Musings of a company of London Property Search Agents

Hurray!  This morning the BBC ran a report that the Property Ombudsman is advising would-be buyers that they are under no obligation to have an appointment with the Estate Agent’s Mortgage broker if they want to see a property through the Agent.

Not long ago, we were hunting for a buy-to-let in Camden for one of our Clients.  Most Estate Agents were helpful and courteous and keen to persuade us their flats were perfect for our buyers.  One agent was shirty, rude and seemed to go out of their way to make things difficult.

During our first conversation I was categorically told that they wouldn’t show me any properties unless their mortgage broker could interview my Clients.  When we explained that their stance was illegal and not the best practice for their buyers, who presumably don’t care who buyers have their mortgages with as long as the money arrives.  After much guff and posturing from the Manager of the Estate Agent, we  were able to show our Clients the properties concerned.  Given that it took a 20 minute conversation for us to secure normal access, I wondered how First-time buyers without Property Search Agents like ourselves, were managing.

For anyone considering buying property, it is absolutely in your interest to see a truly independent mortgage broker.  In no other field would a buyer share so much personal information with someone they may end up negotiating with at a later date.  The practice immediately puts the Buyer in a compromised position. 

And if every Estate Agent tried to push buyers into seeing their mortgage broker, making appointments to view property would take so long and be so dull, it would put everyone off buying property for life!

So if you’re going property shopping any time soon, don’t believe the excuse that the vendor only wants qualified buyers to look round and threaten to go directly to the buyers if you think you can identify the property on line.  Side-stepping the agent all together will make it difficult for them to earn their fee, depending on their contract.  And if they are behaving like bully boys with their own best interests at heart rather than that of their Clients, why should they earn a fee?

If you’ve decided that you hate all Estate Agents, you can use London Property Buyers Agents like us instead and you won’t have to deal with any Estate Agents, including the nice ones and the bad apples.

Technorati Tags: Buyers agents, London Property Buyers Agents, property buyers agents

Tags: Buyers agents, London Property Buyers Agents, property buyers agents

Musings of a few London Property Buyers Agents

Far be it for us to speculate or pass on gossip about celebrity property hunters, but of course if they don’t use us then frankly, we may as well do so.

Apparently Victoria is very keen on a house previously rented by Damon Dash who produced her solo Coming Together album.  The Spice Girl is said to have fallen for the 5 bedroom house when she visited Dash there, when they were working on the album together.

The white stucco low-rise building in a quiet residential street just off the Kings Road, has been very popular with the great and the good from the US, who appreciate the lateral space, basement pool and home cinema.

It is the perfect pied-a-terre for West London shopping trips, but the news will increase speculation among football fans that Beckham may be angling for a place at Chelsea. 

For those with Champagne tastes and an Asti Spumante budget, let us know your property desires and Manse and Garret London Property Buyers Agents will see if we can save you some money or help you afford the neighbourhood of your dreams.

Technorati Tags: Chelsea Buyers Agents, London Property Buyers Agents

Tags: Chelsea Buyers Agents, London Property Buyers Agents

Musings from Manse and Garret London Property Buyers Agents

Source: Nationwide

Nationwide Building Society have released their latest house price data for  July, with news that they have registered the third consecutive rise in house prices and that house prices could end the year higher than where they started.  Given the sharp falls in prices last Autumn, year on year, house prices are down only 6%, down from -9% in June. 

Rightmove have confirmed what those of us who work in property every day were aware of: there is considerable number of buyers chasing limited stock and the number of buyers hasn’t dropped since beginning of the summer, as it usually does.

Looking at Nationwide’s figures for non-seasonally adjusted house prices, it is certainly true that  house prices have risen at a phenomenal rate this year.  The ‘average house’ has increased in value by 8% since February of this year, adding just under £10,000 to a house worth £150,000 at the beginning of this year.  However no-one expects the Autumn market to be as busy, although I have just done a viewing with an agent who is predicting a boom, but then there are many in our industry who will do so for reasons of self-interest, whether consciously or not.

The interesting thing from the Nationwide research is that as per the graph above, house prices are now on a par with the long term real house price trend, which should give comfort to buyers hoping to stay in their new homes for a number of years.

As for us, in our capacity as London Property Buyers Agents, I think we will see a relatively bumpy property market over the next six months at least.  A busy Spring Summer next year perhaps and stable Autunm and then potentially a more difficult 2011, depending on what the Tories do.  I do think the worst of the price falls will be over by the end of the year but I also sense a jittery market, so expect minor peaks and troughs.  Time will tell.

Technorati Tags: House Prices, London Property Buyers Agents, Rising house prices

Tags: House Prices, London Property Buyers Agents, Rising house prices