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.”
]]>“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.”
]]>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
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.
]]>Principal, Steve Tait, says, “In addition to mortgages we help clients select associated products, such as life or critical illness protection. The advantage of using an independent mortgage adviser is that we can compare the whole market and recommend the right products for your circumstances and requirements.”
He adds, “Our relationship with Haslams means that if a customer chooses to use us to arrange their mortgage, it will be a smooth and seamless transaction.” Following an initial phone conversation, one of Masterplan’s advisers will arrange to see you.
At this meeting they will assess your needs, for example whether your key priority is price or flexibility. They will then come up with recommendations on which products to choose and support you throughout the application process. In most cases there are no fees to pay.
Once Masterplan have got you set up with a mortgage that’s not the end of the story. Steve explains, “Generally mortgages have an initial tie-in period of two, three or five years, after which time the homeowner is free to switch to a more favourable deal. We keep in touch with clients to ensure they’re always on the most appropriate mortgage.”
If you’re interested in finding out more, visit www.haslams.net/financial_services or call us on 0118 960 1000.
]]>Developer, Matt Moat, explains, “Each home will benefit from a permanent ventilation system with heat recovery. This means fresh air will continually flow into the building and be warmed with heat extracted from the old air as it leaves. The system is 96% efficient. Residents will only need to turn the heating on once the outside temperature drops below nine degrees, and then the power needed would be around 900 watts, equivalent to the heat emitted by two people and a light bulb!”
The six apartments and four houses will be carefully insulated with foam made from recycled plastic bottles, making them Super E accredited. This, in combination with passive solar thermal heating, will make running costs for hot water and heating as low as £160 a year.
The development will have its own fresh water supply, from a well drilled into the chalk 250 feet below.
Please contact us on 0118 960 1000 for more information.
]]>Site statistics over the past month show that users find the new website far more engaging. The average visitor now stays nearly three times longer exploring the site and views around six pages on each visit, compared to two pages previously.
70% of visitors now go beyond the first page – increasing to 90% at weekends. The average for estate agency websites of a similar size is about 50%. Haslams.net is also receiving more traffic than comparable estate agency websites, with 6,935 unique visits against an average of 3,930.
So if you’re looking to sell or let a property, using Haslams will now make it easier than ever for prospective buyers or tenants to find out about it.
]]>The semi-detached three-bedroom properties on St Michael’s Road are close to all the facilities of Tilehurst.
Doors open on Friday 16th April 2010. Call 0118 960 1000 for further details.
]]>The series focused on Dover Street in Coley, where the residents clubbed together to beat the recession through schemes designed to help them save money and increase the value of their homes. Projects included a car sharing scheme and developing a community allotment, with the assistance of Charlie Dimmock.
We can now reveal that during the series, filmed over the course of a year, house prices on the street rose by 21.5%.
]]>The interest was amazing and we arranged over 100 viewings of the properties, some of which received multiple offers from investors, commercial and residential developers and hopeful owner-occupiers. All were sold subject to contract within ten days.
Chris Brotherton of Thomas Homes commented, “I was delighted by the speed at which Haslams found a selection of well-qualified purchasers. We look forward to a repeat performance when our new development of apartments in the former Mansfield Hall is completed in the summer.”
Haslams’ Chris Cullity added, “This is probably the first time such an impressive collection of period homes in Reading has been taken on in a single instruction, and we’re proud that Thomas Homes chose to appoint Haslams to find suitable buyers.”
If you’re considering selling a property, please call us on 0118 960 1000 for a free valuation and to discuss how we could achieve similar results for you.
]]>Thomas Homes,
Kendrick Road, Reading
A development of 14 refurbished apartments in the former Mansfield Hall
Show home opening
summer 2011
For further information telephone Haslams on 0118 960 1000.
]]>Nine months ago we carried out a review of our service standards. This revealed that, while the service we were providing on the lettings side was consistent with the marketplace, there were areas where we could improve.
As a result we’ve invested in new technology and training and tripled the size of our lettings team.
Our lettings management team now comprises 12 trained staff. We’ve also changed our operating procedures to improve the customer experience for both landlords and tenants.
Recently we broke our own record by arranging a letting within 24 hours from tenant enquiry to moving in.
George Pelling, who handled the original enquiry from the tenant, commented, “We achieved this amazingly fast turnaround not by cutting corners but by delegating tasks across the team, enabling us to complete the processes involved more efficiently. ”
]]>Here in Reading, we’re seeing a rather different story. Demand is still very high compared to the number of properties available for sale, as the town’s popularity with buyers grows. For example, in February we had the highest number of new instructions for nearly two years, and this was matched with record sales in March. We took new instructions on 48 homes and agreed sales on 45, including five of the most prestigious Victorian properties in Reading.
Meanwhile, Reading has just been declared Europe’s best micro city for infrastructure in the ‘European Cities & Regions of the Future’ report 2010/11. The eminent panel judged Reading to have the best transport system and communications links of any small town or city in Europe with 250,000 inhabitants or less.
Despite the financial crisis, Reading is benefiting from an £800 million investment into its rail network and £50 million into improving its motorway junctions. This makes it an ideal base for businesses and an increasingly attractive place to live.
Reading was also judged the eighth best micro city overall, based on economic potential and quality of life. So if you’re considering investing in property, this is an excellent place to look.
There’s good news for first-time buyers too, with Alistair Darling’s announcement that stamp duty will be scrapped for first-time home purchases below the value of £250,000. If you’ve been struggling to get onto the property ladder, now could be a great time to take the first step.
There have also been some exciting developments here at Haslams, with our investments into our website and lettings department improving the service we’re able to offer. So whether you’re buying, selling or looking to rent or let a property, give us a call on 0118 960 1000 or pop into our office on Friar Street. We look forward to being of service.
Steve Woodford, Managing Director, Haslams Estate Agency
]]>The framework covers an area bounded by the River Thames to the north, Friar Street to the south, Caversham Road to the west and Forbury Road to the east. It sets out the principles that should be adopted for any developments in the area and outlines broad principles to guide the planned redevelopment of the area, including the areas to the north and south of the station. The document provides illustrative layouts and views of how the area should be developed and includes proposals for the use and development of individual sites, the public realm and new transport infrastructure.
Click here to download the PDF.
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