Nony's Weekend Update

NONY'S FIRST WEEKEND UPDATE

Sunday 6th December 2020

Hi – Happy Sunday - our tree is up, the house is grotto'd (if that is a word) and I thought I would pop a quick a catch up after numerous Linkedin and Facebook posts, to bring you up to date and let to you, in case anyone could possibly have missed it and I am now back working, selling property in and around Winchester.

I am essentially a freelance consultant estate agent, so able to offer a boutique service to a handful of clients with an ethos of quality over quantity. I look after the houses I bring to market personally, carry out the viewings myself and am 100% available to my clients at all times … for those who know me personally, there’s no change there then! Selling property and offering personal experienced advice to buyers and sellers for more than 20 years here in Winchester, is in my DNA. It is not just a job for me, it is my work, my hobby and my passion.

To recap slightly, after a few months of to-ing and fro-ing looking at what to do next after leaving my last job, this all happened quite organically really, with a former client calling me a couple of weeks ago asking me to market his property. Without a web site, CRM or Rightmove, this seemed an impossible task. However, a quick call to a good friend who owns a local estate agency to ask if I might borrow his web site and Rightmove, which he was more than happy to help with, I was up and running.

Within 48 hours, photographs , matterports and floorplans were underway, and two days later the property was Live on all the major portals, and shortly thereafter received an acceptable offer!! In the intervening few days between receiving the offer on this property,  and today, I have been undertaking an exhaustive search for my client for a property to buy as part of my service.  I am delighted to confirm that, this afternoon, they have had an offer accepted on a house to buy and, in turn, just under two weeks from initially meeting with my first official client, his property is now under offer.

In the meantime, other clients have subsequently been in touch and I am delighted to report that we have not only launched this house in St Cross, but an apartment in Central WInchester. Next week, photographs and matterports will be done on another 2500 square foot house in Kings School Catchment … which should be on line by Friday. The following week, there is another apartment coming … and I have two further properties in the holding bay, so to speak, for later in December, and early January. 

At the risk of sounding like an Oscars speech, not the Olivia Coleman one(!), I do have a lot of people to thank for helping me get to where I am today. Firstly of course, Julian and his team at Martin and Co for readily letting me use their infrastructure and internet, and often their offices too. For those who don’t know Julian, Martin and Co is a well liked estate agency, mainly known for their lettings business, based just off the Upper High Street. Nothing is outsourced, it is all under one roof, and they also specialise in helping landlords build property investment portfolios. 

I would really like to also thank so many of my past clients who have reached out to me on numerous occasions, and stayed in touch over the past few weeks, often just to say hello and check in with me. I cannot over emphasise how much this contact and these calls and emails meant to me whilst I was sitting at home with my lifeline of work cut off.

So … back to the beginning … Oscars speech over ..

and thanks to loyal clients and good friends in the market, I am back working. The house in St Cross is beautiful and contemporary, five bedrooms, three bathrooms … and a garage … yes, a garage in St Cross! It is now under offer, but herewith the link to Rightmove so you can see how Matterports look – ie a virtual walk through with the help of your computer …   5 bedroom end of terrace house for sale in Edgar Road, St Cross, Winchester, SO23 (rightmove.co.uk)

The apartment listed this week is really pretty, has a private garden, and very low service charges. 1 bedroom apartment for sale in Andover Road, Winchester, SO23 (rightmove.co.uk)

I am also overseeing the marketing of a stunningly pretty and spacious two bedroomed apartment in Bereweeke House, Bereweeke Road. Set within beautiful grounds of approx. half an acre, this beautiful flat is approx 900 sq ft, and has a balcony overlooking the gardens, and covered private parking. 2 bedroom apartment for sale in Winchester, Hampshire, SO22 (rightmove.co.uk)

Keep an eye out for the next house which should be online by next Friday; and another other apartment, also with a private garden, due shortly thereafter. As I mentioned, there are two others in the holding bay and I am loving every minute of being back.

Additionally - I have buyers keenly looking for properties in the vicinity – a large house in Harestock or Dean Lane is urgently needed, along with a larger period property around St Cross, Fulflood or Hyde for another buyer. I have someone else looking for land in and around Twyford ideally, a need for one of the smaller houses in Bath Place … and a couple keen to find a three or four bedroomed property with parking in central Winchester …. 

These are just a few, so please do call me if you are thinking of moving in the immediate or long distance future. Oh and don’t worry about the Christmas decorations being up, we can arrange for photographs to be taken now, and then redone after the Christmas trees come down … Although the market is quietening slightly, there are still good buyers out there trying to buy before the stamp duty holiday ends in March.  

Meanwhile, there are still other things going on out in our area ... hard to think that there is a life beyond property .. but ..

Starting today, Sunday 6th December, the Winchester Bid is launching the Nutcracker Christmas Trail - https://www.instagram.com/p/CINmlc7hhM-/. More info on their web site, where I found- "This week the Nutcracker Kings will arrive across the city to offer a socially distanced fun festive trail around Winchester, running into early New Year. Find the names of the 14 Nutcracker Kings and enter a draw to win a special prize." https://winchesterbid.co.uk/christmas-2020/

Christmas at the Watercress Line - Due to Covid19, sadly the usual Santa Express isn't happening but that doesn't stop Santa (who is, of course, a key worker so able to still visit homes and attend events!). The Watercress Line is holding several events so do take a look on their web site - https://www.watercressline.co.uk/product.php/156/father-christmas-at-the-watercress-line-2020 and, for fun, click on this YouTube clip to see the Santa Express Steam Illumination (beware of flashing lights) https://youtu.be/se5m_CbAzFI and a Youtube of Santa in his carriage https://youtu.be/WO1UtsSCqok

December to January, the Winchester Science Centre and Planetarium are hosting a number of festive events - https://www.winchestersciencecentre.org/your-visit/whats-on/christmas-sounds-amazing/#.X8zdL6FxfIU I particularly like the idea of Santa's Festive Flight ... https://www.winchestersciencecentre.org/your-visit/whats-on/santas-festive-flight/#.X8zdxKFxfIU

And yesterday, Four Dames In Search of a Panto opened at the Theatre Royal in Winchester - I wasn't there myself but understand it was a wonderful emotional evening for everyone involved after some really challenging months. https://www.theatreroyalwinchester.co.uk/whats-on/four-dames-search-panto

Just a quick word about mortgages ... most of us need them, if not always want them(!). I have met a few really good brokers over the past few months, and am more than pleased to pass names along to you. Please be aware that brokers often have access to the same products which you can find on the High Street or going direct to your main lenders, but invariably they can get them at a lower interest rate. This is because they simply do so much of the work and compliance for the lenders, the savings for which gets passed on to you. 

Many good brokers can also find ways around complex lending needs such as mortgages, remortgages, buy to lets, and for those who are self employed or need business loans. A couple I have spoken with recently also report clever and imaginative ways around lending requirements, which can save you money. Finally, you might be concerned about a redemption on a mortgage product but, with interest rates at an all time low, there are cases where it is literally cheaper to absorb a redemption into a new mortgage product and still save money. Whether you have a long term relationship with a lender or broker, or are just starting out, it is worth shopping around, if only to be reassured that the financing you are planning to use is, indeed, the best out there. Please let me know if you would like me to put you in touch.

 I have been liasing with Julian and his team over the past few weeks at Martin and Co in Winchester and, as mentioned, they are allowing me to use their web site, Rightmove and CRM to load on instructions. To that end, whilst still being freelance, they are potentially going to pop me on their web site shortly in the Meet The Team/About Us section, as their Consultant Head of Residential Sales. This will save any confusion if anyone can see houses listed on Rightmove under the Martin and Co link, but have been working with me separately.  

However, a little bit about Martin and Co. I have found them to be a hard working team of people. The whole team is based in their offices just off the Upper High Street where, as well as marketing some properties for sale, they handle all aspect of rental properties from Property Management to Tenant Find, and all between. They are currently managing over 250 private rentals, and 220 student properties. They also run a specialist service setting up and running investment portfolios for clients, sourcing appropriate properties from within the local market. 

My view is that the benefit is that all their rental business and infrastructure is under one roof where you can meet the team in person. If you are looking to rent out your home, or investment property, or would like to investigate the possibility of finding a buy to let property or indeed investing in a portfolio of property, do let me know and I will happily pass your details along to Julian Bessey and his team who would be pleased to meet with you and discuss your options and ideas further.

and  Finally - please do follow me on LinkedIn and/or Facebook, where I will pop regular updates of instructions as I get them ...

So, to summarise …(!) please let me know if you would like to discuss marketing your property, are looking for a property to buy, have a property to rent out, and/or would like mortgage advice (if only to compare to a lender you are currently using or planning to use).

Have a good week, and thank you for reading!

Kindest regards,

Nony