While there is no particular pattern in the Wiltshire housing market at the moment we are happily seeing signs of more confidence from buyers and activity is on the up. One is always hesitant to herald the recovery, and it is likely that this is the end of the beginning, rather than the beginning of the end, but at last we may be witnessing some green shoots.

The first four months of 2013 were pretty dire in terms of rural housing stock and activity, but as soon as the weather warmed, so did the market. Anyone who keeps an eye on the property portals will see the increase in sales agreed and this is an exciting indication that lenders are lending, buyers are buying and prices are holding their own.

How should buyers view the market now and where should they be pitching offers?

The first thing to say is that prices are not rocketing away and are not likely to for the foreseeable future. But the market is firming, which means that vendors need not take as much of a hit on their sales as they have had to. To give an indication, the average offer that we have agreed on all sales since the beginning of June is only 1.8 % below guide price, while this time last year it was more like 5%.
As long as a property is pitched in line with its comparables, it is likely to sell reasonably well and buyers need to understand that we are now entering a more equitable market where deals are being struck at sensible levels.

You could almost say that the end of the buyers’ market is nigh. It certainly is for family houses in good locations, where the excellent schools in this area are attracting more and more families from London and the Home Counties, all vying for elusive property.

If you are a buyer, therefore, perhaps you should remember these points:

Do your property homework – you should know what sort of property you can buy for your money and be able to put a broad value on what you see.
Be decisive – if a house ticks 7 boxes out of 10, you should be thinking seriously about it.
Be realistic – don’t expect to buy too far below the guide price.
Be confident – that you are buying at the bottom of the market.

At some stage in our lives we will all move house and the complexities of the process will either glide smoothly to a happy conclusion, or cause stress and anxiety. The single main cause of any stressful move comes when a chain is involved: a who is moving to b, who is moving to c and so on. Because of the number of simultaneous transactions involved, the finances to arrange, the surveys to satisfy, the glitches in title, covenant or contract and the completion dates that need to tie in, there is the much greater chance that the whole pile will collapse and all parties will have to start again.

In any market avoiding a chain is the ideal. The simplest transaction of willing buyer and willing seller is just what the doctor ordered, but the seller will always need a property to move to and the buyer will often rely on a property to sell.

Which brings us to the chicken and the egg. Which comes first? If you are considering a move, do you wait for your perfect house to become available to buy before selling yours, or do you put yours on the market first in the hope that the perfect house will become available. In both cases you will have to rely on a great deal of luck to tie in both the sale and the purchase in the same time period and, of course, the dreaded chain is always lurking to scupper the whole deal.

In any market conditions this is always a quandary. Now especially, however, it is more so. It is not an easy market to see sales through, moving house is expensive so people want to get it right and there is still a big unknown in the larger picture.

There has been a general lack of quality property available, so the chances of your tying in an immediate onward purchase is slim. The reasons for the lack of supply are plenty, but the main one is that folks are holding back from putting their properties on the market until they see one that they want to move to – and so the catch 22 is born. If properties aren’t coming to the market, they won’t be seen as available and their potential buyers won’t put their properties on the market either. This isn’t a new climate, it has been going on for a long time and it has always restricted movement.

So what is the answer? If you are a truly motivate seller, put your house on the market before finding your next home and be prepared to break the chain by renting for the short term. This will free you from the stress of a fragile chain and put you in a perfect position to jump as soon as your perfect house becomes available to buy. Yes, it means a double move, yes it means an unsettled period, yes it means paying out in rent what you could be saving, but put these against a successful outcome, far less trauma and the significant extra costs of collapsing chains and you can start to see the reasoning. Some attempts at moving house go on for months or even years and chains are frequently to blame, while those who decide to break have already moved on and put the stress well and truly behind them.

The forecast for the 2013 UK housing market is that it will not be much different to 2012 in terms of property transaction levels and most commentators agree that that it is unlikely that we will see house prices recovering this coming year. Low interest rates are supporting a fragile market and while they remain low, prices will be hold up to some extent, but it certainly won’t be a bumper twelve months and indeed sellers will have to take a pragmatic approach in order to attract buyers.

Despite the gloom of low growth and increasing austerity, there is however, resilience in the local housing market and if you are considering a move this year it is wise to take heed of some sensible advice.

1. If you live in a good, uncompromised location, be happy because your property should sell. If it does not then there it is probably because something is wrong with either the price or the marketing strategy.
2. If your house is for instance affected by a busy road, overlooked by a close neighbour or has too small a garden, be realistic about the price.
3. Have a few agents out to appraise your property and don’t necessarily go with the highest estimated value.
4. Selling houses in this market is all about effort, so be prepared to put effort in yourself and choose an agent who you believe will give it everything.
5. Trust your agent. Most experienced ones have been have been through good times and bad, so understand the present conditions. Someone offering a truly personal service will guide you through the mire to achieve the best possible price for you.
6. It is never too early in the year to get going and putting your ducks in a row now can mean you hit the road running when you are ready to do so, so consider taking advice sooner rather than later.

Taking note of these points will provide you with the best chance of a strong and successful sale campaign, so good luck if you are going to take the plunge in 2013 and Happy New Year!

An intriguing piece of research by AA Home Energy Response has uncovered the Nation’s home-owning aspiration. You may think that most of us would like to live in an old rectory or a penthouse apartment, but no: according to this new research the most popular type of property is a three bedroom semi-detached house in a village location. Surprised?

It’s quite obvious that this survey is taken from a broad cross section of society, many of whom live in terraced cities, modern estates or suburban sprawls. Their ideal lifestyle may have rose tints, but it’s nice to know that those of us who reside in villages lead the sort of lives that others crave for and perhaps we just take it for granted.

More information gleaned from the research is that the British are keen to socialise and the most sought after feature of their dream home is a large kitchen/dining/living area where guests can be entertained.

Half the adult population would like views of countryside, mountains or sea and, while men and women are well matched in their most desired panorama, there could be a battle between the sexes over the interior layout of their ideal home; twice as many men as women would include a games room, for instance. Women, on the other hand are more likely to want to keep livestock with chickens coming out as the preferred beast.

It’s stacking up to be a big semi, but they do exist! The inference to this research, however, indicates that most peoples’ aspirations are to be comfortable, in an affordable, rural property with close neighbours and a sense of community.

The research also indicates that in the long run, increased demand could see the price of rural properties rise significantly, since as much as 34 per cent of people want to live in a rural location, yet these areas currently account for only 18 per cent of the housing stock.
The message? If you live in a village and even if you don’t have a large three bedroom semi with views, games room and chickens, just remember that you are probably living somebody’s dream.

When showing people around properties we quite often hear the comment:  ‘If only I could pick up this house and put it in another spot.’

Location is not the be-all and end-all of choosing a house to buy. There are other obvious considerations such as quality and condition, outside space, the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, room sizes and layout for instance. For many buyers there is a fine balance between the practicalities of accommodation and the property’s situation. One often can’t have the best of both, however, so a choice has to be made.

A good location can sell a property on its own. Wonderful views, peaceful surroundings and useful amenities will always attract strong interest. In a buoyant market these properties will fly and even in more challenging times they will be resilient to downward pressure. A property on a main road, however, will suffer disproportionately in a poorer market, even if it is, itself, a cracker. This doesn’t mean that it won’t sell, but the price really does have to reflect the situation.

The other thing to bear in mind about location is that you can generally improve a property, but not its surroundings. A house set in a compromised situation will always have that situation (save for regeneration or bypass). A house needing attention, but in a great spot, however, has the potential to be a great house remaining in a great spot. Of course our surroundings are often at risk, but in this part of the world, where Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty dominate and sustainable development is a must, we are pretty protected.
So what is the ideal location? Everyone has different priorities, but looking at our register of eager applicants the following ‘would likes’ come out on top:

Family: Edge of, or close to a village with a pub and preferably a shop, open countryside to the rear, a feeling of space, easy for local schools and good communications.

Retired/Semi-retired:  A village with amenities and a good community or a small town, walkable to shops but away from the traffic.
Equestrian: Rural or village edge with good riding out from the property and close to a wide road with decent access.

It would be nice to think that we could all have our ideal location, but sadly it doesn’t work like that. Availability is what drives the market place and thankfully some of us aren’t that concerned as long as a lot of the practical boxes are ticked.