Archive for the ‘ASR News’ Category

Coronavirus Update – Second Lockdown

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Following the Government?s latest announcement of a Second Lockdown in England, commencing on Thurs 5th November, we want to assure you that if you are buying, selling, letting or renting with us we will continue to operate with the health and safety of our customers and colleagues as our first priority.

During the Second Lockdown homeowners will be able to move, removal firms and estate agents can operate and tradespeople will be able to enter homes.

Therefore our sales and lettings operations will continue as we have done in recent months; all our normal lines of communication remain open and we will be available as normal via phone and/or email.

We ask that if you do require to visit our branch office that you please call to make an appointment

TRAVEL AGENTS’ WOES ARE ESTATE AGENTS’ BLESSINGS ?.

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By Stephen Parsons MNAEA, Director of Residential

As more and more of our favourite holiday destination sadly become subject to quarantine restrictions, those who had planned to start marketing their houses in the Autumn, seem to be bringing their plans forward. This combined with the delayed Spring market and the stamp duty holiday, has meant that we have seen a great deal more activity than we would otherwise have expected at this time of year, indeed Rightmove reported recently the highest number of sales in a month in July. This is an increase of 20% on the previous high, with a value of ?37 billion of transactions.

In Wimbledon, we have seen that buyers are registering at a rate some 25% above what we would normally have expected for the time of year and whilst we may all be pleased for the respite from the recent heatwave, we see no end to buyers? appetite for the new stock that we have been putting on the market. The family house market between ?1,000,000 to ?2,500,000 has been particularly buoyant and the strong demand means that we have all but sold out of the stock that we need to satisfy demand.

Reports of an exodus to more rural parts of the country are not exaggerated, but whilst we see families happily heading to Devon, Cornwall and other more rural areas, we are benefiting from an influx ?of buyers from Central London and overseas. Indeed the latest weekly ?sales agreed? figures for the area from Rightmove are up by 60% compared to the same week in 2019.

If you are currently trying to sell your home or considering marketing it in the coming weeks, then we would love to have the opportunity to chat to you and arrange either a virtual or physical valuation to help to get you on the move! Please click Here

If you would?like to know more about how we are dealing with our work post lockdown or to get?more information on the property market in general and some of the fantastic buyers that we have registered, then please contact me direct at sparsons@as-r.co.uk or call me on 0208 971 6780 so that we can see how we can help you.

 

Agents Fees – What Are You Paying For ?

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By Stephen N.D. Parsons MNAEA
Director of Residential

When negotiating fees to sell your property, it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that all agents do the same thing and therefore must all be the same, or be worth the same fee.

Finding the right buyer at the best possible price, is indeed a skill and requires determination and the ability to negotiate in a way that sees your client?s interests exceeded, whilst keeping the buyer encouraged that they are buying a property on fair terms, but the sale process does not end there!

The process of delivering a sale from the day it is agreed to the day that contracts exchange, is arguably as important as agreeing the sale price, though its importance is often under estimated or simply not appreciated at the outset of marketing or when agreeing terms with your estate agent.

At andrew scott robertson we have a team of highly experienced sales negotiators that understand the need to set up a sale properly, so that there is firm expectation on the buyer to perform speedily from the outset and not to renege on the originally agreed sale price.

We are delighted to have just exchanged contracts on a wonderful house in Kenilworth Avenue. Both buyer and seller are thrilled with the outcome and an expeditious exchange of contracts with the help of two excellent firms of local solicitors meant that we were able to exchange contracts in fifteen working days from when the sale was agreed!

If you would like to know more about the difference that andrew scott robertson could make to the sale of your property, then please do not hesitate to contact us.

NO SIZZLING START TO SUMMER, BUT THE PROPERTY MARKET HEATS UP NICELY

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By Stephen Parsons MNAEA, Director of Residentia

As we gently and safely ease ourselves out of the lockdown, whilst observing the Government Guidelines,?a surprising number of new buyers as well as ones that were registered with our offices before we locked ourselves away, are eagerly looking to make up for lost time and secure purchases before the end of the school year and when the traditional holiday season might have started.

In the three weeks or so since we have been back trading more normally, we have seen new buyers and viewing numbers pretty much returning to pre-covid levels, with many new sales being agreed in all price ranges. The number of buyers looking for flats and apartments has certainly surprised us, but it is a very welcome and significant boost, as the activity lower down the market stimulates and fuels the middle and upper ends. That said, we have also made some significant new sales of more expensive properties during lockdown and just after it, which include a ?7M sale just off Parkside, a trophy house in the Village and two sales at around the ?2.5M mark have just been agreed on quick turnaround exchange targets. We were also fortunate enough to re-agree a sale that fell through during lockdown almost immediately to a new buyer who, despite the hurdles, was able to exchange contracts in only 14 working days!

With the number of sales currently progressing and much lower volumes of new properties coming to the market, stock is in short supply, so if you are considering selling, this would be a great time to market your property. ?Because of the need to keep our clients, as well as our employees, safe at the forefront of our minds, we are now able to offer virtual valuations as well as physical valuations for prospective sellers.? Also as part of our service to new clients we can now offer not only professional photographs and floorplans but also virtual tours which are vital to show the property in its best light, whilst helping to reduce the number of physical viewings, keeping everyone safe and protecting our wonderful NHS and easing the strain on front line workers.? Should you be interested in booking either a virtual or physical valuation of your property then please click Here

If you would?like to know more about how we are dealing with our work post lockdown or to get?more information on the property market in general and some of the fantastic buyers that we have registered, then please contact me direct at sparsons@as-r.co.uk or call me on 0208 971 6780 so that we can see how we can help you.

 

Double Award Winners !! – Andrew Scott Robertson Wins The British Property Letting Awards

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Our Lettings Department at Andrew Scott Robertson are double award winners of

The British Property Letting Awards for both SW19 and South London

Our team performed outstandingly throughout the extensive judging period, which focused on customer service levels.

Andrew Scott Robertson have now been shortlisted for a number of national awards which will be announced later in the year.

The British Property Awards provide agents throughout the UK with an invaluable opportunity to compare the service that they provide against the service provided by their local, regional and national competition.

Agents who go that extra mile and provide outstanding levels of customer service are rewarded with this accolade, which acts as a beacon to highlight these attributes to their local marketplace.

THE BRITISH PROPERTY AWARDS are one of the most inclusive estate agency awards providers as they do not charge to enter. This has enabled their award to be structured in a manner that ensures maximum participation, on average judging over 90% of agents that meet their minimum criteria on a local level.

The Awards team personally mystery shops every estate agent against a set of 25 criteria to obtain a balanced overview of their customer service levels. The judging criteria is periods to ensure that agents have been rigorously and fairly judged.

Robert McLean from The British Property Awards said ?Our awards has been specifically designed to be attainable to all agents, removing common barriers to entry, such as cost, to ensure that we have the most inclusive awards. Our award has also been designed to remove any opportunity for bias or manipulation. If an agent has been attributed with one of our awards, it is simply down to the fantastic customer service levels that they have demonstrated across a prolonged period of time. Winning agents should be proud that their customer service levels provide a benchmark for their local, regional and national competition?.

24 High Street,
Wimbledon Village,
London SW19 5DX

Tel: +44 (0)20 8971 6780
Fax: +44 (0)20 8946 3683