So from Chorleywood to Rickmansworth, where we echo Kirsty’s sentiments from her blog last week “Which Chorleywood Estate Agent should I instruct to sell my house?” and we will focus on what we do and what we can offer you, rather than wasting our time bad mouthing other local agents.
Thankfully things have picked up and February has seen lots of properties come on to the market. Traditionally there is always a lot of activity in the housing market during the months leading up to Easter, so if your pondering buying or selling, then please jump on board as activity levels are high.
The Goslings Bottom
This week I have sold my first piece of land..! Having been with the company for 5 years, to date I have only been involved with residential house & flat sales, having sold everything from £140k one bed flats to £1.6 million dream homes, so it was really nice to do something new and land sale was still on my ‘bucket list’. Land is, in some ways, easier to sell than a house because you are selling the ‘potential’ rather than a tangible product that is already on show. Walking round a field with a barn is easier in my eyes than going through the viewing process at a house. No need for the “And here is the lovely kitchen diner!!“. Buying land is more about the vision of the purchaser and giving them the confidence in what they want to achieve.
I have also agreed a sale on a property in Valley Road, Rickmansworth which had been on the market for 7 months. The offer was at asking price and the owner was delighted when we took up the reigns (having had a bad experience with another agent) and we provided the communication and quality of service she craved.
I have reached ‘exchange of contracts’ on 2 properties, both of which had proved to be difficult sales and had taken some time to get through from offer stage. One chain had fallen apart a couple of times and new buyers needed to be found. There were disputes over who would pay for some necessary building work and further disagreements on paying for an indemnity insurance policy, plus some price re-negotiations and fee adjustments! All in all, one of the vendors in the chain was part of a 12 month process so when these deals come off it’s one of the most satisfying aspects of my job. We have a knack here at Sewell & Gardner of getting difficult sales through and never giving up. It should really be a given standard in the industry, but unfortunately it isn’t always the case: I think at Sewell & Gardner we really care about the ‘customer’ and not just the ‘deal’, which is not a trait many estate agents possess. We are a family run business with a focus on service which is instilled into all our staff from day one and it is certainly something I picked up on the very early days of my Sewell & Gardner career. Having bought and sold my own houses, I know that finding an agent you can trust is exceptionally hard work indeed.
Away from work Valentines Day was spent watching the television documentary on childbirth called ‘One Born Every Minute’ with the ‘beloved’. She makes me watch it because she knows it makes me squeamish and I think she is preparing me for the inevitable 2.4 children she has planned for our future. However, the undoubted highlight of my week was purchasing my new 42 inch TV…!
Joe's new TV
Having had the same chunky JVC on legs for the last 10 years it was time to upgrade to the world of flat screens and it made it’s debut on Wednesday night with Arsenal v Barcelona (what a game). I am a ‘scouser’ Liverpool supporter and I sat watching the game with one of my best mates who is a Man Utd fan. We both hit the roof when Arsenal scored their goals (technically not allowed due to our allegiance to our respective teams) but our general love & emotion for the game seemed to take over.
Anyway, I digress, so back to work… There are some great new properties on the market this week and I personally recommend Pheasants Way @ £750,000 (4 bed detached) and Frankland Road @ £365,000 (3 bed semi-detached). So if you are looking to sell this year, now is the time to call us for a free valuation or advice on 01923 776400.
Pheasants Way, Rickmansworth
Frankland Road, Croxley Green
Have a great week.
All the best – Joe