Not only is January, traditionally, a fantastic month to prepare your property for a February sale, with the Christmas holidays behind you, but we are currently in a particularly active period. We have been registering buyers every week so far this year now Mortgage Rates have started to come down.

According to Rightmove they have recorded the biggest “ New Year Bounce “ since 2016 and demand from buyers increased by 55% this month, compared to the two weeks before Xmas Falling.

Mortgage rates are not only the reason for increased demand. With our focus being mainly on St John’s Wood, Regents Park and Prime Central London, overseas cash buyers are also looking for property to buy in these solid by to rent areas, as the conversion rate to the weak Pound is giving them automatic savings.

Please speak to Lewis Green directly, should you be considering a sale of your property, to discuss how we can assist. We offer excellent professional photography, floor plans, videos and maximum exposure on all the main property portals as well as social media platforms. So you can leave it all to us, to ensure your property maximises its sales potential.

So, what can you do? Here are some tips...

Outdoor living spaces 

The area is predominantly apartments without gardens so if you are fortunate enough to be in a house or garden flat, entice buyers by showing them a vision of all-year-round outdoor living. This will give a superb additional unique selling point. Perhaps an outdoor fire or stove, some chairs, and a few logs. The leaves have long since been swept up, and if things appear tidy and serene, it might move buyers to buy. If they see outdoor winter living as well as a vision of the summer before and after the sun goes down, then perhaps they will move quickly. 

Create a cosy and warm atmosphere 

If this warm and wonderful atmosphere is also captured inside, then you are onto a winner. Offer proof of the coming spring with flowers or plants. A fire that is clearly in use and a living room that is in order (and lived in) will undoubtedly make potential buyers feel at home.    

An early spring clean 

It might not be spring yet, but that’s no excuse to give your home a good spring clean. If you do nothing else, your property will sell itself if it looks clean and well cared for. Combined with some of the other steps you can take, a speedier sale is almost certain. 

Give your own home a house inspection 

Empathise with your potential buyer and have a good walk through your house with your phone, taking pictures of anything that might need attention or dissuade a potential buyer. Even if you started this process last year, you are almost guaranteed to find areas that need painting, repairing, or replacing. If you start this process in January, then the clock is ticking and it's best to prioritise the various jobs you find. Ask yourself if you will get your money back if you find something that involves spending significant amounts of money, or if you can improve something that does not involve large injections of cash. 

Relax 

When all this is done, just sit back and let your house sell itself! The hard work is done, so enjoy the proof of all your hard work during the time you have left together because it won't be long until you will be on the move!

Looking to sell swiftly? Contact us to see how we can help. 

Since the inception of Greenstone in 1995 I have never seen a rental market quite like the market we experienced since last summer. Rental demand increased by 30% last year while the total number of available properties reduced by 38% over the same period. 

St John’s Wood saw a return in overseas Students studying at UCL and Regents College ( after lockdown restrictions were lifted ), desperate to find accommodation before the term starts, with pockets deeper than working professional tenants who are carefully working out their budgets to account for the higher costs of living.

The shortage caused tenants to dig into saving and offer a whole year in advance to beat the competition as well as signing for 24 months at over asking price. When we launched a new property, the phones literally rang constantly for the first few hours with tenants offering to take the property without even viewing and asking where to send the deposit. We strongly urge tenants not to reserve a property without seeing and insist on physical viewings. We have had to restructure the internal offer process to ensure it is as fair as possible and are not taking deposits until all offers have been received and the final terms agreed. The Tenant Fees Act 2019 restricts agents from taking multiple holding deposits.

How is the market today?

As landlord’s have increased their rental expectations, asking prices have increased, and we have seen that properties are now taking slightly longer to rent and tenants are making offers of a lower rent, which was not even considered last year. 

Our advice is to keep your asking prices reasonable, if you have pitched it slightly low, don’t worry the demand is still so high, you will more than likely have more than one interested party who will offer over asking. The market dictates the rental figures. 

With the stock low, due to many landlord’s selling, we predict the rent levels to remain high and demand strong. Presenting and Marketing your property as best as possible is key. We also use numerous mediums to ensure the property has maximum exposure. As always, we are here to advise and give current market appraisal using, up to the minute comparable evidence of properties that have rented in the area.

Feel free to call or email me at lewis@greenstone.com so I can discuss how best to maximise your investment

Adding value to your home is straightforward. Making money often involves spending money when it comes to investments, and your home is no different! Whether you are looking for a quick flip or a total revamp, it’s important to make the right choices.    

Below, we discuss the best ways to add real value to your home... 

A few ground rules 

Do not overspend! Make sure your changes are impactful and necessary. If a refurbishment adds to the quality of your living space, then do it, just don’t get carried away. 

Be resourceful, shop around conduct plenty of research. Don’t just sign on the dotted line in a branded store, consider independent tradespeople to carry out the work, they may do a better job for less.   

Kitchen or bathroom?  

If the kitchen is in good shape but the bathroom is crying out to be replaced, then you may get more for your money by choosing a bathroom renovation.  

It could be that you need to do both the kitchen and the bathroom, arguably the two most impactful, important and costly rooms in the house.  

A new bathroom can add up to 5% to the value of your house while a new kitchen can add up to 15%, do the maths and see what you can reasonably spend. Then, enjoy the quality of new tiles, colours, materials, and cabinets with a new space-altering layout.   

Loft conversions  

Loft conversion can add between 10 – 20% to the value of your home, but be warned this is not an easy task. Firstly, check if you can convert your loft, beam heights are critical here, so you will need to get a reputable builder to give a good appraisal. There is lots of red tape involved in creating a new bedroom, office or bathroom in your loft. The good news is that this is often much cheaper than adding an extension to your property.  

Garden and outdoor living spaces 

A nice garden with outdoor living space is almost like adding another room to your house. Be careful, a few shrubs and trees with maybe some decking and already you have spent thousands. Perhaps not as guaranteed to add the same levels of added value to your home as other areas but still worth doing and will complement the entire living experience of your home. Bifold doors removing the traditional boundaries between an indoor and outdoor living will enhance this further.  

Energy efficiency  

A new heating system is not a massive investment and will save money on energy bills and easily add more than the cost of replacing the system, while not putting potential buyers off with the prospect of replacing the boiler.  

Solar panels are becoming increasingly popular. It’s an attractive proposition, particularly in today’s climate; to be self-sufficient when it comes to producing electricity. In some cases, you may even be able to supply the local electricity board and get paid!  Lower your carbon footprint or consider running your car to gain more savings. 

The little things you can do 

Sand and paint internal and external doors and skirting. 

Check out your floorboards, in older houses often these can be sanded and varnished and will look beautiful on completion.  

If you can’t afford to replace tiles and cabinets, consider painting them.  

Improve or replace lighting and light fittings. 

Sort any damp problems. 

Replace carpets or old laminate.  

 Bad bathroom grouting often brings the value of a home down far more than the relatively low cost of getting it sorted.  

Check the guttering.  

Replace windows and doors.  

Paint and decorate the internal walls and remember, if you are selling soon, use safe, neutral colours. 

It’s all good 

Whatever you decide to do, all these measures, and any you think of on the way, will add value to your home in more ways than one!    

Just finished your home refurbishment, wondering what it’s now worth? Get a valuation or browse our properties for your next move.