The necessary restrictions put in place by Government to slow the spread of COVID-19 have essentially paused property transactions in the UK.

Agents are currently only permitted to carry out “virtual viewings” on vacant properties, and mortgage lenders are putting a temporary stop to new mortgage applications whilst restrictions prevent their surveyors from valuing properties with usual accuracy, given that they cannot physically visit the vast majority of properties at present.

The only ones that are still moving home, are those that are well progressed with their sale or purchase and are contractually bound to move. The same more or less applies to those renting as well, with virtual viewings applicable to vacant properties only, and only those that absolutely have to move are able to do so.

Were you planning a move this spring like many others who have been waiting for the right time to sell?

Prior to the outbreak of COVID-19, the property market was doing extremely well, and there was already strong evidence that the so called Boris Bounce was having a positive impact on the property market.

Our own data showed a 14% increase in the number of property viewings immediately following the election, and an overall increase of 32% when compared with the same period in 2019. This was also evident in the most recent property transactions for 2020, showing an increase in the average price paid for a property in Thames DItton, Esher, Claygate, Hinchley Wood and Molesey of £25,000.

Right now, we should be experiencing one of the busiest seasons for the property market, commonly known as the Spring Market, but restrictions are preventing people from bringing their property to market, causing a back log of people that were planning to move at this time.

Can you think of another recent event that was talked about in the news every day that may have also had a bottleneck effect, and created a back log of people that were waiting for more certainty before putting their property on the market…?

Brexit is relevant to property market predictions around COVID-19

The EU referendum in the UK along with amendments to how stamp duty land tax is calculated, reduced transactions in Molesey, Esher, Thames Ditton, Claygate and Hinchley Wood by around 30% and as a result, 2020 was expected to be a busy year for the UK Property market with pent up demand reaching critical mass.

We now have one bottle neck on top of another bottle neck, and if the data tracking property transactions in South Korea and China is anything to go buy, we can expect transaction levels and the health of the property market to snap back at an exceptional pace.

With the UK’s own specific set of circumstances leading up to this point, we are expecting a wave of new properties coming to market in the second half of 2020.

If you are one of those people that are planning to sell your property once life begins to return to normality, is there anything that you can do to beat the crowd?

Get yourself "Contract Ready"

You may or may not already know that you can instruct a solicitor before you find a buyer. Our panel of solicitors work just like our estate agents do, on a No Sale, No Fee basis.

Why does this matter? The initial process of setting up the sale of your home with a solicitor takes anywhere from 2-3 weeks. Most people wait until they have a buyer to begin this process, but if everyone is trying to do this at the same time, it will likely take longer than usual for the initial steps to be completed.

If you are serious about moving, why not put yourself in a position where you are up to 3 weeks further ahead than other properties that launch to market? There’s no catch, and you don’t even have to use Newton Huxley Estate Agents to sell your property to get access to this service. However, if you decide to take advantage of our award winning estate agency services, your solicitor fee payable upon the completed sale of your home will be absorbed into the commission we charge, saving you an average of at least £1000.00

For more information please contact our team on 01372 631 622 or email info@newtonhuxley.co.uk

You may have recently received a letter from us, offering a reduced commission rate in response to an influx of buyers and tenants registering for property in Surrey. More specifically, buyers and tenants migrating from South West London.

With demand remaining high, we have decided to extend our reduced commission promotional offer until the 12th December 20116

If you are considering selling or letting your property please contact our headquarters on 020 8396 6717 to speak to a member of our residential team.

ALL VALUATIONS ARE PROVIDED FREE OF CHARGE AND WITHOUT OBLIGATION.

BOOK A SALES OR LETTINGS VALUATION

Recent Rightmove data shows that more homeowners in East & West Molesey are choosing Newton Huxley Estate Agents to sell their home over any other Molesey Estate Agent.

It really is great to see how recommendations spread fast. The team has worked tirelessly to provide all of our customers with a friendly, straight forward and diligent service. In such a competitive market and at a time when stock levels are lower than usual (a.k.a "a sellers market") we see our commitment to providing the best service available in estate agency really working wonders.

A sellers’ market is something that many home owners will welcome (especially if you're not making an onward purchase), as this inherently pushes property values upwards. However, the dangers of over pricing can also increase as agents "starved" of new instructions seek to impress potential clients with over inflated valuations. Not only can this throw a real spanner in the works in terms of the time it takes to sell your property, but it can also encourage low offers if your property remains on the market for a prolonged period of time.

Here are three ways we think sellers in the Molesey area can avoid the aggravation of price inflation:

1. GET A ROUGH IDEA ON THE VALUE OF YOUR HOME.

Simply having 2 or 3 estate agents out to value your property may not be enough, it may seem obvious but looking at other properties that are currently on the market, or that have recently sold will give you a very good idea of what your property is worth.  A simply way to judge another property by comparison to yours is to check photographs for condition and floor plans for size. If the property is not under offer, check the listing history to see how long the property has been on the market. The internet is overflowing with local property price information and we have access to archive data on literally 1000's of properties. (contact us for more information 0208 396 6717 | info@newtonhuxley.co.uk)

2. BROWSE THE WEBSITES OF POTENTIAL AGENTS.

We are surprised to learn that many of our clients ONLY call us because they have noticed "sold" boards or have received a letter from us, you can easily tell if an agent is proactive and a consistent performer by the presentation of their website, and the quality of their property photography. If you want to achieve the best possible price for your home you need to attract as many buyers as possible, presenting your home to the market with great photos on an easy to use website will make all the difference. After all, there is a reason that Waitrose can charge more for a bag of sugar than ASDA. It’s all in the presentation!

3. AVOID ON LINE INSTANT VALUATION TOOLS.

Some property and estate agent websites offer an instant valuation. The algorithms used in these apps are nowhere near detailed enough to provide a reliable valuation of your property. In some cases, we have seen these provide valuations that are off by over 25%! Until additional data can be stored within these applications such as square footage and internal condition we recommend you avoid the temptation to use them.

The first two weeks of marketing your property are crucial, and an unrealistic asking price can not only put potential buyers off, but will encourage "low ball" offers if your property remains on the market for too long.

Interpreting the market correctly and setting your asking price at just the right level will help you achieve the best result possible. We are proud to report that more than 70% of the properties we have sold are at record prices when compared with similar properties in the immediate area, whilst achieving more than 98% of asking prices throughout 2015, many of which were previously on the market without success. Further proving that our model for selling property is highly effective.

If you are considering selling in East or West Molesey and the surrounding areas, and would like an independent valuation of your home without obligation and free of charge. Please call our team on 0208 396 6717 or email info@newtonhuxley.co.uk

So why are buyers queuing up to see properties in East and West Molesey? Truthfuly, no-one really knows as there are many factors to consider; the general election, mortgage rates, budget cuts and so on.

Property markets have "boomed" after general elections in the past, and there have been a long list of additional factors that prevented this from happeneing earlier in the year. Our opinion is that buyers that would have made their purchase in the summer delayed their move, causing a bottleneck effect as they begin to start up their search in the East and West Molesey areas for the final quarter of the year.

Does this mean that the winter period will be unusually busy as well? Only time will tell. All we have to go by is that every season this year has acted out of character from what we are used to, our bet is on a strong market in Molesey right up until Christmas, but of course this is our totally bias opinion!

If you are planning a move, our property valuations and market appraisals are offered free of charge. Why not find out the value of your home so that you can make an informed decision on whether or not now is the right time to move!

T: 0208 396 6717

E: info@newtonhuxley.co.uk

Request a valuation, click the box below!

The current property drought is nationwide, with the average price of a property sold subject to contract in the UK in September at £221,797. On top of that, the supply of properties for sale is 14.3% down compared to 12 months prior, and 3.1% from August this year.

New instructions are also down 18.5% in London, where the average house price last month was £521,383.

Buyer activity is being magnified, with new buyer registrations up 8.4% annually, in particular the number of new first-time buyer registrations is up 7.4% with the current low mortgage rates.

What does this mean for the East and West Molesey property market?

Already we have seen a spike in new buyer registrations with many homes going under offer with the first seven days of marketing, and on average we are acheiving 98% of asking prices. A sure sign that there are more buyers per property.

The affect this has had on the Molesey property market is great news for those planning to sell in the near future. In the past 6 months property prices in East and West Molesey have increased by £15,583 on avg (2.86%), with 117 transactions in the KT8 postcode area in the same time period. 

For the first 6 months of 2015 there were 164 transactions which shows a drop in completed sales of around 28%. It is no wonder then that as the amount of new buyers searching for a home increases, and new instructions coming to market dropping, property prices have increased significantly.

This bubble will burst when mortgage rates rise and there are numerous reports that suggest this will happen in the not too distant future, when this happens we anticipate buyer activity will decrease and property values will level off temporairily. We therefor urge anyone considering selling to take advantage of the current market and to bring any plans to sell forward where possible.

Should you require a valuation and market appraisal of your home our appointments are offered free of charge and without obligation. Please contact our sales team on 0208 396 6717 to arrange your appointment.

Sam Kamali | Sales Director

07957 301 214 | sam@newtonhuxley.co.uk

This is great news right? Absolutely! But it is highly advised to proceed with caution.

It is vital you instruct an agent who understands what lies ahead and has the necessary measures in place to see you through to the finish line. With the increase in sales activity the legal process is not likely to be in a position to keep up. With the land registry preparing to take over the property search process, local authorities are refusing to invest in the technology and resources required to improve the current system and as staff are leaving not a lot seems to be going ahead in terms of replacing them.

The predictions are this will be an ongoing obstacle home movers could be looking at dealing with for the next 10 years.

It is because of this that our team at Newton Huxley deal with recommended and approved solicitors, take extra care when agreeing sales, and stay on top of the progression as this is the most vital part of the process that needs an agent to deliver and work effectively.

The average national fall through rate for 2015 is reported to be as high as 27.5% to date, to find out more about how we operate differently from other agents, achieving a fall through rate of just 12.5%, please contact us on 0208 396 6717 or click this link to go to our valuation page and book your appointment today.

At the start of 2015 there was a lot of speculation as to how the election would effect the property market. Following our launch in January we noticed that the market was incredibly price sensitive with pre election jitters.

As we gained more momentum and built up the number of properties we were marketing we noticed that many of the properties coming to us that had been unsuccessful with other estate agents were selling, and quickly. One example of which was a property in East Molesey that had been marketed for around 4 months by two established local firms prior to coming on with us.

In 4 days we were able to source a buyer and an askng price offer. Since then (March) the market has gone from strength to strength with confidence from buyers and sellers at high levels.

We are extremely pleased to report that the post election market is incredibly buoyant and we are achieving record results on a number of properties, with an average 98% of asking price achieved throughout 2015!

If you are considering selling your property or are currently on the market and experiencing a similar situation to the one mentioned above, please do give us a call on 0208 396 6717 or contact us to arrange a valuation. Whilst we cannot guarantee the same result, you can be confident that if it can happen, our proactivity and positive attitude will make it happen for you.