June sees the country celebrating the Diamond Jubilee and sixty years since HM the Queen acceded to the throne.
I am sure that there will rightly be many hours of television coverage and that the media will be on overdrive by way of celebration. Up and down the land, communities will be coming together and toasting a remarkable moment of history and achievement.
Later in June, and perhaps with less expectation, new manager Roy Hodgson will be looking to lead England to success in the European football championships.
These events are to be enjoyed but one could be forgiven for thinking that nothing else will be happening in June and, at Sansome & George, we see things rather differently.
The property market locally continues to defy national sentiment and, through a combination of local and regional demographics, regional economic factors and our own hard work, activity remains strong in both sales and lettings.
Our sales offices continue to see high levels of instructions and sales and in lettings, demand continues to outstrip supply.
Prices are strong but competitive pricing remains vital as committed buyers and tenants can be selective.
Buy to let investors are actively looking to grow their portfolios with lenders making more and more attractive mortgage schemes available.
Very soon, and for the first time in over fifty years, we will see the private rental sector overtake the social rented sector in terms of size.
The private rental sector now accounts for around 17% of households across the UK and this looks set to reach 20% in the next couple of years and possibly go as high as 25% by 2020.
Nationally, the amount of property being sold by auction also continues to increase and our May auction, held in conjunction with Network Auctions saw an 80% success rate and two sales made in excess of £1 million, thereby demonstrating that an auction can be a great way of disposing of property in all price ranges. Our next auction is on July 4th and we are currently taking lots for inclusion.
As the weather improves (at last!) and the evenings stay light, the property market is at its most active and property can be shown at its best. Using our experience and our extensive marketing we are confident of maximising results for our clients.
Yes, there will be days and specific times when activity wanes a little due to other events but, in our experience, this simply squeezes activity into the remaining time available. Flexibility of approach will be key and the experienced team at Sansome & George are ready, willing and able to continue providing the levels of service that you would expect.
David Sansome
Managing Director
