Looking to sell? Now is the perfect time to put your home up for sale with the Didsbury property market revving up in time for spring, Rob Kennedy explains…
The Didsbury property market is very much open for business, so now is the time to get your property ducks in a row.
We are approaching spring, which tends to be the time when the most serious buyers and sellers enter the market. This is particularly important for people who are looking to move within the M20 area and are concerned about not being able to find a suitable home to move to.
SPRING MARKETING
Marketing your home in the spring and then moving in the early summer has many advantages including sunnier pictures for your brochure, longer days for more flexible evening viewings, the garden looks at its best and is hopefully in full bloom, and if you have any work to do on your new home, it can be done in the finer summer weather or while you are away on holiday.
To accurately analyse the Didsbury property market it is important to have an overview of the general market trends for the year.
2017 TRENDS
Transactions have fallen by 32 per cent across London and by 18 per cent across England and Wales in the first quarter of 2017, compared to the first three months of 2016. These figures factor in the overheated market driven by the April 1 deadline to beat the three per cent stamp duty on second homes along with the stamp duty attack on the most expensive homes.
Historically, Didsbury has always bucked the national trend with its extremely buoyant property market. It has increasingly been recognised as having a ‘bull’ market and seen as a safe and profitable haven for both home ownership and property investment.
Therefore, it’s no surprise that against this backdrop many estate agents are competing for a slice of the Didsbury property market, but what is the value of your estate agent?
Many properties that are new to the market can sell within days of instruction through weekend viewing events, but nationally it has never been tougher for estate agents than now.
The assertion that ‘all agents are the same’ and that ‘properties sell themselves’ have led to increased pressure on fees and bigger scrutiny of agents, both in their marketing and their results. Many agents with smaller market shares have had to reduce costs and are now far less attractive as selling agents. This could also apply to overly ambitious agents who have recently opened new offices and are trying to establish themselves in new areas.
MARKET LEADERS
Philip James Kennedy’s position as market leader has luckily allowed it to make substantial investments in both marketing, and the sales teams have added value when using Philip James to market your home.
Philip James Kennedy have been able to increase its marketing spend and has head-hunted four new senior estate agents over the last three months, specifically for the Didsbury office. On top of this, it has opened a brand new west Didsbury village office and installed a new team of thirty negotiators to support sales and property management. Marketing is now outsourced through a city-centre social media firm and all negotiators have been sent on advanced training courses. Meanwhile, copywriters have participated in drone photography workshops and have fully refurbished the three storey, Didsbury village office and ordered brand new property displays.
They are proud to be recognised as a company who uses innovative marketing and has an extremely motivated sales team – and will continues to invest in both of these.
A THIRD OF ALL HOMES
Philip James Kennedy are selling a third of all homes in Didsbury and nearly half of all the prestigious homes between £500,000 and £2 million. Through a very competitive agent selection process, they have been instructed as the sole selling agent for the Silverwood development, which will bring to the market 17 spectacular apartments, luxury family detached homes, a refurbished coach house and two exquisite gate houses. The newly launched Rookery Gardens offer four brand-new detached family homes. These instructions reinforce its position as the most experienced agent for prestigious homes.
first-hand knowledge
Philip James increasingly receives multiple bids from very market-aware, professional buyers in the most sought-after addresses. The team at Philip James have an enormous advantage over other agents, especially those who are internet based, due to the first-hand knowledge of the most relevant, comparable and local sales – the majority of which will have been sold by the company itself. Maximising the clients’ sale prices through skilful negotiation brings real value. Equally, Philip James has built a respectful relationship with local surveyors and so the team consistently have up-to-date market insights along with recent sale comparables in order to prevent your home being down-valued at the survey stage.
FIND A SUITABLE PROPERTY
For many clients, the main reason the buying process is delayed is due to the fact that they are not able to find a suitable Didsbury home to buy – rather than how fast their current home will sell.
However, if you decide to move with Philip James Kennedy you will be safe in the knowledge you’re with the agent who sells a third of all properties in the area. You will be informed in advance of properties being sold ‘off-market’ and you will receive information about new developments at a very early stage in the process.
Philip James understands that as well as maximising the price you receive for your home, you also need to actively find a property to buy – which won’t be a problem if you choose Philip James Kennedy to sell your home.
If you are considering moving please speak to the Didsbury team for a free consultation or pop in for a chat. Contact the team on didsbury@philipjames.co.uk or call 0161 448 1234
