The Accompanied Viewing

Some estate agents claim that the seller is the best person to show a property to prospective purchasers.

However, apart from the inevitable awkwardness of inviting strangers into your home, there are sound reasons why good estate agents prefer to accompany buyers around.

When buyers see a property for the first time, they are probably viewing it alongside other properties, and simply want to get a feel for its relative suitability in terms of location, layout, size, condition and style. These can … Continue Reading…

Seven Days!

There is no doubt that the Internet has simplified the property searching process as one way or another it effectively holds a fairly comprehensive list of all available stock from most of the agents. But it is only a tool – just like the property advertising pages in the local newspaper.

In these times of standardisation, efficiency and automation, we still find that people really appreciate personal interaction once they have actually selected properties in which they may be interested from … Continue Reading…

The Market

Analysing and understanding the UK property market is notoriously difficult. Conflicting reports and biased perspectives often confuse people who simply want a degree of reassurance that their purchase or sale is well-timed. Many people who currently have no intention of moving are also naturally curious about the value of their home, which is usually their biggest investment.

There are two angles on the property market that interest us most – property values, which are driven by the relative balance of supply … Continue Reading…

What are the most popular properties and areas to live in?

Are you selling an in-demand property-type? Are you looking for a home in a sought-after area? According to a recent survey by Relocation Agent Network, the type of property and area that buyers are looking to move to has remained largely unchanged when compared to seven years ago.

Popular Properties
Taken amongst Relocation Agent Network members across England, Scotland and Wales (including us), the survey not only found that two to three bedroom houses were the most in demand in 2010, but … Continue Reading…

Tenants – Help Us to Help You.

Letting agents love the challenge of helping you find your ideal home. Sometimes however, it can be more of a challenge than need be. So if you are looking to rent a property, here are a few guidelines that will really help us to help you:

• Turn up for viewings at the agreed time.
We use our knowledge and experience to calculate how long a viewing takes, so if you arrive 15 minutes late, then a substantial part of that appointment … Continue Reading…

Tips For First Time Buyers

First time buyers do not always demonstrate to estate agents the same level of urgency as someone who is selling. If you are eager to view, you’ll be top of the list when something new comes on the market.

Here are some other tips for first time buyers to conclude our series on this topic:

Be prepared to view at short notice. This not only demonstrates your seriousness, but also means that you will be among the first to see properties which … Continue Reading…

Three members of staff become local Relocation Agent Specialists in top 10% of Network

Three members of the Richard James team, James Rota, Chris Wise and Amanda Smith have received an ‘Advanced’ assessment as their company’s Relocation Agent Specialists.

The 2017 assessment was awarded by Relocation Agent Network. It is achieved by going above and beyond in the relocation services individuals provide to relocating families moving either from or to the East Northants area as assessed by Relocation Agent Network based on performance results.

Only 10% of Relocation Agent Specialists from Relocation Agent Network across England, … Continue Reading…

Buy with a Friend to Make your Money go Further

In the second of our series about aspects of buying a property for the first time, here we consider the issue of buying with a friend.

When buying for the first time, affordability is inevitably a concern. Many people find that this can be overcome by purchasing with someone else. This certainly makes the money go further and also spreads both costs and risk.

However, no matter how well you get on with your co-owner, if one of you can’t meet your … Continue Reading…

Award Winner Attends International Real Estate Conference

Richard James, Relocation Agent Network member for Northamptonshire, has just returned from the Cartus Broker Network International Real Estate Conference in Phoenix, Arizona.

This year’s event welcomed over 700 delegates, each participating in interactive workshops, roundtable discussions, networking opportunities and keynote speaker sessions. The event, taking place from 13 to 15 March, culminated in a prestigious platinum awards dinner for the top performing companies celebrating the past year’s successes.

Richard James attended the conference as part of their prize for winning the … Continue Reading…

First-time buyer Tips

As the average age of first-time buyers continues to rise – the latest figures suggest this is now 37, so the market is less driven from below, but by a complex combination of personal, local and national factors.

Yet even if you are in your 30’s, buying your first property can seem pretty scary! “Am I making the right decision?”, “Can we really afford this?”, “What if the market falls?”, “Should we have offered less?” are understandable questions.

So here are few … Continue Reading…