Let's talk about regs! #buildingregulations #sheffield #estateagent

Let’s talk about regs!

We all know that having building work carried out on your house is exciting, messy, and involves A LOT of paperwork. Now let’s be honest – when you get to the end of an extension, all you want to do is clean up and order the furniture. You couldn’t give a monkeys if you’ve got a certificate for the work or the boiler because there is no way you’re moving after all of that!

Until you do want to move..

Then you’re sure that you paid for the building regs through the council and you can definitely remember something about an inspection but you’re just not quite sure where the paperwork is. Having done it myself, let me tell you, I was convinced that we had a certificate. We didn’t.

We are finding more & more that people are applying for building regulations for work but not getting them signed off and as a result, have no certificates at the end of the works. Or the builders were meant to do it and then didn’t.

Fortunately you can get indemnity insurance for these things and your solicitors will arrange that for you but only if your buyers are happy with it or if you haven’t already notified the council about the works. This year I have noticed that it’s becoming increasingly common that solicitors & buyers are refusing such insurances and asking for either the certificate or a reduction in price to reflect the missing paperwork because they want to be sure that it’s been carried out correctly and think it’s a way to drive down the price.

Having worked in the industry for over 12 years and, more recently, renovated a couple of properties myself, I cannot stress the importance of having certificates for all of the works you have carried out on your property. Despite having no plans to move for quite some time, I have now learnt my lesson and have certificates & planning permissions coming out of my ears. Just in case… 
Lizzie Baker - Senior Negotiator & Office Manager at Spencer on Ecclesall Road, Sheffield 11
For advice on Building Regulations and Planning Permission we can put you in touch with excellent local professionals. If you would like to know more please contact us at Spencer on 0114 268 3682 
www.spencersestateagents.co.uk 

Property Market Forecast for 2018 - #Sheffield #EstateAgent #Blog

Property Market Forecast for 2018 

No one dare say the words “strong and stable” anymore in the same sentence but, if we were to, it would pretty much describe the current property market conditions in Sheffield. Over the last few years, the market has slowly limped towards Christmas with us hoping for little snow, and praying that the New Year would fast approach, whereas the end of 2017 saw a strong level of interest and a high level of property instructions right to the end of the year. There’s no doubt that the very top end of the market is still the slowest to move but with realistic expectations there are no reasons why it isn’t a good time to sell or buy.

We are yet to work out whether the stamp duty changes will make any real inroads to the first time buyer market but hopefully it helps to counter the interest rate increases, and we have been rather pleased to see that, although the press aren’t making too much noise about it, the Help to Buy scheme is definitely helping to make life easier for many.

In Sheffield, because prices are solid, we aren’t able to say that any one particular area is “up and coming” but there are many areas that are seeing good results in suburban districts particularly Walkley, Woodseats, Hillsborough, Meersbrook, and Abbeydale, where they may have, not so long ago, been quoted as the areas to buy for better value. The city centre is the one to watch in Sheffield though, and our only advice there is to BUY WISELY, there are many developments shooting up all aiming a similar markets so quality and position have to go hand in hand to ensure a decent long term investment. 

www.spencersestateagents.co.uk 

Please call us for any advice on 0114 268 3682

Estate Agents - are they all the same? #Sheffield #Spencer #Blog #SpencersAgents

"They’re all the same!"

Blog by Chris Spooner, our Senior Valuer at Spencer

I was in a well-known coffee shop last week when I happened to over-hear a conversation where two people were discussing a recent experience of choosing an estate agent. "I went for the agent who had the lowest fee because when you break it down they're all pretty much the same." This comment managed to make me experience sadness, disappointment, anger and happiness all in a 20 second moment but thankfully happiness was the emotion I felt for the most of that day.  I went back to the office to be greeted by our office manager who had a smile that was bigger than a Cheshire cat’s! The reason for her happiness was a vendor who had just been into the office to drop off a set of keys for the sale of their house which had just completed. Behind her on the desk were four bottles of wine, a bunch of flowers, and two cards, which had comments thanking us for all our help. This particular vendor has had plenty of recent experience with estate agents both as a buyer and seller so it was even more satisfying to read his praise of our team for all of our efforts. He was keen to point out that my initial marketing valuation was in the middle of three that he had received when looking to find a suitable agent, and he also was happy to admit that we weren't the cheapest agent to quote for his business. The results though were that we achieved a sale price higher than the highest valuation he'd received with a service that he couldn't find even the smallest of faults with. He couldn't believe the difference between using ourselves and the previous agent he used less than three years ago who at the time he chose because he thought all estate agents were the same! 

If you're thinking of selling your home in the near future and also think estate agents are all the same, please come down to our office for a cuppa and chat so we can try to help you see how different we might just be.

www.spencersestateagents.co.uk

#property #estateagent #sheffield #blog

#Spencers of #Sheffield #Blog about #Brexit and how it is affecting us

Brexit & The Sheffield Property Market

It’s the hottest topic on everyone’s lips and whilst we’re all keeping our opinions on Brexit to ourselves at Spencers, we have found that valuation appointments have slowed in the last few weeks. Meanwhile we have many buyers who are desperate to find something to buy so we're seeing multiple viewings on properties which are in turn going to best & final offers and achieving over the realistic asking price.

Whatever your thoughts as to whether we remain in the EU or we leave, Sheffield is a very different kettle of fish to London, certainly in our experience. We are not finding foreign investors are coming to Sheffield and making vendors put in ‘Brexit clauses’ into the contracts or that a ‘Brexit pledge’ is necessary to tie up a sale, which is what the London market is finding. At Spencers our buyers are first time buyers, families, and downsizing movers who are led by catchment areas, changes in their own circumstances, growing families, and the need to release funds upon retirement. 

In the last month we've seen properties in S6, S7, S8, S10 and S11 at asking prices from £150,000 to £450,000 all go to best & final offers within two weeks of marketing, all agreed for over the asking prices. That tells us that, on the whole, from a buyers point of view, the Brexit doesn't factor in people’s decision to buy and that the Sheffield housing market is not affected by the referendum. If anything, the predicted changes in catchment areas and intakes in local schools are what’s driving our sales, but that’s a different story!

So if you're waiting for the result before you look to market your house consider first who your buyers will be, watch what is selling in your area and how quickly. You might just be surprised by how much you can achieve! 

If you're still not convinced and are looking for a short term solution while you wait for the result and the ripple effect of it, then perhaps renting your property out is a better option. Invariably we receive multiple applications on everything from one bed apartments to five bed detached farmhouses in the South West of Sheffield. That way you're not tied to a sale of your home but can make the move you're wanting to make with a guaranteed income for 6 or 12 months. 

Please call our friendly team of Sales & Rentals staff to book a free valuation of your property and discuss what we've sold & let recently in your area. We'd love to have a cuppa & a chat! 

www.spencersestateagents.co.uk

Spencers' Lizzie Baker talks about How to Choose an Estate Agent - #property # blog # Sheffield

Truth be told, we know that estate agents aren’t popular, when I tell people what I do most of the time they either wince or are surprised – trust me, some of us are actually nice!! Buying & selling a house is a minefield which can be incredibly stressful, so you need to find an agent who you trust.

So how do you choose?

Ask friends – word of mouth is a brilliant way to get recommendations of who to use and who NOT to use. Everyone has got a horror story but judging by how many thank you cards we get from vendors a lot of people have some really great experiences with estate agents.

Use social media – everyone has a Facebook page and a Twitter handle nowadays so why not have a look and chat to the agent on there. What sort of things do they post? Do they respond? Is it updated regularly?

Check out the websites – since the launch of ‘On The Market’ in January last year, agents who have marketed property through that site have had to drop Rightmove or Zoopla . This is something that Spencers chose not to do as we believe we get too many enquiries from them to justify dropping one of them. Is their own website any good? Do they have a mobile site so that people can use it when walking past your property?

Meet the negotiator - as well as the valuer, meeting the negotiator selling your home is a great way to do this. Whilst it isn’t always possible to meet the negotiator before you actually market the property, why not visit the office or mystery shop them over the phone by booking a viewing or asking about a particular property. Does that negotiator know all about it? Have they visited the property? What’s the area like? When was the property last rewired? You’d be surprised by how many agents have never seen the houses that they’re selling – how can you possibly sell something you haven’t seen?? What is the negotiator like? Would you feel comfortable representing you? After all, they will be speaking to buyers on your behalf.

How do they conduct viewings? – Maybe I’m not like everyone else but I really dislike ‘open house’ viewings. I want to be able to speak to the agent or vendor showing me round so that I can ask questions, you can’t do that with 10 other people standing in the kitchen with you!

You will no doubt have heard all the old adages ‘you get what, you pay for’ & ‘your home is your biggest asset’ and they are all absolutely true. There are so many agents out there who will offer you a valuation on the same day you call them and a cheap fee if you instruct them on the spot, but does that always get you the best agent? I would be concerned if someone could come straight out and see you and then offer you a fee of 0.5% - doesn’t that smack of desperation?!

At Spencers we pride ourselves in going the extra mile for sellers & buyers, we all live locally and will do everything we can to sell your house. Come in and have a cuppa with us to have a chat. 

#Sheffield #Walkley #Property #Blog

Is Walkley becoming the new Crookes?

Spencers' property sales are booming in Walkley, with investors and homeowners looking to benefit from this great up and coming area. There’s a real sense of community here;  the residents love to support local businesses, whether it’s the family-run butchers’ and inner city farm shop, the two excellent bakeries, the Cafe Pie, ‘where Henderson’s Relish runs on tap’, or the great local pubs and amenities.

Walkley has much more to offer with its excellent bus routes giving easy access to the Universities, main City Hospitals and Sheffield City centre and let’s not forget the green spaces of Ruskin Park and the picturesque Rivelin Valley.

Our own Walkley resident, Ashely commented “Having lived in Walkley for a little over a year, what I love about the place, is the close knit village feel and picturesque views with the added advantage of quick commutes into the city, Crookes and Hillsborough areas”

  

Here’s just a few of the properties we’ve sold in the area this year;

• 202 Howard Road – Sold in 1 week!

• 204 Howard Road – Sold in 2 days!

• 51 Cromwell Street – 9 Offers, Sold in in 1 week!

• 49 Parsonage Crescent – 7 Offers, Sold in 1 week 

We also have a fantastic double storey upper apartment, which has come on to the market recently, but we doubt it’ll be available for long, as we already have two bidders! 

http://www.vebra.com/spencersestates/property/26202198

If you’re looking to sell your property, why not call Spencers for a free valuation? on 0114 2683682.

www.spencersestateagents.co.uk 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT #RIGHTMOVE AND #ZOOPLA MARKETING

IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT #RIGHTMOVE AND #ZOOPLA MARKETING

You may or may not have heard about a new property portal called OnTheMarket.com which is due for launch next week.

The new portal has been set up and is owned by estate agents, who all have a vote as to the running of the portal and a members club. This property portal membership insists that members are only under contract with one other property portal, either Rightmove or Zoopla, therefore meaning that many agencies are having to drop either Rightmove or Zoopla as their second property online advertising outlet.

“The latest survey by Property Academy, in which 4,506 people currently selling their home or investment property were questioned, shows that 94 per cent expected their property to be marketed on Rightmove and 68 per cent on Zoopla, while 39 per cent backed Primelocation”

The website has been set up to combat the duopoly (by creating a new one) of Rightmove and Zoopla, with a view to the OnTheMarket website being the only required website in the long run, therefore saving agents large amounts of money. In actual fact, the ruling that only one other website portal can be used has actually strengthened the position of Rightmove in our area, resulting in them actually increasing their monthly charges! The website in the long run will NOT be the only go-to site, as internet agencies are not welcome and only agencies considered as “real estate agents” are allowed to sign up for the service, which again may strengthen Rightmove as THE  portal in our area. It is worth noting that agencies in Wales have agreed to ditch Rightmove, meaning that the site with the power there is actually Zoopla.

In our opinion, it is not currently in the best interest of our clients to drop either Rightmove or Zoopla in favour of this new site, until the new site proves itself to be a better lead generator or tool for property finding.

In Sheffield we are aware that many agents are dropping Zoopla in favour of Rightmove in order to join the new OnTheMarket website.

At Spencers, through January to date, we have received 39 Zoopla enquiries and 62 Rightmove enquiries, which proves that Rightmove does still outperform Zoopla, but none of the enquirers are the same people, which would mean that we could currently miss out on viewing opportunities if we were to close our Zoopla account. Interestingly a higher percentage of Lettings enquiries come from Zoopla than Rightmove.

At this point, we feel that there isn’t enough information about the new website in the marketplace and therefore we are currently continuing with Rightmove and Zoopla, in association with Prime Location, as we feel that this offers the best service to our clients and markets properties to the widest possible audience. We feel that we need to offer the very best marketing for our clients.

It is our duty as estate agents to find the very best price from the best buyer to suit the vendor’s purposes, and this includes full marketing in as many ways as possible. Did you know that, at Spencers, we regularly also use Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Google Blogger, and YouTube to market properties in other ways through the internet? Will OnTheMarket ban this too?

If you are thinking of selling a property, it is worth checking with your proposed agent whether they are signed up to OnTheMarket.com, as you may not feel that it is the right thing for you. If you already have a property on the market with another agent you will find that you suddenly will not have your property listed on one of the other main international lead sources; did you know about this? Some agents are delaying the marketing of properties on other portals by 48 hours to give an advantage to people visiting the new website. You will also find that agents have withdrawn marketing of the second portal (Zoopla or Rightmove) in favour of only advertising the new website under their rules and conditions.

We will monitor the success of the website and will listen to our clients’ needs to see if we feel that the new website will be worth joining at a later date. In the meantime we do not feel that we should be bullied into how we market properties on behalf of our clients to suit our own pockets.

#theladysnotforturning

www.SpencersEstateAgents.co.uk

0114 268 3682

Nicola@SpencersEstateAgents.co.uk