BacKpage
Westminster Calling
Property professional Paul de Odervan sees green shoots.
O
ur Westminster (Head) trousered £400,000 profit – he’ll read their tripe. As if the housing buyers had anything in common.
office reports a rain-led get a tax demand from our friends downturn is our fault! The property press tell us to look
rush of green shoots at HMRC. (He said he wouldn’t but Leaving our Westminster toffs’ for trends. I asked more branches
in the local property he’s bonkers – everyone has to pay branch to their debate, I went to who their clients were. Our
market. One enquirer, a Mr Hogg, their taxes.) rural Hertfordshire, to see whether Woodbridge office say their top
wants another buy-to-let flat, It’s all very strange but our branch was seeing the sun sale of Q1 (technical eh?) was to
price £1m+. He told Clara (who’s encouraging. I’m so busy I haven’t rise. “Oh yes,” says Jacintha, our an MP, who’s moving because his
German but speaks perfect watched the telly at all and as manager, “Its all go here. We have wife’s a poorly and needs fresh air.
English) that he doesn’t need a for reading a paper, well, the a large house, just instructed at Fair enough, Finchley isn’t always
mortgage but will get one anyway, meeedja is set against us property £4.5 million. that fresh. Bizarrely, my next call
as “every little helps” he says, and professionals and I refuse to pay to “The owner, Barbie, is retiring was to Bromley, Kent, where Jason
he knows a guy at Northern Knock. to her house in Antigua, she’s ‘fed told of a ‘safe’ buyer who lives in
Thought they’d gone bust! up with working for peanuts in Southend (on Sea). He needs a
Another buy-to-let pro, a the UK’. She’ll continue to work house, (small mortgage already
lady “married to a leading UK in tourism to use her experience arranged, no worries) in Bromley
writer”, also seeks an addition to to the benefit of the lovely because Southend is too far to
her portfolio. She has 120k as a Caribbeans.” travel to London for his job.
deposit but says she can lay her Tired from all the travelling I hit I reckon it’s the travelling that’s
hands on more, so long as the the phone. Islington office had the thing. It’s expensive. You’d
mortgage interest payments will to be an interesting window; high think these employers would help
still hit the £24k mark. Not sure rents, popular with politicos. out, maybe give them a car…
why that figure is important. Ben, lively young negotiator, maybe the taxes put them off. But
Then, most remarkable, a lady reported, “One buyer, home in surely running two homes costs
wearing ermine waltzed in, asking Salford, is looking for a smart pad. more than petrol?
did we have any clout with the We like these people because To finish my May Market
local social housing groups as she they have to be kosher – Report I went back to Clara in
wanted to let her home in the who’d make up a story like, Westminster. So what else is new
Kentish sticks but couldn’t afford ‘We live in Salford and we Clara? “Vell,” she replied, “It is
to buy one near the House! really like it. But sometimes imperative that ve open an office
Piers, London Regional Director, we absolutely have to be in St Pancras.” “Vy?” I couldn’t
says staff can’t agree whether it’s in London and hotels help asking. “Vell,” she said, “Ze
a dead cat bounce or a revolution. are sooo expensive. Deutsche Bahn is to send trains
The Chelsea branch is busy with We just want a little from Berlin through the tunnel to
valuations, folk wanting to know place to call our St Pancras and zis vill mean huge
whether their sensational stucco own when we’re numbers of citizens commuting
has fallen in value more than their too tired to get between London and Germany.
Docklands flat, to decide “where back to lovely They vill need a London home.”
I flipping live!” Apparently, this Salford.’ Where is Bingo. It’s the Germans.
flipping guy recently sold his place Salford?” Wonder if there’ll be a report on
in Pimlico (through us!) and I wondered if these the telly. Must watch it tonight.
74 JUNE 2009 PROPERTYdrum
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