The sales and offers on houses in 2021 are undoubtedly at crazy levels, even resulting in queues outside of estate agencies before they open to get first dibs on new housing coming up for sale. Independent estate agents may have also come to mind.

Naturally, this overabundance of interest also provides its fair share of concern for a lot of people wanting to get their foot in their potential door of a new home by seeking buying a property advice. Those new to the game may be confused in which way to turn, and to who. Do they go towards a national high street brand or discover a smaller independent agency to get a more satisfactory result?

The truth boils down to one thing in particular, and that is; How do you want to be dealt with?

High Street Agencies

Many different national brands are occupying the high streets that have built decades of value and name recognition that will have a strict guideline on how they operate to sell you a home. This can be a positive in some aspects but also a negative in others.

For one, a high street brand generally is not wholly invested in the individual, they are invested more in a sales figure for the month. They also may turn you away based on certain circumstances that don’t meet certain criteria they have in place, and being a national company means that they are tied to working that way and cannot explore potential avenues to aid.

Also, you could find that late enquiries on a Friday afternoon may leave you wholly in the dark until a Monday for certain high street branches, meaning your enquiry can end up being lost in a list of other enquiries with no immediate action taken to contact you first.

Independent Agencies

Local independent estate agents in Stockport may not be a nationally recognised brand when it comes to the housing market, however, they have a lot more in terms of helping you on the road to gaining a set of keys for a house.

Being independent, they will not be tied to national guidelines that high street brands will, meaning they are also free to go the extra mile in aiding you. Independents tend to be more involved with the individuals buying the home, and want a deeper satisfaction from them in finding the right house to buy. Whilst a figure on the board is nice, you will find that you are treated as well as everyone else and will be on a first-name basis quicker than you think.

Independents also have great ties to the community that they operate within, with relationships that can greatly benefit you whether it be in the mortgage, insurance, surveying or trade industry. This also means that instead of being turned away due to certain factors, they can recommend someone who may play into the bigger picture to help you get a step up.

Independents also can be accessible over the weekend in some cases and feel more inclined to help on an issue or parts of the process that you are confused about, so that when you have registered interest you won’t be put into a pile but treated equally when wanting to buy property in Stockport.

With houses being snapped up you need to know that your interests are of a higher level of commitment to an agency, and the team at Joules estate agents in Stockport are here to provide the best personal service possible to get you on the ladder and through the door with the help of independent estate agents.

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Among the many perks of being independent estate agents in Stockport is the ability to move a lot faster and be more adaptable over a major high street agency.

The more personable and care attentive approach to working with homebuyers who want to be quick to capitalize on properties on the market means that people don’t have to be left waiting an entire weekend for a response. At Joules, we pride ourselves on being the agency that is accessible and motivated in securing people with the home they want, with no “I’ll get back to you on Monday” mentality.

One such example is the story of a sold property this month.

24 Hour Turnaround

How many people can claim in today’s market that they found, enquired, visited, and bought a home within 24 hours over a weekend? – The answer is not many.

However, this particular instance highlighted the level of commitment the team at Joules have towards the process to make it all happen whilst a high street agent relaxed on his Sunday. On a Saturday afternoon, our team put a property on the market with it going live as the business hours closed at 4 pm.

Later that evening at around 8 pm, the team received an out-of-hours enquiry on the property. Even with the Saturday night television or relaxing with the family was taking place, we contacted both the vendor and the applicant that same evening with email correspondence between all parties lasting until around 10.30 pm that evening.

All parties agreed to a rapid viewing for 3 pm the following day. Even though Sunday is the one day that Joules does not open its doors, the team provided all the care as if it was any other weekday to provide the vendor and applicant with this sudden viewing opportunity. All of the professionalism and extra care provided was rewarded with the taking of an offer following the successful viewing, with the vendor receiving the offer and accepting on the same Sunday.

Whilst many agencies relaxed at home in preparation for the week ahead, the team at Joules had listed a property, had an enquiry, arranged a viewing, took an offer and sold a property within 24 hours whilst the business was closed. We are exceptionally proud of the efforts of all of our team in this fast and satisfactory process, as was the applicant who sent along some flowers and a card to our office.

Truly all in a day’s work.

Satisfaction from Both Sides

Naturally, we always look to give both buyers and sellers equal amounts of dedication and responsiveness, which is always recognised through testimonials and letters of thanks to our office. We also receive Google reviews providing a personal level of approval from both sides of the sales.

Jeremy Smith recently sold his property through Joules, and went on to say; “Jane K and the team are amazing. Very professional, courteous and friendly, nothing was too much trouble and kept us up to date throughout the whole process. Jane was always happy to lend an ear to any concerns and offer advice, by the end we felt more like friends than clients.”

Mira Sadadcharam recently purchased a property sold through Joules, who went on to praise other members of the staff by saying; “The agent we were lucky enough to deal with was Michael Almond. I can say without hesitation that Michael was utterly brilliant. He was kind, courteous and patient with us. He was also extremely responsive to our many questions and queries. Thanks to him, we couldn’t have had a better experience.”

Whenever you look to buy property in Stockport or need to take the right steps in how to sell a house, the team at Joules estate agents Stockport are always at the end of the phone to make things happen overnight. Contact us today to truly have a welcome weekend in home hunting.

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Whilst many feel that the current house buying process is slower than it should be, one area that can greatly help the process speed up comes in the form of greater preparation by sellers by providing all information required upfront. If you’re looking to find out how to sell a house quickly in the UK, keep reading…

Collate Information

This was reinforced recently by the Conveyancing Association director of delivery recently in that sellers need to be “on it” and have everything prepared upfront when deciding to sell the property, which saves conveyancers from being in a position of waiting for information to be provided from a variety of organizations.

With sellers taking the initiative of collating the relevant information required, they can have everything to hand that the buyer would require, the valuer needs and their lender demands in order to process everything in a timely fashion and not be left hanging on a slow churning area to catch up.

Find the Right Agent

The key to speeding up the process is choosing the right estate agents in Stockport, which is essential if you want someone local with experience in the area of successful sales.

Whilst many national estate agents may have name recognition, independent estate agents in Stockport has a lot of links and relationships within the area to make it much more appealing and personal to buyers, which they will advertise and source as well as keep you constantly updated on offers that come through. Added to this they are able to give you a valuation and find the maximum best offer available to you.

Stay On Top

No doubt your solicitor or conveyancer will send a lot of information to you initially and it is important to review them, fill out any forms, sign and return everything in a prompt fashion to avoid unnecessary hold-up.

If you are unsure of the answers you need to supply, speaking with your agent will prevent you from supplying any wrong answers that will be flagged up later and hold up proceedings. With this in mind, you will also need to make yourself accessible for calls and contact if required, even if you are on a week getaway with the family.

Stay in regular contact with your estate agent so that the process is exactly where it should be at all times and no momentum is lost.

Setting a deadline is fine, but you will need to be flexible due to whatever unseen circumstances can occur, such as the case with the pandemic of 2020. Allow for extra time to be built in so that everyone involved still works towards the same goal set with a little understanding that things can run over and is acceptable.

The goal for everyone is to sell your home successfully for the right price in the right time frame, so being ahead and aiding the process by being prepared and prompt only benefits the successful plan of how to sell a house.

Talk with the team at Joules today to help you get on the right track for a successful sale of your home and how to sell a house quickly in the UK.

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Welcome to April 2021 and, for those who may have forgotten about the stamp duty deadline, we have passed what was originally the deadline for the stamp duty holiday.

As most people spent a lot of time fretting leading up to this period before the extension was made, we at Joules estate agents in Stockport thought it would be interesting to take a look at how the housing market is performing over this original deadline period.

Drop and Inflation

According to Nationwide, annual house price growth has remained strong but has seen a significant slowing, with a 0.2 per cent drop in prices on average during March.

This means that the annual house price inflation rate is at 5.7 per cent. However, despite the relatively small drop, an increase in UK housing prices have averaged over £1k per month over the last year to the tune of £232,134.

End of the Boom?

What most people are left wondering at this moment is if this light dip in house prices signals an end to the current boom period, or merely that the market is experiencing a pause. As mentioned, this is around the original end date of the stamp duty holiday and Help To Buy, which was deemed as quite the influence on increased buyer activity.

A reflection of the softening demand ahead of the first stamp duty holiday deadline, prior to the Chancellor announcing the extension in the budget resulting in March’s slowdown could be a probable cause. However,  the recent economic resilience, mixed with furlough scheme extension and the mortgage guarantee scheme, showcase that the housing market looks strong for the foreseeable six months ahead.

Outlook Ahead

Though the longer outlook still retains an aura of uncertainty, there are many who feel recovery will continue to gain momentum and shifts in housing demand following the pandemic will elevate the market going onwards. Others feel that weakening labour markets towards the end of the year following policy support withdrawal could see slowing towards the end of 2021.

The general feeling is that the end is not necessarily nigh for the current boom period, as the figures more resemble a market pause due to many believing the original stamp duty deadline was impossible to meet due to backlog. The following holiday extension and vaccine rollout re-energised many buyers, including first-time buyers to jump onto the bandwagon and get things moving. Despite the slowing of March, the period still records as the eighth highest for average prices since July.

Sunnier Outlook

With the start of sunnier weather now upon us, activity is expected to see a resurgence as families begin to once again desire more spacious living, and expecting a small surge in properties throughout April as people begin to desire more garden space.

Now with the 95 per cent mortgage scheme in full swing, an extra dangling carrot for those who have never been able to buy a home previously, we expect to witness sellers and buyers flock to take full advantage of the hotter months ahead.

For more information on how to sell a house or the stamp duty deadline, as well as buying a property advice, contact the team at Joules today.

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