Yorkshire rather than Dorset!

The history of Shaftesbury, Dorset

Shaftesbury was established in the 9th Century by Alfred the Great as a fortified settlement where he also founded a nunnery for his daughter Ethelgifu in 888. The abbey was the burial place in 979 of Edward II, known as Edward the Martyr, who was murdered at Corfe Castle and is also where King Canute died in 1035. The stone wall bordering Gold Hill is believed to be part of the defences of the abbey which was destroyed following Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries in 1539.

With the loss of the abbey, Shaftesbury’s prosperity faded and in the 17th and 18th Centuries its economy was based mainly on cloth and button making, brewing and as a coaching hub. Nowadays the town is a vibrant community and has many excellent amenities including a range of independent shops, boutiques, cafes, restaurants and inns as well as a large supermarket and a twice weekly farmer’s market on the broad High Street. There are also doctors and dentist surgeries, a cottage hospital, an arts centre, sports facilities and reputable state run primary and secondary schools. The town is immortalised in the World of literature as Thomas Hardy’s ‘Shaston’.

When the Tudor guildhall was pulled down in 1827 to widen the High Street, the Earl of Grosvenor built a new one in a commanding position at the top of Gold Hill with the salt cellar underneath it now a café serving delicious meals and a great place from which to enjoy the fine views. Originally Gold Hill was one of the main means of accessing the town but this building blocks the way to anything but pedestrian traffic. Adjacent to it is the small but fascinating Gold Hill Museum and St Peters, a fine 14th Century church.

Shaftesbury today

Before venturing up Gold Hill, one might want to fuel up at Ye Olde Two Brewers pub on St James’s Street, a lane of pretty stone cottages. On arriving at the top, one can reward oneself with a drink at The Mitre Inn or at one of the many tea rooms on the High Street. For fine dining there is the Grosvenor Arms, a smart boutique hotel and a favourite place to stay for the London set.

Located towards the lower end of Gold Hill and accessible by car is Folly Cottage, a late Victorian end-of-terrace cottage which is on the market with Rural View. The modest red brick exterior belies the extent and charming character of the accommodation inside. Stylishly refurbished in recent years, the property enjoys a lovely outlook at the back and offers scope to make further improvements including converting the existing top floor studio room into a fourth bedroom. The guide price is £425,000 and more information is available from the town property estate agents Rural View on 01722 716895.

In a recent article, I urged anyone venturing into the property market to appoint a solicitor as soon as possible and preferably before, so as to pre-empt any issues and ensure a speedy transaction. The same goes for property financing and this applies to both buyers and sellers.

Before one starts looking to buy a new home, it is of course important to know what budget you have at your disposal. Looking at houses that are beyond your realistic reach or leaves you too stretched may lead to disappointment. Living in a splendid mansion might not be such a great idea if you end up only being able to heat one room.

Indeed, there’s an argument to say that you should n’t view until you have a mortgage offer agreed in principle. Having one demonstrates that you have investigated your finances and gives a prospective vendor confidence that you are able to buy their home.

On the other hand you might be pleasantly surprised to find that you have more funding available than you thought and can afford a grander home than you had anticipated.

For straight forward information on the basic principles of the mortgage process and what’s involved, the different types of interest rates and repayment vehicles, as well as the costs to consider, get in touch with Rural View or click on the link for a free Consumer Guide to Mortgages.

For those sellers who are downsizing or disposing of a property altogether, what are you going to do with the surplus after the sale? Other than blowing it all in Las Vegas, thought needs to be given as to the most appropriate investments and whether this is to provide an income or capital growth. Alternatively if it is being given to family members, what’s the most efficient way of doing so and will there be any tax implications?

The World of finance can be a complex place even for the most experienced and savvy borrower or investor, so a good starting point is to seek the input of a financial adviser.

The days of having a chat with your local bank manager are just about over and it is generally considered best to talk to an independent expert who has access to the whole of the mortgage, investment, pension and insurance markets so as to be able to source the most attractive and appropriate financial products for your own personal circumstances.

I stress the word independent above. You might have been with the same building society, insurer etc. for years but are they are offering you the best rates or terms that are right for you? Is your current advisor tied to just one or a limited number of providers?

Rather like choosing the right solicitor or estate agent, it is important that your financial adviser instils in you a feeling of confidence and trust. When selecting one, check the range of financial products they deal with, their experience, independence and what fees you will have to pay.

Let us know if you would like the names of any local independent financial advisers or mortgage consultants.

According to a recent feature in The Times, for a rural village, Tisbury is ‘having a damn good go’ at being cool.

Those of us who have lived & worked in the Nadder Valley for many years have of course known this for a while.

What is behind the emergence of Tisbury becoming such a chique place to live or visit?

It could be argued that the way was led by the reincarnation of The Beckford Arms as a fine dining country pub at nearby Fonthill Gifford and whose complimentary reviews in the national press helped to bring the area to the attention of the London set. This in turn has attracted others to invest in the area, most notably the capital’s fine art gallery; Messums who have established a contemporary art space at the historic tithe barn on the edge of Tisbury that rivals that of Hauser & Wirth in Bruton.

The thriving village of Tisbury

Tisbury High Street

The opening of a number of independent specialist businesses in recent times has helped to re-energise the village’s High Street. The Beckford Bottle shop is described by The Times as ‘the most civilised offie in Britain’ whilst Tisbury Delicatessen, The Fishmongers, Beaton’s Tearooms and the many other smart boutiques and everyday shops have made Tisbury well worth a visit.

For prospective residents of Tisbury, there are plenty of other reasons why they might be attracted to the area not least of which is the railway station with its direct services to London Waterloo. Something of a rarity these days for a rural community, Tisbury is just about self-sufficient with medical, dental and veterinary practices, a primary school, post office and swimming pool whilst the new Nadder Centre offers a range of sports & communal facilities.

Area of natural beauty with historical landmarks

There may be villages which are architecturally prettier than Tisbury but one can’t argue about the beauty of the countryside that it nestles in. The Nadder Valley forms part of the Cranborne Chase & West Wiltshire Downs Area of Natural Beauty and its bucolic, gently undulating landscape is ideal for exploring on foot, bicycle or horse.

Old Wardour Castle

The area around Tisbury is rich in history with the lakeside ruins of Old Wardour Castle and its delightful grounds making an ideal picnic spot. The Fonthill Estate with its picture perfect lake and parkland was once part Fonthill Abbey, the home of the infamous William Beckford during the late 18th & early 19th Century.

A short drive away can be found a number of places of tremendous national an indeed, global importance such as Salisbury Cathedral, Wilton House, the Longleat Estate and perhaps most famously of all, Stonehenge.

Culinary delights

Culinary delights

The Beckford Arms is not the only dining establishment that has attracted foodies from far afield to make the journey to Tisbury. The recently reopened and stylishly refurbished Royal Oak at Swallowcliffe is making quite a name for itself while Pythouse Kitchen Garden brings idyllic eating to the fore. The much admired Fonthill Estate run The River Barn restaurant at Fonthill Bishop and the traditional country pub The Compasses at Lower Chicksgrove also offer yummy, locally produced food.

Having become established as a cool, boutique village property agency, Rural View has a fine reputation for the bespoke, personal service it provides when selling, letting & managing their clients’ homes in and around Tisbury from their office situated on the edge of Chilmark.

Why you should considering selling your house now

It’s pretty cold out there and we just seem to be assaulted by one storm after the next. Isn’t that just one reason not to even think about moving house?
Of course we can come up with all sorts of excuses to batten down the hatches and stay put, but the reality is that if you have to move house, for whatever reason, then you should seriously consider selling now.

Here are some very good reasons why now is a good time to sell your house:

Lack of competition in the local housing market

There is currently the lowest number of available properties for many, many years. This means that there is far less competition to attract buyers than there would be in the spring, when we are likely to see more houses hitting the market. It also means that buyers may more readily pay what you are looking to achieve.

Buyers want to move to this area

We have plenty of frustrated buyers who would dearly love to hear about fresh properties in Wiltshire and Dorset. Not only is this a popular part of the world to move to, but there are also those who want to stay in the area and get on with the next stage in their lives. Whether they are upsizing or downsizing, moving from town into country or vice versa, we are in touch with them.

Speed – save time

You can beat the rush and save valuable time. In the summer months solicitors, surveyors and local authorities are often overloaded with work. The quieter months allow them to concentrate on less workload, however, and transactions can smooth through just that bit more quickly. For instance the last couple of summers saw Wiltshire local authority searches take up to a couple of months to be returned which often proved critical. At the moment this is more likely to be one or two weeks.

Timing

Putting your property on the market now should enable a move within the next three or four months which means that you will have the majority of the summer to enjoy getting to know your new home. It is a much more pleasant time to physically move, you will have the longer days and better weather (we hope!) to concentrate on any home improvements, and plenty of time to arrange schools for September.

Presentation

Your house can look as good now as it might in the summer months. Photographers are very clever beings and if you use a professional, as we do, then the best aspects of your property can be relayed with skill. True, they can’t conjure up green leafed trees and bounteous borders, but they can really help to sell an attractive lifestyle, which actually is what it is all about.