The holidays are over and with children going back to school,  historically the property market usually starts to move again. At Property Hound we are ready to help you find your perfect property and with that in mind the addition of our new colleague Linda Jeffcoat means that we now cover the areas east of Swindon and up to Oxford, but also encompassing, North East Wiltshire, South Oxfordshire, West Berkshire and North Hampshire. I am delighted that Linda is now a Property Hound. We previously worked together for fifteen years, she is very experienced at hunting for houses and will be aided and abetted by young Finlay who has just started school himself!

After what seems like an endless and watery winter gradually things are beginning to look a little brighter. Living near Badminton, the home of the famous Horse Trials that are taking place, I was musing on the thoughts that clients have when looking for a house. In a way it's a bit like a Three-Day Event, but of course it usually takes rather more time! The first stage is “walking the course”, getting an idea of where you would like to live, town or country, your price range, and the sort of property desired. The second stage, “the dressage” is the process of setting out ducks in a row, getting finances in order and in many cases organising the sale of personal properties. The “cross country” comes next and that can take a while. As Property Finders, covering Yorkshire, Rutland, Lincolnshire, the Cotswolds, Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon we can help with this process saving endless wasted miles in a car.  And hopefully eyes have alighted on a perfect property. Which leads to the final stage, the “show jumping” where we help by negotiating the purchase, organising solicitors, surveyors,  builders and experts in whatever is necessary. Seeing it through to the end with hopefully a clear round.

Autumn is well and truly here and much as it brings great beauty it also heralds wind and wet. On a positive note, if you like a house at this time of the year you will like it even more when Spring and Summer arrive! On the property front movement is historically quieter from about now, fewer transactions, less property coming on as a move over Christmas does not appeal, but there are exceptions. We were pleased to recently bring to a conclusion a long and complicated purchase in Bath, Somerset for an overseas client and received a charming accolade from the selling agent. 

‍“Having dealt with numerous property buying agents over the years, it was refreshing to sell to one who undoubtedly improved the process. From initial contact, through the viewings, negotiations and sales progression, Richard and Jo were very professional, communicative and a pleasure to deal with."

We in turn would like to return the compliment and say that it was a delight to work with Rupert Hart at Whiteley Hellyer, who went the extra mile – even to the extent of communicating during his holiday from a Sunkissed beach in the Med! Thank You Rupert! With all the water currently around, thank goodness we are unlikely to meet these girls the other side of a flood! Huge thanks as ever to David White who takes amazing photos!

Moving from city to country the uninitiated need to be aware that this time of year, night, and day the harvest goes on, farmers working long into the night. Some newcomers to country living, if unaware might grumble at huge combines on the lanes and the sounds of machinery into the night, but that is how we get bread on the table!

Our news on the home front though is that we are now covering Somerset, Exmoor, and North Devon. Richard Walton is a native of the West Country with experience of working for leading estate agents in the area and an extensive network of contacts. But, if city life is still for you then maybe think about beautiful Georgian Bath, Richard knows the city well.

Up north, John Hoyes talking to agents is hearing that economic circumstances and interest rate rises are leading to some volatility in the market which could mean that the value of property might change negatively in the very short term. His recommendations for finding the perfect property in Yorkshire include Wetherby, Ripon and Harrogate and says it is well worth house purchasers also considering the villages north of Leeds. Rutland too, offers commuters the best of both worlds, country living but good transport links – Stamford, Oakham and Uppingham come high on his list.

Mixed messages in Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and the Cotswolds. Higher priced country houses are still in demand, but property in the middle ranges needs to be competitively priced. Cirencester, Nailsworth, Tetbury and Malmesbury and the villages nearby are popular with those seeking the rural idyll.

‍Many thanks to David White for the photos of busy spaniels and busy combines.

A brief glance at property related headlines over the last 2 weeks would have anyone confused!

“House price crash won’t be as bad as everyone thinks”.
“Large family houses are taking far longer to sell than smaller cheaper ones”.
“Surge in homes sold within a month as cash buyers pounce on price slump”.
“How far house prices will fall according to the experts”.
“How to get the best house price in a falling market”.

Locally I have noticed in my area of Wiltshire and Gloucestershire some properties certainly sticking then being reduced in price, but also a recent example of an attractive period house in a village popular with tourists being inundated with viewings and offers. Further north my colleague John Hoyes who searches for “perfect properties” in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Rutland and North Norfolk has his own thoughts on the market as we head slowly towards the Spring market.

A property market of mixed messages it seems at the moment. Rather like this grey wagtail with a beak full of insects for her brood (Thanks to David White once again for his superb photos).

Some properties appear to still be inundated with viewings resulting in bidding wars and others are lingering and being reduced in price. No wonder buyers are getting confused at times. Keep calm and make sure you get expert advice.
To cheer you all up, David White`s brilliant photos (thank you) show that rule breaking (not that I would!) can reap rewards!

It seems there is an endless stream of bad news in the media these days. Covid new mutations, climate change, add to that, for the Property Hunters a lack of quarry, then its doom and gloom all around. But, let`s try and find some blue sky.  Covid is being tackled whatever some think, numbers seem to be declining from the huge peaks we had before. On the blue-sky side, in the Cotswolds and North Yorkshire, and of course elsewhere, we have seen examples of neighbours helping neighbours, and a good community spirit come to the fore to cope with the pandemic. Climate change is also being addressed, maybe not as fast as some desire, but we can all help, especially in our own properties. Thicker curtains, draught excluders, turn off lights, wear another jumper, recycle all you can, turn the thermostat down a notch, use dry logs in that wood-burner, consider swapping oil for heat source central heating, electric cars and charging points, LED light bulbs, cut food waste, cook electric not gas, grow your own food, solar panels…..the list goes on.  

To cheer you all up, David White`s brilliant photos (thank you) show that rule breaking (not that I would!) can reap rewards!

The pandemic stampede out of London is now a trickle. I wonder how many will stay the course of life in the country? Over the years searching for perfect properties questions do crop up, such as, could I ask the farm next door if they could  milk the cows at a different time is one I will never forget! What is a septic tank, do the bins get collected, and even, is the milk as fresh in Yorkshire as in a London supermarket is one encountered by John Hoyes, The Property Hound in the north! Some former City dwellers have been known to complain that the church bells are too noisy, the cockerel crows at dawn, the farmers are driving tractors and combines at night, the manure on the fields smells awful, the peacocks at a Manor shriek too much and horse droppings are even found on the roads. The glorious photos (thanks David White) of the Wiltshire countryside will tempt many,  but don`t forget that the countryside is a working environment, cows have to be milked and corn might well be harvested at night.

Vive la difference I say!

It seems that whether your property search is in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire or indeed the rest of the country,  the last few months have seen an unprecedented demand for country houses large and small. A best and final offers scenario seems to be the norm. This goldfinch is having a go at seeing off the competition, but it is no easy task. Make sure you have proof of your purchasing finance in place and sadly be prepared to dig a bit deeper than you might wish. If this is a long term purchase then with luck things will even out after a number of years and you will enjoy a more tranquil family life, rather like these swans.  

Huge thanks as ever to David White for the wonderful photos.

The sun has been shining and at last we seem to be about to enter easier times. House hunting however is still quite difficult due to a lack of stock in some price ranges. So should buyers compromise and if so what on?

We have known buyers who end up purchasing a modern property with a wonderful view rather than the original criteria of a period one. Ugly can be made lovely in an amazing location. Small gardens can work if you are near parks or open countryside. Wings of large houses rather than the preferred detached can have spacious and elegant rooms with high ceilings. Older semis too can have more space and better soundproofing than modern. Want to walk to a shop for milk etc? Buy a big freezer and shop online! Areas - Why not swop the Cotswolds for Rutland or Yorkshire, Cirencester for Stamford? Maybe consider exchanging the glossy and tourist areas in the North Cotswolds for the South Cotswolds or Wiltshire or around Bath - the perfect property will be out there but you might have to compromise to get it! A big thank you to David White for the superb photos illustrating a view as a compromise seen from maybe a modern house,  or will you still stick to an old house like the barn owl!

If you could chose the ideal Lockdown property and location what would it be?

The space to work from a home office, good broadband for home schooling, certainly a garden, plus a location where  exercise such as walking can be taken from home.  Add to these a well stocked village shop or good supermarket delivery and access to local medical support. But one vital word is heard when listening to a client`s needs and that word starts with a C.  Not Covid but Community. Moving to a new area is stressful at anytime, but knowing you are part of a community can be essential in difficult times. We at Jo Aldridge Property Hound will enjoy helping find you, hopefully, the perfect property. Many thanks to David White for his stunning photos that suggest to us a gentle sense of community plus access to supplies!

These wonderful photos of hares (thank you David White) seem to illustrate a conversation I had the other day - one hare seems to have a sense of definite direction, the other pair are still deciding the route to take!  Talking to my colleague John Hoyes who covers Yorkshire and more northern climes than me, it seems that to many people in the south of England Yorkshire might be seen as a distant land to the north. Beautiful, wild but somewhat remote.  Whilst it is certainly beautiful it is anything but remote and this has been reflected in a surge in demand from buyers from London and the Home Counties over the past few years.
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‍"Peter Moody MRICS of Peter Moody & Company has been an estate agent in York, the county’s capital city, since 1991 and has witnessed a significant change in buyer patterns both within the city itself and its surrounding villages.  Peter says “Traditionally, York was very much a working-class city based around the railway and chocolate factories (Rowntree’s and Terry’s.) Tourism was the other main source of employment with the medieval Minster and city walls attracting visitors from all over the world.  Looking back 10 or 20 years ago I sold lots of very nice properties to families employed in these sectors but the numbers of people working in what could be classed as more ‘white collar” professions within York was comparatively low. As soon as young professionals started to progress up the employment ladder they tended to move away to work in larger cities - particularly London. Today, the housing market and demographic within the city and its surrounding villages has changed considerably.  To many people living in London, the Cotswolds with its rolling countryside and pretty villages is seen as an accessible area to move to with trains from Paddington to Cheltenham typically taking around 2 hours.  Yorkshire, in comparison, is probably seen as much further away and yet direct trains from York to Kings Cross now take around 1 hour 50 minutes.  Combine this with some of the fastest internet speeds in the country (up to 1000Mb), many Ofsted “outstanding” state primary and secondary schools (not to mention excellent private schools such as St Peter’s and Ampleforth) and it is not surprising that many people are now choosing York as a place to call home."

Halloween is just around the corner, so if you are brave and looking for spooky places, why not take a walk around the streets of Bath near the Theatre Royal and look for the Grey Lady,  or visit York,  said by some to be the most haunted City in Europe. My mind has started wondering how much the `feel` of a house mattered?  I can recall having to meet prospective purchasers at an empty property years ago in Sussex - a really ancient cottage, once the loved and long time home of an old lady, but then in need of  total renovation - I could never bring myself to enter until clients arrived, and whilst I waited in the garden, I always got a strong feeling that I was being watched from the windows!

So whether you personally believe in  ghoulies and ghosties and long-leggedy beasties or not,  I think the atmosphere in a property can matter to a good number of buyers.

Thanks to David White for the wonderful photos of a harvest moon and a comet.