The Cotswolds is the epitome of England’s picturesque landscapes, historic villages, and an enviable quality of life that attracts potential homeowners from across the country and beyond. Popular with royals and A listers alike, the Cotswolds is hard to beat. The region offers a blend of breathtaking scenery, rich cultural heritage, and stunning properties.
In the search for a perfect home in London's exclusive village-like communities, engaging a property buying agent becomes not just a preference, but a necessity. Our buying agents become your personalised guide through London's prime real estate landscape, offering unparalleled access to areas that promise both a serene lifestyle and a robust investment potential.
Buying or selling a house off-market is often seen as an exclusive approach to property transactions. There are however benefits for both buyers and sellers striking a deal before a property is ever listed publicly. Using a property buying agent can give you access to off-market properties and advice to help secure your perfect home.
When you decide to hire a professional buying agent, you open the door to a distinct advantage: access to properties that are typically undisclosed to other buyers. These properties, often referred to as off-market properties, are not widely available or publicly advertised. But how does this access occur, and why are buying agents able to provide such exclusive opportunities?
The residential construction industry is starting to introduce and build sustainable Passive Houses. This measure is an entirely voluntary building performance standard; this concept is designed to drastically increase the energy efficiency, comfort, and longevity of a newly built property, rather than relying on renewables.
The old ‘adage’ for a vendor or landlord to pop a pot of coffee on the stove or having the aroma of cakes or bread baking that will never be eaten is old-hat nowadays. Replaced by plug-ins or scented candles to hide any unpleasant odours have become the norm, but will this influence or persuade the buyer or future tenant?
We help people to find their ideal property, but we know some people prefer to try and find their property on their own. We are often asked by such people about what they should be considering when looking for a property for themselves. In this blog, find out the top ten considerations the experts consider.
We all know that most properties look their best during the warmer sunnier months of the year and that this is the most popular time of the year to market and buy properties. There is however, an argument that if you like how a property presents itself in winter, you will love it even more in spring and summer. The business of buying houses is therefore not just limited to the warmer months as some good deals and business can be achieved if you know what to look out for.
Recent research has revealed that almost 244,000 of Britain’s street and house names are inspired by romance or love.
Analysis of Royal Mail Address Management Unit Database, which covers over 30 million addresses, has found 1,198 separate towns and cities around the UK are home to at least one Valentine-themed address.
In one form or another Stamp Duty Land Tax has been a feature of the English taxation system for hundreds of years. It raises significant revenue for the Exchequer, is easy and cheap to administer, and does not affect most taxpayers.
In this first blog of two, we outline some key facts about Stamp Duty Land Tax and how it affects the UK housing market as a whole.
The preparation for entrance into chosen schools in September 2018 starts early.
Due to the huge demand for places at the top Hampshire, Sussex, Surrey, Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset schools; many pupils sit entrance exams or make applications during January, February and March enabling the selection process to begin.
Not everyone can afford, and nor would they wish, to have an original painting by Vincent Van Gogh, Salvador Dali or Pablo Picasso. However, with a little guidance and creativity you can choose art that looks lovely and complements its surroundings. Selecting the right artwork can make a real difference to the look and feel of your home.
As a property acquisition consultancy, we are frequently asked by our clients to recommend a professional solicitor to act for them. Guy Hurst from Eric Robinson solicitors is one of a number that we feel comfortable in recommending and he recently wrote the following very interesting article on SDLT.
Winchester is a vibrant heritage destination just an hour south west of London, with fabulous attractions and beautiful architecture. The city has a magnificent Cathedral, award-winning pubs and restaurants and a tempting array of independent shops. This culturally rich medieval city is surrounded by idyllic Hampshire villages and the fabulous rolling countryside of the South Downs National Park.
Barn conversions have continued to become very popular, principally for their open plan living style combined with their countryside setting, a common consequence of their former use. Besides wooden features or beautiful brickwork they usually have vaulted ceilings, which give a lovely sense of space inside.
If you own or are considering purchasing a flat as a second home, it may well be a leasehold property. If it is, the inherent value of the flat is linked to the length of its lease. This is an area which many fail to appreciate until they come to sell, often finding out the hard way that they should have tackled the issue proactively.
Arguably the most important room in the house. Too often people find their ideal home but reject the house based on the kitchen not being modern enough or lacking a certain feature. However, if everything else with the property, particularly its location, is what you are looking for, then the kitchen should not necessarily be a stumbling block to your new home.
Brexit will long be remembered for the arguments, the lies, debates and the many false promises; paradoxically this was just the actions and behaviour between Ministers of the UK Government and MEP’s.
For the optimistic, positive and forward thinking, let’s get on with the exit and make the best of it! We now need to rebuild confidence and stability.
For many, trying to find and buy your perfect house to meet your exacting standards, specifications and aspirations can be a tough and time consuming job. Some people give up and try to find other methods or solutions to finding their perfect home, while others have a desire from the outset to take on a project and build something themselves.
Buying a property for the majority is a stressful, nerve racking and intimidating experience. Finding a suitable property, handling the negotiation and then worrying about the legal conveyance process is time consuming and complex enough before you add to that the confusion and perplexity of adapting your ideal property to meet your needs and vision.
In the UK, the buyer is not responsible for paying the estate agent. The estate agent is working on behalf of the vendor to sell the property and is paid accordingly.
As a buyer, you will need to pay the agreed negotiated price for the property to the vendor through your solicitors, whilst the vendor pays their own solicitors for professional fees and their selling agent a commission.
For the 3rd year running, we are delighted to announce that Premier Property Search have been named as one of Eprivateclient’s 2016 Top 25 Residential property buyers. This accolade, of being recognised as one of the best independent property search and buying companies in the UK, is judged by a panel of experts shortlisting more than 65 firms nationwide.
Many people have never used, or had the need to use a solicitor prior to buying a property.
If you are moving from overseas you may have used alternatives to a solicitor, such as a “Settlement Agent”. It is essential that in the UK, a solicitor who specialises in residential property conveyancing is used by both the purchaser and seller to handle the necessary legal work properly.
“Listed Property” means that the house is on the national register and classed as a property of architectural or historic importance.
In simple terms your home is considered of special architectural or historic interest, the listing of which protects the whole of the building both inside and outside.
As we approach our 25th year in business we remain one of only a few companies in the UK who run both a property search and corporate relocation business. We are very proud to have helped and advised so many private individuals and families buy or rent properties over such a sustained and continuous period of time.
Whilst technology has radically changed the way properties are sourced, the same basic principles of how we ‘stay ahead of the market’ in identifying and finding those special 'off-market’ properties for our clients – that never make it onto Rightmove and OnTheMarket.com – has fundamentally not changed.
In his recent autumn statement, the Chancellor George Osborne announced that from April 2016 buyers of buy to let properties and second homes will have to pay an additional 3 per cent stamp duty.
In the last three weeks since the announcement we have experienced a surge in enquiries from private clients trying to secure and invest their money before the April deadline.
Often, the key to finding the right property is the timing. We make it our business to keep in touch with a network of property agents and many other property professionals on a regular basis. In this case study, the Williams Family fournd their dream Old Rectory home just hours before boarding a flight for Australia and they put their trust in us, Premier Property Search to undertake the consequent negotiation and secure the property on their behalf.
We are often asked how we find and buy some of the best properties that are ostensibly never advertised. Over the last 25 years we have built a reputation for finding ‘off-market’ properties - to both buy and rent – through our network of contacts, experience and market knowledge. This white paper answers the key questions that our clients often ask us before deciding to retain our services in their hunt for a new home.
Many of the top selling agents are being advised by their marketing and research teams that the residential property market across the majority of sectors is finally growing - or should we say ‘recovering’ - particularly in the more sought after areas where there is high demand for quality properties.
For many years as property professionals we have often had to think outside the box when we are gathering information, particularly about properties we get to know about that are not yet on the open-market.
Driving around country roads, peering into people’s entrance ways and even ‘accidently’ steering up a drive to take a sneaky peaky at a property has occurred more than on one occasion over the years.
The fifth most common reason for moving home is planning for one's retirement. With low interest rates predicted to continue for some time, clients are looking for other ways of investing their monies as an alternative to other income streams. Planning for the future is a key part of property ownership and buying a second home as an investment, with a view to retirement, is still an important part of the residential property market.
In a blog first published on 24th June on Plentific, a property information portal, Nigel Sellers of Premier Property Search was asked about his views on the best time of year to market your property.
“Traditionally, it was considered that Spring, going into the warmer summer months, was the first of two seasonal and best times to market your property with a second shorter period of Autumn, around September and October. However...."
We are delighted to have been named for the second year running as one of eprivateclient’s 2015 Top 25 Residential Property Buyers. Being recognised as one of the best independent property search and buying companies in the UK is especially pleasing given that the accolade is given by a judging panel of acknowledged experts who survey a short-list of over 65 firms throughout the UK.
This fantastically evocative sculpture by Zenos Frudakis also simply known as ‘Freedom’ is a statement about the struggle for achievement of freedom through the creative process. It depicts a human figure evolving and emerging from cocoon-like beginnings in a wall, until three iterations later it runs free, arms aloft across the pavement.
The old ‘adage’ for a vendor or landlord to pop a pot of coffee on the stove or have the aroma of cakes or bread baking is old-hat nowadays but will this influence or persuade the buyer or future tenant?
In this the first part of a two part series we explore what some property buyers look for when looking for a property to rent or buy.
In the last two blogs, we explored the biggest motivator for people moving home – education and working from home. The third most prevalent reason is the desire for a change in lifestyle and the ever-shrinking commute-time is making it possible for more families to live in the suburbs or the country and enjoying the benefits that this brings while still working in the city.
In the last blog we explored the biggest motivator for families needing to move home – education. The second most prevalent reason is that working from home is becoming more and more accepted and encouraged, meaning that working families no longer need to be so close to the office and can avoid the daily commute.
Over the last 25 years by far and away the most common reason given by our clients for moving home is that they need to move out of London to find appropriate schooling for their children – principally to private schools although in recent years we have seen an increasing tendency for our clients to be considering both state and private education.
According to the recent Halifax Quality of Life Survey the district known as Hart in north-east Hampshire is occupying the top spot once again.
It scored highly on a number of measures, including residents' health and well-being, education, employment levels, low crime rates, good weather and good broadband access.
For those of you who have been left scratching your heads following the recent changes to the Stamp Duty and Land Tax (SDLT) bands we thought it would be helpful to prospective buyers to provide a SDLT calculator for easy maths!
All you need to do is enter the purchase price of your property and press Calculate and your SDLT will be revealed.
February 2015 Property Market Update: Political turmoil dominates the residential housing market. Despite the positive spin that many property journalists and professionals are predicting, the property markets in early 2015 are bound to be dominated by one event in less than 100 days time – the General Election
Moving house is rated as the most stressful undertaking in life second only to divorce. With this in mind you are likely to be met with some reservations and barriers by your staff to the idea of a move. It inevitably means upheaval for their family, a new home and new schools for the children, possibly a new job for the spouse, as well as an enormous amount of time and heartache in organising the entire process.
