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)!

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.

It’s not often that we blow our own trumpet but we are thrilled to announce that we have been shortlisted out of scores of firms to receive a coveted ESTAS Award for best regional Estate Agent’s Office (Southern England). The industry equivalent of the Baftas will be held at the Park Lane Hilton in May and we are looking foward to it with great excitement!

The pertinent thing about these estate agent awards is that they are categorised specifically for exceptional service, as voted for by both vendor clients and buyers that we had the pleasure of dealing with in 2013. Mark and I are so grateful to all customers who took the trouble to cast their vote and to all the wonderful testimonials that we received…and are rather embarassed!

Watch this space…even if we don’t get to make a speech we are delighted to have had such a positive impact on the sales that we have handled and the people that we have helped  over the year and we aim to continue this with enthusiasm into 2014 and beyond.

Some prospective buyers can be put off properties that are listed fearing that they will not be able to make any improvements to their new home. This is a common misconception. True, should you want to make significant alterations to a listed house you are required to obtain Listed Building Consent first but it is not the default position of planning authorities to refuse all applications and that the building must be wrapped up in cotton wool for ever more and become a museum piece. One way of looking at it is that the listing status of a home is an endorsement of its historic character and special features.

English Heritage, who act as an advisory body to the Government on the country’s unique historic places, suggest that listing is not a preservation order preventing change but simply a list of buildings identified as being of special historic or architectural interest that require consent before making changes that might affect its important status. A Listed building may be altered, added to or even demolished within planning guidelines and indeed, Rural View have sold countless listed homes that have been substantially extended or refurbished.

Whether consent is given depends on a number of factors including the listing grade of the building, what is being proposed, whether it is in a conservation area and the type of materials to be used. The interpretation of what works might impact on the special quality of a property can be subjective and down to the judgement of the local planning department’s conservation officer. Some conservation officers can have a reputation for being quite pedantic, even obstructive but by and large they are helpful and supportive of schemes that are sympathetic to the unique qualities of the property and neighbourhood. My advice is that wherever possible, work with rather than against them.

All buildings built before 1700 that are anything like in their original condition are listed as a matter of course and most built before 1840. There are approximately 376,000 Listed buildings in England of which 92% are classified Grade II as being of national importance, whilst Grade II* are regarded as being of particular importance (5.5%) and Grade I exceptional importance (2.5%). You can check if a property is listed on English Heritage’s website www.english-heritage.org.uk .

The listing status includes not only the core building (both internally and externally) but also any additions to it and buildings on the land attached to it, i.e. within its curtilage. It is important to bear in mind that it is a criminal offence to carry out unauthorised work to a listed property. An owner of a listed property can be obliged to rectify any breeches made after it was first listed even if the work was carried out by a previous owner some years ago. Therefore if buying a listed building make sure that your solicitor obtains all documentation relating to previous consents.

The sort of work that one would normally require consent for would be for things like adding extensions, removing internal walls, replacing doors or windows, painting over brickwork or altering chimneys. Updating or replacing existing modern fittings such as kitchen and bathrooms or routine maintenance does not usually require consent. If you are not sure whether or not you need Listed Building Consent to carry our certain tasks, consult with the local conservation officer first and they will tell you if you need to submit an application.

Most owners of listed homes tend to be the type of people who appreciate and value the special charm and character of a period property or one of architectural interest. They can rightly claim to be custodians of the country’s heritage.