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New Faces For The Future
“The old adage that actions speak louder than words is a truism. McCartneys have always believed in giving young people a chance in the business and a chance to make their mark as part of the firm for the long term future.” said John Uffold, Chairman. Seen here with the two new young Associate Members of McCartneys LLP, Katie Morris and Richard Williams. Katie is based at Knighton undertaking rural professional work and is fully involved in the running of the livestock market. Under the guidance of McCartneys Katie qualified as a Member of the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS) and Fellow of the Central Association of Agricultural Surveyors (FAAV). Richard Williams is based at Hay on Wye carrying out a wide range of professional work and Estate Agency where he qualified as a Member of The Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) and is currently studying to become a Member of The National Association of Estate Agents (MNAEA).
“The government keeps talking about youth unemployment and giving worthwhile careers to the young but seems over the years to have done very little to encourage employers to take on young people and give them that vital first step on the ladder. We are sure that Katie and Richard will be faces for the long term future with McCartneys and will provide a valuable service to the clients in their respective areas” John concluded. -
Inflation - a load of hot air?
PROPERTY MATTERS a monthly look at the Property Scene
by Wyn Jones of McCartneys.
In a recent talk given by an economist the audience was informed that it is envisaged the national debt will hit £1000 billion by April 2011 and a mind boggling £1.2 trillion one year later and that to cover this year's £43 billion interest bill every household will have to pay on average in excess of £1,800 in tax.
He then went on to say that it was believed by some that the government would find it very difficult to pay back this debt and were quite happy for inflationary help to reduce the amount owed. So for example if inflation ran at an average of 5% for the next three years (at the source of borrowing) at the end of this period the amount owed would have reduced by some 15% - in simple terms.
On an individual basis if inflation continues at the current level (the old measure of RPI currently running at 5.1%) it may be good news for those with borrowings (as their borrowings will reduce correspondingly) but conversely it is bad news for those with savings as they will see these reduce in real terms.
So if you have savings what do you do – as one client told me “it’s no good in the bank”? I am not an economist or financial advisor nor would I like to hazard a guess as to what the future holds however I do know that history has shown in inflationary times one of the best investments has been property.
Now I am not advocating you borrow money and investing it in property - which would be the natural extension to this argument but for those with money in the bank earning nominal interest perhaps a suitable property investment may be something to consider in these inflationary times?
For further information on Property Matters Wyn can be contacted on Tel 07702 722905 or by e-mail on wyn@mccartneys.co.uk -
Exam Success for Will Hodnett - Ludlow Office
Will Hodnett, sales negotiator based at Ludlow Office has passed the final two units of the Technical Award in Residential Estate Agency and has now become a member of the National Association of Estate Agents.
Will started his career in Estate Agency with McCartneys in November 2009 and has become a valuable and popular member of the team. Will said “I am delighted to gain my qualification in Estate Agency and look forward to a long and successful career with McCartneys - I enjoy dealing with the public and love the fact that the job is so varied and interesting – My long term aim is to become a qualified chartered surveyor” -
Standing Room only at latest Auction.
McCartneys held their first auction of 2011 at The Feathers Hotel Ludlow on Friday 21st January. There was standing room only as Paul Stephens from Church Stretton began proceedings. The development opportunity at Ashfield Farm, Ditton Priors generated much interest and the hammer fell at £150,000. Gareth Wall then took over and auctioned The Shambles, Weobley, a former abattoir - Gareth said “the interest in the room and the price we achieved for The Shambles exceeded all our expectations and we are delighted with the result.“ The hammer fell at £185,000.
McCartneys next property/land auction is on Wednesday 16th February at Brecon Livestock Market (contact Ryan Williams - 01497 820778) and then on Thursday 10th March at The Castle Hotel, Bishops Castle (contact Bishops Castle Office – 01588 630070) - Further Lots are now being invited. -
Next Property Auction - Friday, January 21st 2011
McCartneys are pleased to announce that our next property auction will be held at The Feathers Hotel, Ludlow, Shropshire at 6pm on Friday 21st January.
Valley Cottage, Kington – Character Detached Cottage requiring updating.
Barns at Ashfield Farm, Ditton Priors – Opportunity to acquire barns with permission for holiday use.
The Shambles, Weobley – Former Abattior with offices, lairage, yard and car parking.
West View, Lower Kyrewood- Grade II Listed Farmhouse and Barn offering an excellent development opportunity.
Four Lots are for sale and details are available through the website - www.mccartneys.co.uk/content/Property/Auction_Property/Search/ or at your local McCartneys Office.
Our next Auction is booked for March and further Lots can still be entered. Please contact Debbie Anderson for more information on 01584 872153 -
McCartneys report another successful year
Every half an hour McCartneys will have listed, sold or let a property in your area !
Debbie Anderson Property Chairman of McCartneys Estate Agents has reported another successful year for their 16 estate agency offices.
Debbie said, "2010 was of course a challenging year with the election, uncertainty over HIP’s and a constant stream of negative reports about the property market however we are fortunate to have offices in market towns across four counties where people still want to buy. We sold 7 out of every 10 properties which came on to the market last year which equated to in excess of £100,000,000 worth of property."
"As we begin 2011 demand remains high particularly for country property, our lettings department is experiencing the busiest January on record with demand for rented property outstripping supply. In December we arranged leases on 4 commercial retail properties just in Ludlow itself. We can all listen to the bad news but reality is telling us that things aren’t as bad as you may think. If it is the right house in the right spot at the right price then chances are it will sell and if you don’t want to sell you can let.
As the major retailers release mind boggling figures of % growth and profits I did some figures of our own and worked out that in the average working week, every half an hour McCartneys will have listed, sold or let a property across the areas we cover. Not a bad result for a 'fragile' market!". -
High demand for rental property
As we move through December, a time when traditionally the property market quietens down as people focus on the festive season, McCartneys Newtown office finds itself pleasantly surprised with the level of demand still being shown in private rented accommodation.
Partner in charge of the Newtown branch, Tom Carter, believes that there are two main reasons for this continued demand:
“On a local level there are still large numbers of people wanting to purchase property yet find themselves unable to do so at present. This may be a result of having insufficient deposit funds or the inability to obtain a mortgage in the current economic climate. Regardless, these people still need a roof over their head and so predominantly resort to renting.”
“On a wider scale, Mid Wales has always been a hotspot for those looking to move from larger towns and cities within the UK for a change of scenery and Lifestyle and in attempt to experience the good life. Prime examples are of people selling up in the Midlands or South East, but before purchasing a property in Mid Wales they will often rent for a period in order get a feel for a particular area before committing to buying.”
“The demand from Locals is generally for town and village property in Welshpool, Newtown and the surrounding villages. Demand from the wider market tends to be for the larger, country properties.”
“We have let all manner of property this year for our landlord clients, from one bedroom flats to large, five bedroom barn conversions in the countryside. Rents being achieved have ranged from around £300 per month to well in excess of £1000 per month depending on the property type and location.”
“I believe that this trend will continue throughout 2011 with strong demand from both locals and those moving into the area.”
McCartneys offer both tenant finding and management services. If you have a property that you would consider letting out, please feel free to contact Tom on 07855 834282 or tom@mccartneys.co.uk or the McCartneys office on 01686 623123 -
Development Offers Old and New Combined
When buying a house, you usually have to decide whether the style you’re looking for is contemporary or traditional. But, if you’re unsure whether it’s old or new you want, a development in Powys could be perfect for you.
Stylish new homes are currently being built in the grounds of the historic Llanwrtyd Hall, a 150 year old manor house in Llanwrtyd Wells, which is renowned for being the smallest town in Britain.
Work is well underway on plots one and two, which will both be timber framed 3 bedroom dormer bungalows built to a high specification, and are currently for sale off plan through McCartneys.
“This is an exciting opportunity to buy a brand new home in a well established setting,” said Tom Jones, manager of McCartneys Builth Wells office. “The houses are being built by local developers Builth Building Services, who are offering early purchasers the choice of certain fixtures and fittings.
“Around Llanwrtyd Wells is some of the most breath-taking scenery in Mid Wales, and I’m sure this development is going to prove to be very popular.”
Plots 1 & 2 at Llanwrtyd Hall are priced at £225,000 each. For more information contact Tom Jones at McCartneys on 01982 552259 or email builth@mccartneys.co.uk. -
Three Mountains, Three Countries, One Day!
For most of us, climbing one mountain in a day would be hard enough. So the thought of climbing three in 24 hours sounds crazy. And when you know that the mountains involved are the highest three in Britain, well that just sounds absurd!
But that’s exactly the heights one local chartered surveyor scaled, when he and a group of friends, decided to take on the National Three Peaks Challenge.
Tom Carter, who is manager of McCartneys in Newtown, and five friends set out on the gruelling challenge to raise funds for the Lingen Davies Cancer Relief Fund, which dedicated to improving facilities for people with cancer in Shropshire and Mid Wales.
The National Three Peaks Challenge involves climbing the three highest mountains in Britain – Ben Nevis in Scotland, Scafell Pike in England and Snowdon in Wales
“It was incredibly tough, but I’m delighted we all completed the challenge, even if our legs don’t quite feel the same!” commented 28 year old Tom.
“We started at ten past one on Saturday morning at Ben Nevis, then climbed Scafell Pike and finally Snowdon, finishing at one o’clock on Sunday morning - a time of 23 hrs 50 mins – just inside the 24 hour limit.”
The group are still gathering their sponsorship money, but hope to have raised £500 for their chosen charity.” -
New Home Card Competition Thank You
A big thank you to everyone who has entered our competition to create a ‘welcome to your new home' card.
We have had hundreds of entries and have been absolutely delighted by the high standard of the pictures – we really have got some great artists of the future in our area!
The judges now have the very difficult task of choosing the winners, and are going through the entries carefully.
We’ll announce the winners after the start of term in September.
Once again, thank you to all our great young artists.
