Danyl Johnson, who came to fame in ITV’s X Factor 2009, has recently moved into a new home in Reading rented through Haslams.
Danyl, who previously lived in nearby Arborfield, said, “Haslams found my new place for me while I was away on tour. They made it really easy and their communication was great. They did a lot of the running for me and made me feel really looked after. I just got back from tour and moved straight in.”
Lettings Consultant, Oliver Chambers, commented, “It’s great to hear that Danyl had such a good experience with us, but I should add that he didn’t get special treatment because of his fame!
“Danyl made contact with us by email while he was away on tour. He explained what he was looking for and we sent him links to a few properties on our website that met his requirements, one of which he loved. We then arranged the lease on his preferred property, ready for him to move in on his return.
“We offer exactly the same service to clients who are coming to the UK from abroad.”
Danyl, whose first X Factor performance moved hard-to-please Simon Cowell to remark that it was the best first audition he’d ever heard, built up a strong following here in Reading. Now he’s back in town he’s enjoying settling into his new home.
He told us, “It already feels great and really homely. It’s exactly what I’d hoped for.”
Posted on Thursday 17th June 10
Peter Brander, who owns the local chain of bike shops, CycleZone, recently sold his late mother’s house in Charvil with Haslams. Peter and his brother and sister were delighted with the service they received.
“Paul Hayhow from Haslams came to meet my brother, sister and me at the house,” said Peter. “It had been our family home, so it was a sad time for all of us, but he made it really easy for us with his professional approach.
“He had researched the area and came with printouts of neighbouring properties that had been sold over the last couple of years, to give us an idea of the local market and help us agree a suitable asking price.
“Once the house was on the market Haslams kept us up-to-date by email about the marketing campaign, the viewings arranged and offers received. Their professionalism made such a difference. It was an absolute pleasure to deal with them.”
Paul Hayhow explained, “Our marketing campaign attracted 19 viewings. In the end it came down to a bidding war between a cash buyer and another very advanced in their own sales process. This enabled us to quickly achieve a sale price well in excess of our original valuation”.
Peter confirmed, “The whole process took less than a month from going to market to agreeing the sale. Compared to my previous experiences of dealing with estate agents, this was really remarkable.”
Paul added, “We were really pleased that Peter, with his strong local connections, chose to put his trust in Haslams to find a buyer for his late mother’s home. It’s good to hear he was so happy with the service we provided.”
Posted on Thursday 17th June 10
The new Coalition Government is already making changes that will have a positive effect on the housing market. On 20 May, just a week after coming to power, they announced that vendors will no longer need to have a HIP (Home Information Pack) in order to put their property on the market.
The requirement to have a HIP prepared before putting your home on the market has been suspended with immediate effect while permanent legislation to abolish it is prepared. This is great news for prospective sellers as it will reduce their costs and speed up the process of getting homes on the market.
We’re finding that, as long as properties are priced correctly, the market is still buoyant. Over the past month we’ve been receiving high levels of enquiries and making regular sales of properties across the pricing spectrum.
On the lettings side we’ve seen an increase in enquiries from overseas tenants coming over here for work, to complete or start projects that were mothballed over the past 12-18 months due to the economic conditions. We’re keen to take on more quality rental properties in all price ranges.
If you have a high quality property to sell or let, or if you’re looking for a new nest to settle in, give us a call on 0118 960 1000 or pop into our office on Friar Street.
Steve Woodford
Managing Director
Posted on Thursday 17th June 10
The existing four-bedroom farmhouse was built by a Mr Rupert Brooke, who owned the estate from 1925 to 1935. He’s believed locally to have been one of the sons of Arthur Brooke, the founder of Brooke Bond Tea. The house was for sale along with the partially walled gardens, stables, cowshed, barn and courtyard.
The vendors were the family of the late JH Bullingham, who was a well known supplier of fruit and vegetables. He purchased the property in 1935 to make a home for his family and create a market garden to grow fresh produce for local shops and restaurants.
From 1879 to 1895 the property belonged to William Isaac Palmer, a member of the family that co-founded the famous local biscuit company, Huntley & Palmers. And between 1802 and 1820 it was home to local authoress Mary Russell Mitford and her family. Her father bought it with a lottery prize Mary had won at the age of just ten. Unfortunately his gambling habit cost the family their fortune and they were forced to downsize to a tiny labourer’s cottage in nearby Three Mile Cross.
There was keen interest in the property, with 44 prospective buyers requesting a technical information pack and 28 attending viewings. We received a number of competitive offers, one of which has now been accepted subject to contract.
Posted on Monday 14th June 10
