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054 PROPERTY NEWS ROUND-UP
Market force – or fears?
The nation’s housing market got off to a subdued start in 2018, with sellers of £1 million-plus homes in London finding it toughest to find buyers in January, according to a survey of estate agents. Across the UK as a whole, the number of sales, new buyers, and properties coming onto the market all fell in January, the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) said.
New buyer inquiries fell for a 10th successive month and the number of properties coming on to estate agents’ books slipped back to the record-low levels seen around the middle of 2017. Of the estate agents surveyed, 67% said the sales price achieved on homes priced at £1 million or more had come in below asking price. The figure dropped to 56% of agents for properties listed between £500,000 and £1 million. The biggest price falls
continued to be in London, but they also dropped in the South East, East Anglia and the North East. “Divergent regional trends remain very much to the fore with the market in many parts of the country still actually behaving in a solid if unspectacular way despite the downbeat headlines,” said a spokesperson for the RICS, adding: “Affordability issues continue to play a key role in explaining this pattern with those areas where house price earnings are most stretched seeing the softest markets.” The RICS report was published a day after Halifax reported house prices falling for a second consecutive month in January, as consumers struggling with shrinking disposable income put major spending decisions on hold. The average price of a home in Britain fell 0.6% in February to £223,285, according to the mortgage lender’s own data. It followed a 0.8% drop in prices in December.
Boosting community spirit
Quinn Estates has officially opened the new car park at Elvington Village Hall, providing space for 20 cars and allowing the parish council to use their funds elsewhere in the communities of Elmsted and Hastingleigh. Guests at the official ribbon cutting opening ceremony included Alastair Cracknell of Quinn Estates, the Deputy and Cabinet Member for Communities, Councillor Jenny Hollingsbee, Chairman of the Parish Council, John Argar, Chairman of the Village Committee, Robin Helmer, and former BBC weather presenter and local resident Kaddy Lee-Preston. Refurbishment of the village hall car park was identified as being a key factor in improving village life in Elmsted and Hastingleigh, following a public consultation for a nearby Quinn Estates development. The previously rundown car park
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was cut back and cleared, opening up the space to more cars, and completely resurfaced and tarmacked to fill in the existing potholes, which had been causing a nuisance to the local parishioners. The work has left the parish council in a position to use their funds for other ongoing maintenance work and various events throughout the year. “I have lived in the village for nearly five years now,” said Kaddy, adding: “The village hall has come to mean so much to us – I come here at least twice a week for various clubs and it’s a brilliant space. To be able to park easily and safely now means so much and makes it even more fantastic.”
Moving with the times
With new technology, changing requirements and younger tenants impacting today’s rental market, leading multi-disciplinary property company, Humberts, has partnered with Canopy and Fixflo, two pioneering services for the lettings industry. The latest pair of signings demonstrate Humberts’ commitment to operating a forward-thinking, innovative lettings business as well as placing it at the forefront of technological advancements and delivering best-in-class service across all parts of the rental process. National tech start-up Canopy aims to solve the growing deposit crisis for Generation Rent. It provides deposit-free renting and a unique rental passport for tenants in addition to comprehensive property protection for landlords. Fixflo provides a market-leading online picture-based
reporting software, which allows tenants to report repairs in more than 40 languages and provides the information needed by their property manager to resolve the issue. Suzanne Diamond, Head of Humberts Lettings, comments: “We are delighted to be partnering with Canopy and Fixflo and put these new innovative systems in place for our landlords and tenants. The industry is moving at a rapid pace and it is vital that we offer state-of-the-art services designed to help ease the burden of financial deposits as well as improve daily life in a rental property.” • For more information, visit
www.humberts.com or contact your local branch in Canterbury on 01227 452780 or email
canterbury@humberts.com
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