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.

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.

What Is It?

Pretty much the same as any ISA, a savings account allowing individuals to hold cash free of tax on dividends, interest, and capital gain. The BIG difference being that the government will give you a 25% bonus on anything you save. This is capped at £3000 meaning you will need to save £12000 to get the maximum benefit.

How Quickly Can You Save?

Initial deposits are capped at £1000, with maximum monthly payments of £200 per month. So to get to the maximum of £12000 would take 4.5 years. The government will pay 25% bonus on any balance over £1600.

Are You Eligible? 

Unlike the Help To Buy scheme this ISA is only available to first time buyers. You can also combine ISA's if you're buying with another first time buyer.

When Can I Start Saving?

The Help To Buy ISA will be available from Autumn this year and new accounts should be available for the next 4 years.

The average asking price for a flat in East Molesey is currently just over £300,000 so for those of you buying together this could really make a difference. If you are considering making your first purchase and would like some advice on how best to proceed, please contact our sales department on 020 8396 6717 and press option 1.

If you are currently considering Selling or Letting a property, you will no doubt be exploring local agents and arranging valuations. You will be asking them how much they believe your property is worth, what commission they charge, what experience they have in your area and so on. There's no need to ask where they will advertise your property because we all market properties in the same places right?

Since the launch of Rightmove back in 2000, buyers and tenants have been able to access nearly every single property available in their chosen area with a few clicks. At first Rightmove and Zoopla (FindaProperty at the time) presented a low cost to agents of around £1 per property per month, and estate agents across the country embraced these new lead generators with open arms. Gradually however, agents became dependent on these property portals and soon the related costs began to rise into the hundreds and now thousands of pounds per month.

Now this may seem like bad value for money for estate agents, but consider this. The average price of a property in Molesey for example is over £500,000, let's say a typical high street agent will charge 1.5% to sell your property, a commission of £7500. This agent could sell 1 property per week and still generate a profit, even with the significant cost of the property portals. Sounds like good value for money to us!

However some agents felt this was not the case, and so OnTheMarket.com was formed. Founded by a group of some of the industry's biggest players, this new property portal has been launched to bring prices down for estate agents nationwide and to put a stop to Rightmove and Zoopla's duopoly of online property marketing.

Why should you care about this?

Rightmove and Zoopla state that over 90% of buyers and tenants look for property online first, before going into a local branch and before picking up the phone and calling agents in the area. When your property goes to market, it is essential that this 90% of your target audience can find your property! If your agent does not advertise online you are almost certain to have to wait longer for a buyer/tenant and will most likely not achieve the best possible price.

The majority of agents that have decided to move their properties to OnTheMarket.com to save themselves money have dropped advertising with Zoopla.co.uk, as Rightmove is widely regarded as the most effective property portal. If your agent advertises with OTM instead of Zoopla.co.uk your properties exposure to potential buyers and tenants will be approximately 95% LESS by comparison according to data released by Hitwise.

Your property will have to be listed with OnTheMarket.com for a year compared to 3 weeks on Zoopla to be seen by the same amount of potential buyers or tenants. So while local knowledge, experience, and competitive commission rates are important. They are worth nothing if your agent is not advertising your property correctly. It is in your best interests when searching for an agent to Sell or Let your property, that you make sure they are on both Rightmove and Zoopla first. You will ensure you get maximum exposure helping you to get an offer quickly and achieve the best possible price.

For more information on how to ensure the best marketing for your home, please call us on 0208 396 6717 or email info@newtonhuxley.co.uk

Local residents of Esher, Thames Ditton, East Molesey and West Molesey may have already heard about our launch, especially as we are offering a 0% commission rate until the 7th March 2015. With demand for property in these areas increasing, and having lived locally for 25 years we knew the time was right to begin offering a service that refreshes the idea of estate agency and that will help realise the full potential of the local sales and lettings market.

Our business model is designed to stream line the process of selling and letting property, 95% of property searches now start online and in response we have invested heavily with additional Google advertising as well as additional advert presence on major property portals, Rightmove and Zoopla. This format has already proved successful in driving buyers and tenants to our clients properties.

Demand for property the KT8, KT10 and KT7 area is even higher than we anticipated, with this in mind we will continue to increase our online presence to ensure our clients properties realise their full potential.

Surrey Life Magazine as well as local Life publications will further increase exposure of our properties for sale and to let, look out for editorials planned later this year along with some of our finest properties for sale and to let in the Esher, Molesey and Thames Ditton areas.

We work for our clients 7 days a week, if you are planning to sell or let this year and want to try a new, energetic, knowledgeable and proactive estate agent then please call us on 0208 396 6717 or email info@newtonhuxley.co.uk. 

We wish everyone a fantastic 2015 and will keep you posted on local house prices and market conditions on a regular basis.

Best wishes,

Len & Sam