Category: Uncategorized

We welcome James as Senior Negotiator at our Cheam Office. He has over six years’ experience in residential estate agency holding posts in SW London and Surrey. His varied role includes valuations, arrange and accompanying viewings and providing feedback to our sellers alongside sales progression. He has lived his whole life in the Cheam and Sutton area

Exciting! 2024 is promising to be a much better year than 2023 for the local housing market. As time rolls on, 2023 will be viewed as a tumultuous year with raging inflation, climbing interest rates and mortgage uncertainty; none of which results in a favourable housing market!

However, as day follows night the sign of calm are reappearing. Mortgage lenders fearing the worst, overpriced available rates and these are now steadily failing with competition between jostling lenders for your business. Inflation appears to be under control which helps with confidence, the job market is secure with positions hard to fill and possibly most importantly the amount of property for sale is too low. All of which constitute the ingredients for a better year for those wanting to move!

Now this is where you come in; we need your property to sell. How can we help you realise that dream move you have been thinking about?

Worried about inconvenience? Don’t be, we will undertake all viewings and minimise stress. Worried about the costs of moving? It may be less than you think and we can offer free property valuations and mortgage advice to help. Not sure where to start? Just call or come into the office and we will help you plan ahead.

This is my 22^nd year of property sales in and around Cheam and there isn’t much I haven’t seen or sold. Let us help you.

Adrian Macleay-Wood

Senior Branch Manager

Williams Harlow Cheam. 020 8642 5316

WEEKEND PROPERTY VIEWER REQUIRED BANSTEAD OFFICE

Want to join our award winning team at Banstead’s market leading Estate Agency practice ?

You will need to demonstrate good customer service skills, be professional, smart, presentable and have use of your own car. You will need to ideally live in the local area. Candidates who reside in Banstead or have a good knowledge of the Banstead and the immediate surround will be considered favourably. Training will be provided

Hours will be every Saturday 0845 – 1700 In addition to the hourly rate there is a holiday entitlement, mileage allowance and opportunity to work extra hours by arrangement during the week to cover other staffs holidays

Either call into the office or send you CV to
Andrew Bull
Email careers@williamsharlow.co.uk
Tel 01737 377920
Post 31 High St, Banstead, Surrey SM7 2NH

Want to join our award winning team ?

We are looking for a

You will need to demonstrate good customer service skills, be professional, smart, proactive and presentable and have use of your own car. You should reside no further than 10 miles from Cheam with a minimum of 12 months experience in the lettings Industry

Hours will be a five day roster which will include working alternate Saturdays

The salary will be £25 – £30 OTE depending on experience, plus a mileage allowance, holiday entitlement and access to our firm’s pension.

In the first instance please send your CV to careers@williamsharlow.co.uk

If selected for interview these will be held @ Cheam week comm. 19^th April with a view of a start date as early in May as possible

1. What can I expect my fee to include ? Williams Harlow will provide you with frequent weekly updates on your property’s marketing progress including statistical information from our marketing. Your fee will also include professional photography, all accompanied viewings from our two centrally located offices, seven days a week alongside a prominent window card.
2. What are the costs involved in selling my property ? A sole agency fee will be applicable upon selling your home charged upon completion. Your valuer will discuss this with you.
3. Does a For Sale/Let board enhance the sale of my property ? We believe that a board will help any property with its marketing as one in four enquiries will come from this. It will ensure that the market is thoroughly tested and you achieve the best price.
4. Why use Williams Harlow ? Williams Harlow is a leading independent firm of estate agents with offices in Banstead and Cheam villages and the most established agent opening in 1990. With extensive knowledge of the local area crossed with a professional approach we strive to make your experience as stress-free as possible. We have some of the very best staff in the Estate Agency profession.
5. What areas do you cover ? Williams Harlow have prominently positioned offices located in the heart of Banstead and Cheam and cover all surrounding areas from approximately 7 mile radius of each office.
6. How long can I expect my Freehold transaction to take ? An average Freehold transaction takes approximately 8-10 weeks. Approximately 8 weeks on average to Exchange with Completion by arrangement.
7. How long can I expect my Leasehold transaction to take ? An average Leasehold transaction can take approximately 10 weeks with Completion by arrangement.
8. Does it matter what solicitor I use ? A competent solicitor makes all the difference when purchasing and selling your home. With a well-established firm of solicitors you can expect a smoother transaction from start to finish to ensure certainty of your transaction. Take a look at the solicitors we have recommended on our website. Using a local solicitor is beneficial as you will often have to visit them numerous times throughout transaction.
9. Is a survey compulsory ? A survey is not compulsory however highly recommended; some lenders may require you to take out a survey on the property you are purchasing, in addition to the mortgage validation. Take a look at recommended surveyors on our website.
10. What property platforms will Williams Harlow advertise my property upon ? You can expect to see your property listed on FIVE national and international websites: Rightmove, Zoopla, On the Market, Prime Location and williamsharlow.co.uk
11. What should I be doing to make my home ready to market ? The key to marketing your home look favourable to prospective purchasers is to keep your home clean tidy and to portray your property in its best light. Please see our Selling and Letting Guides with advice for preparing your property for sale available on our website. This will give you a full understanding of ways to enhance your home for both Sale and Letting to ensure you achieve the best possible price.
12. How will viewings take place ? Viewings are often conducted on two pre-arranged Open Days, one week day and one weekend. We will undertake to meet all of the viewings at your property. These are usually done in either 20-30 minute intervals.  After which we will let you know the feedback from the viewings alongside any offers which are normally taken on a best and final basis.  All buyers will be in a position to proceed.
13. How quickly can my property be listed ? From your professional photoshoot we are usually able to list your property the next working day and viewings will be organised shortly after.
14. Whens the best time to market my property ? Ten months of the year are usually excellent times to sell your property but it would beneficial not to market your home during August or December for the reason the market is quieter.
15. How do you deal with multiple offers ? A process we feel effective is called ‘Informal Tender’ or you may have heard it referred to as ‘Best and Final Offers’. All buyers are given the chance to place their Best and Final offer.  We will then advise you onto which offer is best suited to requirements.  All offers strictly qualified both financially and full chain investigation is undertaken if necessary.
16. Are your staff local to the areas you cover ? All of our staff are local to our offices thus giving us the best local knowledge to assist you on your sale and purchase or letting of your property. All of our staff know our areas intermittently.
17. How many prospective purchasers do you have for my property ? Williams Harlow has over 5,000 registered applicants looking to move to the Banstead, Cheam and surround areas.
18. Will my property be featured in your office window ? Yes! Your property will be displayed in one our LED illuminated window display in our office.
19. What’s an EPC and do I need one ? EPC stands for Energy Performance Certificate and is needed in every property sale. EPC’s are valid for ten years so do ensure yours is valid prior to marketing. Williams Harlow are able to assist you with ordering a new EPC if required at £85 + VAT. You will need a valid EP for both Letting and Sale.
20. How do Williams Harlow reference tenants ? We use an independent reference company to vet our applicants to ensure that they have the necessary means to rent our clients’ property. This is done to protect our landlord and avoid any rental arrears being accrued. It is also ensures that tenants are not over-committing themselves financially which can cause them future difficulties. A credit check, employment verification check and landlord reference are all carried out on ALL occupiers over the age of 18 (as is required by law).

Dean Ashton Cert CII (MP), Mortgage & Protection Adviser

Dean has worked as a mortgage adviser for eight years, after graduating with a degree in Economics and Politics. His time in the industry has been divided between a leading London-based estate agency and an award-winning London brokerage. He enjoys finding bespoke solutions for all of his clients, whether it be for a first-time purchase, moving house or a buy-to-let investment. Providing excellent service is at the forefront of everything he does, from that first initial chat with a client through to chasing third parties and ensuring that each mortgage application progresses smoothly.

With unrivalled experience Jason Kates joined the Estate Agent profession in 1989 He brings a wealth of expertise to all of our clients and heads up our successful team at the Relocated Williams Harlow Cheam Office. Jason has lived locally for over 30 years. Learn more with our new online guides to our full services

The property market went through a turbulent time last year with increased demand for mortgages causing logistical problems for lenders. Fortunately, the pace of the market should calm down a bit in 2021 and there should be more opportunities for first time buyers

2020 was a turbulent time for the mortgage market due the impact of the pandemic. During the first lockdown, lenders were inundated with calls from existing borrowers looking to take advantage of the mortgage payment holiday scheme. This proved challenging for lenders who had to cope with additional enquiries while having to adapt to their staff working from home.

When estate agents were able to re-open in May there was a surge of pent-up demand, fuelled further by Chancellor Rishi Sunak introducing temporary changes to Stamp Duty that could potentially save buyers up to £15,000. This led to increased demand, and lenders were unable to cope with the significant volume of applications.

The response of almost all mortgage lenders was to tighten their criteria and withdraw products from the market for buyers with a deposit of less than 20% of the purchase price. It’s important to note that this wasn’t because lenders were concerned about the direction of the mortgage market – these decisions were taken to try and reduce the volume of applications they were receiving.

Some lenders began to slowly re-enter the higher Loan To Value (LTV) market at the very end of 2020, but buyers with a 10% or 15% deposit can rightly feel that they were under-served by the mortgage market in the second half of last year. However, even with lenders returning to the 90% LTV market, it could be argued that there isn’t much value at present. For example, in March 2020 it was possible to fix your monthly mortgage payments for two years at a rate of 1.99%, compared to the market leading a two-year fixed rate at the time of writing of 3.25%. Lenders have been reluctant to undercut each other on price for fear that they’ll quickly become inundated again with unmanageable volumes of new applications.

As we near the end of the Stamp Duty holiday on 31 March, it would seem less likely that a buyer starting the process of purchasing a property will make it to completion on time. This reduction in demand will allow lenders to catch up with their backlog of applications. Once this happens we’re likely to see the larger lenders who have yet to return to the 90% LTV market, such as Santander, launch new products available to borrowers with a 10% deposit.

With a full range of mortgage lenders on board with this, we’re likely to see the 90% LTV market become competitive once again. Lenders need to lend, but they also want to preserve their service levels to avoid demand exceeding supply.

When we have a large selection of various lenders all offering products – especially when a handful of those, such as Halifax, Santander and Nationwide, can all handle reasonably large volumes – lenders feel a little more comfortable. You might call it safety in numbers. All it takes is one lender being more competitive than the rest of the market to attract more business and we’ll see the cost of borrowing come down.

I suspect we’ll see this happen at the end of February or the beginning of March. While we can’t guarantee that the cost of borrowing will return to where we left it at the beginning of the pandemic, I suspect we’ll get pretty close. The market should present plenty of opportunities for those with smaller deposits once we enter the second quarter of the year, particularly first time buyers who will still benefit from paying no Stamp Duty for the first £300,000 of their purchase.

If you’re reading this and you think you would like to take advantage of a mortgage market that is starting to return to normal again, I’d offer the following tips:

• Make sure your deposit is accessible and that you can easily show evidence of it to a mortgage lender and solicitor (a bank or building society statement would be needed)
• Ensure you have all your relevant documentation in order. Make sure your ID is up to date, that you have recent bank statements saved and that you have your payslips and/or self-employment documents to hand
• Check you are named on the Electoral Roll at the correct address and that your address is up to date across all credit accounts such as bank accounts and loans
• Speak to a mortgage broker to ensure that you understand how much you can borrow, and what the monthly payments will be.

We wanted to let you know our new offices in Cheam Village at 5 The Broadway are now open. Call us today to find out why ONE IN THREE of you use our services for either selling or renting your home