Kevin's Property Blog - December 2015

Kevin Spires, Senior Sales Executive at Edward Ashdale estate agents, shares his latest thoughts on the property market.

London & Bromley

Average price increases accelerated to 9.6% in the year to September. Annual prices are now once again rising faster in London than in any other region of the country, and the average house price in the capital is now £499,995.

The majority of sales in Bromley during the last year were flats, selling for an average price of £277,772. Terraced properties sold for an average of £360,075, with semi-detached properties fetching £483,235.

Overall sold prices in Bromley over the last year were 7% up on the previous year and 27% up on the 2012 level of £320,659.

National

House prices rose across the UK in September, rising by 5.3% compared to 4.2% in August. Outside of London, the South East saw house prices rise the most at 8.5% in the year to September.

Excluding London, property prices in the countryside are, on average, 22% higher than in urban areas Despite this, the gap between “town” and “country” prices is narrowing as prices are rising more quickly in urban areas. Between 2010 and 2015, the average price of a home in the countryside rose by 13%, compared with an average increase of 23% in towns and cities.

The relative shortage of houses for sale means there are many more prospective home-owners than houses to buy. Prices will probably rise fastest in the entry level bracket with high demand from first-time buyers. In the short term there may be a rush from buy to let investors or second home buyers seeking to make a purchase before Stamp Duty rises by a further 3% from April 2016.

Kevin Spires, Senior Sales Executive, Edward Ashdale, for your free valuation call 020 8 466 8445.

You can view our earlier posts in our Index here.

Topical tips for Landlords 1 – New energy regulation is coming

The Energy Act 2011 gave the government powers to set a minimum energy efficiency standard for the private rented sector to help meet carbon reduction targets and address fuel poverty.

Therefore, a Minimum Energy Performance Standard for the private rented sector is being introduced. The Private Rented Sector Energy Efficiency Regulations (Domestic) sets out:

• Tenant's energy efficiency improvements
• Minimum energy efficiency standards

Minimum energy efficiency  standard regulations will require eligible properties in the sector to be improved to a specified minimum standard. These regulations must be in force by April 2018.

Landlords will face a penalty charge of up to a maximum of £5000 for non-compliance.

Until recently, Lewisham Council, in partnership with Osborne Energy, set up an offer to help improve the energy efficiency of rental properties with up to £7200 grant funding by property. Funding was available to landlords with rental property in Lewisham, Bexley, or Bromley.

Whether or not further offers are made available from these or other sources, landlords clearly need to be investing in this area going forward.

Website: www.osborneenergy.co.uk

You can view our earlier posts in our Index here. 

A Baptism of Fire for my first letting agreement

By Liam Embleton, Negotiator at Edward Ashdale

"I’ve recently started working as a Negotiator for Edward Ashdale. My first role in the lettings industry.

"After an initial period of training I was out conducting viewings, a process of filtering the good applicants from the bad. My first successful let was a three bedroom ground floor flat in Shortlands and it didn’t go as smoothly as I expected it to. Apparently, not even the Lettings Manager had experienced anything like it before. Problems occurred through the process of moving tenants on the planned date.

"On Friday 18^th September, I had organised two very good applicants, Pawel and Lukasz, an early afternoon appointment to show them around the property. They both work for a large company in the local area and were looking to rent a flat in the Bromley area. Pawel and Lukas showed immediate interest as this flat was exactly what they were looking for. The flat was empty at this time as the Landlord had vacated. We had in fact managed the property two years ago, so the Landlord was no stranger to us and the process. The property was available to be moved into as soon as possible, which was ideal for Pawel and Lukasz as they needed to be out of their current property within two weeks. They requested permission from the owner to redecorate in the same colours as they planned to remain long term. 

"Everything was agreed and a reservation deposit was paid by the tenants. I confirmed with the Landlord the property was now let on the terms agreed and proceeded to carry out the referencing process. The landlord confirmed he was happy to take on these tenants and was looking forward to them occupying the property in two weeks. The proposed tenants were excited and the date for occupation was set with a date of Friday 2^nd October which was perfect for all as they needed to be out of their current property that they were renting by that date. 

"During the week coming up to Friday 2^nd, I had no contact with the landlord despite my attempts to make contact. I couldn’t get hold of him: he was not responding to any of my calls or e-mails. I had to apologise to Pawel and Lukasz, explaining that despite having signed contracts returned from the Landlord-client, he had not authorized the references we had obtained, despite them being rendered ‘good’ and ‘acceptable for the tenancy’. They were not able to collect the keys on the Friday 2^nd, as we had no response from the landlord.

"When I finally got contact from the landlord three days after the agreed move in date, he said that his wife had changed her mind on the proposed tenants and that he now no longer agreed with them moving in. Pawel and Lukasz was not happy with this late decision, not to mention the grief they were having from their existing Landlord. They were telling me they were about to be homeless because new tenants were pressing to move in their own property. 

"My manager in the office became involved and tried to learn from the owner what the delay was or if there were any concerns. Luckily, later on that day the landlord phoned again and told us he had had a further discussion with his wife and agreed to the tenants moving in.

The new date for occupation was Saturday 10^th October, which was going to be a definite! I had to politely speak to Pawel and Lukasz and explain to them the reasons why we had to change the date.

"During that week I made sure everything was prepared, including organizing the inventory and gas safety testing. I could not believe it when we received a telephone call from the gas engineer advising there was no seal on the oven door and no chain on the gas cooking appliance, so he had to fail the gas check. I immediately conveyed this to the Landlord, who refused to accept the gas check had failed and assured me there was nothing wrong with the appliance. We obtained quotes for supplying and fitting a new gas cooker and oven appliance, but the Landlord refused. This ran into a few days, with the tenant continuously chasing to find out what was going on and the Landlord reluctant to do anything. He wanted a second opinion and the same result was found. This meant the tenants were not allowed to move in the next day until the landlord had replaced the cooker, which ultimately delayed the move in date once again by another three days. This caused big problems for Pawel and Lukasz and there was nothing I could do but apologise for the inconvenience of being delayed once again. The Landlord finally conceded after reading the gas engineer’s reports, but decided he wanted to arrange the new appliance, which he did through a local store who were offering an installation deal too, ensuring it met current regulations.

"Finally, on Tuesday 13^thOctober, we finally got Pawel and Lukasz happily moved into the property with all the problems solved. Yet the story didn’t finish there. The Landlord contacted my Manager, saying he had been talking to his wife and after everything that had happened, had decided not to let the property to the tenants. They were going to sell the property instead! 

"The Landlord had signed and returned his contracts. 

"All of the associated tenancy obligations were complete.

"The tenants had signed the Tenancy Agreement and here we were with a Landlord saying we needed to tell them to move out. I was quite amazed, but I was assured the Landlord could not get the tenants out. It was a horrible feeling for me, after all my efforts. Fearing having to tell the tenants and a possible legal battle, the Landlord telephoned later in the day and apologized, saying it was his wife and that he himself was quite happy to proceed!

"I’ve been told to expect many more unusual experiences, which I suppose is part of the job when you are dealing with people that have different agendas."

You can view our earlier posts in our Index here.

Whisky Galore

Our Director Sam Samuel (left, below) and our staff in our Bromley office were very cheerful the other day when some of our clients thanked us. Two were a couple who we had helped to buy their first detached home. 

Nice photo, isn't it? It certainly made our day. Yet estate agency isn't all smiles.

Knowing how difficult property transactions can be, we pride ourselves on our work, on our professionalism. We provide an excellent service for those who use us. Regardless of what our clients are like themselves! For the people we deal with are only human, they are unique, and they are under different pressures. We understand if people are disorganised, grumpy, stressed out, distracted, impatient, or all of those at once. It is our job to provide a professional arm to lean on, to guide people through the choppy waters of selling or buying homes, chains, letting or being let to, and so on.  

It helps, of course, if our clients are as responsive as us, tell us anything relevant that is going on, ensure we know what their needs are and what they are planning. Yet we will happily work with people who are inexperienced in property transactions, who don't like them and who will, try as they might, will never understand them all that well.   

It is, though, good to be appreciated and to work with people who aren't disorganised, grumpy, stressed out, distracted, or impatient. 

The two clients who, as we said at the start, outdid us recently were thanking us. We regularly get thanks from people who give us cards and gifts. These are always greatly appreciated. 

Among theirs and other recent gifts, whisky has been involved, a bottle of Jamesons and of Glenfiddich. The former went to Sam and the latter to Kevin Spires. Naturally, we won't disclose whose has been drunk the fastest, though we can say that Kevin has more left as the Christmas festive period approaches....

Thank you to those recent clients, but gifts aren't what we work for (nice though they are). It is knowing we have done the best we can and that we have achieved something meaningful for our clients.

You can view our earlier posts in our Index here.

Moving in... with the Queen of Clean

Lynsey, Queen of Clean, has advice for you

 

So, you've bid for a house or two, you've had a bid accepted, then you have passed the nervous period till contracts are exchanged, not to mention the stressful period after they've been exchanged, and you've completed the move. Congratulations!

 

Next you've gone through and boxed up all the possessions in your old home that you think you need for the new one, and consigned them to the tender care (hopefully) of a removals company, and if you're newly married perhaps the new bride has been carried across the threshold safely. You're in, surrounded by boxes, with luck and planning the power is on, the water flowing, and the people you bought from have left things clean and tidy.

 

Chances are it's late at night and you're going to be sleeping on the floor, a couch, or a bed you're too tired to make up properly, maybe even a hotel not too far away. Morning dawns, you dig out the kettle and necessaries you brought to make the morning cuppa, and there you are, ready to make this house your home.

 

What next? Unpacking those boxes, moving that furniture, making sure the cat (if you have one) doesn't leave the premises for two weeks, certainly not if the lengthy to do list by icatcare.org is anything to go by – http://icatcare.org/advice/keeping-your-cat-happy/moving-house-your-cat.

 

However, the bright new light of day, and seeing the premises minus your predecessors furniture and decorations for the first time, might make you think twice. Is that an unpleasant smell coming from the sink? Oh dear, is that long untouched grease you see behind the empty cooker space? Just what are those stains where the sofa used to be? And what are those suspicious tiny droppings behind where a bookcase formerly stood? Your own visits and your surveyor didn't prepare you for this, as the light arcs mercilessly through temporarily curtain-free windows, revealing all.

 

Common sense comes to the rescue here. You can leave those boxes untouched, your furniture and effects where they are. Out come the cleaning materials. You may have been a householder for years already and know what you're doing, more or less. Or maybe you're fresh from the coddled experience of living in your mum's house and you don't know what to do with a cooker or an iron, let alone a steam mop.

 

Here we can help you. Just as we'd hope you moved with the expert help of Edward Ashdale Estate Agents, now you're in cleaning mode another expert can be of help.

 

We have some exclusive tips for you gleaned from TV's Queen of Clean, Lynsey.

What tips does Lynsey have to suggest to people newly moved in to help them with their cleaning challenge?

 

“Moving into a new home is a very exciting time, but it's so important to give your new home a good clean before you move in to make it feel like yours. Other people's grime will be polluting the surfaces and door handles!  You will notice the previous occupants marks of habitation which can make you feel uneasy in your new property, but never fear, a few antibacterial products and a drop of bleach here and there will help your home to feel brand new and all yours.

 

“My advice would be to start at the top and work your way down!

 

“Firstly, dust those ceilings, concentrating well on the cobwebs and the corners. Have a step ladder to hand and go over with a large feather duster.  It will be satisfying watching the dust drop to the floor. Ceilings harbour dust so its important that you get these clean.

 

“Door handles, light switches and other buttons all need a really good clean with antibacterial spray.

 

“Get all the windows and doors open and give the house a really good air.

 

“Pull up any unwanted carpet and rugs and pull down old curtains, blinds and  lampshades and get them straight to the tip.

 

“Add a good amount of neat bleach to all the sinks and baths and leave to soak to really help kill those germs.  After a good soaking scrub, clean with an antibacterial spray until it comes up like new. If you have a shower, replace the shower head. These harbour a lot of bacteria and germs.

 

“If you are keeping the toilets make sure you replace the seats with new ones and really scrub the pan clean.  Pour a cheap bottle of coke down to ensure the pipes are clean and there are no unwanted blockages that can create nasty smells.

 

“If appliances have been left and you are keeping them, ensure you scrub them clean. Invest in a good over cleaner and use baby oil to really shine that hob.

 

“A bit of neat bleach on a toothbrush will help you get the grout in-between any tiles clean and bring them back to life.

 

“Other than this, rigorously, but well needed clean, your home will be clean and ready to move into and it will truly feel like yours.”

 

When Lynsey finished preparing this advice, typically she remarked, “In the mood for a good clean now!”

 

With advice like this, your life in your new home should get off to a good (if busy) start.

 

If you have bought through Edward Ashdale, and need a bit of local knowledge and advice once you've moved in, don't hesitate to give us a call. We don't think our job is done – and dusted – once you have those keys in your hand.

 

You can view our earlier posts in our Index here.

Rising Prices and Signs of the Times – thank you, The Bromley Times

Signs of the times

As a south London estate agent with branches in Bromley and Lambeth, when property issues make the front page of the media, we take notice. On 23^rd July, The Bromley Times went front page with the story "Rising Prices', sub-title "High cost of buying a home in the borough – see inside."

The article, by Sarah Linney, says that the average price of a home in Bromley and Bexley is now over £300,000 (£304,000 in Bexley, £436,000 in Bromley). Both are under the London average - £500,000.

The ratio between wages and wage rises and property price growth isn't helpful to home purchasers. More helpful are very low interest rates and, as the article mentions, the loss of the prospect of a 'mansion tax' after the general election. So, as ever, the picture on London property is reasonably complex.

Even more so if you listen to the radio. Recently, as respected a body as the BBC in a radio programme referred to additional, and very hard to trace, demand for property in the UK coming from overseas criminal sources engaged in money laundering.

On a happier note, Sarah added that Bexley is the most popular place to live in the country. Bromley is a distinctly sought-after location as well.

Unfortunately, the resulting price pressure cooker contributes to a rise in homelessness among young people and increases in property rental prices provide fresh difficulties for anyone needing somewhere to live.There are some interesting developments, one being in Greenwich, as reported on by homesandproperty.co.uk – see www.homesandproperty.co.uk/property-news/rentals/family-rental-homes-london-uks-first-private-housing-scheme-family-renters-greenwich.

What difference does this make to Edward Ashdale Estate Agents? In one way, none. Our values mean that we seek to put the right people in the right properties, whether bought or rented. We also ensure that vendors and landlords and buyers and tenants experience, as smooth and stress free an experience as possible. Whether prices are up or down, or if the sales market is more active than the rental sector, our service has to be the same.

However, there is food for thought for us. Things are changing and we need to be changing with them. Our advice to people needs to be able to consider the latest trends. We ourselves need to engage with people in new ways, including via social media, to improve customer experience. We are doing those things. These are all signs of the times.

You can view our earlier posts in our Index here.

Lambeth Country Show-n off at its best

If you're putting on a big day out, you need sun. The Lambeth Country Show on Saturday 18th July, when we went, was sunny and showed off the spectacle at its best.

The sun, lighting one of the quieter spots

Brockwell Park is a big place, but it was full. Children's rides and games; craft tents; a health (check) tent; avenues of food; a charity tent and stalls; a display arena banked around with its large crowd; a Trade Union tent; portaloos (thankfully); local societies and groups; a food tent, well, two of those. Lots and lots of people. Plus lots and lots of purple-topped Lambeth Council people out from behind desks and having a good time and sharing what they do with the community.



The Tulse Hill Forum asked a good question

It was good to see The Tulse Hill Forum and the Norwood Forum next to each other and close to a marquee with many Council housing services on display.

This steel band was a joy to hear

A lot of the food and drink were very local - and on a day when the Herne Hill Market greeted people coming to the Show via Herne Hill station. Certainly, there was a roaring trade going on, as the smokin' hot photo below shows.

The queue was lengthy for GDH Gordons Grill

There was a lovely buzz to the day. All over, you could see friends bumping into each other and smiling, children playing and dancing, people eating, drinking, sitting down, sitting up, and lying down. All ages and backgrounds of people were strolling about.

Lambeth clearly wants to put itself on the map

We're already looking forward to next year.

You can view our earlier posts in our Index here.

Sam's Word 10: Doing anything for a sale

Sam's word

Some people will do anything for a sale. You may have heard that saying before. It is usually associated with traditional product sales and sales techniques.

Door to door salesmen. Big feet in the front door, wearing vulnerable people down over hours in their homes.

Used car salesmen. 'Clocked' cars that show a gentle 20,000 mileage where the true mileage is 100,000 plus. Claims of the superior reliability of the vehicle that barely groaned its way into the premises the day before. Have you ever seen the splendid Ealing comedy School For Scoundrels? You should. One of the high points is the sale of a terrible car by two of the shadiest salesmen you could ever meet, Dudley and Dunstan, resulting in Ian Carmichael losing out to Terry-Thomas with a young lady (temporarily, as it happens).

There are many more examples of people who will do anything, and often bad things, for a sale.

Well, we will join some of those people. The better ones. We will do anything for a sale. If it is within reason and if it is within our values and ethics. You may not hear the word ethics around estate agency too often, so here it is again. Ethics.

So, what is the 'sale' I am talking about? What do I mean by 'anything'?

The sale I am talking about isn't selling ourselves to get people's business, important though that is.

No, the sales I am talking about are the ones that we do on others behalf. So selling a property we've been instructed to sell for the best price and in the best interests of a home owner. Or having a property let for a landlord to the right tenants and not ones who will provide an unpleasant experience for that landlord.

The 'anything' that we will do starts with working hard. My staff and I put ourselves out, big time, to make a sale. We work a lot of hours and take calls round the clock. We take a proper look at a property we're to present. No five minutes in and out and a scrawl on the back of an envelope before someone types up some crude property details sheet and considers the job done. No unaccompanied viewings. No amateur photography, we use professionals.

The market for sales is strong as I write, so you can be lazy and sell properties. We don't like that at all. We're not like that at all. Our approach is the same, is as reliable, whether the market is hot or cold.

As a smaller, but very determined agency, we can't do everything at once. Yet here are some things we have done as part of our journey. We are the result of the bringing together of two agencies to form Edward Ashdale. That meant re-branding and merging IT resources, not a cheap or easy start. Since then, one of our offices, Bromley, has moved (not very far) to a better office where we can welcome people better.

We've developed a new website, and the one we have now will be replaced when we're ready with something even better. We've been blogging interesting writing (we hope) about our industry and our locality, and more. We've taken to the airwaves by appearing on Meridian Radio - thank you, DJ Alan King. We've taken a presence on social media sites Facebook and Twitter, and more unusually for estate agents, Tumblr. Why? Because we need to be heard, and if we're heard, so are the properties we have for sale or let. Certainly we network and leaflet and have good property details in our windows like many other agents. That is where many other estate agents give up, job done. Believe me, far fewer go the extra mile into these social media platforms, or onto You Tube, which we use and we are going to be using more and more from now on as well.

The anything we won't do for a sale is to exaggerate, lie, deceive or pretend that things are one way when they're another. I wrote in an earlier blog post about "the agencies who have a drive to fleece consumers unfairly". They do exist and we will never be one of them. So we work hard, we innovate, and we build our reputation that we are twenty first century estate agents with traditional values who are good to work with.

That way, we get to sleep at night.

Sam Samuel, MNAEA CRLM,  January 2015

You can view our earlier posts in our Index here.

Stripes and Strypes



It doesn't do to get into issues of décor if you're an estate agent. It isn't for us to offer an opinion if a homeowner or landlord decides on an all-purple colour scheme or to take up a parquet floor in favour of some ugly lino.

Of course, these things can affect the saleability, or chances of letting, a property. How often do you see on TV or in print more obvious and basic tips for property owners, like ensure the property when viewed is clean and tidy? Or de-clutter. Or fix things that need to be fixed. Or get some fresh coffee on to create a nice smell (or do a bit of bread baking, which is that bit more extreme).

That said, we do have our own and private tastes, so we would, yes, it has to be admitted, probably prefer professionally to see good old bland magnolia painted on walls rather than anything more adventurous. A, dare we say it, bland, impersonal décor allows the viewer to not be challenged by another person's personal vision, and to be able to imagine minimal changes that could make the property a potential home to them.

Recently, we saw a very public and eyebrow-raising reinforcement to the bland is best message. Thank you, the London Evening Standard. Someone in a dispute painted their property frontage in red and white stripes. It caused a rumpus, one person commenting, "it's not very Kensington and Chelsea." Full story here. There's even a hint of video in the story, which makes us smile.

Other kinds of stripes are important too. One very serious, and one entertaining. The entertaining one first. A few days ago one of our team saw the Irish Rock band, The Strypes, in Tunbridge Wells, a place which would doubtless say of stripe-painted houses, "it's not very Tunbridge Wells." The Strypes started as a school band when the members were eight years old and one wore a striped shirt. That generated a name and the Y went in as it was fashionable. They're a great band and though some people might think estate agents (and teachers) don't have a personal life and passion for things outside of property, we do, of course Ask Sam in our Bromley office about Milwall FC or Derrick in Tulse Hill about Arsenal FC, for instance. On reflection, perhaps it is for the best that they're in different offices.  

The serious stripes are in Tulse Hill. Near our office is, for pedestrians, a dangerous road junction, a gyratory. Moves are afoot to plan out a new and better and safer layout. We hope that works, as we want the stripes on that road to be good and safe for our staff and the local public. We wish the planners the best with their work, and we look back to our earlier blog where someone danced on the stripes in the road, and no harm done. You can view it here.

It is interesting how things can be tied together from a single word. We don't use many to describe the values we work to. Passion. Professionalism. Innovation. Friendliness.

Edward Ashdale, your thoughtful estate agent. 

You can view our earlier posts in our Index here.

The Great British Bake-On

In the news



Most of this blog post concerns food, so please bear with us in this introductory paragraph, where we talk about ourselves. It is relevant. You see, we're estate agents, and proud of it. We enjoy giving our clients a great experience: minimal stress (this is property purchasing, letting and management we're talking about, after all), tlc - tender loving care -, and our old fashioned values including friendliness and professionalism.
 
We also enjoy experiencing that kind of service from others, and we enjoy cakes. We went the whole hog (or perhaps loaf) a while ago with our recipe flyer which shared a recipe from the fantastic South London-based Blackbird Bakery, and it got us in the news. 

However, it is good to reflect on baking as a lively sector in Britain's economy and on the fact that some high street bakeries are thriving despite the fairly comprehensive range of baked items in supermarkets these days.Shows like The TV show The Great British Bake Off must have helped boost Britain's appreciation of bakers. Ours was already high to start with.

This didn't last long

The smallest example is our Director, Sam Samuel. Not that, as an ex-Navy boxer, Sam is all that small, but he likes to bake. Not so dissimilar to that Will Smith line in the movie Enemy of the State (with Gene Hackman and a cat), "Some people meditate, some people get massages. I blend." See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y0O9H0O8gko.

The staff of life

Then, near our Tulse Hill office, there is Creative Aroma. A coffee shop, but one that produces lovely ciabatta, mouth-watering fancies, and beautiful cakes. It is amazing what amounts to a business within a business can do.

On a bigger scale, the Blackbird Bakery has a number of cafe's, and one product to look out for in any of them is a particularly fine granola.

Not too far from our Bromley office, in Orpington, there is another new baker, Hank's (named after Cockney Rhyming slang - Hank Marvin - Starvin' - or so rumour has it). Hank's is on a parade of shops where a previous bakers, Plaxtol, had closed down. Too many do. Hank's was set up by the former head baker of the local Tesco, but now he does nicer bread and the cakes are great. Peanut butter cupcakes, just one of several kinds, stand out. Well worth dropping in if you're nearby - 23, Carlton Parade, Orpington BR6 0JB.

Much further afield, on a recent holiday (we have those) in Dunbar, Scotland, we found a remarkable bakery. The Bakery, Dunbar serves really excellent bread, brownies, cakes, and - outstandingly - sausage rolls. It is a community bakery, has local (and wider) shareholders, and is award-winning. It isn't too common to find a bakery website with an Our Ethos page, but there is one, just as we publish our Values.

We enjoy it when what we do and the quality of our service is appreciated. To the bakers mentioned in this post, we hope you enjoy our words. We'll be seeing you again.

You can view our earlier posts in our Index here.

Estate Agent On The Radio

DJ Alan King with Sam Samuel 

As a former sonar operator, Edward Ashdale's Sam Samuel is used to electronic transmissions. However, on Friday 8th March 2015 he was on the airwaves himself, with DJ Alan King of Meridian Radio in London.

Fresh from a game of golf (lost, Sam claims, owing to the distraction of his upcoming radio appearance), Sam chatted with Alan on air and filled listeners in on the life and times of a London estate agent. Those times included a Royal Navy career, a stint in an estate agents before having his own company, and the merger that created Edward Ashdale, the estate agents where he is now one of three directors.

Sam's time on air included Alan playing a The Happy Mondays track on his behalf, and a separate tricky five minutes. This was the time Alan gave Sam, 'our resident estate agent', to prepare a description of the Meridian Radio studio for sale (not that it will be listed any time soon). A rapid think and write later, Sam had his words, and he read them out on air:

"A well-equipped self contained studio flat with large window providing views to the front. Fitted cupboards and drawer units providing plenty of storage space. Ample electric points and connections for broadband. The flat also provides a store cupboard to the rear. An adequately spaced flat ideal for the first time buyer or investment purchase."

Considering that Alan's show is listened to by actor John Challis, car-dealer Boycie in TV's Only Fools And Horses, Sam might be able to call on additional help with selling the property. Certainly Alan and the DJ coming on air after him, Dominique, enjoyed the property description.  

At the mike

One listener messaged DJ Alan in shock at hearing an estate agent on the show. He (or she) might have to get used to it, as Sam will be back. Watch this space for the date and time. Ahead of that appearance, Sam and Alan King on Meridian will take any property related questions that Sam can help with. Or maybe even golf ones.

Contact: sam@edwardashdale.com. 

You can view our earlier posts in our Index here.

On The Market.com is on the market

We are founder members, gold members in fact, of the new homes portal, On The Market.com. What does this mean? That we get a key to the Executive Washroom? Well, yes, but more than this, it shows we have thrown ourselves, heart, soul, and wallet, into the new platform.

Here is a link to a description of On The Market that it posted on its launch day on 23^rd January 2015 – http://blog.onthemarket.com/content/welcome-onthemarket-com-new-simple-way-search-property/.

Many estate agents have stayed out of On The Market.com for a variety of reasons, including waiting to see how it does before taking the plunge. Of course, if too may did that it would be unsustainable. Yet if you go around London you will see other estate agents, others as ambitious and forward-looking as Edward Ashdale (well, almost), with their windows plastered with On The Market.com stickers.

So, what has the reception been since the launch? We embraced it, obviously, so much so that we have a video telling people about it – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4v4vpcM9tac.

Talking of videos, you can see On The Market.com's 30 second TV advert here - http://youtu.be/21BRn5dfupc – and we've added it to our own You Tube playlist, appropriately named Friends Videos.

Once On The Market.com went live, Zoopla experienced an early 11% reduction in advertising from estate agents, but commented that the real test for On The Market.com is interest from consumers – http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/zoopla-affected-by-onthemarket-launch-as-advertising-members-fall-10040861.html. Of course, consumers need something to consume and not only is the On The Market.com website customer-friendly, it has interesting news and blog pages, a draw by themselves. It took just three weeks to clock up one million unique visitors to the site – http://www.cityam.com/209726/estate-agent-wars-onthemarket-hits-one-million-mark-unique-users-its-battle-against-rivals.

An early Guardian newspaper report compared availablity of properties on Rightmove, Zoopla and On The Market.com, and even at that early stage, the site was a contender with significant listings – http://www.theguardian.com/money/2015/jan/26/property-site-onthemarket-rightmove-zoopla-selling-houses.

Another early report, this time from City A.M., warned that On The Market.com was lagging behind its rivals in Google local property searches. However, we believe that On The Market.com, itself run by Agents Mutual, is there for the long term and in the long term becoming a bigger player on property searches is a very strong likelihood. Article here - http://www.cityam.com/208155/onthemarket-will-need-win-google-battle-it-can-really-challenge-zoopla-and-rightmove.

So, almost a month in and the jury is out on the impact of On The Market.com. Certainly, there is already an impact. What is most surprising is that those early reports seem to want to conclude on the success or failure of On The Market.com when it has hardly begun. Give it twelve months and then the judge can don his or her black cap, or not.

You can view our earlier posts in our Index here.

Rolling Stone magazine says it will be a great 2015... so do we

Rolling Stone magazine says 2015 Will Rule and offers 68 reasons why. You can read them here. Their perspective is, of course, American, so they cite things like the new Fall Out Boy album American Beauty, American Psycho (out today, 19th January), a video of which is here:

We published our own debut video a few days ago as well. OK, it's not likely to become as famous as Patrick Stump and co, but perhaps a later one will be. If  we can partner with Take That or those Fall Out Boys.

Rolling Stone also looks forward to American Football's Super Bowl XLIX on 1st February. UK's Gridiron fans can be assured a tense time in the small hours.

Meanwhile, Bob Dylan is to publish a new album. The man is such a living legend and hopefully Shadows Of The Night will be well received. Something else we hope to be well received, and we very much like it, is On The Market, a new online property portal launching on 26th January. In its on words:

"OnTheMarket.com will be a new place to view hundreds of thousands of properties to buy or rent all over the UK. Every property will be on offer from locally based estate or letting  agents. So whether you're looking to buy, rent, sell or let a property, you know that you'll be dealing with local experts who you can meet face-to-face.  With a simple, uncluttered search function and exclusive content, we hope you'll agree: if you're in the market, you'll need to visit OnTheMarket.com."

Many in our estate agency business would argue that a new property portal that is as friendly to estate agents as to the public is overdue. Something in 2015 that is perhaps more inevitable is that literary smash hit 50 Shades of Grey has been made into a film, and this is out on February 14th. Yes, Valentine's Day:

For those of more unearthly tastes, the raft of superhero movies continues, with, among others, Marvel's Avengers: Age of Ultron being released in April:

In music, Taylor Swift begins a tour, that does take in Europe, on May 20th. Perhaps if we can see her backstage at a concert we can ask her for her thoughts about On The Market. Or perhaps not. But we're sure she'd like it. Patrick Stump and Iron Man too.

As 21st century estate agents with traditional values, we're hardly dinosaurs, but these will be on view from June 12th as a new Jurassic Park movie growls onto the big screen:

November 6th sees James Bond back in action in new movie 'Spectre', and in December a new Star Wars film - The Force Awakens - seeks to fill the gap left by the end of the run of movies featuring hobbits and people with beards even longer than is currently fashionable.

So, we have mentioned only nine of the sixty-eight things Rolling Stone is looking forward to, and without mentioning British highlights like Wimbledon, the FA Cup Final, and, er, the General Election. So it the year ahead should be great indeed.

So, enjoy 2015 and do join us on On The Market. That Force, too, is about to awaken....

You can view our earlier posts in our Index here.