First impressions are vital when it comes to showing your home to viewers. Property expert Alex Goldstein reveals his three top tips on presenting your home to leave potential buyers clamouring to make an offer.
When you’re selling your home, it is the little touches that help. A couple of neat little tricks for you:
Firstly, make sure you have your windows professionally cleaned, inside and out, so they have a sparkle finish to the property. It really does makes such a difference, especially on large windows overlooking the garden, say.
Another tip is to ensure that any overhead light bulbs are high-wattage. If you have the energy-efficient versions, ensure that you have them turned on in advance of any viewings so they’ve got time to warm up and get to full candescence. Equally for sidelights, make sure you’ve got them appropriately positioned in dark corners, but ensure they’re a lower wattage. You want your rooms to feel cozy and comfortable, rather than emblazoned in dazzling light throughout.
So final point, your front door, and to either side, should be in show home condition. Repaint your door, have some potted plants on either side. First impressions really do count.
That’s the Alex Goldstein Property Show, and yet again, some amazing top tips and features. If you need expert information, videos, and up-to-the-minute property news, then head over to my website alexgoldstein.co.uk. Alternatively, if you require personalised advice when it comes to buying or selling your property, please get in touch directly.
The next episode is out on the 1st of March, so make sure you tune in for that. Until next time.
Kerbside Appeal is key when it comes to selling your home, according to property expert Alex Goldstein. It’s the first thing people see when they view your property either online in a photo, or when they drive by to check it out before booking a viewing and it can make the difference between a buyer stopping for a closer look, or just passing on by. So it”s really important to get it right.
Full transcript below:
Alex: Don’t ever underestimate the impact of kerbside appeal if you want to sell your home. One of the first things potential buyers will see when looking for a new home is a photograph of the front of your house, often in a list of properties that they’re scanning on a website or a property app. You need to make your house look as attractive as possible at first glance and it could make the difference between them scrolling right past or stopping for a closer look. Also, many buyers do a drive buy of houses they are interested in before they go and book a viewing, so it’s really important the front of your house is presented at it’s best. So, first thing get rid of the cars, the bins, anything else that’s out on the driveway when the photographer comes to shoot the images so that the front of the house looks completely uncluttered. Clean all of the windows and window sills at the front and paint wooden doors with a fresh coat. Make sure the garden is weeded and tidied, hedges are pruned, and weeds pulled up. If you’ve got a doorbell make sure it works and if not either fix it or remove it. These are small things that if done can make a difference between people stopping or simply passing by.
Listen to Alex Goldstein’s interview with award-winning designer and property developer Alan Waxman of Landmass, who is one of the most sought-after designers in London, credited with transforming properties with the most desirable London postcodes. He specialises in lower ground floors and basements, turning former dark and dingy areas into stunning interior spaces. Here he shares his tops tips on developing property.
Full transcript below:
Alex: We’re honoured indeed to have property royalty here in the studio over the phone. This is Alan Waxman from Landmass in London. Just to give people an understanding Alan is one of London’s most high-profile property designers and developers and actually has been credited with transforming the lower ground floors of prime central London, especially in Belgravia and Knightsbridge and dare I say you’ve even been nicknamed the mole as well. Alan, great to have you on. On the back of this how has Landmass come into being, what’s your background and why this sort of angle, what you’ve been known for more recently in terms of the low ground floor side of things?
Alan: Good morning Alex and thank you very much for the very kind introduction. I think when anybody starts any career they never really know how its going to end up and the same with my journey through property because when I started my only ambition was to buy a few rental properties starting in Fulham then Woolwich and Brixton, Clapham etc. and had nothing to do with actually doing anything about design or indeed building any basements. But what happened was I started as I said to build up this portfolio and I couldn’t get the rental incomes I wanted on one or two of them so I thought well maybe I can sell them for a profit, managed to do that having just give them a little lick of paint and a clean up and then I thought well why not buy something in order to redevelop and see if I can do that as well, and I bought a couple of floors above an off licence in Fulham on a very busy road called Wandsworth Bridge Road and during the design process because I wasn’t sure how it would pan out I actually moved the kitchen three times which obviously cost me a lot of money with the builder but the end result was the flow was good and I got it checked by a feng shui lady too because I was curious to see what you know professionals would think and she liked it and it was the first time I got a higher than expected price from the agents because of what we did. Then following on from that I bought a couple of flats in Notting Hill which were existing two bed flats and most developers would have perhaps tried to convert them into three bed flats, but I really had a big look at the space and I really thought that once again how we use the space is so important and decided to make them into one bed flats.
Alex: Wow so you went completely in the other direction of most people?
Alan: Absolutely yes, and then Sienna Miller the actress bought one of them, somebody else bought the other and again we beat the market expectations because I started to understand that the people really appreciated good space, good planning and I got a feeling of a thing called emotional purchase where people walk in and go yep I like that.
Alex: Yeah and they fall in love with it and I mean you’re very much renowned for transforming in particular lower ground floors and going down I think a number of stories going underground. How do you go about transforming what is effectively what is a windowless lower ground floor dark basement into something that actually sets the property apart and make it excel and obviously get that end result and that end buyer?
Alan: Well the interesting thing about the lower ground is if you just look at the floor plate, what’s interesting you only have the steps going down, you don’t have any obviously steps going further down because they don’t exist so as against the other floors of the staircase takes up less room and so that in turn gives you a much bigger space to work with and also greater opportunity for having the whole space open plan, so that’s just talking about the floor plate. The second thing is crucial to these types of floors is ceiling height and we’ve done anything from 2.75 in my latest project in Notting Hill to 3.4, and interestingly in Notting Hill because we’ve done the plans some time ago I didn’t realise during the construction phase that the ceiling heights were only two and a half metres, and so we actually had to go back to planning to get that extra 25cm and also that meant another parting wall and it also obviously meant digging down further and costing more, taking more time but that extra 25cm the floor actually made a massive difference and I’m a great believer in turning the negatives to a positive. The next thing obviously is how you can introduce natural light. In one project where it was a mews house and it just had windows at the front and so really who looked at it thought well how dark and dingy it was because it had houses on the other three sides. But what I did is I took out one of the back corners of the property, put in the glass retractable roof and then a 10 metre copper waterfall going all the way down into a Zen garden and again that transformed a negative to a positive, people walked in and thought wow I wasn’t expecting to see that and then amongst the space in the lower ground floor we also had additional voids so in essence double height ceilings to create that special atmosphere. I don’t know if that gives you a flavour. In another property I put up a floor to ceiling copper fireplace in the lower ground floor. So, you know lots of things you can do so when people go down they think wow I wasn’t expecting to see that and different ways to turn a negative into a positive.
Alex: And as you said just coming in from a completely different angle and as you said doing something that is unexpected I think that’s what really propels your property expertise into another level, I think that’s a fair comment. And what are people having in these lower ground floors and what is the space normally or is it if you can think of it you can put it down or design it all or not?
Alan: Obviously, every property is different and in when I did in Belgravia where we won best interior design in the country, we had a bedroom suite which had a steam room on it, we had a TV area, we had the Zen garden and then we had sort of a laundry and a wine cellar. In another one I did in Belgravia it was just open plan kitchen dining and a bit of a snug with a TV. The one which I’ve just done in Notting Hill on the lower ground floor what I done is I dropped the patio garden from ground to lower ground, so you could walk straight out from the kitchen dining snug out onto the terrace so if you wanted to have al fresco dining it was easy to sort out and then the floor below in the basement we had a TV room, we had 2 bedrooms, both with en suites, both looking out onto the patio and we had a laundry room.
Alex: So, a huge range of things. Now I suppose you’re an extremely experienced chap and I mean when you look to develop a property, what would you say are your top tips in terms of just an insight on that angle.
Alan: I think the thing people forget when they do the numbers on the property is at the end of the day the numbers only work if the end product is tip top, and my company Landmass has sort of made a point of making sure that each and every property that we bring to the market, for where it is and what it is, ticks all the boxes because if it doesn’t, the initial financial appraisal you do, you might as well put it in the bin. It’s very binary in the higher end of the market because if people don’t like it they don’t then negotiate on the price they just say you know thanks but not for us and it’s a little like in Little Britain where they go into the travel agents and they want to go away somewhere and the person behind the desk says sorry computer says no, it’s as simple as that. So, you’ve got to get the product right and on that there is nothing to do with the finishes it’s all to do with how you create the space. But the three main things on your appraisal are obviously your sales price, working out what your deed can sell it for, secondly is your construction and professional fees which will obviously vary from project to project and to get realistic numbers for that the contingency is always a red herring because it’s always used so up so you may want to add a little bit on top of that and then of course the timeline because obviously each projects different and timeline obviously affects the financials in so far as the interest costs. Once you determine those you then work out what your profit margin wants to be because you know everybody has their own formula for that and if it’s all cash then that’s all straight forward, if you can use bank debt put those numbers in and then what that in turn does it then spits out what you can afford to pay for it.
Alex: Yeah quite, so it’s a lot more methodical and calculated?
Alan: Yeah exactly, say in essence what you’re doing is working backwards from the end price, you cast your timeline, and your financial cost, put in your margin and then work out what you can afford to pay for it.
Alex: All makes sense on paper of course doesn’t it? Yeah, I guess in the real world it may be sometimes slightly different in you just need to make a very precise judgement call. I think you’re very good indeed on the interior design side of things and I think very often when you talk about these sort of things, about the light wells and the Zen gardens, it’s very much of interior design led, and the final touch and the feel of it.
Alan: If it’s done properly, especially complemented with the same flooring throughout, it does give that feeling of space. Now it’s not as easy as it sounds because the way we go about it depending on the property each one has different light, will look at different shades of white, different times of the day, different rooms in the house and then different textures of paint. So, what we then can come up with is some of what works best for the property in that location.
Alex: What do you feel currently defines luxury in homes at the moment? There’s sort of a lot of specialist in inverted commas out there, but what is it you’re at the forefront of it but what actually defines it? Is it that sort of bespoke touch to everything?
Alan: I think the main thing is if you’re doing a ploy to sell is as a developer when I look at my role it’s like being a conductor of the orchestra and the challenge is putting the team together and different designers have different egos and different views and different architects the same, and so the skill of the developer is having the vision and then getting the team to follow that vision and in every case I’ve always had discussions, disagreements with the design team about what they want to do and what I want to have, and sometimes I’ve gone along with their ideas and sometimes they’ve come along with my ideas. So it’s something which you’ve got to lead from the front and this really comes from either having the right eye or having the right eye and also experience but I don’t think there’s a secret formula, it’s just some people either have it or they don’t and the main thing is that the dog wags the tail not the tail wags the dog so you have to you know sometimes designers will come up with ideas which you know they’re super passionate about but you have to say well I don’t think that’s what the clients going to want or the buyers going to want.
Alex: No absolutely.
Alan: In essence all we’re doing is we’re creating a widget to sell, and it happens to be a super luxury product but if people walk in and don’t like it then they’ll just walk out the door.
Alex: What are the actual rules I suppose? Do you have any rules dare I say in your role when it actually comes to the interior and the actual finish of a particular project or property that you handle?
Alan: Yeah, I mean Alex, at Landmass we do follow a very strict process and that is if we’re doing work for a client obviously step one is to take the brief, understand what they want to achieve out of it. Then the second part is then coming up with design, layout solutions, architectural design which will hopefully give them things which they had never thought about and looking at a property in a way which they didn’t think was.
Alex: Now I’ve got to say there is some fantastic tips and insights into your world, really fascinating stuff. If anyone wanted to sort of see a bit more, I know you briefly mentioned the website and to get in touch with you what are the best ways?
Alan: The easiest ways through the website which is landmass.co.uk If they want to email me directly alan@landmass.co.uk
Alex: Fantastic. Can’t thank you enough again Alan, really appreciate your time.
Property consultant Alex Goldstein explains how to choose a home removal firm, what to look out for, and what you need to take into account when booking them in, from what’s included in the service, to how much advance notice you need to give them.
Full transcript below:
Alex: The property hospital is all about me answering your property concerns and demystifying the process. Now this week I’m answering a question from Chris who’s got this to say.
Chris: Hi Alex, I’m moving soon and need to book a removal firm. I’ve already had some quotes and they are so different, from a few hundred quid to over a thousand. Of course, I want to get the best deal but I’m afraid if I choose the cheapest I might not get a good service. How do I know who to choose?
Alex: Excellent question Chris. It’s true cost between removal companies varies vastly and it really is sometimes difficult to know whether you paying more is worth it. Really the best thing is to get three quotes and find out exactly what’s included in the service. Now I’ve actually just done this myself, and I personally felt paying more for a great removals firm was actually worth their weight in gold. After all, buying a property can be stressful and why make it more stressful at the end? Trying to pack up in time, especially if you have children and then forgetting which box items were in when you arrive at your new home is sometimes just not worth the hassle. Check out all the removal firms well in advance of your move date so that as soon as you reach exchange you can book your favourite in. The good ones will get booked up very quickly, so you need to be on the ball. Check their insurance cover, who will be moving your items and who will be your key point of contact. If you’re unsure who to use just let me know and I can point you in the right direction. I hope this helps.
Alex Goldstein’s interview with leading Harrogate Architect Joel Smith of SSA asks Are TV property development shows worth watching? What is ‘permitted development’ and what do you have to be aware of? And how do you make sure you keep the local authority on your side when developing your home? How to get planning permission and what is the process?
Full transcript below:
Alex: We are honoured indeed to have Joel Smith here in the studio today just to talk through architects, both on the residential side and indeed the commercial side and just to demystify what these actually do. Now Joel, it’s a big hot topic at the moment, you’ve very much got Grand Designs, dare I say Small Spaces and good old George Clarke in there and they’re making extending and building look mighty easy. How do you rate these programmes? Do they have a point at all?
Joel: Yes Alex, simple answer is I do rate these programmes and actually I think they’re really valid. One, they’re enjoyable and informative, but two I think they help elevate the role of the designer and how we can affect the spaces that we live in. I think the consideration for any extension for instance should always be how can I improve the space that I dwell in? Certainly, Kevin McCloud has championed that to such a high degree that he’s really helped the industry. I’m not 100% sure that they make the process look easy though, in fact in many cases they focus on the pitfalls, the challenges and in a sense of course they have to increase the drama which often leaves me voicing my opinion should we say at the TV. But as I say Kevin McCloud specifically has done an incredible amount to raise awareness.
Alex: It’s helped you in terms of an architects practice because people are saying I’ve seen a this on TV, I’ve got this idea that I want to do to my home and can we involve you and it’s working more along those line.
Joel: Yeah absolutely, and as I say they do champion a role of architect within that and yes certainly once you see people who’ve been and got a little bit of ambition, a little bit of desire to improve their space that helps no end. And from an architect’s point of view it’s great to see what contemporaries are up to.
Alex: No absolutely and I mean these programmes often talk about the phrase or the term permitted development and a lot of people think this may be more serialised on television but permitted development makes it sound very easy to get that grand extension and off you go. That’s what these programmes tend to suggest, how does that actually work in real life terms? What is permitted development?
Joel: Right yeah, fair question Alex, and you’re right it’s certainly a hot topic and it’s a great thing actually. A permitted development rights are essentially a national grant of planning permission. They allow building work to be carried out without having to make an application for planning, however, you still need to be aware of certain aspects, you still of course need to notify your local authority and as always ensure building regulations compliance. Permitted development is as I say in principal a great idea and I believe that it has the intention of aiding a really important aspect of our economy, you know the smaller builders, the tradesmen, the designers. You know we in the UK have a very interesting approach to our homes, I find this really interesting, we have the smallest space standards in Europe, yet our homes are our castle and it turns out they’re not the biggest by comparison. But as I say you still need to contact the local authority and make them aware of your intentions. Permitted development rights are quite prescriptive so I would urge anybody considering a mid-development or any extension to look at the planning portal, speak with your local authority if you need to, obviously as I would always say speak with the designer, they have to be aware of things like designated areas where specifically in Harrogate area for instance, your conservation areas, areas of outstanding natural beauty, in some instances where you’ve extended before you may need to speak to your local authority before and there’s things to be aware of and you do need to do a little bit of research here Alex, because you’ve got existing curtilage of your site, principal elevations to your property, what’s the size of the proposed extension, what’s the height, how close are you to your boundary?
Alex: So good old George Clarke it’s not quite as straightforward as going oh we’re going to put on this lovely little extension and let’s just build it tomorrow afternoon. There’s a bit more of a process, it’s not as simple as possibly they make out.
Joel: Well I can’t comment on George Clarke because he is a fellow contemporary of course but then you always need to take some appropriate advice I would always ensure that.
Alex: Ok and in terms of I suppose, the larger extensions, just going I suppose beyond the permitted development and again this is from the private individual’s perspective, what do you actually need to be mindful of when you want to undertake such a project? I’m thinking sort of the timeframes and what’s actually involved in the planning process there?
Joel: Yeah fair enough, and I can appreciate in a lot on instances for people looking to extend it can come across as provisionally quite daunting and actually there’s a few things to consider before you even take pen to paper as it were. I’d always personally refer people to the RIBA website, they do a great bit of work for the profession in the background and in the forefront in fact, you know they do many useful sections, progressive design areas but also help you find the architect who can help you start the ball rolling with you and from a personal point of view there’s a good local sub group in this area called the North Yorkshire Society of Architects, again they work to promote good design and architects and the role we can play. But enough of the professional pitch, back to your questions the first consideration should surely be what are we extending for, what are my needs? In practice we would call this determining the brief. What does the design need to reflect in terms of your requirement as the owner and client? In terms of timeframes there’s actually many factors to take into account and you know the RIBA again have a great useful guide detailed plan of work which identifies key stages to be mindful of. So I refer back to identification of need, what do you want to gain out of your project, preliminary design, you know how we start to get things on paper, how’s it look, does it reflect what we’ve got in our minds, are we getting it on paper and of course we need to amend the design to reflect those needs, ultimately finalise these proposals. Of course, then you have to go for your planning permission and planning consent, you know can take between 8 and 12 weeks but bear in mid it can take longer.
Alex: When and why would it take longer? Because of the size or complexity of the job or if things fall behind?
Joel: Well all of those parts come into it but also you know is there a challenged with the design? Is there some additional legislation you need to be aware of? So again, dialogue at that point is important and you have to be slightly open-minded to that I think from my point of view. Time to discharge any pre-commencement conditions, when you’ve got that piece of paper from the planners you know hopefully it’s the piece of paper you want, and it says granted, but of course there’s often pre-commencement conditions there, which again just looks to protect you ultimately but also ensure that it fits with the planning permission granted. That can take a little bit of time, then of course you need too cost the project, obtain suitable quotes and time to actually construct the extension. I think also in the background of that, not necessarily a timeframe questions but how are you going to have that building and who’s going to build it for you. I’d always suggest requesting referrals, those are a great bit of use.
Alex: That’s the recommended builders?
Joel: Recommended yeah, you know many people, British people, like to refer, if someone’s not referring somebody what’s the reason behind that? We all like a referral. Have a look at the work they’ve done maybe, you know sure they should be proud of the work they’ve undertaken, the designs they’ve come up with and that should be a constructive dialogue and then yes certainly do that please.
Alex: I know people are often I suppose mindful, how do you actually keep the local authority, for example here, how do you keep Harrogate Borough council on side because you do hear albeit I dare say it, serialising in the media that people have run into all sorts of difficulties with their panning application, why have they gone a miss and why have they got on the wrong side of the council, how do you keep in their good books?
Joel: Well dialogue, simple as that and in simple terms and I you know personally would never recommend approaching an application with conflict on the agenda. Do things properly, the role of the architect here is to interpret your needs, provide information and help you navigate the planning process and as I say the LA shouldn’t be viewed with the barrier, it isn’t there to be bashed down, you need to approach any development with an open mind and be prepared to discuss your proposals with them. This as you’ve touched on, they do get a bit of negative press but that’s because maybe they’ll read on a isolated basis, case-by-case basis, their position in fairness is to protect the areas in which we live so the areas which will exist much longer than we will and really they’re part of a wider policy to ensure that amenity space and positive design and construction reflects where we live.
Alex: So, if you know their rues and you’re ticking their boxes where you go you’re not going to have an issue, it’s if you want to do something I’d say that’s pushing the boundaries or possibly being slightly controversial that’s when like you said in an isolated case it may not be looked upon possibly favourably.
Joel: Yeah, it’s difficult one to answer that Alex because you know the local authority isn’t there to champion good design as well you know the positive design from their point of view, they want to progress that with you and really you that maybe areas of conservation might need a slightly different approach etc. I think in the main the idea is the better design helps everyone ultimately. Yeah, I think they’re all boarded, I don’t see any negativity when it comes to positive design.
Alex: Fantastic, Joel I can’t thank you enough. Very useful and great insight there, so if anyone needs to discuss ant of there home getting extended, permitted development, the small space type of thing or the commercial side of things, what’s the best way for people to reach you?
Joel: Fabulous, well I’d be more than happy to speak to anyone who’s got any queries. My number is 01423 856999, but you’re more than welcome to look at our website which is www.ssaarchitects.co.uk
Alex: Ok, fantastic Joel, thank you very much again really appreciate your time.
Listen to full interview with property expert Alex Goldstein, “live” on Vale FM with Steve Twynham – talking through his career to date, what a property consultant actually does and how he helps people buy and sell residential property.
Full transcript below:
Steve: It’s drivetime, Steve taking you home between now and 6 and we’re joined by a special guest in the studio this afternoon, Alex Goldstein. Good afternoon Alex, how are you?
Alex: Steve, I’m great thank you very much indeed.
Steve: Great, thanks for joining us and we’re going to talk property this afternoon.
Alex: We are indeed.
Steve: Yeah so, look forward to finding out more about that. First of all, tell us a little bit about yourself, and how did you get involved in the property market?
Alex: Yeah, I suppose for my sins, I have been, I was an estate agent for the last sort of 14/15 years. Started my career in Oxford and London and more recently in Harrogate as well and its just sort of blossomed from there. I’ve been working for some of the UK’s most well-known firms and left that a good few years back.
Steve: So, what’s the difference between being a property consultant and an estate agent then?
Alex: Yeah, an estate agent just solely works for a homeowner when they come to sell their property, that is their primary purpose, whereas I’m now as a property consultant or property adviser, I’m on the other side of the fence and I actually help people buy residential property, both in Yorkshire and London, I happen to help them sell but I’m not an estate agent, it’s purely advisory.
Steve: So, you do both things then?
Alex: Yeah do both things, in both locations as well.
Steve: Ok, so if I was looking to buy, I’d come to you and say Alex I’m looking for a property, lets use York for example, I’m looking for a property in York, for a certain value, in a certain area, is it your role then to go and do the searching?
Alex: Exactly that. I will take all your search criteria and all the parameters exactly that you’re after, either liaise with the agents or the developers or indeed I’ve been in the business long enough now I just ring up the homeowners because I’ve known them of old and just say I can vouch for you Steve and this is the basis, I try and secure that property off market. Off market is away from Rightmove and all these online portals, so we just do it privately. It’s not always possible but that’s always the aim. So that’s the buying side and you pay me a fee for that service and very often it’s people that don’t have the time or they’re not sure and they just need some confidence building into the whole transaction. It’s a big, one the biggest transactions ever in life, you need to get it right.
Steve: Yeah tell me about it, I forget how many properties I’ve bought in my lifetime, luckily, I’m at the stage where I don’t have to buy another one, maybe who knows. And what about on the selling then?
Alex: The selling is a bit more unusual, and very often I get involved with people when they’re thinking of going on the market and very often they haven’t done it for 10, 20, sometime 30 or I had one recently 60 years, they’ve never sold a property and the markets changed even in the last two years. So, if you’ve never done it in that sort of timeframe, what do you do? Or where do you go? Or the other flip side of the coin is when people have been in the market for a long period of time, you’re getting a lot of sales chat, often from the estate agents and they’re wondering well I’ve been in the market a long time, where do I go? Where have I gone wrong? So that’s where I independently come in and say Steve, you’ve been in the market a long time but with my experience you need to change these sort of specific areas, we need to turn the sale around and we head off in a particular direction, and that’s when I bring in and manage and orchestrate said estate agents on your behalf. So, it actually ends up that the estate agent pays my fee, not you the homeowner.
Steve: Right ok.
Alex: It’s quite unusual.
Steve: Yeah, it sounds interesting as well. So, if someone’s been on the property for, I don’t know, what is the average length of time selling a property now?
Alex: It’s the ultimate question, I would probably say from going on sale to under offer, I honestly wouldn’t like to put a timeframe on it because every situation is different. Once you get from under offer to exchange normally it’s between four and six weeks, any longer than that and alarm bells start to ring, and completion, i.e. when you move in and get the keys, tends to be four weeks after you’ve actually exchanged, but again that vary on each transaction, it’s that exchange, it’s getting from offer to exchange, that is the most critical time and you’ve got to keep that window of opportunity very tight indeed.
Steve: Ok, so from your expertise as well, if the house has been on sale for 8 months.
Alex: Yep, it does happen, I’ve had longer.
Steve: Is there something not quite right? Could be price or?
Alex: Very often I always think and in simple terms there’s usually three main factors that tend to go a miss and normally it’s a combination of these, but it tends to be the photographs, the price of the property or it’s the presentation of the property and very often it’s a mix of that. Sometimes people have been hoodwinked if you like by estate agents and they’ve listened too much to the sale speak and they’ve bought into that and they’ve signed contracts and again it’s then advising people how to actually manoeuvre away from that, but it tends to be those three factors and just altering those accordingly.
Steve: Ok so I guess at times as well if somebody’s been around and somebody says well we think you can get, lets pick a figure, we think you can get 359 for this and somebody says well no I think you might only get 310, as the seller you want to hear the 359, don’t you?
Alex: Exactly that and that’s exactly where a lot of people hang their hats, they hear three estate agents and they go with the one that’s quoted the highest guide price, when actually that’s the exact reason you should not instruct that estate agent. You should always go for the estate agent that’s possibly told you something you didn’t want to hear, and you’ve almost got to be illogical when choosing your estate agent. Don’t just go for the guy that as I said overflatters you and grants you things on planet 9, you’ve got to look beyond that and delve behind the scenes, and that’s really where 15 years in property, been there and done it and can advise clients well this is what you actually need to look out for and this who to actually go with.
Steve: Ok we’ll talk some more in a moment and we’ve got a great question about lawyers coming up.
This is Steve, this is Vale Radio across North Yorkshire. We are talking property this afternoon, we’ve been joined in the studio by Alex Goldstein. We’ve been talking lots of things about buying and selling. Alex it’s been quite a turmoil time in the marketplace with Brexit and things, what’s the marketplace doing?
Alex: I think at the moment, I think a lot of people dare I say lost their heads when Brexit came along and I suppose I predicted and a lot of people did, there would be a bit of turmoil afterwards but interestingly it was actually an incredibly good time to buy because if we now look at Brexit it’s all turned around very nicely, and there’s all these countries who want to trade with us and it’s all looking a lot more rosy and obviously Mr Hammond, the Chancellor is keeping it, trying to keep it nice and steady. But interestingly, if you look at London, specifically that’s come back 8/9% percent in recent months, so again of you are looking to buy and you’re ready to go and you’re on the right basis that is a fantastic time to buy. I think at the moment market activity here in Yorkshire is very good, there is a real demand, a real surge for sort of more urban and village lifestyle living, that is a massive driver for activity, it is good, it is very good indeed at the moment.
Steve: Good news to hear then.
Alex: No absolutely, Brexit is long gone, and you hardly hear any bad news about it at the moment I think, it’s great when it comes to property at the moment.
Steve: What about when somebody wants to advice for lawyers, getting a lawyer involved?
Alex: Yeah, I know it’s something certainly I regularly talk about and I don’t know why but estate agents never seem to ask a homeowner or vendor in advance and it’s probably one of the most important things you should do. When it comes to a conveyancing solicitor my advice is never ever cut a corner. You must always go with a rock-solid solicitor, because at the end of the day, you personally have to live with the consequences not them if something goes wrong. One thing specifically to bare in mind is always look for a solicitor that is on low volume, but high quality. You regularly come across these sort of huge swathing open floor conveyancing practices, and the problem is with that, your file, you become a number and your file and your transaction, they tend to be fairly complicated on the most part, it gets lost. And this is where you hear about deals falling apart. You need to then, holiday cover, it gets passed around, who is dealing with the file while someone’s away? You have no idea, you’ve lost control. Best thing you can do when it comes to a conveyancing solicitor is instruct them in advance, ask and pretty much tell your solicitor to open a file, get the client ID signed off and to get the title deeds ready, check for any anomalies and sort it in advance. You as a homeowner are then ready to go so when you find the buyer, you are on the forward foot and that contract pack will be with the buyer’s solicitor in 24 hours. That is how to master the situation.
Steve: Right ok, so it’s do your homework a bit?
Alex: Always.
Steve: I must admit I was buying a house down in Shropshire some years ago when we had a little bit of trouble with a boundary, we were ready to sign, and my solicitor wouldn’t let me sign and at one point I’m thinking gggrr, but I tell you what they were absolutely amazing because they saved me so much trouble further down the line.
Alex: Exactly and that is where experience, it doesn’t matter whether a conveyancing solicitor or an estate agent, experience is absolutely key critical. It’s a interesting point and actually whether it’s a lawyer or an estate agent, where your money is going is into the time they’ve spent and the expertise they’ve got, and when it comes to estate agents it’s not just about marketing. People just think it’s that initial bit of going for sale, and getting under offer and that’s it job done, it’s not, where your estate agent comes into his own is actually between under offer and getting to exchange. And that is again where you pay the estate agents fee, that’s where they’re worth it.
Steve: Ok, I’ve got my brain in gear again now.
Alex: Glad to hear it Steve. I was worried for a minute.
Steve: Yeah, I did look a bit blank, so the question I was going to ask was about, it seems to be the explosion of online, what about that?
Alex: Yeah, you’ve got three levels of estate agents you’ve got the high street agents that we all know, you’ve then got the pure online agents that just have a website, but you’ve also got a third one which is called a hybrid agent, which is a bit of a mix of the two, so they’ve got most part online and they’ve got a office premises of sorts. Now interestingly I did a very interesting interview the other week and he actually trains all those agents nationally, a very very well qualified chap, he was saying and it was very interesting, where the high street agents have lost a lot of ground is again customer service and not getting in the right experienced people and therefore the buying public, the homeowners have drifted away, they see all the snazzy marketing advertising out there and go with one of the online chaps. As I’ve just touched on, the problem with them and what most people don’t realise is some of these online people get paid in advance. Your signing their terms, they’re actually getting paid in advance via a sort of scheme behind the scenes. Therefore, where is their motivation as an estate agent to find you the answer, they don’t, they’ve already been paid, they don’t care less. And again, unless you know what to look for, you’re going to come aground very quickly indeed, and I worry because these online guys just focus on marketing and advertising. As I just mentioned, an agent comes into their own when they’ve got that experience of getting it under offer, that’s step one, getting under offer to exchange, that’s a whole different ballgame, whereas a lot of these agents now just stand back and let it drift and that’s where you hear of so many fall throughs happening. So, at the moment I see that there is a place for online or hybrid agents, again they’re at the budget end of the market, if finances are tight, fine it’s worth it I think if you are low/mid. If you are on the upper range then there’s no point cutting a corner you’ve got to pay for that experience, it’s well worth it.
Steve: So, what you’ve described there is they’re getting paid for listing the property basically.
Alex: That’s exactly what they’re getting paid for. And you need to be very very careful again remember estate agents again they’re sales people, they’re commission driven, it’s all about that hunger and that drive and if your suddenly paying them upfront, albeit you don’t quite know about it then they can just take their foot completely off the pedal, your sale drifts, you then realise you made a bit of a error, you pull it from the market, you relaunch it again, price reduction, people see you’ve relaunched it with a new agent, a new price, what’s going on, there’s something wrong with it, well it’s got subsidence Alex didn’t you hear, you and I know well that doesn’t exist but again buyers out there put two and two together and come up with five, that’s the problem and that’s where you’ll come undone.
Steve: Right ok thanks for that. Are you ok to stay for a bit longer?
Alex: Very much so.
Steve: We want to talk about some great tips for people who are buying or selling.
Alex: Feel free.
Steve: This is radio Vale across North Yorkshire, we’re talking to Alex Goldstein this afternoon, we’re talking property, buying, selling, all kinds of things and it’s absolutely fascinating. We are talking property with Property Consultant Alex Goldstein, we’ve had a fantastic hour, lots of information. Alex before you go some tips really on selling or maybe buying?
Alex: Yeah absolutely, I think when it comes to selling, how do I put this, the TV and some of those presenters do get it wildly wrong. Never ever paint your house white and remove all the photos and take the pictures down and leave it as a blank room because I always say it then feels like a hospital clinic, who likes going to hospital, absolutely nobody so why present your house like one. You’ve got to remember that, buying and selling a property, it’s emotional, you’re buying into a lifestyle, so leave the magazines out or the cookbooks by the agar that sort of thing, leave the photographs of the children up, that’s what people want to get a feel for. Present it well and clean, clear simple lines and please as I’ve touched on do choose your agent incredibly incredibly carefully, and we haven’t quite got enough time to run through it all but again if you’re unsure, ask. The other thing that I talked about is instruct your conveyancing solicitor at the same time as your estate agent and make sure that file is open, and they are ready to go because I bet your bottom dollar you will find a buyer tomorrow, you won’t be ready, and you’ll be caught out.
Steve: Right ok but keep it tidy I guess.
Alex: Keep it tidy but remember people, it’s lifestyle that they’re buying into, it’s one of the very rare if not the only transaction you do in life where people are dealing in that sort of level of money and that sort of level of emotion, you’ve got to play to that strength, don’t paint it white.
Steve: So yeah it needs to look lived in doesn’t it?
Alex: Yeah, within reason absolutely. You want the photographs and the toys out and that sort of thing, not completely stripped bare.
Steve: Yeah ok and what about buying?
Alex: Yeah buying is interesting because people think sometimes they’ve got it absolutely nailed and I tell you, a week never goes by where someone doesn’t get it quite right. When someone says cash, it means cash in a bank account. A mortgage is something completely different so cash fund, make sure they are ready and accessible, I’ll mention that you should email yourself a copy of that bank statement, I’ll say why in a minute. Your mortgage, you must go through a mortgage broker, I would always recommend that because they will search the whole market. A bank is just there to push their own product of course. And ask for an agreement in principal, an AIP, or a DIP, decision in principal, get that and email it to yourself.
Steve: An independent mortgage broker then?
Alex: It’s an independent mortgage broker, that’s the one. And once you’ve got proof of mortgage, proof of cash, you’ve got it on email, use that in the negotiation. So, when you go to the agent, instantly supply without them asking proof of everything right up front and you’re turning the tables from the one sort of negotiating to the one then commanding the situation. Again, make sure when you’re buying your solicitor is instructed ready to go, same with the building surveyor and I think the bottom line is look, it is a people business. Make sure that you’ve got that great personal rapport of course with the vendor, because they’re buying into you and vice versa and again make sure you’re buying into the agent as well. If you’re getting on well with them, they’re more likely to do you a bit of a favour as when if need be. Again, if you’re unsure of any of those, do feel free to ask.
Steve: Ok and finally you’ve got an event happening in Leeds did you say?
Alex: I do yeah, I’ve got a educational talk on property investment, it’s on the 23 November at the Crown Plaza right in the centre of town. It’s 6pm and I think the talks sort of kick off at 7 o’clock, it’s property investors who its aimed at. Again, if anyone needs a free ticket do come through me.
Steve: If anyone wants to get in touch with you, how do they do that?
Alex: Yeah, do feel free. Look at the website alexgoldstein.co.uk or call me anytime on the landline 01423 788377.
Steve: Alex it’s been a pleasure.
Alex: No thank you very much indeed.
Steve: Thank you for joining use today and maybe catch up in the not too distant future.
Alex: Look forward to it Steve.
Steve: Have a wonderful evening.
Alex: And you.
Alex Goldstein discusses how to decide which estate gent to choose when selling your home. Do you go with the one who quotes the best price for your home, or the one whose fees are the lowest? Or do you choose the one who’s sales pitch is the best? Or a combination of all these? Well, it’s none of those, and Alex reveals the correct answer.
Full transcript below:
Alex: The property hospital is all about me answering your property concerns and putting you back in control. Now this week I’m answering a question from Tom who’s got this question to ask.
Tom: Hi Alex, I’m about to put my house onto the market. I’ve seen three agents, but I don’t know which one to appoint. Do you have any insider tips please?
Alex: Tom, a useful question and one often asked by many homeowners. The points that regularly come up revolve around price, fees or professionalism. Now most vendors think they’re doing the logical thing by choosing a mixture of these points however they’re all completely wrong. What you need to look at is each agents’ front of house team. These are the people sat in the estate agents’ office each day, meeting and greeting walk in enquiries, taking incoming phone calls and they’re the ones who actually know the buyer database, these are the people who will actually sell your home and not the estate agents sat in your kitchen. Now you want to check out the front of house team before you see the agents at your home, go into each estate agents’ office and see how knowledgeable and helpful the front-of-house team were, mystery shop them in effect. You will know instantly which agent to go with. If you’re treated well as a prospective purchaser, then you’re more likely to find the right answer when you come to sell.
How should an estate agent value a property? What evidence do you look for? What statistics do you ignore?
Full transcript below:
Alex: Final stretch in terms of how to ascertain a property value. The key to this is what has sold in the market. Ignore what’s for sale, ignore current guide prices, it’s what’s sold. So, go on to as I said net house prices, ignore HPI’s, house price indices, ignore as I said Zoopla and their generalised algorithms and statistics, you’ve got to go by fact and that’s really what an estate agents there for. So, it’s looking at comparable evidence as to what’s sold. The other angle is to look at a pound per square foot analysis and this is what’s called a gross internal area, that wall to that wall, that by that, gives you the overall square footage, times by the magic number for the area. So, for example in Harrogate you can be anywhere between 225 a square foot to about 350 square foot, and you times that out and that will give you a vague indication as to a property’s value and you then add on a bit extra for the garage or they’ve got several acres with it or they’ve got the views. That’s effectively how an estate agent should value the property, it’s pound per square foot analysis and it’s looking at comparable evidence, what has sold recently in the area as well.
Home security expert Patrick Beebe from Keybury Fire & Security answers all questions you might have about protecting your home, including how to bring your alarm system up to date without breaking the bank, how you can keep an eye in your home using your mobile phone, and why owning pets does not mean you can’t switch your alarm on.
Full transcript below:
Alex: It’s great to have Patrick from Keybury Fire and Security here in the studio. We’re just going to delve into home security and really just understand this sector a bit more. Patrick thanks for coming in. Now obviously people have heard of ADT and Job and those larger companies out there but what do you guys actually do? You’re a smaller outfit albeit but what does it entail your side?
Patrick: Well we are a smaller company, but we do cover the whole of Yorkshire. We cover domestic systems, commercial systems for intruder alarm, CCTV, fire alarms, access control, fire risk assessments so pretty much everything that the big boys do but perhaps on a bit more of a personal self-service compared to ringing through onto a switchboard where you might have a faceless person, you would know who you’re speaking to when you get through to us. When we ring you back it’s the same person you can speak to, so a little bit more personalisation compared to what the bigger companies may offer.
Alex: And what do you guys do, I mean you outlined everything but effectively is it a case of if it’s a property you can put some security in it and depending on the levels that are involved you can sort of talk anyone through it?
Patrick: Yeah, if you’ve got a property that you’ve got no idea about security in at all then you know it’s a clean canvas and we would come in, listen to what your requirements may be, you may have something specific you want to cover within the property. We will go away, and we’ll take the plans away and we’ll have a look at the site and come up with some ideas on what we can propose for a new system for you. If you’ve already got an existing system, then we’re quite capable as well of taking that over from a previous company and looking after that as well so you don’t have to have a brand-new system installed.
Alex: How does it work just firstly on the CCTV side because a lot of people say well look I had some minor CCTV cameras just a couple put up back in the day, how can you get round that because again I’m always mindful of client costs and that side of things, what can you do as the workaround?
Patrick: If there’s been a system that’s been installed, and we do come across systems where perhaps somebody’s bought it from a DIY shop or something like that so it’s also cheaper perhaps in the short term but in the long term it’s not necessarily. We can come in and utilise the existing cabling that’s in place so you’re not having to take floor boards up again and start you know taking the carpets up. We have systems that would fit across all sorts of different cabling that might have been installed so some of the newer systems nowadays go in with cat 5 cable and cat 6. The older ones would have been on co actual cable but ultimately nowadays people really would like HD images, whereas you know a long time ago those images weren’t really like anything they are today so taking an old system that’s been installed, taking the old hardware out and then just put it in a new camera that would fit onto that old cabling isn’t actually quite a big task nowadays to do.
Alex: Is it not also that with the wireless options that you sometimes see on the camera side, is that ever an option where there’s been issues?
Patrick: We’ve always tended to sort of stay away from the wireless cameras. We’ve always done a hardwired system basically from a reliability point of view.
Alex: Now, I guess is there a hacking risk as well?
Patrick: There is, but also you know wireless can drop off now and again for whatever reason that might be, whereas on a wired system all the integrity is a lot more secure.
Alex: What’s the latest I suppose, security tech that’s coming out? Because I know you can get sort of some mobile phone apps and that side of things, just talk us through that and anything else.
Patrick: Mobile phones are playing a big part in the marketplace for the security industry nowadays and you know a lot of people want to integrate the camera system at their houses onto their smartphones and their iPads remotely while they’re not actually at the property so if you’ve gone away on holiday and the intruder alarm is set and the cameras are all running 24/7 recording, if the intruder alarm activated that would send you a push notification through onto your mobile phone to say the alarm had activated, you can then log on to the cameras at your house just have a look round the perimeter or internals if you had it fitted inside, once you’ve established if there’s been a genuine activation from there on you can either you know pass that through to the key holder or the police but there’s also the option if it’s somebody that you know, a relative might have come in with a key didn’t realise the alarm was set, you’ll see that and you’re quite capable as well of turning the alarm system off by your phone, wherever you may be, unsettling it, have a word with them, how they go.
Alex: Is it a standing joke as well you can look into your mobile and actually watch your house being burgled, does that happen as well?
Patrick: Well I suppose in theory it could do that.
Alex: The other point that links in with this on the alarm side of things, what is actually possible? I know we’ve just talked about things about the alarm and it’s effectively a bell in a box on the side of your house, but I think it’s a bit more than that nowadays isn’t it?
Patrick: Yes, alarm systems have come on quite a lot as well in the years. You can start at a very very basic system which, it might just be an audible only system within your property that would not frighten the neighbours of an external siren going off. There is also the options from that where that notification could then go through to a monitoring station, it can go through to your mobile phone on the app as well, you can add both so the app would notify you but you might be away and think well actually what can I do here so the monitoring station can the take control and say right well we’ve got a list of key holders here so we’ll contact the key holders, the one above, that is the police response system, so if we have an alarm activation at a property on a police system, it works slightly different in that when the alarm system is set then we would generate what’s called a confirmed alarm. So how that would work is if a burglar broke in through the kitchen and activated the alarm sensor that would send the first signal through to the monitoring station to say we have an alert at this property. If they then proceeded to go through into the hallway with our two alarm sensors activated within a time window there, so that is an instant confirmed alarm to the police monitoring station, so the police would come straight out to that one, followed on by the key holders on that system.
Alex: How does it work, say for example, pets you’ve got, could have been the pet cat gone through the kitchen and then onto the hall, can alarms tell the difference nowadays or how do you get round that or would you just have to leave your cat in a particular room?
Patrick: You can have pet sensors now that can be installed on the system designed around your requirements where the pet would stay, so there are sensors that will ignore a pet up to a certain size, a dog and a cat, so that’s workable within a system if you particularly want them to have free roam of the house. There’s also options where you may give them the whole of the ground floor for instance where we could do vibration detection on the windows and glass and glass break detection devices as well, as opposed to just internal movement sensors. Course the internal movement sensors are good, and somebody breaks in they are actually in your house at that point whereas you may be considering a perimeter protection type system as well, so there’s quite a few variations on what you could use that for.
Alex: Fantastic stuff, Patrick I can’t thank you enough some really great insight and expert tips. Now if anyone wanted to sort of talk anything through with you guys in a bit more detail, what’s the best way to get hold of you?
Patrick: Well we’re on the web, www.keybury.co.uk and the telephone number to call is 01423 876348 so feel free to get in touch.
Alex: Fantastic Patrick thank you very much indeed.
Alex Goldstein is ‘live’ on Talk Radio with Mike Graham, discussing the North-South property price divide and why southern prices have dipped for the first time in 8 years. Why has this happened and what is the driver behind it all?
Full Transcript Below:
Mike: Coming up in this hour we got the Carrier Awards because it’s Good Friday we are going with them a day early. Alex Goldstein, Property Consultant is going to join us because apparently for the first time in eight years, the value of homes in the north has risen while the value of homes in the south has gone down. It’s the north-south divide but upside down. It’s very weird. You’re listening to me Mike Graham. Right hear on Talk Radio.
The Independent Republic of Mike Graham on Talk Radio.
Now we were talking earlier to a guy from Liverpool who said, you know, if you guys think travelling around in the south of England is bad news, you should try getting on a train up here. Because the travel problems they have had in the north of England particularly between the northwest and the northeast have been famous. This has been going on for many, many years where the trains are so bad that nobody can really afford to use them if they have got to get to work because quite frankly, they are not fit for purpose. What they can do though, of course, up in the north of England is to buy homes for a lot less money than you can buy homes for generally speaking in the southeast. However, southeast England property prices have actually fallen for the first time in eight years while the value of homes in the northwest has risen by 4%. Let’s talk to Alex Goldstein who’s a property consultant to find out what is going on. Alex, very good afternoon to you.
Alex: Good Afternoon, Mike. Good to speak to you.
Mike : Thank you for joining us. It’s an interesting one because for a long-time people have said, we can’t afford to buy property. The Millennials are all complaining that the problem of prices for houses in the southeast is prohibitive. But there have always been affordable properties in different parts of the country and maybe now, finally, we are seeing property slightly correcting itself in a sense.
Alex: I think you’re absolutely correct. In fairness, I think the southern and Home Counties market, it was overheated, and something needed to happen to temper it down. But what’s amazing at the moment is there’s a seismic shift, I feel, in how people wish to live at the moment and there is a major movement towards quality of life and the work-life balance. And as more and more London orientated or Home County orientated companies actually have footings up in the northern regions there is again, people can afford to move up and be in the London office two to three days a week not five days a week.
Mike: No quite. And I mean how different is the gap between say the average price in the north. It is a bit of a nebulous concept of north of England. I’m not sure where it begins. For me it begins in Edgeware because I’m a Londoner, I mean where does it technically begin?
Alex: Many would say north of Watford Gap of course. For example if you look at Birmingham and go across the Pennines and you’re looking at Manchester and you’re looking right into Yorkshire. Harrogate, Leeds at the moment is absolutely flying. You got Channel 4 putting in their head office there. You got HMRC. These are significant legal and finance institutions and they are putting big footings down in these areas and I think that’s what’s driving the move on top of, like I said, a bit life-work balance movement.
Mike: Sure and Leeds has always been a place where there has been quite a lot of money, hasn’t it?
Alex: It has. And again you have two hospitals in Leeds as well. Dare I say, the footballers out there, Leeds will hopefully come back into the Premiership. Huddersfield are in the premiership. And it does make a big difference.
Mike: Not for much longer. I don’t think though.
Alex: Wait and see. Anything can happen.
Mike: But it’s interesting as well, possibly, and you can correct me if I’m wrong here, but Cheshire area around Manchester and Liverpool as well, very much boosted by the footballers that are playing for the big clubs up there.
Alex: Absolutely. I think if anywhere is a great example it is in and around Manchester and Cheshire. They do bring a sizable amount of money into the economy. Equally on the other side of the Pennines, the Tour de Yorkshire, the Tour de France. Again we got the UCI Cycling Championships as well. Some would argue that Yorkshire is one of the only counties that’s got a brand out there at the moment. Again all of these, Manchester and heading across the Pennines, it’s constantly in the nation news. And I think a lot of buyers are picking up on that and hence you are getting a lot of families relocating and looking for that lifestyle.
Mike: Well I have to say, trying to get around London at the moment is such a nightmare that if you could provide a reasonable amount of money for a job in the north of England, which wouldn’t necessarily be exactly same amount of money you’d get in London, the lifestyle is a lot better isn’t it?
Alex: Hugely so. I mean you’ve got vast, open, green spaces. Less overcrowding especially when it comes to housing, you’re more spread out. And dare I say, every time I split my time between the north and London. And people always say that people are generally so much more friendly and relaxed. A generalisation albeit. Schools as well. And as I said, you don’t need to be in the office five days a week. You can be flexibly working. Work from home. Go into the office when it’s needed. And that helps both employees and employers in terms of costing. I just see this as a very sizable shift both in terms of how employment is working and indeed the property sector.
Mike: Sure. And was there any sort of boost to Manchester and the northwest when the BBC set up such a big outfit in Salford? Salford is very much a draw for media companies and all that. I went up to Salford a couple of years ago and it was sort of like a ghost town. There wasn’t much going on. Yes, the big BBC place was there. Salford Theatre was there as well but it didn’t feel like a buzzing metropolis.
Alex: As with all these things, it takes time. It will take time for that to pick up speed. I certainly think it has picked up speed and as you said, it’s just the bolt-ons sort of effect it creates. Again the same could be said for Leeds and Channel 4 moving in there. Again these things don’t happen overnight but again such a significant institution coming into both areas, companies and employers gravitate towards them.
Mike: So if you were an investor, property wise coming into these areas, where would you say to people is a good place to buy a home now in England. The place where it’s likely to rise up the most?
Alex: For me, at the moment, it’s the areas we discussed. Across major parts of Yorkshire, Leeds, Harrogate, Ilkley. As you mentioned, Manchester, Cheshire. There is a big push for urban or just outside of town living at the moment. And I think if you are looking to invest as indeed a lot of developers and investors are doing, they’ve long since moved out of London and are looking towards the secondary cities in the UK as that’s where you’re going to see the uplift.
Mike: And I mean 1.8% down in southeast overall, I mean there’s still a long way to go before anyone who doesn’t have an awful lot of money will be able to afford to buy anything.
Alex: It needed correcting. We probably don’t have time on today’s show but first-time buyers and that side of things, we have got a fairly significant range of issues here. I think the stamp duty that was introduced by George Osborne and its reduced prices, but we are a long way from helping those trying to get on the first rungs of the property ladder. The homes being built aren’t particularly good quality across the board if you are looking at the big developers on there. I don’t think the banks lend particularly well and aren’t prepared to take a view. There are just layers and layers of issues. I would be happy to become the Housing Minister and try to sort this all out.
Mike: Fascinating stuff. Alex, thank you very much. Alex Goldstein, Property Consultant, there on the rise of prices in the north of England and the fall of prices in the south of England which is happening for the first time in eight years.
The Goddess Medusa and the PLC developers have something in common... #property #propertyexpert #harrogateproperty #alexgoldstein #yorkshireproperty #propertyadvice #estateagents #yorkshirepost #selling property #buyingproperty
Read about my insight into the world of gladiatorial estate agents and what you need to know to survive! #propertyexpert #harrogateproperty #alexgoldstein #yorkshireproperty #propertyadvice #estateagents #yorkshirepost #selling property #buyingproperty
Hello Alex,
