HOW TO AVOID PITFALLS BUYING A NEW HOME
Alex Dolley from Urban Spaces part of the Greene & Co family gives some tips on how to avoid pitfalls buying a new home. This Article was published in the Daily express today Wednesday 28th of September.
Don’t just visit properties at the weekend.
Try to get along during the week, says Alex Dolley, at loft apartment specialists Urban Spaces.
Visiting a property during rush hour is essential, because it gives you an idea how busy the roads are and what parking is like.”
If the street is clogged every morning on the school run, you might want to think again.
Not checking mobile phone coverage
You may get a good mobile phone signal where you live, but not everybody is that lucky, Dolley says. “Check mobile phone reception within the home.
“Politely excuse yourself to make a call, to confirm the quality and coverage throughout the property.”
Don’t assume the house has a broadband connection either. “You should be fine in cities, but some outer suburbs and rural areas still have limited access to broadband.”
For more information visit www.express.co.uk/posts/view/274062/How-to-avoid-pitfalls-buying-a-new-home/
Greene & Co proudly sponsored the 4th annual Belsize Green Fair
A great day had by all on Saturday , Greene & Co. sponsored the 4th annual Belsize Green Fair. On Saturday Greene & Co. attended a pop- up urban farm in NW3. On our Greene & Co. stall we had a colouring competition where everyone was a winner and fun fruity games including Apple Bobbing. See below some pictures from the day.
Greene & Co Belsize Park are proud to sponsor and support events in our local community. The latest being the 4th annual Belsize Green fair which took place on Saturday 24th September. Fun was had by all. Greene & Co organised a colouring competition for the local children where every child was a winner in our eyes, we also had a apple bobbing game which was a great success! Our local Budgens very kindly donated some mouth-watering freshly baked muffins for all to enjoy. Jonny Pirouzi manager of Greene & Co Belsize Park.
‘At the fourth annual Transition Belsize green fair, Greene & Co certainly proved they were ‘Green’ & Co with a great fruity stall featuring apple bobbing, the longest apple peel competition and a quirky vegetable colouring page, a ‘pop up’ sensory herb bed which was built in a builders palette, now to be seen outside the Belsize Park store. Thanks Greene & Co from all at Transition Belsize for really helping bring the community together in NW3’ Debbie Bourne Transition Belsize
To see more photos’s visit our Facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Greene-Co-Belsize-Park/124529524286128
Confessions of an estate agent - 101 to be exact
Photo: BEN KIRCHNER
Greene & Co’s Managing Director David Pollock, and author of a new property guide, gives Christopher Middleton his top tips for buying and selling.
For many of us, buying or selling a house is war – both psychological and financial. We don’t so much purchase a house, as prise it out of the hands of the people who own it. We don’t so much sell a house, as surrender it to invaders. And right up until the last minute, the deal can be sabotaged by an act of panic or greed on either side.
“The whole business is a mass of contradictions,” says David Pollock, a north London estate agent who has been selling houses for the past 34 years. “The dynamic of people, money and property is fraught with emotion. That said, there is nearly always a key to a successful resolution, and that’s being able to see the situation from the other person’s point of view.”
And it’s not just hot air. “David is one of those rare breeds in his profession that actually makes an effort to understand the needs of both the buyer and the seller,” says Harry Handelsman of the Manhattan Loft Corporation.
“He succeeds because he looks at everyone’s position in the deal,” adds John Hitchcox, chairman of the upmarket developers Yoo. “As a result, he finds the best outcome for everyone.”
Cast in the role of peacemaker, then, Pollock has set out to bring Buyer and Seller tribes still closer together, by writing an outspoken, new book entitled 101 Things Your Estate Agent Should Tell You.
Read the full article in the Telegraph Property Section www.telegraph.co.uk/property/propertyadvice/8611016/Confessions-of-an-estate-agent.html
You can pick up a copy of ‘101 things an estate agent should tell you when buying or selling a property’ on Amazon now www.amazon.co.uk/Things-Estate-Should-Selling-Property/dp/0956734103
David Pollock, Greene & Co. Managing Director
Buying is 16% more cost-effective than renting in London
Renting a home in Britain is currently 9.7% more expensive than owning on average. And it is cheaper to buy instead of rent in four in five of the 50 largest towns and cities across the country, according to the latest research from leading property website Zoopla.co.uk.
The research looks at the current asking prices and rents of two-bedroom flats around the country and assumes interest-only mortgage payments of 5% p.a. to provide a comparison to the cost of renting.
Even in London, which has by far the highest property prices in the country and where the average 2 bedroom flat is going for £431,366, buying is still 16% more cost-effective than renting. With average rents at £2,137 per month in the capital versus an average cost of a 5% interest-only mortgage at £1,797 per month, renters pay an extra £4,080 annually compared to owners.
Nicholas Leeming, business development director of Zoopla.co.uk, commented: “The relative cost of renting as opposed to buying has increased over the past 12 months as rents have risen and house prices and interest rates have remained flat. Almost 750,000 would-be first-time buyers have reluctantly ended up as renters over the past 3 years as a result of being unable to get a mortgage. With current house prices and interest rates where they are and with rents on the rise, for those who can get a mortgage, there may never have been a better time to buy.”
With rental prices increasing all over the city, it appears to be more cost effective to look into getting a mortgage again. Check out properties for sale in the area you are currently renting in - buying your next home might be cheaper than you think.
Source: www.zoopla.co.uk
Greene and Co Sponsor 2011 YMCA Festival
Sunday 22nd May 10.00am – 5.00pm
Priory Park N8 Crouch End www.ymcahornsey.org
Greene and Co are joining forces with the YMCA to sponsor the Festival that runs alongside the hugely popular Fun Run.
The Festival part of the event has evolved from the humble beginnings of the YMCA bouncy castle and a face painter or two, to the huge feast of entertainment featured in 2010, which marked the 20th Anniversary of the Fun Run.
At the centre of the Festival will be the main stage featuring the best of local music and special headliner acts entertaining the crowds from 10am until 5pm. The mood will be mellow and the quality excellent.
Children will be fully entertained with the Climbing Wall andSpider Mountain back by popular demand, and new for 2011, Archery! There will be Fun Fair rides for toddlers upwards, face painting, beat the goalie and a host of other activities.
No one should go hungry at the Festival as there will be food to accommodate all tastes, including Hog Roast, Fine Fish and Chips, Greek food, ice cream and crepes, Caribbean food, BBQ, fine coffee, pastries and cakes.
All proceeds raised by Greene & Co. on the day will go direct to Action Duchenne. This year Greene & Co are raising awareness and money for Action Duchenne – a charity helping a community of children and parents touched by Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy, a heartbreaking severe genetic muscle wasting disease. www.actionduchenne.org
Get involved
Do you have something to sell? Stalls are still available to rent for the Festival for more information call 020 7490 0001 or emailmarketing@greene.co.uk
Buy Raffle tickets
You can show your support by purchasing raffle tickets for a draw on the day. Call in to your local Greene & Co. to purchase your tickets now.
Prizes include a holiday in Marbella, children’s Luna street car and much much more. Find your local Greene & Co. at www.greene.co.uk.
Hornsey YCMA Programme Director, Jim Shepley said “We are absolutely delighted to be working with our fellow Crouch End Project partners Greene and Co. Their support is most welcome and their input into the festival will take it to another level and bodes well for the continuing future of this event. It is yet another example of the strength of the local business community in this area”.
David Pollock, Managing Director Greene & Co, comments:
“This event is now firmly set in the local event calendar and the fact that it has grown from strength to strength over the last 21 years is a testament to its success. The YMCA does a tremendous amount of work for young people and we are delighted to be able to fully support the festival. At the event we will be working hard to raise part of the £15,000 annual target for charity. We will be cheering on the many people expected to be running the 10k, including many of our own staff. Greene & Co have supported a number of local charities over the years and and we are now delighted to be involved in such a prestigious event.”
This promises to be a great day for all, and for a great cause. We look forward to seeing you there.
You can also show your support by making a donation on the Greene & Co. fundraising profile page for Action Duchenne http://www.actionduchenne.org/stopwasting/usr0551523070
Experts view - What next for house prices?
Confidence in the housing market has strengthened from its record low at the end of last year, according to research by Zoopla.co.uk. The Telegraph asked a panel of economists and industry experts if they agree.
Simon Rubinsohn, chief economist at Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS)
“I think that confidence has improved since the end of the year but it remains fragile and has a strong regional dimension. Confidence in London and the South East is more upbeat than in many other parts of the country, in particular parts of the Midlands and the North.
“Our headline forecast remain unchanged with prices projected to be 2pc lower in the last quarter of 2011 compared with the same period in 2010. However, there will be significant regional variation with London the only area to be slightly up.
“May still seems highly likely [for an interest rate rise] unless the activity takes a marked turn for the worse – with the ECB set to move this month and inflation continuing to push upwards it will prove difficult for the BOE to stick with its current position – however we only expect one more move this year taking the base rate to 1pc at end 2011 – there will be further tightening in 2012.”
Martin Ellis, head of housing economics at Halifax
“There are signs that both house prices and the level of sales have stabilised in the early part of 2011. This would be consistent with the evidence of improved confidence.
“Overall, we expect a modest 2pc decrease in house prices in 2011. Uncertainty over the economic outlook is likely to weigh down on housing demand this year.
“There is considerable uncertainty over the timing of the first interest rate rise. We expect it to be around the middle of the year but do not expect it to be followed quickly by further increases.”
Melanie Bien, director of independent mortgage broker Private Finance
“I find it surprising that confidence in the housing market has significantly risen since the end of last year. On the contrary, the soaring cost of living, fears over job losses and rising interest rates, seem to be making buyers and sellers sit on their hands and adopt a ‘wait and see’ attitude. The number of transactions is extremely low as a consequence.
“House prices are likely to remain flat at best this year but this national average will conceal significant regional differences. The north-south divide is set to become increasingly pronounced with prices rising in London and the south-east, particularly in the prime markets, while falling in the north, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
“Interest rates will start rising in the next few months but I believe this will now happen at the end of the summer – September, rather than May. The economy is simply too fragile and the impact would be so devastating for many home owners already struggling to make ends meet that I think a move will be delayed for as long as possible.”
Opinions are conflicting, but the general consensus seems to be that confidence in the market has strengthened since last year. Greene & Co. have experienced a positive end to the first quarter of the year and feel good about the year ahead.
Early interest rate rise less likely after budget
In an exclusive Mortgage Solutions TV panel debate, industry experts agreed a May rate rise is less likely following the budget and the unchanged voting pattern revealed by the Monetary Policy Committee.
AMI director Robert Sinclair, Tenet Lime managing director Gemma Harle and Private Finance director Melanie Bien agreed the MPC Minutes the morning of the budget and the Chancellor’s prediction inflation would remain up at between 4 to 5% this year make a rise within the next two months less likely.
Sinclair said the Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) revised projections for GDP growth for 2011-12 down to 1.7% from 2.1% meant tax take will also be lower than hoped.
“As such, any rate rises could stifle the economy and are less likely to happen because any stop on the economy could increase the danger of a double dip, which would be catastrophic,” said Sinclair.
“That’s the real juggling act that follows now,” he added.
Harle agreed, adding: “Hopes of a rate rise are largely wishful thinking on the broker front.”
Bien predicted the first rate move in “September at the earliest.”
Robert Sinclair suggested there might be a vague chance of a move in July, but agreed with Bien September was more likely and then probably just 0.25% basis points.
Bien said: “Because we’ve had it so low for so long, rates won’t need to rise by much to have an impact. Actually, just by starting to rise, rates should affect the market.”
Source: www.mortgagesolutions.co.uk
All time low for Bank of England interest rates
There has now been no change to the Bank rate for two years, despite the fact that inflation is currently twice the Bank’s target rate.
Bank of England interest rates staying at all time lows is great news for existing borrowers with loans outside of their initial rate as it keeps Standard Variable Rate low (this is the rate mortgages automatically move to after their initial period).
Unfortunately, mortgage companies are predicting rate rise this year and have therefore increased the rate for new borrowers and will continue to do so. If an individual is thinking of purchasing a property it is (purely from a mortgage point of view) beneficial to do it sooner rather than later.
There are strong indications that BBR will rise in May but no indication of by how much for now.
Source: Saul Conway – AS Financial
Shortage of rental properties in Crouch End
Landlords can potentially get more money for rental property
Strong tenant demand and falling supply pushes prices higher according to the latest RICS Residential Lettings Survey for November 2010 - January 2011.
Rents rose at a rapid pace in the three months to the end of January, as falling supply of rental properties and strong tenant demand continued to drive prices upwards.
40 per cent more chartered surveyors reported rents rose rather than fell in the three months to January - which is the highest positive reading in the survey’s history. As rents increased, gross rental yields have also risen sharply – they have now increased in each of the last four surveys.
Supply of rental property to the market continued to decrease, with four per cent more surveyors reporting decreases, not increases, in the three months to January. Interestingly, the percentage of stock from private landlords has fallen from over 80 per cent before 2009 to around 70 per cent. This is indicative of the reduced role of the buy-to-let investor in the market over the past couple of years.
Looking ahead, surveyors remain positive that the market will remain buoyant; with 37 per cent more predicting rents will rise rather than fall over the three months to April 2011. All areas of the UK expect rents to increase, with relatively modest rises in the South West but much more notable increases in London.
Source RICS spokesperson, Jeremy Leaf
Stamp duty hit for prime buyers in April
5% Stamp Duty to cost prime buyers an extra £17,000 on average
The UK’s prime house buyers will have to pay an extra £17,112 in Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) when rates increase from 4% to 5% for properties over £1m in April. The increase will bring an extra £113m into the government coffers according to research by leading property website Zoopla.co.uk.
* April’s increase in SDLT will cost £1m+ buyers £17,112 extra on average
* The average SDLT paid on £1m+ properties was £68,449 in 2010
* Increased SDLT will take average duty to £85,561 from April 6th
* Total SDLT on £1m+ properties will rise to £565m from £452m in 2010
In 2010, there were 6,610 property transactions conducted in Britain at a value over £1m with an average sale price of £1.71m, resulting in an average SDLT payable of £68,449 and a total take by the government on £1m+ properties of £452m. As of April 6th the average figure for £1m+ transactions will rise to £85,561 with the government collecting £566m p.a., an extra £113m annually at the expense of the British property millionaire.
Closer analysis shows that as much as being a wealth tax, the increase in SDLT at the £1m threshold is a regional tax since 85% of the total stamp duty paid on £1m+ properties last year came from transactions in London and the South East.
Nicholas Leeming of Zoopla.co.uk, commented: “The government has identified a rich seam of revenue by raising taxes on those buying the most expensive properties in the country. However, with £1m buying little more than a 2 bedroom flat in some parts of the capital, the extra Stamp Duty will not be insignificant for families trying to move up the property ladder in and around London, where the lion’s share of the burden will fall. We may see a small tick up in transactions ahead of April with some buyers trying to beat the deadline but overall the rate change is unlikely to have a major impact on the performance of the prime market over the longer term.”
Source – Zoopla.co.uk
ART-BEATS-GRIEF
ART-BEATS-GRIEF
5th December 2010
Our final charity event of 2010 brings together Art and Music for the great cause Grief Encounter.
Urban Spaces presents
ART-BEATS-GRIEF
Date: Sunday 5th December
Venue: The Slaughtered lamb, Clerkenwell,
EC1V 0DX
Tickets: £8
You can buy tickets from Urban Spaces or Greene & Co shops.
Or you can buy tickets online here http://www.wegottickets.com/event/99241
Join the Facebook page for more information http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=122199061173306&num_event_invites=0
Help us smash our fundraising target for the year for Grief Encounter.
Grief Encounter is a gorgeous charity that helps children through bereavement. This charity is doing some great work and Greene & Co and Urban Spaces aim to raise their profile in the community and help them continue to help children and families through the loss of their loved ones.
You can find out more about grief Encounter here:
http://www.griefencounter.org.uk/ART-BEATS-GRIEF – line-up
We have established and emerging artists creating live pieces on the day, amazing work exhibited and for sale with DJ’s from the Hypercolour and TooB record labels, providing the perfect Sunday vibe.
Artists include:
The Dickbrain Collective
Claire Bentley-Smith
http://www.poshfruit.com/
Candy Un
http://uncandy.co.uk/
Elfin
http://elfin-artwork.blogspot.com/http://www.flickr.com/photos/isabelwhite/
Rob Leech
www.robleech.net
Rob is currently exhibiting at Fort
34-38 Provost St, Shoreditch, London N1 7NG
5/11/10 - 23/01/11, Wednesday - Sunday, 11am – 6pm or by appointment.
Julia Miranda
http://www.juliamiranda.co.uk/Art/Paintings/Paintings.htmlJudy Barber, Grief Encounter
DJ’s
Alex Jones {Hypercolour}
Ryan Hope {Hypercolour}
Sam Caterer {Toob Records}
Gav Paul {Pete’s 50th}
For more information
Call 020 7490 0001
Emai:l marketing@greene.co.uk
We look forward to seeing you there
The Urban Spaces team
x
Greene & Co’s charity gig for Grief Encounter - 4th November
The Good Ship, 289 Kilburn High Road, NW6 7JR
Doors open 8pm
Ticket price: £10
Join us for a night of laughs, live music and more all helping to raise much needed money for the childrens bereavement charity - Grief Encounter.
Acts include:
Love in the Asylum - support act touring with The View later this year
Tyson - unique mix of soul and rock
V and the vendettas - a mash up of Hip Hop - Jazz - Funk - Electro - DNB - Reggae
Jennifer Smith - kicking off the evening with some comedy
Want more information or to buy a ticket?
Give Naomi a call on 020 7490 0001 or email marketing@greene.co.uk or buy online at We Got tickets
Greenwich Developer offers to pay your mortgage for a year
I’d heard on the property grapevine that developers like to give you that little bit extra to encourage you to buy, but I recently heard about a developer in Greenwich offering a really great incentive.
They have an Open Day on 24th and 25th July 2010. If you go along to the open day and reserve an apartment that weekend, you get all the following paid for a year:
- Your mortgage (interest only)
- Your ground rent
- Your service charge
- Your utility bills
*Terms and conditions apply.
Have a look at their website, the apartments are pretty swanky - wouldn’t mind one myself, better check my diary…
Saturday 10am – wake up
Saturday 12pm – go to hairdressers
Saturday 3pm – buy an apartment in Greenwich
Don’t miss the Crouch End Christmas weekend
There are lots going on in Crouch End in the lead up to Christmas…
3rd - 6th December
Thursday 3rd: Late night shopping
with exclusive Crouch End card promotions and christmas gift advisors on hand
Saturday 5th: A christmas prize draw @ 4pm
outside Thorntons Budgens
Sunday 6th: Festive family day 11am - 4pm
Christmas carols with the Crouch End festival chorus, Santas grotto, story telling, angels and more…
The Greene & Co team of Estate Agents in Crouch End are very excited about all the fun stuff happening this Christmas in Crouch End. They might just stop buying and selling houses for half an hour to sit on Santa’s knee and share their wish list for this Christmas…let’s hope they’ve been good boys and girls this year!
Hornsey Town Hall public exhibition
THE FUTURE OF HORNSEY TOWN HALL
Public Exhibition
Hornsey Town Hall Community Partnership Board and Haringey Council are hosting an Exhibition of their proposals for the future of Hornsey Town Hall.
The event will be held at Hornsey Town Hall on Monday 15th June, at 6.30pm with a presentation of their proposals starting at 7pm. Members of the Project Team, including the architects, John McAslan + Partners, will be present.
The exhibition itself will be open to the public from Friday 12th June until Thursday 18th June. Opening times are as follows:
Friday 12th June 9 – 5pm
Saturday 13th June 10 - 4pm
Sunday 14th June 10 - 4pm
Monday 15th June 9 - 5pm
Tuesday 16th June 12 - 9pm
Wednesday 17th June 9 - 5pm
Thursday 18th June 9 - 5pm
More information can be found at the Hornsey Town Hall website
Session for special interest groups
You may also be interested in some specific aspects of their proposals. They are therefore inviting you to a special session in addition to the presentation and exhibition. This session will give you the opportunity to discuss the proposals in more detail with the project team and to focus on the issues that may particularly interest you, your colleagues and those you may represent.
The session will take place in the Town Hall on Tuesday 16th June between 7pm and 9pm.
Capacity at both these events is limited so please register your attendance by emailing hornseytownhalltrust@googlemail.com or calling 020 8489 1416. Please state whether you have any special requirements regarding access.
It’s World Environment day today!
Commemorated yearly on 5 June, WED is one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and enhances political attention and action. The day’s agenda is to:
- Give a human face to environmental issues;
- Empower people to become active agents of sustainable and equitable development;
- Promote an understanding that communities are pivotal to changing attitudes towards environmental issues;
- Advocate partnership which will ensure all nations and peoples enjoy a safer and more prosperous future.
The theme for WED 2009 is ‘Your Planet Needs You-UNite to Combat Climate Change’. It reflects the urgency for nations to agree on a new deal at the crucial climate convention meeting in Copenhagen some 180 days later in the year, and the links with overcoming poverty and improved management of forests.
House prices on the up
Following on from the news yesterday that mortgage approvals are 20% up, according to this article in the Times , house prices have risen for the first time since 2007! Could this mean we’re on our way to recovery from the financial crisis?
It certainly looks hopeful, but I I still thinks there’s a long way to go just yet.
Free Music!
Well, it’s not exactly property related and that’s what this blog is all about after all…but, I just had to shout about a website I found (actually that’s a lie, it was my boss that found it!) on the internet. It’s brilliant, basically it gives you free music. Just go to the website, download the software to your computer. Then you can select any band/type of music that you want to listen to and up pops their albums and singles for you to listen to - never will you have to buy an album without listening to it first ever again!
