Welcome to the Harringay Winter Festival 2011, a new event for Green Lanes that is packed with activities for the whole family.

This Festival is brought to you by the Green Lanes Strategy Group as part of The Outer London Fund action for Green Lanes. This same committee also delivered the Harringay Food Festival earlier this year which attracted more than 15,000 visitors on the day who enjoyed the friendly atmosphere and hospitality of the Green Lanes community.

The Winter Festival will see Mattison Road (just off Green Lanes) closed off to traffic, and a variety of Christmas stalls will be setup in the village for the duration of the 2 day event.

Before the main event, we will be illuminating this year’s new Christmas tree on Friday 9th Dec, at 5.30pm at The Salisbury – 1 Grand Parade followed by some drinks. All welcome.

The main event will start at 12noon. The exciting line up of the Winter Festival includes:

• Harringay On Ice – a medium size rink will be installed in the grounds of South Harringay Junior School. Suitable for all ages
• Santa’s Grotto – Father Christmas and his elves will have some goodies for children that have been good this year.
• Family Photo Booth – big enough to get 4/5 people in at once, with a selection of backdrop and props, you can capture a memorable moment with family and friends to enjoy. Includes a 6×4 colour print.
• Vintage Mobile Cinema – a state of the art 7.1 digital surround cinema experience built into a 1950s historic vintage vehicle that has been painstakingly restored to its former glory. It has a seating capacity of 22, so after all the ice skating you can now put your feet up and chill!
• Christmas Village – a number of stalls serving mulled wine, hot food, donuts as well as crafts and seasonal goodies.

Make it a date – Come and meet your neighbours

(Friday 9th, Saturday 10th and Sunday 11th Dec 2011) Come down to Green Lanes and enjoy a fun packed family day. Don’t miss it.

For more up-to-date information, please visit our website www.harringay4shops.com

As remembrance day approaches, it has got me thinking about what it would have been like in London during the war. The evidence is all around us, but we are often too busy scurrying around to give it much thought.

Image from www.islington.gov.uk

I often turn up to value a property in North London, confidently knowing what a good Victorian house will sell for in that particular road, only to find that I am faced with a newer style property, built as an infill to replace a bomb damaged house. So for those that have never noticed this… you will have a terrace of Victorian houses and then a couple of odd ones in the middle!

The other thing that will nearly always make me late for my next appointment is… when I get called in to value a great Victorian property in Wood Green, Harringay, or Tottenham, and my client will often be ‘mature in age’ and wanting to move closer to family or simply downsize. These older folk will sometimes share tales of the war, and explain, in detail, what it was actually like hiding under a table, or rushing into an air raid shelter upon hearing the air raid sirens.

It’s amazing how much local area history you can pick up from actually listening, and it’s also nice because many older folk are so pleased to spend time with someone who is interested!

Anyway, to cut a long story short… it’s safe to say that the world would have been a very different place had we not had so many brave men and women around, in whatever capacity.

Needless to say, I am looking forward to seeing some old, and not so old, familiar faces in London on Remembrance Sunday. It is a great opportunity to pay your respects and remember those who’s actions helped make Great Britain the multi-cultural place it is today.

I often wonder… should more younger people get involved?  Feel free to share your thoughts with a quick comment.

Follow Steve on Twitter

View our Properties

After 17 years of valuing local properties for Castles Estate Agents I obviously have a few tales to tell, needless to say, certain valuations (or market appraisals as I am supposed to call them) will always stand out.

One particular day, I was booked in to provide a probate valuation for a house in Harringay N8. I approached the front door in my usual friendly, ‘lets make a good impression’ kind of way, However, it is good practice to ‘wind your neck in’ and approach a probate valuation in a ‘slightly less chirpy’ fashion.  My empathy and sympathy where switched on and ready for appropriate and sincere use.

It’s perfectly normal for me to get called in within a week or two after the funeral.  I can always tell due to the obvious presence of sympathy cards. The solicitors will be urging their client to crack on and get all the paperwork in so they can apply for the grant of probate.  A lot of pressure at a sensitive and painful time, but strangely it helps some people as it is a practical way of moving forward.

As an experienced property valuer, you don’t have to be a genius to work out that you have been called in to value the property because one, or even two, people have been lumped with a new job title ‘executor of the will’. In fact most people are shocked at the amount of work involved.  So the last thing they want is a smart-arse estate agent mooching round like it’s normal.  It might well be normal for us, but not for them!  Well, that’s how it usually goes… but not on this occasion!

The door opens, polite smiles all round, and I get invited into the entrance hallway as I am still introducing myself to the back of a head. I vaguely remember the potential client murmur something about their wishes and are you ok with it.  In my mind this was translated to… “are you ok if I leave you to it”  To which I swiftly nod, “yes of course, it won’t take long”.

You can imagine my surprise finding the owner in the next room ‘in a coffin’. You just don’t expect to meet the homeowner on a probate valuation (no, that’s not good).

Everything inside me was screaming out “for god sake, they’re not even cold yet’, why am I here?  But the professional little voice inside my head reminded me swiftly that we are all different, so what may seem weird for me, is possibly normal for someone else.

So there I was, measuring around the body and trying my best to be respectful and sympathetic. Was it right?  I would love to know what you think – Can you take a few seconds to leave a comment and let me know?

My views: Let me put it this way, there were two of us in that room (if I count the body) and both of us could have done with not being there!.  I just did what I had to do, said a few words to myself on the way out by way of a prayer.  What else can you do?…

…Besides, the story would soon be tickling my colleagues back at the office. To this day, ‘the body in the room story’ lives on.  It still raises a chuckle and an eyebrow at the Christmas party.

There have been other ‘little incidents’ which I may share later, especially if I get a few comments on this one.

Follow Steve on Twitter

QR codes (or quick response codes) are similar to bar codes in a way… they are a 2D image that looks a bit like a large stamp with a random pattern on it, it’s the pattern that is unique and can be scanned to provide lots more information on the product, or brand.

Here’s a QR code if you haven’t seen one before.

So how do you use a QR code? With the explosion of smart phones and iPhones in particular, it is very easy for people to download a free QR reader App to their phone.

When you see a QR code (and they are popping up all over the place) you simply whip out your phone, tap on the QR reader App and hold your phone over the QR code, this then directs you to more information about the product, or brand, on a website.

How about a quick demo… You can try it yourself using the QR code above in less than a minute!  If you have an iPhone, you can download a FREE QR reader App in seconds… simply tap on your App Store logo – tap on search – type ‘free QR reader’ in the search – download one of the free apps – tap on your new QR reader App and scan it over the QR code above – and see what happens!!  Now try clicking on the Virtual Tour and Floor-plan.  Smart stuff huh!

Why Castles estate agents have started using QR codes… In our case, the ‘product, or brand’ that we want to direct people to, is our ‘clients property’.  Castles go to great lengths to attract the very best buyers with our professional photography and FREE ’60 second Video Tours.  When you have an advertising and marketing budget as big as ours, we have to ensure that we make every single property stand out on FindaProperty, Rightmove, PrimeLocation, Zoopla and the many others.

So what’s the big deal?  Well for estate agents it really is a win/win situation. Buyers absolutely love it because they don’t have to waste their time trawling through all the properties that would not suit their requirements.  Sellers absolutely love it because we are bringing highly focused buyers who have shortlisted their property before setting foot in the door.  This all gets a bit more challenging when the selling a property that doesn’t warrant many photos though!

Whatever business you are in, it’s great if you can leave any client feeling pretty pleased with themselves and in complete control. We can gauge this easily as they downloaded the QR reader in the first place, and doesn’t everybody love a gadget that does the job well, especially when it’s free.

QR codes could revive newspaper advertising! Our newspaper adverts these days have a QR code beside them, so while some older folks may be reaching for their reading glasses, some younger buyers and potential sellers will be checking out the FloorPlans and video tour on our website.  It’s not time to ditch the papers just yet!

Follow SteveAtCastles

On your marks, get set…

I have learned to effectively filter the ‘same old’ media reports that the property market is still doomed.  These stories, tweets and retweets, just do not tie in with what is ‘actually’ happening in our North London branches.  The reality is a good levels of buyers registering, strong sales figures, and in many cases, above asking price offers. However, there is a shortage of quality property instructions and ‘financially organised’ buyers are acutely aware of this.

It doesn’t help when…Potential vendors seem to think that the prices are going to magically go up overnight when the 2012 Olympics are here!  Like all good estate agents we obviously follow up on our valuations to find out when they are likely to want to sell.  There is a growing trend of people thinking that their prices are going to be higher when the 2012 Olympics are here.  More and more people seem to be holding back.

And my answer has been… Yes, all eyes will be on London (for a couple of weeks) and yes I think confidence will be up, BUT mortgages are still going to be difficult to obtain for the vast majority of people wanting to buy, thanks to the lovely banks and their new found ‘responsible lending’ (AKA ‘Cherry Picking’).

The reality is a good levels of buyers registering, strong sales figures, and in many cases, above asking price offers. However, there is a shortage of quality property instructions and ‘financially organised’ buyers are acutely aware of this.

So… if everyone puts their house on the market in 2012 and there are only so many buyers out there you could effectively get less for your house… It’s just a thought!

Forget the starting pistol… and don’t shoot yourself in the foot!  If you need to move, why wait?

If you liked this, can you like this?

Smart marketing – specifically designed to help you shortlist your ideal property, quickly and confidently

Buying

See Properties for Sale

Renting

See Properties for Rent

Selling

Wood Green Estate Agents Castles have nine neighbouring branches and thousands of registered buyers, our photography, free video tours and top marketing on all the biggest websites attracts the very best buyers – Attracting the very best buyers with the very best marketing is what we do best.

The very best marketing

Book your FREE valuation

Meet your Valuer

Straight talking

You can speak to our friendly professionals on 020 8341 6262

I have to admit my French is not that good but I do understand a strong feeling of Déjà Vue when it comes along!  I have definitely been here before, all the signs are strong, and so is the feeling that the North London property market is about to take another upward turn, but this is ‘Deja Vue’ with a twist… Lending is tougher now than in previous recessions, but that didn’t stop a very strong finish to 2010.

Two for One

It is sometimes difficult to believe that we are now three years into this Credit Crunch, weirdly it has been like two recessions in one (for us anyway), the first, three years ago when banks stopped lending, the second, when the public sector job and pay cuts were announced.  Fortunately there are definitely more mortgages available now, but it is still tough for many wanting to buy and it seems that the more organised a buyer is, the easier it is to get a mortgage.

Putting our hearts and money where our mouth is

We are so convinced that our local (North London) housing market is about to take an upward turn we have just put together another highly experienced team to head our newly franchised office in Tottenham.  Expanding is all about timing and we feel that ours is spot on.  

Why we are so confident

Myself and my business partners have all been through recessions before and with the same company – Castles,  we have had to become masters at adapting quickly, switching our marketing advice to suit a rapidly changing market, and this is what gives us a huge advantage over larger corporate estate agency chains.  When you give people sound advice they come back to you when they are ready, this simple approach has helped us through a tough few years.       

Newsflash – The News is often misleading

I think it’s fair to say that many London property experts find the media’s coverage of the housing market extremely frustrating.  The problem with national statistics is that they bear little or no reflection of the London market.  In reality there are parts of London that have been virtually unaffected by the recession in contrast to many parts of the country where prices have been more dramatically and adversely affected for a variety of reasons.

If you have a property in North London and want to know what it is really worth then why not call us on 020 8341 6262

We have a shortage of properties in the following areas: Harringay N4/N8, Hornsey N4/N8, Wood Green N22, South Tottenham N15, Tottenham N17      

Signs of increased activity

• Rents are increasing rapidly in London, it is cheaper for many to jump back onto the property market with lower interest rates and buy before prices increase too much.
• We have noticed an increase in ‘trading down’ with clients keen to reduce their mortgage in the process. 
• Reduced interest rates are encouraging more parents to use savings to help/invest in their son/daughters first home.
• Career moves are increasing activity with more people relocating.
• There is a well-publicised shortage of property for sale in London, demand seems to be increasing.
• The demand for mortgages is currently huge and I believe that there will be ever increasing pressure on the mortgage market.  My business instinct tells me that lenders will naturally start competing more aggressively for this business (responsible lending is the keyword).
• 2011 will bring a great deal of positive spin on anything coming out of Number 10 (especially to make the VAT increase more palatable and accepted)
• 2011 will bring the 2012 London Olympics so much closer!  Focus and attention is likely to quickly gather momentum, culminating with the entire world focusing on this small but great country of ours.  

Mortgages of the future

I also suspect that the mortgage product as we know it will evolve and undergo a huge change.  People are living longer, retiring later, I suspect mortgage terms will be increased in line with this.  I also suspect that there will be more emphasis on actually repaying the loan rather than just the interest.  I am not a mortgage expert but I do think that the negativity surrounding endowment mortgages over the years has led to people wanting a more secure approach to eventually paying off their mortgage.

On Monday I was called out to value a gorgeous Grade II listed cottage in a beautiful little spot called ‘Prospect Place’ near All Hallows Church (Tottenham is full of these little gems)… the sun was shining and as driving back to the office I caught sight of ‘Bruce Castle’ sitting proudly at the entrance to Bruce Castle Park, I was so taken by its grandeur and beauty I just had to pull over and take a few shots with our professional Nikon camera.

Anyway… I thought I would share my Monday afternoon experience by showing you the shots.  There is so much more to Tottenham than many realise!

Steeped in Local History

Ever wondered where ‘Tower Gardens’ got its name?  This next photo may help… I love this Tower, it used to facinate me as a kid and I have always wanted to go inside it.

Yes, it sort of looks like a Castle!

This lovely building houses a museum that is definately worth a visit.

If you are looking for a gorgeous property then Tottenham could be the place for you, there is so much to discover!

If you are looking for a stunning property in Tottenham

feel free to call Castles on 020 8802 1315

If you have a property to sell in Tottenham

call Castles on 020 8802 1315

Last seen around the Endymion Road N4 area

Here is a heartfelt plea from Ziggy’s owners.

Our beautiful 6 month old kitten Ziggy went missing from our garden to the rear of Endymion Road N4 on Sunday 17 October 2010. We are desperate to see him return home safe and well.

Description

He is all white with one green eye and one blue eye. He is ever so friendly and loves to explore. We are hoping he might have been locked in someones shed or garage on Sunday whilst out and about.

Contact if found

If anyone has seen him, would you please contact Castles on 0208 341 6262 and we will get in touch with Ziggy’s owners immediately.

Many Thanks.

This was brought to our attention from HarringayOnline

By Steve Hatch

Buying habits have changed

The way people buy and sell houses has changed dramatically over the years.  Buyers research prices, area’s and even track the progress of certain properties for months before they start physically arranging viewings.  Appearance and smart marketing is everything!

Researching the websites

All the major property websites can help potential buyers with their research – Zoopla for example offer free access to house price data, as do Rightmove, Findaproperty, PrimeLocation, and the various other sites that we advertise our properties on.

Avoid looking desperate at all costs

The last approach I would recommend to any committed seller in the current housing market is to list their property with Multiple Agents – Why? – The simple answer is it looks desperate and in a tough market when there are fewer buyers around, the chances are you will be putting serious buyers off rather than attracting them!

A smarter approach actually costs less

Not only is a multiple agency listing likely to detract from your marketing (in my professional opinion), but you generally end up paying a much higher rate to any agent who does eventually sell it.  Ok, in a rising market when properties are getting snapped up this approach will often work well as it creates competition, but my advice to anyone selling in my local area is to think carefully about this approach.

I need to get moving so what are the alternative?

There seriously are many sensible alternatives to a multiple agency listing – I am happy to suggest a few to suit your circumstances if you want to email me steve(at)castles.uk.com

The point is that you should be having this conversation with your agent, but if you haven’t… the first thing to do is jump online and search for your own property on all the big websites in the same way that buyers do!

Are you on there?  Is it correctly priced?  Could your photos look better?  Has your agent made any suggestions, if so have you listened? The trick is to think like a buyer and be absolutely (and sometimes painfully) honest with yourself.

Lack of communication or guidance

Now one thing I do strongly believe in, is working closely ‘with’ our clients – needless to say we want the same result.  So, if you are listed with an agent who is not keeping in touch, or not making sensible suggestions to enhance your marketing… it may be worth considering switching to an agent who will.  Discuss your concerns openly with them first and if you are still not confident then it may be time to check the terms and email over the required written notice.

Getting it across

In my experience ‘most’ clients appreciate the absolute truth – delivered in a straight forward, respectful and diplomatic way, but most of all they appreciate some professional guidance that helps achieve the best result that also fits in with their circumstances.

Yes it’s a tough market at the moment BUT…

It’s certainly not all doom and gloom, there are some serious buyers out there, buyers that need to move for a variety of reasons.  The trick is to make your property stand out among others and attracts these serious buyers.

As a company we have used this advice along with our other marketing tools, professional ‘property photo shoots’ and ’60 second videos’ to attract more buyers and successfully help people to move during the last two recessions, so we know a thing or two about this stuff!

Smart Pricing, a well established professional and some superb marketing will get any property under offer regardless of what the housing market is doing!

I have noticed a distinct drop in the number of people actually putting their property on the market with my company immediately and a very sharp rise in people coming back, asking us to market their home after 8-12 weeks of marketing with another agent.

There is a very good reason for this… My advice relates to the ‘current market’ and is perhaps a little too accurate, which is not what everyone wants to hear!  I spend a great deal of time explaining things and always point out that our job is not just to get their property on the market, it is to help them to move, and in the best financial way possible. 

After 17 years of giving local folks sound property advice and steering clients through two recessions now, I am fascinated by the current housing market… it’s unpredictable and it’s changeable, there are some positive aspects to it, alongside many negative ones.  I see great opportunities for people to trade up to bigger properties.  Smart vendors realise that they may lose a little on their flat, but then gain more on the house they are buying.  For us, it’s all about making their move fit with their individual circumstances. 

There seem to be two types of vendors out there at present: 

• Those who appear to be more ‘clued up’ - appreciating that it is a ‘buyers market’ (for a number of reasons) and are setting their asking prices to stand out and attract. 
• Those who are not so in tune with the current market – They may realise it’s a buyers market, but  they think that building a ‘negotiation cushion’ into the asking price will help them as they are expecting low offers!  This in fact reduces their chances of getting the ‘fewer buyers’ through the door and potentially helps many other ‘competing properties’ to stand out.

Rightmove statistics show that buyers interest falls away drastically after the first week of a property being advertised!  So my advice is… Get the price right from the start, not several weeks later!

Accurate Advice is key

I take great pride in giving people accurate advice and not just telling them what they want to hear!  Yes I lose certain instructions, but am I losing sales?  I don’t believe so… in fact we are gaining property instructions as people are returning after having found out the hard way.    I think people are slowly realising that ‘experience and realism’ play a very big part in actually being able to move in a difficult market. 

Lose the cushion!

It is not unusual for a high percentage of buyers to register for property alerts on websites such as Rightmove, Zoopla, FindaProperty, PrimeLocation,  Globrix (and many others) and only contact the agent once they see a property that catches their eye.  So… the worst thing a vendor can do in this market (in my opinion) is build in a big cushion to allow for negotiating. 

Don’t ignore the Stats!

Rightmove statistics show that buyers interest falls away drastically after the first week of a property being advertised!  So my advice is… Get the price right from the start, not several weeks later!

Offers

The reality is that YES, people will make offers, but at least they would have viewed the property in the first place if the asking price is correctly positioned!  The task of any reputable and experienced Estate Agent is to negotiate any offer upwards on behalf of their client.

You may have only just packed away your flip flops and still have the remnants of a tan, but before you know it the attention soon turns to Christmas!  The London housing market always picked up slightly when the holidays were out the way and the kids were back at school,but this year, speculation in the media and doom and gloom seems to have changed all that.

Negativity in the media has caused some confusion

Whatever you see, read, or hear in the media, the truth is London property prices are generally holding up extremely well.  There is a drastic shortage of property and people need a roof over their heads so… property prices are unlikely to go into free-fall. Interest rates are widely predicted to remain low for quite some time, property prices are highly likely to equalize and settle into next year and as you would expect the more sought after an area is, the more chance there is that the prices will actually rise.  Crouch End, Islington and Stoke Newington are all good examples, so it follows that this has a ripple effect with neighbouring area’s like Harringay and South Tottenham.

National House Price Statistics are no way to judge the London property market

Most statistics and news stories quote average house prices across the country, when in reality you would struggle to get a one bedroom flat in London for the same figure! So I wonder… As people are getting more and more clued up, will property reporting get more precise, or will there be more effort to sensationalise and grab those housing market headlines?

We are more than happy to answer any individual property questions… just click here, or go the the ‘Ask us a Question’ tab above.