Just the type of property that many tenants seek; a lovely family home with beautifully presented accommodation & located on the edge of an attractive village surrounded by some of South Wiltshire’s most beautiful countryside.

This pretty thatched cottage situated in a quintessential rural village has bags of character & wonderful country views. It attracted plenty of interest from buyers looking for the ideal primary home or weekend retreat.

Agents will often have one or two properties on their books which are not visible on the usual property portals but are available to buy. This is usually because the house owners would rather sell on a more discreet basis. Over the winter months there’s a generally held assumption that there are fewer buyers around and so sellers whose homes have been on the market for a little while will sometimes ask their agents to put their properties in the ‘bottom drawer’ so as to avoid them becoming ‘stale’ although they are still want to move.

It is true that there are normally fewer viewings during the winter months but actually those that do take place can be more effective. After all, buyers who venture out on a cold, miserable winter’s day tend to be serious, genuine purchasers and indeed, we have agreed sales on Christmas Eve. In 2016, despite it being the year of the Brexit referendum, the last quarter of that year was by far our busiest for arranging sales.

This winter, we are seeing a larger number of houses going under the counter as a result of the general election and Brexit impasse with vendors waiting to see how the political situation resolves itself. Rather than just relying on what they see on Rightmove, Zoopla, OnTheMarket etc., prospective buyers are therefore advised to make a point of contacting agents directly to ask whether they have any suitable houses which are not being featured on the property websites. They might just unearth what they’re looking for!

The idea of selling your current property can be a daunting one whether it’s the first time you have done so, it’s been many years since you last moved or even if it is something you have some experience at. HM Government has produced a sensible ‘How to Sell’ guide with some useful information on how to go about putting your home on the market and the sales process.

It sets out the steps involved in anticipation of putting a property on the market including –

• Understanding your finances
• Preparing the necessary paperwork
• Anti-money laundering checks
• Getting your home ‘sale ready’
• Selling a leasehold property
• Valuations & price
• Specialist situations such as selling a rented property, probate sales, retirement properties and power of attorney sales

The guide then goes on to advise how to choose an estate agent and what factors you should consider. Similarly, there is also a paragraph about instructing a legal professional who will carry out the conveyancing work for you.

There’s a section on the marketing of your property and how to show it, choosing a buyer, accepting an offer and what to do if offers are not forthcoming. Once a sale is agreed, the guide offers advice on dealing with enquiries, further negotiations, dealing with problems such as chain issues and then getting to an exchange of contracts.

The final part of the sale process includes choosing a removal company, preparing for the move between exchange and completion, what happens on the moving day itself and things to organise post move.

The guide also explains how to deal with any complaints, lists organisations that provide additional help and a useful glossary of property and conveyancing related terms.

Click on the link How to sell a home to download a copy of the guide

Living off the A303 is the place to be according to a recent Country Life article (linked below). Madeleine Silver writes about the villages situated off this major trunk road linking London with Devon & Cornwall. Charlie Graham of Rural View contributes to this piece with his thoughts about the property market in South Wiltshire West of Stonehenge.
Rural View are currently marketing Church Cottage, a pretty thatched cottage with a large garden and fabulous views tucked away at the end of a lane in Winterbourne Stoke; www.ruralview.co.uk .