Prospecting Ideas For Estate Agents In 2023

The idea of prospecting .... actually going out and finding instructions .... is the elephant in the room for many estate agents. You know you should be doing prospecting. But very often it ends up way down at the bottom of your to do list. In the busy times you don’t really need to do it anyway .... so you don’t!

Cash Buyers How Important Are They

Many people tend to assume that most house buyers buy with a mortgage. After all, with the price of property today, who could have so much money sitting around that they can afford to buy with cash?

Hot Property Market Trends 2023

As we move towards the end of another year we’ll consider a few possible trends in the property market next year .... focussing on issues that buyers, sellers and agents might need to bear in mind.

Will There Be Bargains In The Market Next Year

Over the last few years there have been anything but bargains in the property market, with price rises of 10% annually in many cases. And in periods of rising property prices it’s easy to forget that property markets tend to be cyclical: Periods of sharply rising prices are generally followed by periods of falling prices .... before they begin to rise once again.

Accidental Landlords Coming To A Town Near You

The concept of the accidental landlord isn’t an entirely new one. But the likelihood is that there will be more accidental landlords in the property market over the next few years. So in this post we will look at the main issues around accidental landlords and what agents, tenants and the landlords themselves need to know.

The Latest Property Price Forecasts For 2023

Now is the time of the year when forecasts for property prices over the next year start coming in thick and fast. So this week we will round up a few forecasts from different experts. And try to come to some conclusions about where UK house prices might be heading in 2023 and beyond.

Buying For Nesting Rather Than Investing

Over the last few decades it’s fair to say that most buyers have seen a house as an investment as much as anything else. Everybody expects their house to be worth more next year than it was last. And for anybody already owning a property (but not for those who don’t) it can feel good when house prices take a steep jump, as they have over the last few years.

Rocketing Rents Good Or Bad News For Landlords

Many reports say that, after many years when rises have been moderate, rents have been on a steep upward course over the last year.

The Future For New Builds

The new build housing sector has been booming over the last few years. New build estates have been appearing right across the country. It seems as though new build housing developers have been rushing to build (and sell) as many new houses as possible.

What Is A Buyers Market And How To Adapt To One

Over the last few years the property market has been a seller’s market in most cases. There have been more buyers looking to buy property than sellers looking to sell.

Are Rent Controls A Good Idea

The soaring cost of living has led some to suggest that rent controls would be a good idea. Here we’ll look at what rent controls are, and at what the advantages and disadvantages of them might be.

Where On Earth Are House Prices Going Now

House prices in the UK have only been going one way over the last decade .... up. While the rate of increase was quite moderate initially it has accelerated fast recently, with house prices rising 15.5% over the last year alone.

The Best Types Of House To Buy In A Recession

A looming recession and rising interest rates means that buyers and investors need to think more carefully about what type of property to buy. Here are some thoughts on exactly what types of houses make the best buys in a recession .... whether you’re buying for yourself or buying an investment property.

HM Land Registrys Digital Property Market Strategy

Everything is going digital today. But one thing that is still behind the times to some degree is conveyancing, and particularly the business of registering sales and purchases with HM Land Registry.

What You Need To Know About Gazundering

The property market has been buoyant for a couple of years or more. So gazundering has been pretty much unknown. Now the property market is looking more uncertain some experts suggest that gazundering is making a comeback.

What Does The Housing Secretary Actually Do

The work of the Housing Secretary is often in the property news, and not only at the moment when a new cabinet has just been appointed by the new Prime Minister. Many people (including us!) might wonder what the Government’s Housing Secretary actually does. So we’ll take a closer look here.

Down Valuations Why They Are A Problem

Down valuation is a term that’s being heard more and more in the property market. Here’s why down valuations are likely to become more of a problem and what you can do about them.

Gas Boiler Ban What It Means For Property

You may have heard that there is a plan to ban gas boilers from homes in 2025. Now that is little more than a couple of years away we will look at what this might mean for property owners, buyers and also landlords and investors.

Do Property Prices Fall In A Recession

With the Bank of England forecasting that the UK is likely to enter recession this year we will look back at the past and try to answer the question – do property prices fall in a recession?

How integrations can save you time and money

"The integration between Apex27 and Agency Express’ SignMaster3 board management system has been excellent. It’s saved so much time, removing the need to juggle between different platforms, and training time from our end as new staff members have joined"

How To Get Money Off A House

It’s a not-very-closely-guarded secret that, when it comes to property, asking prices aren’t the same as selling prices. Usually, the actual selling price of any house is a fair bit less than its original asking price. So, whether you’re buying a house for yourself, or investing, let’s look at how to get money off a house.

New Rules On Smoke And Carbon Monoxide Alarms

As most landlords and agents will know, it has been a legal requirement for landlords to provide smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms in rental property for some years. But some recent tweaks in the law clarify how these laws should be followed. Importantly they place greater responsibility on the landlord to ensure they are working.

City Status And The Property Market

A number of towns have been awarded city status this year. So, whether you’re buying or selling property (or are an agent) it might be a good time to look at if city status affects the property market. And if it can raise prices.

Why Do House Prices Vary So Much

It’s the big question that everyone in property – buyers, sellers, investors and agents alike – would like to know the answer to. (But may be afraid to ask!)

Broadband Speed And The Property Market

In this post we’ll take a look at how broadband speed and phone signal might affect the business of buying and selling property.

Buying Or Investing In Property Abroad

Buying a property abroad, either to live in yourself or as an investment, is something many people find appealing. But it’s something which Covid has made impossible over the last couple of years. Now that travel is slowly returning to normal buying abroad is something more people might be considering again.

What The Help To Build Scheme Might Mean

The Government has launched a number of initiatives on home ownership over the last few years. The latest one is Help To Build which has been launched this week. Here we will look at Help to Build and what it might mean for the property market.

LettsPay Integration Makes Payments Simpler

A new partnership offers to make life much simpler for letting agents by enabling them to receive payments from tenants and settle up with landlords in a matter of seconds.

A Fairer Private Rented Sector

After a long wait the Government finally published its White Paper A Fairer Private Rented Sector last week.

The New Right To Buy Scheme Some Thoughts

A proposed new Right to Buy scheme for social housing was announced by the Prime Minister recently. Here we’ll look at the scheme and what it might mean for the property market.

The Latest Changes To Leasehold

If you own, are buying or selling a leasehold property then there are some important changes to the law this month which you need to know about. While these changes seem small they could have a big impact going forward Here’s a quick heads-up on the latest changes to leasehold.

Schools And Property Prices

It’s generally accepted that school quality affects property prices in the area. Here we’ll look at why and how schools can affect house prices, and at what buyers, sellers and investors need to bear in mind.

The Property Market And The Elizabeth Line

As you might have noticed the long awaited Elizabeth Line (formerly known as Crossrail) opened in London this week. So let’s have a look at the Elizabeth Line and the impact it might have on the London property market.

Levelling Up And Regeneration

Following the Queen’s Speech last week the Government officially unveiled the new Levelling Up & Regeneration Bill. Here we will summarise the main points and look at what it might mean for the property market.

Could The Rental Market Disappear Completely

Imagine if there was no property rental market! If there were no houses and flats to rent at all. And no houses and flats for letting agents to rent, or to manage. Here we’ll look at if, with the current changes in the property market, that could actually happen.

The Empty Shops Bill Good or Bad for Property

An upcoming new law could affect retail shops and the property around them. Here we will look at what is proposed and at what the implications for the property market might be.

How To Be A Better Buyer In A Sellers Market

It’s often said that property markets are either a buyer’s market or a seller’s market. (Although in truth they are a bit of both.)

Better to Buy Or Better to Rent

There are many reasons for buying rather than renting or renting rather than buying of course. But a question many buyers, tenants and agents might be interested in knowing the answer to is whether it is better to buy or better to rent. We’ll look at a few of the pros and cons here.

12 Nasties To Check For Before Buying A Property

When you’re buying a property, whether to live in or for investment, you’ll almost certainly check out the neighbourhood, how long it will take to reach work or school, and maybe even how old the boiler is too. But within many properties lurk a number of other less obvious but potentially very serious problems that it’s easy to completely overlook.

What You Need To Know About Off Market Property

Within the wider property market off market property is a relatively small and little known niche. If you’ve ever wondered what it is here’s what you need to know about off market property.

Housejacking Could Your House Be Stolen

Safe as houses is a phrase that’s widely known. It suggests nothing could be safer than owning a house.

The Cost Of Living Crisis Landlords And Letting

As everyone knows right now, there is a cost of living crisis with prices rising by the week.

How To Find The Best Tenant

Landlords and agents should always aim to find not just any tenant but the very best tenant for a property. The best tenants are more likely to have fewer problems, look after a property better and stay longer too.

Buying Property With Cryptocurrencies

Chances are you’ve read stories about how cryptocurrencies are set to take over from conventional money. Or about those who claim to have made a fortune from investing in cryptocurrencies. So here we’ll take a look at whether you can buy, invest in or sell property using cryptocurrency.

Crime Rates And Property Prices

Many factors affect property prices. It’s often thought that crime rates are one of them. It’s sometimes thought, for example, that the cheaper parts of town suffer from higher levels of crime – while the areas with higher property prices are regarded as better or safer.

Things You Dont Know About House Price Statistics

House price statistics are often in the news right now. The headline stats report incredible times in the property market. They report seemingly unbelievable rates of house price rises, and new records in price levels, in almost every area of the country.

What Will It Take To Cause A House Price Crash

With house prices soaring to new records over the last few years there have been many predictions that prices are about to crash. It doesn’t seem to have happened so far however .... touch wood!

Instant House Valuations Are They Really Any Good

How much is my home worth? What’s your home worth? Get an instant valuation on your house now.

The Ins And Outs Of Selling To Overseas Buyers

Of the several different types of buyers you can sell property to overseas buyers are an interesting niche. We’ll look at the ins and outs of selling to buyers from overseas here.

Where Are The Cheapest Places To Buy Property

After two years of fast rising house prices it’s arguable whether there is such a thing as cheap property in the UK anymore.

Free Estate Agency Will It Ever Take Off

The way estate agents charge for their services has undergone a revolution in recent years. First there was the traditional commission-based model. Then fixed fees came along. Both models have their pros and cons, and their supporters and detractors. Generally though they’ve both rubbed along together fairly well and have each found their own place.

The Facts Of Fast Cash House Buying Services

In the last few years a new way to sell a house has become more common. That is to sell through a fast or cash house buying service. Here we’ll look at the pros and cons of this method of house selling.

Property Markets To Watch In 2022

As we move into 2022 we’ll look at some of the property markets that might be worth keeping an eye on this year .... and why.