Greene & Co - Family Fun Day raising money for Grief Encounter
Greene & Co. have gone through a lot of planning and organisation but it is finally here. Our Fun Day is this Sunday 4th July at the Hornsey Cricket Club Crouch End and it is going to be a fantastic family fun day out. The thing about this fun day is that it is raising money and awareness about a great London charity Grief Encounter, who dedicate their time to helping bereaved children and their families. We are really looking forward to the day, there will be loads of family entertainment and a special performance from the Shalon Monks from Britain’s Got Talent which is going to be incredible. Now all we have to do is cross our fingers for good weather.
Are property prices coming down?
Since the abolishment of HIP’s some interesting things have been happening in the property market. According to Rightmove “the market is starting to turn due to increased competition among sellers and fewer potential buyers”. This could be a great time to buy, as each day more properties are coming on the market and prices are also dropping. Our Managing Director, David Pollock had this to say about the current market situation.
“The London market is a different market place to the whole of England. London is in a bubble and therefore it is always a little dangerous to base house buying and selling strategies on whole of UK indexes. Having said that the abolishment of HIPS in the long run will be great for the London and UK market but without doubt there is going to be a period of adjustment. Will prices in London go up, go down or stay the same. Is now a great, average or poor time to buy or sell? The experts don’t and cant seem to agree. My advise is see property firstly as a home and secondly as an investment, its when you do it the other way round that things start to go wrong.”
We will have to wait until the emergency budget is announced to see the true effect on the market as many fear that capital gains tax could be increased but we wont find out until everything is revealed tomorrow.
HIPS - going going gone
Today HIP’s have been suspended which means that people who wish to sell their property no longer need to provide these. This comes as a great relief to many agents, our Managing Director, David Pollock has given us his opinion on this change
“Like most agents, we are delighted to see HIP’s get abolished. In our opinion, they have been an absolute disaster on two fronts. Firstly, they took away any spontaneity in the market, if someone was thinking about selling and just wanted to test out the reaction that putting their property on the market would get, to see if there are buyers out there for it, etc, it would cost them £300 to get the HIP done first.
Secondly, no one ever truly bought into using them, ranging from solicitors to buyers to sellers to agents. There will be no tears shed here about their demise”
House Prices Rising
The housing market seems to be going from strength to strength at the moment. Asking prices have risen for 11 consecutive months with and increase last month of 0.7%. The average entry level price for a house is approximately £155,242. If you are looking to buy a house for the first time now could be a good time to get hunting as prices are going to continue to increase, and although stamp duty does not apply on purchases under £250,000 for first time buyers they still need to have a significant deposit to get into the market.
An article from find a property ““The building blocks are present for a sustained recovery, but we do need lenders to step up to the plate and free the purse strings for first-time buyers. That will not only help the buyers themselves, but also the market overall and the wider economy.””
It could also be good to look into a property for investment purposes as there is currently a huge demand for rental properties in many areas of London, which means there are people out there looking right now! But this is not something you should enter into lightly. A huge amount of research is required to find the right investment property however there are many avenues which can help you along the way. Getting your finances in shape is also one of the keys to getting started with property investments, as depending on how long you keep the property expenses will vary.
To read more about the topics above click on the link below
http://www.findaproperty.com/displaystory.aspx?edid=00&salerent=0&storyid=23504
Greene & Co. raising funds for Grief Encounter
One of the best things a company can do is give back to the community that helped to create it. Greene and Co. have supported the local community through various projects over several years, this year we are supporting a truly special and deserving charity, Grief Encounter.
Grief Encounter support children and their families during the loss of one or both parents. The loss of someone you love is difficult for anyone but it can be extremely taxing on a young child who can’t quite grasp what is happening around them. This is where Grief Encounter becomes an invaluable organisation. They have many avenues which help support, care and guide children and families through the most difficult time they will face.
We are aiming to raise in excess of £10,000 for this wonderful charity. If you would like to find out more about them please click here. If you would like to help us with our mission please click here to donate.
Beckford School, West Hampstead are having a winter fair
Greene & Co. are proud to sponsor the fun lantern making work shop for this winter fair at a school in West Hampstead. The Greene & Co., West Hamsptead staff are sure to pop down and recapture their youth for a few hours and get the Christmas feeling…we’re not just about buying and selling houses in West Hampstead, we’re Estate Agents that like to have a bit of fun too! Keep your eye out for some photos of the day.
The lowdown on Mansion Blocks
These striking, red brick apartment blocks have a sense of granduer about them, making them an appealing place to live. Often found in well connected areas, such as Maida Vale and West Hampstead, which offer a welcome, but nearby retreat from the hustle and bustle of central London.
Primelocation.com takes a look at the pros and cons of mansion block living, a little bit of history and some advise on buying one for yourself. Read the article on Mansion blocks here.
We raise even more money for Fight for Life
Maida Vale’s music night proved to be a huge success on August 20th, raising a massive £2,800 for Fight for Life. Everyone that came really enjoyed themselves and the night went without a hitch…apart from a last minute cancellation from one of the acts - it’s a good job our Marketing Manager can hold a note or too and stepped up to the mike to belt out a few tunes.
This is the one of the many charity events we are holding this year to try and raise £10,000 for a paediatric cancer treatment centre. Keep your eye on the blog of find us on Twitter - http://twitter.com/greeneandco - for information on further events.
Maida Vale Fight for life with music
In our continued effort to raise money for Fight for Life our Maida Vale office are hosting a fun music night at a cool, trendy local venue.
Greene & Co W9 Fight for Life with Music
Thursday, 20th August 2009
Idlewild: 55 Shirland Road, Maida Vale, W9 2JD
Tickets: £6
Doors open 7.30pm
Intimate venue - 75 tickets only!
Live performances by:
Slim
Jake Morrell
& Lara Frankel
Call 020 7286 8787 for tickets
All money raised on the evening will go direct to the Fight for Life charity. Greene&co will also be matching all donations made.
Make a donations now: www.justgiving.com/greenefightforlife
Greene & Co proudly sponsor St Saviours School’s Auction
St Saviours School in Maida Vale held an auction to raise money for charity on Friday 29th April and Greene & Co are happy to have played their part in a very succesful event. A wacking 24,000 was raised on the night and with our help the school were able to print their catologue, provide everyone with a welcoming glass of fizz and provide a Maida Vale local area guide.
We’re so happy the event was such a success. Keep an eye out for some more updates on local schools we’ve been sponsoring this year.
Swanky new apartments for sale in Maida Vale
I don’t normally mention what properties we have for sale, but we’ve instructed on some seriously stunning developments recently. Not only are these apartments state of the art, desirable and a bit funky, they’re in one of the lovliest parts of London and the price tag aint half bad either! I actually don’t live to far from Maida Vale and I love it. Just down the road is Little Venice. Next time we get a scorcher on the weekend, get yourself down there and go for a stroll along the canal…you can even take a canal ride all the way to Camden, if you fancy a bit more hustle and bustle (ooh and maybe a bit of celeb spotting).
Anyway - just gone off on a bit of a tangent! Look at these pics, they speak for themselves…some of the apartment features include solid wooden floors, intelligent lighting systems, Villeroy & Boch Bathrooms, feature gas fire places and decked terraces. Ooh forgot to mention - they’re not far from Notting Hill too - what more can you ask for?
Find out more details on Fermoy building here.
We sponsor fun events
Look at this fun event we’re sponsoring for St Joseph’s RC Primary School in Maida Vale. It’s an Auction of Promises, being held at the School on Friday 15th May, from 6.45pm. There are loads of exciting lots to bid on, a complimentary buffet and a bar…what a lovely way to raise money and a fab way to spend your evening:
(click on the image to read all about the event)
Maida Vale defies the downturn
Have a look at the article from The London Paper.
