If you live in Molesey, you'll know about Molesey Pets and Aquatic Centre. Here's what owner Paul Davidson told us about his locally renowned pet shop.

What does the Molesey Pets and Aquatic Centre offer to Molesey residents?

Everything to do with your pet or aquatic needs. We also offer an outdoor aquatic service which includes ponds and water features etc.

How long have you been trading for?

40 years! I was born in Molesey and my family has always had businesses here.

Who runs the shop on a day to day basis?

I do all of the leg work, Chris the Cockatoo takes on more of a "meet and greet" role with the customers.

What do you like most about Molesey?

It's still a village, so many areas close by are built up and have changed dramatically where as Molesey has retained its community feel.

Have a pet/pond related query? Contact Paul via the details below:

Molesey Pets and Aquatic Centre, 69 Walton Road, East Molesey, Surrey, KT8 0DP

Tel: 0208 979 9083

moleseypets@gmail.com

Want to feature your business in Molesey? Contact us or call 0208 396 6717.

Welcome to the first edition of the Molesey Business Blog, this week we were lucky enough to speak to Matt and Tammy at Belle Epoque. Here's what they told us about their wonderful shop and how it came to be.

"focussed at the local community"

Belle Epoque opened in Walton Road in 2005 as an antique and vintage furniture shop, but over the past 10 years we have diversified to include our hugely popular antique chandeliers which have been shipped across the world, alongside other ranges which are focussed at the local community such as our selection of toys, books, home fragrance and jewellery.

"antique chandeliers which have been shipped across the world"

We opened in Molesey as it was where Tammy had grown up and her step-father had run a very successful antiques business in Bridge Road for a number of years. We believed in the benefits of being part of a community and now are very pleased to offer products from a number of local highly talented creatives. Matt also plays an important role in the Molesey Business Association.

"a very bespoke service"

We source antique and vintage furniture and decorative items and restore them in house, which allows us to offer our customers a very bespoke service. This is one of the key features that sets us apart from other vintage traders.

Over the past 8 years Matt has been very much at the front of the business, however with the children now at school Matt is going to retire into his workshop and let Tammy take over the running of the shop.

"We still love being part of the Molesey community"

We still love being part of the Molesey community alongside our fellow retailers and our lovely customers. It is important to support local businesses but on the same hand if they aren’t offering what you’re looking for, tell them! Every shop owner needs feedback and the smart ones act on it quickly. Some of our best decisions have been as a direct result of customers requests and we take on board everything we hear.

– Matt & Tammy Court – 

Belle Epoque, 88 Walton Road, East Molesey, Surrey, KT8 0DL

020 8941 9269 | enquiries@belleepoque.me.uk

twitter – @BelleEpoqueShop

Want to feature your business in Molesey? Contact us or call 0208 396 6717.

After we spotted these photos on the East and West Molesey Group on Facebook, we couldn't help but ask West Molesey resident Craig Allnutt if we could post a blog about them and how he was able to capture these spectacular images.

How long have you lived in Molesey?

"I live in Hight Street, West Molesey and moved to Molesey from Addleston around 5 years ago when I married my partner."

How were you able to capture these images?

"With a celestron telescope and dedicated astro camera. Each picture can take anywhere from 3-15 hours of total exposure time."

What sparked your interest in astronomy?

"I first got into astronomy when my Dad showed me Haley's Comet outside our house back in the 80's. I started just by imaging the moon and planets and then about two years ago, I decided to take the plunge in to deep sace photography"

What is you favourite thing about living in Molesey?

"I would have to say the people, it seems like a close community and there is always something to do such as taking a stroll by The River Thames or visiting Hampton Court Palace and the surrounding gardens."

Below are the images Craig posted on line, we hope you find them as interesting as we did!

The Elephant Trunk Nebula

Located some 2400 light years away (1 light year is around 5.88 trillion miles) in the constellation Cepheus.

Rosette Nebula

Located 5,000 light years from Earth this nebula has an approximate diameter of 50 light years.

The Orion Nebula

One of the brightest nebulae in The Milky Way, this nebula is 24 light years wide and can be seen with the naked eye from Earth.

The Heart Nebula

At 7500 light years away, the Heart Nebula is located in the constellation Cassiopeia. The intense red output is generated by radiation eminated from a small group of stars near its centre

We are about to enter a sellers’ market, Halifax has put the average house price at £200,280, 3.3% higher than three months ago and up 9.6% from 12 months ago.

Martin Ellis, Halifax economist has said that the shortage of new properties coming onto the market has been a major factor in house price growth this year.

In a recent report from RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) confirms that the average number of properties on the market per estate agency is at a record low since 1978.

RICS said that both house prices and rents are likely to grow at a rate exceeding growth in wages.

Corporate Estate Agency LSL have also reported a 15% increase in sales last month. Signifying the start of the anticipated post-election boom.

Is it really a sellers’ market? We think so. Having reviewed transactions throughout the first six months of 2015 we can confirm there has been a steady increase in buyer activity. We can also see evidence that properties will begin securing buyers that have previously struggled to sell. Here are our reasons why:

Tory Victory In General Election

Many believed the post-election market would immediately take off, however confidence in the market that was anticipated did not arrive. Homeowners that were expected to put their property on to the market post-election delayed their move creating a shortfall in property stock for proceedable buyers, which has increased demand to supply ratio significantly. This is the main factor in our achieving over 98% of asking prices throughout 2015.

Low Interest Rates

Attractive interest rates have not just increased activity from buyers, many homeowners have opted for a remortgage and to stay put, further exasperating the current market. Recent media reports suggest that interest rates are set to remain low for the foreseeable future. In some cases remortgages are saving homeowners £100's of pounds a month on repayments – if you would like us to put you in touch with a broker to explore potential savings please call us on 0208 396 6717.

Increase In Buy To Let Activity

Partly due the lower interest rates available, there has been a jump in the number of investors registering for buy to let opportunities, increasing competition for property even further.

So what is the right choice for you?

For a confidential discussion, whether or not you are looking to Sell or Buy in the East Molesey, West Molesey, Thames Ditton, Esher or Walton On Thames area please get in touch on 0208 396 6717, email info@newtonhuxley.co.uk or request a valuation.

We all want to know that where we settle our family is the right place to get the best opportunities and quality of life. If you picked East Molesey, West Molesey, Esher, Thames Ditton or anywhere within the Elmbridge borough, you apparently made a pretty good choice!

If you haven’t decided yet, the table below outlines the top 50 places to live in the UK.

Original article.

If you are planning to move into the area and would like some friendly advice on where to look based on your requirements, a member of our team will be delighted to assist in your property search. Call 0208 396 6717 or email info@newtonhuxley.co.uk

With the recent opening of the Sainsbury's Local on Walton Road in Molesey, we looked into whether or not this would have an effect on local house prices.

Research conducted by Lloyds Banking Group earlier this year found that the price of a property within easy reach of a supermarket, is on average 7% higher than comparable properties within the same town.

You may not be too surprised to hear that the brand of supermarket also comes into play with Waitrose scoring the highest percentage premium at 12%, Sainsbury's at 10% and Tesco's at 8%. Having an Aldi or Lidl close by may actually have a negative effect on the value of your home of around 2-3%.

The effects of local supermarkets really do vary from region to region but in monetary terms, houses within walking distance of a supermarket command an average premium of just over £15,000. Needless to say, this local convenience is high on the shopping list for potential buyers!

If you live close by to the new Sainsbury's on Walton Road in Molesey and would like an up to date valuation of your home. Please feel free to get in touch on 0208 396 6717, email sales@newtonhuxley.co.uk or send us an enquiry.

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.

So what is the Molesey Carnival? If you are a long standing resident of Molesey you will know pretty much everything you need to know, but for those of you coming from out of town, we put together a few facts about the carnival and what it has done to help the local community:

1. As the largest free even in Elmbridge, Molesey Carnival attracts some 10,000 people every year.
2. Molesey Carnival is run by an amazing committee of volunteers that give their time free of charge.
3. It is estimated that more than £2 million has been raised since the carnival began.
4. The carnival has an outstanding track record of public order and safety with only 1 arrest in over 30 years.

The stalls on West Molesey recreation ground open at 11am with the parade starting from aroudn 1pm. The weather tomorrow is looking good so bring plenty of water and sunscreen!

For more information you can visit the carnival website here: http://www.moleseycarnival.org/