News
28-09-09
Moving Home? Make it Easy!
Alongside divorce and bereavement, moving home can be one of the most stressful events in your life.
There are many financial decisions to be made that people generally are not used to. Engaging a lawyer, arranging a mortgage, seeking the best selling price for your home, all of these are significant aspects of the transaction that can cause anxiety.
Add to this the emotional stress of actually moving and the practicalities of dealing with removal companies, having mail redirected, arranging your utilities and informing people of the move and it’s easy to see why moving house can involve a lot of worry.
Here are some tips to help you reduce the stress and keep you smiling:
1. Choose the right estate agent
Here at Fastmove, our recommendation is to use a fully independent local estate agent to sell your home.
Eight local estate agents based in the Plymouth travel to work area have now joined our campaign to keep the home moving process local.
Alan Cummings & Co., Cross Keys Estates and Lang & Co, Mansbridge & Balment, Portrait Properties, Seasons Estate Agents, Swift and Richard Trowbridge are all members of the Ombudsman or National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) and committed to do all they can to make the home moving process easier.
Fastmove agents commit to a code of conduct involving transparent pricing policies and no sale no fee arrangements.
2. Use a local lawyer
The last thing you need when moving home is to ring up to speak to your lawyer and be connected to an anonymous call centre miles away, talking to someone who has never heard of Plymouth.
Through Fastmove, local independent law firms work together to make the whole house-buying and selling process run more smoothly.
Using their local expertise to find practical solutions to any concerns, lawyers with the Fastmove group sign up to a promise to work together to reduce the time taken for a sale by up to 60 per cent.
The network of local offices means that clients can not only phone or email but drop in to see their lawyer in person. There are more than 20 Fastmove ?firms? lawyers in the Plymouth area alone, property trained experts with local knowledge and a commitment to make the process as stress free as possible.
3. Get local support!
Fastmove recommends using local firms throughout the home moving process - including local financial advisors, local removal companies and other support services, eg storage companies - not just because of the obvious benefits to the local economy, but also because we believe local firms provide customers with the best possible service.
By using local firms that carry the Fastmove sign you are guaranteed a great service.
*Mike Goldsmith is company secretary of Fastmove, a local initiative for faster and smoother home moves involving more than 20 independent law firms in the Plymouth travel to work area. Further information can be found at www.fastmove.info where there are links to all members.
01-07-10
Will the Demise of Hips Boost the Local Housing Market?
Local estate agents are reporting an increase in properties coming to the market since the Government's decision to scrap Home Information Packs - known as HIPs.
Hardly surprising, as obtaining a HIP usually involved a seller having to part with hundreds of pounds even before putting their home on the market.
With more houses on the market, are property prices likely to come down?
Not according to The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) whose recent survey claims house prices are rising in most parts of the country, despite the suspension of HIPs and the subsequent boost in housing supply.
Local agent Ben Dreher of Mansbridge and Balment agrees: “We’ve definitely seen an uplift in terms of properties coming to the market.
“People who have seen a property they want to buy can quickly get their house on the market without having to worry about the hassle or cost of getting a HIP done.
“It’s freed up the market for sellers to take a speculative approach and we think more stock on the market means it’s a better market.
“We’ve got more to offer people and, as long as properties are priced accurately, they will continue to sell - we had a very good June”
Introduced in 2007, HIPs were intended to improve the home moving process by making the packs available to prospective buyers and therefore making it easier for them to obtain information about properties.
But they were criticised for being unhelpful, unnecessary and bureaucratic with some commentators arguing they made little difference to the home moving process.
As well as energy performance details, HIPs contained a report on water and drainage services and the results of local authority searches - switching the cost of searches from buyer to seller.
Sellers will still need to have commissioned, but not necessarily received, an energy performance certificate (EPC) before marketing can start. This means that a seller, or person acting on their behalf such as an estate agent, must have instructed an accredited Energy Assessor to carry out an energy performance assessment.
The EPC, which formed part of the HIP, is required under EU law and the fixed penalty for not providing one is £200.
While the abolition of HIPs is generally welcomed, spare a thought for the thousands of people involved in the production of the packs, many of whom may lose their jobs, although providers could still have a part to play in the market as buyers and sellers will require EPCs.
Still confused?
If you are planning to buy or sell property and you simply want a hassle-free and fast move, talk to the local experts at Fastmove – an initiative for faster and smoother home moves involving 25 law firms, 18 estate agents and many more local companies in the Plymouth travel to work area.
Look for the Fastmove logo which is your stamp of assured local quality and great value for money. Fastmove members are all committed to making your move as stress free and smooth as possible.
Further information can be found by visiting the new website at www.fastmove.info where there are helpful moving hints and links to all members. ...read more
01-06-10
What the New Government Means for the Housing Market
04-05-10
Moving Home... Should You Believe the Headlines?
Some recent media headlines will have made uncomfortable reading for homeowners, but should we in Plymouth believe the latest housing market hype?
The Mail talked of householders in a hurry to sell before the election ‘decimates’ the property market.
Closer to home, the Plymouth Herald reported that the election was ‘sparking a rush of houses on the market’.
But the reports behind the headlines do not appear have such a bleak outlook.
The housing market survey fuelling the media debate was released in April by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) and does indeed claim the number of people putting their homes on the market has picked up
But it also suggests house prices are continuing to rise and RICS members expect sales to increase, albeit at a slower pace, with prices likely to stabilise.
Property website Rightmove, which compiles prices of properties as they come on to the market, attributes the increase in vendor activity to the return of previously snowbound sellers, rather than the election.
It agrees prices are at a standstill, but cites a first quarter price gain of 3.7 per cent despite the impact of the severe weather at the start of 2010.
So, what is the true picture locally?
James Clarke, Director of Plymouth-based Lang & Co, says: “Our levels of instructions have remained pretty constant - we certainly haven’t seen a dramatic influx of properties on the market due to the election.
“For most people it is life that dictates when they need to move – such as new babies or children starting school– rather than any political agenda.
“Where we have seen policy affecting buying behaviour is with the recent stamp duty changes encouraging first time buyers to purchase properties above the previous £125,000 threshold.
“Spring is traditionally a buoyant time for the market, especially for larger properties and we have had a number of really high quality instructions in recent weeks.
“I would say prices remain stable which is quite positive for all of us – we don’t want peaks and troughs – and as long as the election doesn’t bring major changes to incomes or taxes I can’t foresee it having a dramatic effect.”
So if you’re thinking of moving, don’t let the headlines put you off! Talk to the local experts at Fastmove – an initiative for faster and smoother home moves involving 25 law firms, eighteen estate agents and many more local companies in the Plymouth travel to work area.
Further information can be found by visiting the new website at www.fastmove.info where there are helpful moving hints and links to all members. ...read more
01-04-10
Would you use a supermarket to sell your home?
01-03-10
Property matters - Motives for moving
01-02-10
Property matters: Moving home? Let Fastmove help!
01-03-10
Property matters: Motives for moving
01-12-09
No Need to Worry about Changes Ahead!
21-10-09
Moving Home? How to Avoid a Horror Story!
28-09-09
Estate Agents Launch Buy Local Campaign
28-09-09
Moving Home? Make it Easy!
11-09-09
Choosing an Estate Agent to Sell Your Home
05-08-09
Good News For Home Movers
Mortgage approvals by high street banks have risen for the third consecutive month. ...read more
04-06-09
Fastmove Solicitors - Go Local!
20-05-09
Legal Advice? Go Local!
22-04-09
Plymouth Ahead of the Game!
03-04-09
New Home Selling Regulations
23-03-09
What is happening to Plymouth’s housing market?
02-05-09
Raising the Bar as Local Initiative Meets the Law Society
16-01-09
New Initiative to Help the Housing Market
20-10-08
Cornwall Solicitors Join Forces
23-04-08
Make Your House Move Fast Movers!
04-04-08
Jeremy Enjoys a Good Vintage!
13-02-08
