Buying to Win

Gary Berendt from Arlington & Hall Estate Agents suggests some ways to ensure how buyers can get just what they want when buying a home.

There are homebuyers who demand the best of everything in anything they purchase. They want the latest granite, or Corian, surfaced kitchen with steam oven, warming drawer, Quooker instant boiling tap, the Philippe Starck bathroom, a heated garage - with everything as they had on their last five-star holiday - and a décor in fifty fashionable shades of grey. If a house or apartment does not feature each item on their list, some buyers will not even view it.

But this demand for instant satisfaction and perfection could mean they may be missing out on a couple of important things in buying a home. They are foregoing the opportunity to choose what they really want, and instead getting simply what someone else really wanted - and to change it again would waste a fortune. Instead, they are stuck with someone else's idea of the perfect home, the perfect kitchen, the perfect bathroom.
They are also missing out on the increased value of their home, once it has been transformed from flawed into fabulous flat, tired to trendy townhouse, slumbering to slick superhome, or dated to dazzling detached.

'But the bathroom went out with the ark', say some buyers - great! 'The kitchen has seen better days' - wonderful! 'There's woodworm' - so there is. All these bad things mean good one thing - potential. They offer value creation. A chance to make it your own, put your own stamp on it. Grotty can be good.

Yes, it does mean more work, and you should always get a survey so that you fully understand what needs to be done. But almost anything can be fixed. All you need are the bones intact - windows and doors in the right places (sometimes not even this - it can always be changed and layouts improved) - and of course the right location. For maximum benefit, choose the smallest house in the best road, not the biggest in the worst.
It is really about location, as ever. Smallest and worst condition in the best place. Add some hard toil and you will have the home of your dreams, not someone else's, in a superb location.

At the moment, there is very little on the market. Buyers are often looking for finished homes with high specifications. This provides lots of opportunity for buyers who are prepared to roll up their sleeves. Remember, condition is purely temporary, but location is very much permanent. Also remember that 'perfection' really is a property myth, often conceptualised in magazines or on TV. Forget the 100% home; it doesn't exist. Everything involves some compromise, but sometimes these compromises can be improved upon and altered to better suit your quality of life and living choices.
The 100% home only exists in the mind of the romantic. Instead, why not buy a 50% home and make it 90%? Choose wisely, modernise well, do not go over the top and you will end up with more-or-less exactly what you want, just about exactly where you want it. This usually results in two things; it makes you happy, and it makes you money. There are not many things in this life that do both at the same time!



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Rick Stein....coming (very) soon!

We're all incredibly excited here about the imminent opening of Rick Stein down here in Sandbanks.
The chain of simple, quality, beautifully prepared and presented classic and modern seafood dishes opens its doors at the end of this month to some very excited locals, ending a long stretch of anticipation!
The hoarding is now down from the site and as you can see below it looks fresh, modern and clean.
It is rumoured that the restaurant will cater for 200 covers so it should have a very positive effect on the area, as we were quoted in the Sunday Times as saying.
Good luck to Rick and the team!

Right Sizing

Arlington & Hall reflect on the changing mood of home buyers and why now, more than ever, finding a property that fits well is important - at all stages of life.  

"We hear so much about upsizing and downsizing in the property market. But, now especially, the correct thing to do is right-sizing. That is, to live in the space which suits you best. Today it is just not that sensible to rattle around in a huge family home when the children have left. At a time of life and in a financial climate where it is best to hang onto hard-earned capital, spending it on rooms and space that are never needed is an extravagance. Also, many empty nesters are right-placing; seeking to return to town and city centres where they can be close to a larger range of facilities and amenities. Right-sizing also provides the opportunity to move into higher specification accommodation. For many, trading down offers the opportunity to purchase a bolthole in the sun. Prices in countries such as France, Spain, and Portugal are still rock-bottom but there are signs that this is set to change, so now seems an opportune time to purchase abroad with cash.

Upsizing is another matter. Cohabitation and starting a family often require more, not less, space. But this is a great time for first-time-buyers to be on the move, as interest rates are still at their lowest ever. But there is precious little on the market in so many areas. This is putting upwards pressure on prices. So, the ability to buy with finance all set, and lots of determination to succeed quickly, are required.

There are fears of further global financial turbulence ahead. We live in an uncertain political world and here in the UK there are big questions on our future relationship with Europe and a housing shortage. For many, now is a particularly good moment for prudence; for right-sizing, right-placing and right-timing.

The market is still very much active, and filled with great opportunity, but caution is needed - caution, and good representation. It is no secret that successful people reach their stage of success because they obtain the best advice from the best people. That applies to the housing market also, those buying and selling property. A good local estate agent who really knows the market is the key to successful right-sizing."

Bull's Eye

Arlington & Hall take a look at what it takes to sell property today, and learns a lesson from history.

In 1415 the English archers were a formidable force at the battle of Agincourt - the 600th anniversary of which we commemorate on 25th October, St Crispin's Day. It is said that each archer was so fast that at any one time he had two arrows in the air and one in his bow. From five thousand archers, that made a lethal hailstorm of missiles. But none was tightly aimed at one target. It was the mass that did the overall damage.

Putting a property on the internet is a little like this cloud of arrows. There are quite literally tens of thousands of homes for sale out there. All one can hope for is that yours will, somehow, hit the mark. But most sellers want a little more from their estate agent than simply putting their property on the internet. After all, nearly anyone can do that. Most knowledgeable sellers demand targeted marketing as well. They want their agent to know the buyers and have a strong idea who will buy and for how much.

Sellers want their estate agent to have a clear idea about value - not because they have used a website algorithm but because they are so knowledgeable about the local market that they have their finger on the pulse.

Nor are websites very good at negotiating deals and seeing through transactions - in fact they can do neither. People need to do that. And the better the people, the better it is for the seller.

So, don't let your home become one of a crowd. Make it one on its own - an arrow perfectly aimed by a supreme marksman at a well-selected target. That way, you will hit gold in the centre of the target. Bull's-eye.

Reactions to the wind farms along the Dorset Coast

So we are lucky enough to live in such a beautiful place along the coast of England, taking in some breathtaking views on a daily basis. Could our refusal to build a wind farm to help global warming, due to it being "an eye sore", cause damaging effects to the charming seaside resorts in Dorset?

Yesterday finally produced a decision for the proposal of a wind farm along the south coast after a long fight. The Navitus Bay wind farm plans were rejected after years of controversial conversations  to place 121 wind turbines 9 miles away from Swanage as well as 13 miles away from Bournemouth and Poole. Many have stated how delighted they are that the government have made the right decision, but is this just a selfish act that could cause our children for many generations to come, to not have the same pleasure in enjoying the charm of Dorset's coastline as we do today?

The proposals aimed to please by claiming the results from their research showed that the wind turbines could power up to 700,000 homes in a year resulting in us decreasing our reliability on imported fuels that we have become accustomed to. They also estimated that by fulfilling these plans we would reduce our CO2 emissions by up to 1,290,000 tonnes.Project director at navitus bay, Mr Stuart Grant, has obviously stated his disappointment in the decision that was made, nevertheless has thanked all the communities that have supported the plans from the beginning and plans to discuss options available to their supporting stakeholders going forward. 

However, this was not enough to sway the opinions of most to agree to the plans. Mr Grey, UKIP candidate for christchurch said: "It's going to decimate our beautiful countryside. They are going to build a 40m-wide trench from where it comes into land at Mudeford right up to Mannington."

Many agreed with Mr Grey's views resulting in their opinions continuing the argument, that the UK's only World Heritage site should remain natural and the implementation of this wind farm could have damaging effects on the tourism industry and cost up to 5,000 jobs. 

On the other hand Navitus Bay proposed that the plans would support a minimum of 1,700 jobs locally and 147 permanent jobs for the duration on the 25 year operational life of the project. Mr Bowkett, labour candidate for South Dorset said, "The principle of developing renewables in this part of the world is important, nor just from the climate change perspective but...delivering more jobs and better jobs for this area. When we left power in 2010, we would import 27% of the raw materials needed for power generation in this country. It's now over 40%." Also on this side of the argument Ms Slade, liberal Democrat candidate for mid Dorset and North Poole said, "The reality is that we have got to stop extracting fossil fuels from this planet."

In spite of that, Mr Hoare, Conservative candidate for North Dorset said, "I think, in the county, we are very good because we have hit our county's targets for renewables. I think that we need to have far more focus on saving energy rather than how it is generated."

For Five years this argument has been going back and forth yet the recommendation for the plans to stop has resulted in favour of against and the ultimate decision for the project to be refused. Claire Moody, Labour MEP for the South West has claimed that it is just a political move to halt the plans and that climate change is a bigger risk than many may think.

The Dorset coast is left with its elegant, natural views for the moment but could this all change after our lifetime? Hopefully the right decision has been made but we are left with the question what are the next steps to help prevent the effects we face from climate change?

Back to School!

Arlington & Hall suggest that it is not solely our children who might be learning some timely lessons this autumn.

'Mortgage lending at its highest in seven years'.
'House prices jumped 4.3% in the three months to July - the highest quarterly growth in eleven years'.
'Rents across England and Wales rose faster in July than in any month since records began in 2009'.

... all these recent headlines point to a property market that is flying. But is it, truly?

Have we finally shrugged off the dark days of 2008? Perhaps we haven't, for other headlines suggest that we are in the hold of a property crisis. There are far too few homes being built for the increasing demand. There is a crying need for more social housing. The rental sector will continue to grow as it is too difficult for first-time buyers to get onto the property ladder - and all this on next-to-zero interest rates. What happens when they start to rise, which could be as early as next year? Also, those startling headlines are across the board. They don't show that some regions are still suffering and that London is not so buoyant as it was.

So what does this mean for the autumn market - the after-the-holidays, back-to-school market? It means that, as ever, pricing is key. Sellers must not get too carried away by the headlines. Just because one area is doing well doesn't mean all are. And when there is extraordinary pressure on prices brought on by lack of stock it often means there could be a dip in values when there is a surfeit of stock later.

Our advice, whether buying or selling this coming autumn, is not to get too carried away. Stick to the tried and tested methods of sale and purchase. Sellers: ensure that your property is looking at its best, make sure that you have an agent acting for you with a superb track record in marketing and doing great deals in the local area, and above all price to sell. Buyers: look for the best conveyancing solicitors - they will save you time; check that you have all your funds arranged in principle and remember those potential interest rate rises will affect your repayments in years to come. Buyers and sellers: be flexible, be reasonable, be helpful and remember that this is not just about buying or selling a property; it is about moving on and starting a new life. Above all else, including money and principle, that is the most important thing.

Purbeck Valley Folk Festival

The exquisite Dorset Jurassic coastline is the perfect scenery for a unique modest sized festival which is located on a farm in the Purbeck Valley.

This local event is the host to an eclectic selection of entertainment trying to provide fun for all starting with competitions such as the "beard off", not just being open to the male facial hair variety, having five different categories for prizes. Then having fancy dress with the theme of the letter "R" to welcome all to let your imagination and creativity shine through.

Children are also welcome with a cinema, music workshops, circus styled entertainment and so much more to keep them happy and out of trouble.

With a wide range of stalls, food and acts to grab your interest, its a festival that no-one in your family should miss out on.

Its being held this weekend starting Thursday 27th August running through till Sunday 30th August hoping we will be joined with some pleasant sunshine.

For more information see http://www.purbeckvalleyfolkfestival.co.uk/