Living in London – A North London Estate Agents Guide. We were all talking in the office about how living in North London and the East End of London years ago compares with living there in modern times. Remember the old days when you could go out and leave your doors and windows wide open! Ok well some of you will, but for those too young to remember it will seem unthinkable these days. In North London and more famously in the east end of London, neighbours always looked out for each other. There were some fairly big characters (‘said to have been involved in organised crime’) who were often regarded as local heroes as they “looked after their own”. There was a code amongst criminals and this code was rarely broken – certain well known characters wouldn’t tolerate petty crime on their patch, so if anyone over-stepped the mark, they were [...]
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Lower Asking Prices are Attracting Higher Offers.
Lower Asking Prices are Attracting Higher Offers.
Lower asking prices are attracting higher offers! This is the property advice that people seem to be struggling to understand…
Property Selling Tips – Bringing Buyers to their Senses
The problem is your house doesn’t smell On reflection it was rather an odd way for me to respond to a client that I really like and respect… Let me explain: We work closely with all our clients, so having open conversations are never a problem, in this case the house was well presented, the price was right, the photos looked good and they even had one of our 60 second videos. So, in the clients own words… “Steve, I just don’t get it, there has been no shortage of viewings, the feedback has been generally good, a couple have even said that the house is too nice! No one has anything bad to say, so why has nobody made an offer”? After pausing for thought, that’s when I seemingly stunned them with my answer. “The problem is your house doesn’t smell”. It wasn’t what buyers were saying, it was what they
Five good reasons to change Estate Agents
Did you know?
Statistics show that 43% of people do not sell through the Estate Agent they initially listed their property with. Whilst this may seem like an alarming fact, I am actually not at all surprised, in fact a great deal of ‘our new instructions’ are from people in Harringay, Hornsey and Wood Green, who feel they chose the wrong agent ‘for all the right reasons’ (or so they thought).
Here are just a few of the common complaints and the warning signs to watch out for:
Energy Performance Certificates EPC’s
If you are not sure about EPC’s as a homeowner or landlord, don’t worry you are certainly not alone! Firstly, most of us agree that anything that reduces carbon emissions is a good thing, afterall we all share the same home if we step back and look at the bigger picture.
Secret Squirrels – ‘A Cunning Array of Stunts’.
Our long-term relationship came to an abrupt end a few weeks ago when I was valuing a ground floor converted flat in Wood Green. I was standing in the garden taking notes, as I do, when I sensed some beady eyes looking at me, it was a clear sunny day and the only sound was that of the birds singing a chirpy little number that I had heard once or twice before.
World Cup Fever
The 2010 world cup is well underway and presenting the usual challenges for estate agents around the country. There are basically only ever two teams we need to worry about…Team A who want to see a property whilst a game is on, and Team B who will be glued to the game and won’t answer the phone, let alone the door to let us show someone around!
Nearly time for a ‘Garden Party’
Some time ago we were approached by a group of local Hornsey residents, Hornsey Parkside Residents Association, and Marcus Ballard in particular, who invited us to get involved with this ‘great community garden project’. After spending approximately 2.5 seconds pondering, we announced that Castles would be delighted to support the project, especially as they had done extremely well to secure some of the funding from ‘Haringey Council’ it was a great achievement, and an excellent example of what can be achieved when local people come together.
Three Valuations… or Free Valuations
So How Much Do You Charge? – A good Estate Agent will seldom disclose their fee over the phone! Try not to be too irritated or put off by this… it is actually a good sign, and quite clever! If you think about it, the last thing an agent wants is for you to put down the phone, and move onto the next agent on your list with the same question. They will want to meet you, see your property, and have a chance to explain face to face the service they can offer, and what you will be getting for your fee!
Scrappy Do!
There is talk of a suspension of hips, but no-one really knows for sure, at the time of typing this, what is going on. It’s all a bit like the Apple iPad was a few weeks ago… We all know it’s coming, but when? Let’s hope they do not delay the launch!