Tuesday, April 13, 2010
How do you want to be served, Robots or Humans
I’ve just had a call from a recommendation. He currently lives in E11 and knows what he wants to spend but not where he wants to live. These days central London, even prime central London, can embrace areas as diverse as Hampstead, Chelsea, Nottinghill Gate, Earls Court, Kensington, Wandsworth, Islington, Mayfair to name but a few….you get the idea. For anybody thinking of moving the main thing they need is to talk to someone, and preferably someone who knows what they’re talking about. His first question was about how long my team had been together and did they know the area.Thursday, April 08, 2010
Top tips on who to vote for from D&G
The time has come and Gordon Brown has finally called the election, but who do you vote for? You know you must vote Tory because Labour have spent our entire inheritance and run up the largest debt of any British government in living memory. The rest of all our lives and those of our children are going to be considerably harder because of the damage caused by this profligate and incompetent government. Then every time I hear sound bites from the Tories, I have to be honest, I’m not entirely convinced. Do they really think they can save the nation’s finances by cutting back costs at central office. So, are there any alternatives? You wouldn’t have thought so. However, I have been on the internet and thoroughly enjoyed reading the ninety eight manifesto proposals from the Monster Raving Loony party. Six of which I list below:Thursday, April 08, 2010
House envy is like pe*is envy, only bigger
I was on my way to work this morning hammering round Hyde Park Corner on my sixteen year old BMW when I happened upon something called a Kawasaki ZX10. Now this is one of the fastest bikes in the world, vivid green and a quite a handful, but the rider was wobbling about all over the place and I made short work of riding round him on the bend. As soon as we got to the straight he opened the throttle and left me for dead with a glance in his mirror. I drove away with my wife swatting me about the head having forgotten momentarily she was there.Thursday, March 25, 2010
Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.
The budget was so dull I can’t be bothered to talk about it. You go into a block to view a flat. You like the block and the porter seems a cut above. The agent swishes you up to the front door, you pause and notice the rich dark blue of the paint and the clink of keys. You’re about to be ushered in to the flat you finally feel sure is the one. Then you glance right and there’s a service door surrounded by yellow and black tape, along with a skull and crossbones and a sign saying “beware asbestos”. Other than persuading my salespeople to put on some weight and stand in front of the sign my hands are tied and even though there’s one pipe with a smidgen of the unpleasant fibres in it it’s effectively killing any chance of a sale stone dead.Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Spring springs.....
Having had so many unknowns plaguing any form of forecasting over the last few months it might just be that good old Spring might yet ride to the rescue and perhaps implement phase 2 of this unlikely property recovery. Phase 1 was as unexpected as it was powerful, and in thirty years there’s not been a more aggressive turnaround. Most reasons have been discussed ad nauseam but there’s little doubt that over valuing by desperate agents and sellers finding nothing to move to is causing the “recovery” to stall. Agents aren’t rocket scientists and are just as prone as anyone else to thinking everything’s sorted. It’s tempting to agree, but if anyone thinks we’re back to the sunlit uplands they’ve quite possibly got another think coming. Doom mongers still outnumber the Bulls.Thursday, March 11, 2010
Douglas & Gordon’s February 2010 Market Report
Residential Sales For the second month running, the amount of property available for sale is steadily growing. It is still less than this time last year, but only by 7%. The number of new properties coming to the market is also healthy - not as many as in January, but still 40% more than February 2009 and likewise valuations are up 32% for the same period. There is still a strong desire to invest in London property with sales applicants remaining at the same high level as January and the number of sales agreed higher than in any of the previous 12 months and 38% more than February 2009.Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Money for old rope...my a**e.
Most know me as a straight talking agent so it’s difficult to keep my mouth shut when there’s so much utter rubbish being bandied about by supposed “property experts” about how estate agents are all bloody useless and that their fees are money for old rope.Tuesday, February 16, 2010
An objective view of the future of Prime London Property
Central London is the most extraordinary and perhaps unrealistic property market, particularly Prime, and to be blunt this has been a “good” recession for those with money and property here. Never has there been so much that’s unknown or data that’s so subjective and it’s rewarding to spend a day with someone who has a uniquely objective view, as I did yesterday.Tuesday, April 13, 2010
How do you want to be served, Robots or Humans
I’ve just had a call from a recommendation. He currently lives in E11 and knows what he wants to spend but not where he wants to live. These days central London, even prime central London, can embrace areas as diverse as Hampstead, Chelsea, Nottinghill Gate, Earls Court, Kensington, Wandsworth, Islington, Mayfair to name but a few….you get the idea. For anybody thinking of moving the main thing they need is to talk to someone, and preferably someone who knows what they’re talking about. His first question was about how long my team had been together and did they know the area.Thursday, April 08, 2010
Top tips on who to vote for from D&G
The time has come and Gordon Brown has finally called the election, but who do you vote for? You know you must vote Tory because Labour have spent our entire inheritance and run up the largest debt of any British government in living memory. The rest of all our lives and those of our children are going to be considerably harder because of the damage caused by this profligate and incompetent government. Then every time I hear sound bites from the Tories, I have to be honest, I’m not entirely convinced. Do they really think they can save the nation’s finances by cutting back costs at central office. So, are there any alternatives? You wouldn’t have thought so. However, I have been on the internet and thoroughly enjoyed reading the ninety eight manifesto proposals from the Monster Raving Loony party. Six of which I list below:Thursday, April 08, 2010
House envy is like pe*is envy, only bigger
I was on my way to work this morning hammering round Hyde Park Corner on my sixteen year old BMW when I happened upon something called a Kawasaki ZX10. Now this is one of the fastest bikes in the world, vivid green and a quite a handful, but the rider was wobbling about all over the place and I made short work of riding round him on the bend. As soon as we got to the straight he opened the throttle and left me for dead with a glance in his mirror. I drove away with my wife swatting me about the head having forgotten momentarily she was there.Thursday, March 25, 2010
Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.
The budget was so dull I can’t be bothered to talk about it. You go into a block to view a flat. You like the block and the porter seems a cut above. The agent swishes you up to the front door, you pause and notice the rich dark blue of the paint and the clink of keys. You’re about to be ushered in to the flat you finally feel sure is the one. Then you glance right and there’s a service door surrounded by yellow and black tape, along with a skull and crossbones and a sign saying “beware asbestos”. Other than persuading my salespeople to put on some weight and stand in front of the sign my hands are tied and even though there’s one pipe with a smidgen of the unpleasant fibres in it it’s effectively killing any chance of a sale stone dead.Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Spring springs.....
Having had so many unknowns plaguing any form of forecasting over the last few months it might just be that good old Spring might yet ride to the rescue and perhaps implement phase 2 of this unlikely property recovery. Phase 1 was as unexpected as it was powerful, and in thirty years there’s not been a more aggressive turnaround. Most reasons have been discussed ad nauseam but there’s little doubt that over valuing by desperate agents and sellers finding nothing to move to is causing the “recovery” to stall. Agents aren’t rocket scientists and are just as prone as anyone else to thinking everything’s sorted. It’s tempting to agree, but if anyone thinks we’re back to the sunlit uplands they’ve quite possibly got another think coming. Doom mongers still outnumber the Bulls.Thursday, March 11, 2010
Douglas & Gordon’s February 2010 Market Report
Residential Sales For the second month running, the amount of property available for sale is steadily growing. It is still less than this time last year, but only by 7%. The number of new properties coming to the market is also healthy - not as many as in January, but still 40% more than February 2009 and likewise valuations are up 32% for the same period. There is still a strong desire to invest in London property with sales applicants remaining at the same high level as January and the number of sales agreed higher than in any of the previous 12 months and 38% more than February 2009.Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Money for old rope...my a**e.
Most know me as a straight talking agent so it’s difficult to keep my mouth shut when there’s so much utter rubbish being bandied about by supposed “property experts” about how estate agents are all bloody useless and that their fees are money for old rope.Tuesday, February 16, 2010
An objective view of the future of Prime London Property
Central London is the most extraordinary and perhaps unrealistic property market, particularly Prime, and to be blunt this has been a “good” recession for those with money and property here. Never has there been so much that’s unknown or data that’s so subjective and it’s rewarding to spend a day with someone who has a uniquely objective view, as I did yesterday.Tuesday, April 13, 2010
How do you want to be served, Robots or Humans
I’ve just had a call from a recommendation. He currently lives in E11 and knows what he wants to spend but not where he wants to live. These days central London, even prime central London, can embrace areas as diverse as Hampstead, Chelsea, Nottinghill Gate, Earls Court, Kensington, Wandsworth, Islington, Mayfair to name but a few….you get the idea. For anybody thinking of moving the main thing they need is to talk to someone, and preferably someone who knows what they’re talking about. His first question was about how long my team had been together and did they know the area.Thursday, April 08, 2010
Top tips on who to vote for from D&G
The time has come and Gordon Brown has finally called the election, but who do you vote for? You know you must vote Tory because Labour have spent our entire inheritance and run up the largest debt of any British government in living memory. The rest of all our lives and those of our children are going to be considerably harder because of the damage caused by this profligate and incompetent government. Then every time I hear sound bites from the Tories, I have to be honest, I’m not entirely convinced. Do they really think they can save the nation’s finances by cutting back costs at central office. So, are there any alternatives? You wouldn’t have thought so. However, I have been on the internet and thoroughly enjoyed reading the ninety eight manifesto proposals from the Monster Raving Loony party. Six of which I list below:Thursday, April 08, 2010
House envy is like pe*is envy, only bigger
I was on my way to work this morning hammering round Hyde Park Corner on my sixteen year old BMW when I happened upon something called a Kawasaki ZX10. Now this is one of the fastest bikes in the world, vivid green and a quite a handful, but the rider was wobbling about all over the place and I made short work of riding round him on the bend. As soon as we got to the straight he opened the throttle and left me for dead with a glance in his mirror. I drove away with my wife swatting me about the head having forgotten momentarily she was there.Thursday, March 25, 2010
Objects in the mirror are closer than they appear.
The budget was so dull I can’t be bothered to talk about it. You go into a block to view a flat. You like the block and the porter seems a cut above. The agent swishes you up to the front door, you pause and notice the rich dark blue of the paint and the clink of keys. You’re about to be ushered in to the flat you finally feel sure is the one. Then you glance right and there’s a service door surrounded by yellow and black tape, along with a skull and crossbones and a sign saying “beware asbestos”. Other than persuading my salespeople to put on some weight and stand in front of the sign my hands are tied and even though there’s one pipe with a smidgen of the unpleasant fibres in it it’s effectively killing any chance of a sale stone dead.Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Spring springs.....
Having had so many unknowns plaguing any form of forecasting over the last few months it might just be that good old Spring might yet ride to the rescue and perhaps implement phase 2 of this unlikely property recovery. Phase 1 was as unexpected as it was powerful, and in thirty years there’s not been a more aggressive turnaround. Most reasons have been discussed ad nauseam but there’s little doubt that over valuing by desperate agents and sellers finding nothing to move to is causing the “recovery” to stall. Agents aren’t rocket scientists and are just as prone as anyone else to thinking everything’s sorted. It’s tempting to agree, but if anyone thinks we’re back to the sunlit uplands they’ve quite possibly got another think coming. Doom mongers still outnumber the Bulls.Thursday, March 11, 2010
Douglas & Gordon’s February 2010 Market Report
Residential Sales For the second month running, the amount of property available for sale is steadily growing. It is still less than this time last year, but only by 7%. The number of new properties coming to the market is also healthy - not as many as in January, but still 40% more than February 2009 and likewise valuations are up 32% for the same period. There is still a strong desire to invest in London property with sales applicants remaining at the same high level as January and the number of sales agreed higher than in any of the previous 12 months and 38% more than February 2009.Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Money for old rope...my a**e.
Most know me as a straight talking agent so it’s difficult to keep my mouth shut when there’s so much utter rubbish being bandied about by supposed “property experts” about how estate agents are all bloody useless and that their fees are money for old rope.Tuesday, February 16, 2010