Suffolk: BREXIT-resistant

Following the Referendum I expected to see a negative reaction in our local property market but, thankfully, I was wrong. This can’t be said for all areas across the UK but Suffolk has, fortunately, proved Brexit-resistant.

Sixty percent of Suffolk’s electorate voted to leave Europe and Brexit has made us take stock. We face a different kind of future and times are changing but we are optimistic about the property market for the year ahead.

In July I tweeted about our all-time record selling month including sales agreed, exchanges and completions; the Autumn market looks very promising too. 

Interestingly, in the past four weeks, a few Australian buyers have registered with us in their search for property. One such couple explained to me that the exchange rate was fuelling their decision to buy now and they had chosen Suffolk specifically for the vibrancy and friendliness of our well-served villages. 

They appreciate the rusticity of our countryside and coastal regions and also the general lack of one-upmanship - they like our relaxed vibe. They had carried out due diligence on where best to buy in the UK which had led them to fall for Suffolk’s rosy glow and its comparative good value for money.

Lavenham and Long Melford have been top of their search list which brings me on to the changing face of our high streets in our market towns and larger villages. Walk along either of these high streets now and you get a sense of new, sophisticated café societies emerging.  Suffolk has grown up and this changing face is one of the most obvious indicators as consumer trends change. The growing café and gallery culture combines with stylish boutiques stocking high-end, trendy brands.

Coastal regions like Aldeburgh and Southwold are akin to Chelsea-on-Sea these days but, in my mind, the town that stands out for the most significant transformation in recent years has to be Hadleigh. 

Few high streets offer as much as Hadleigh’s does. A new and excellent selection of shops, boutiques, restaurants & pubs, everyday amenities, doctors’ surgery, schools, sports facilities and clubs and all within walking distance of the other.

The town has a beautiful selection of colourful houses and is surrounded by stunning countryside with riverside walks. It hosts the annual, agricultural Hadleigh Show and also benefits from good access for both Manningtree and Colchester stations; add to this, the success of industries on its outskirts such as Celotex and Jim Lawrence. 

Hadleigh is a perfect Suffolk example of how country living, commerce, agriculture and tourism can co-exist in a comfortable and natural way.

Maybe this charming self-sufficiency is another reason why Suffolk is, so far, proving to be Brexit-resistant.

Caroline Edwards
Partner
Residential Sales, Long Melford
T: 01787 888622
E: caroline.edwards@carterjonas.co.uk

Pulse & plus points of the early 2015 market

Once again, early year market activity has not disappointed. This is the fifth January in-a-row where the residential sales market has hit the ground running as soon as we returned to our desks.

To recap, 2014 was a year of two halves.The first six months saw strong activity right across price ranges – quite frankly, the starting gates flew open. But just as we were about to loosen the reins and push on into a full gallop, the Bank of England halted the momentum with its cautionary suggestion of an earlier increase in interest rates than predicted. Greater mortgage regulation helped slow the pace even more.

A long-term comfort to our market, however, is that Mark Carney so clearly adapts to market reactions. Latest predictions now expect the ‘new normal’ level for rates to sit at around 2-3% and, also, that the incremental increases may not start until Q4 2015 but, in all likelihood, in 2016. With low inflation, the crude oil price meltdown and weak wage growth, it looks like 0.5% may be banked upon for this present year.

The 2014 Autumn Statement announcement of stamp duty reforms was a surprise but it’s proving a good thing for the greater bulk of the market in that house purchases less than £937,500 will now face lower stamp duty charges. Above this threshold, the market is already beginning to absorb the changes and the higher cost of moving is now being consistently raised in our sales negotiations between purchasers and vendors.

The Christmas holidays are always an important decision-making time for both buyers and sellers. And, such is the pace of modern consumer demand, people seek immediacy as soon as the decision has been made to move. Hence we now advise vendors to launch to market as early as possible in the new year to, quite frankly, embrace and satisfy the “I want it now” mentality.

Marketing in the first three months of 2015 is more important than ever this year with the General Election bearing down on us on 7 May, as we anticipate a nervous pre-election lull in April. The mansion tax, or variations of it, favoured by both the Labour Party and Liberal Democrats is already having an unsettling impact on the prime markets both in and outside London. Should I put my money on it, I cannot visualise these pre-election manifesto proposals becoming post-election policies but who’s to say?...

So, the year has started with strong apres-Christmas pent-up demand, a renewed confidence in interest rates staying at 0.5% and continuing confidence in property as a non-volatile asset (unlike the recent performances of the stock market, currencies and commodities, not to mention oil). Average UK house prices are anticipated to rise by 3.5% in 2015 with ‘steady-as-she-goes’ growth over the next 5 years – some suggesting by 18%.

With the coalition government ‘consciously uncoupling’ itself into distinct blue and yellow rosette stances when it comes to views on housing market intervention, it is unlikely that the Spring Budget will see any significant policy initiatives which will have a direct impact on the housing market, such as Help to Buy or further SDLT reforms.

The only certainty about the General Election when it comes to the housing market is the date itself. So if you’re in the market for a move, we’re saying best make it now.

Caroline Edwards
Partner
Residential Sales, Long Melford
T: 01787 888622
E: caroline.edwards@carterjonas.co.uk

Catch me if you can

Last Friday I considered myself beyond privileged to meet the racing legend Frankel, my hero horse. It was a magical day made possible by the wonderful Jim Power who, not only was the Stud Groom for Banstead Manor Stud for many years but also, significantly, brought Frankel into the world. Frankel, the progeny of Galileo and Kind, was foaled at the stud on 11 Feburary 2008. In chocolate terms, my day with Jim Power and Frankel and, later, at the Newmarket Foal Sales was like winning the golden ticket for the Willy Wonka Factory. I was in horsey heaven.

I asked Jim when Frankel started to stand out amongst the crowd and he described him as "a lovely natured foal who owned the paddock”. He has described him as a “straightforward yet sensitive horse, with a slight air of arrogance about him - really top class racehorses often have that character.”

On Friday, Jim was quick to spot the high earners of the day as the fluffy foals were led around the paddock including top selling foal, son of Sea The Stars, purchased by Shadwell for 450,000 guineas.

Frankel raced 14 races and won all of them. Owned by Prince Khallid Abdullah, he is the first horse to be Champion at two, three and four-years old as well being crowned the Cartier Horse of the Year for two successive years in 2011 and 2012.

Frankel’s unquestionable supremacy translated into the exceptional prices achieved when his first two foals were sold: the first in June 2014 for £1.15m, whilst the second broke Irish records a week ago when it sold for 1.8m Euros (about £1.45million).

Yes, so much is down to the dam as well as the stallion, and Ireland’s success was much owing to the talent of the filly’s mother, Finsceal Beo (‘Living Legend’ in English) who won The 1,000 Guineas in 2007.

But what does this have to do with the residential sales market? Friday - my amazing day – was, surprisingly, a slow day for Frankel’s foals. The TV cameras were poised, the hype had been mounting, but out of his four foals due to be sold, the first was withdrawn following an over-excited jig in his stable and the following three did not meet their reserve prices, albeit one was subsequently sold to a privately increased bid.

I asked Jim Power what would happen to these adorable un-sold off-spring? How could they have not sold, despite their parentage and the amazing selling skills of three, non-stop-incentivising-supremely-knowledgeable auctioneers?

The talent was there, the genes were excellent, what more could one want? I truly felt for the owners and the auctioneers. It was no different to how I feel when I have launched an exceptional house to the market but I don’t find the buyer immediately, despite knowing the quality of what I am selling and promoting it with absolute gusto.

Jim’s answer was that the owners would probably wait until the Yearling Sales to re-present Frankel’s offspring to the market in order to achieve their deserved sum.

This is the property market too.

There are absolutely beautiful houses which have been brought to the market this autumn but have failed to sell. This isn’t down to their quality, however. Ask any estate agent (who really knows their salt) and the resolute answer to the question of “when is the best time to buy?” is: “NOW!”

We’re not saying this because we’re keen to get Christmas sales up, it’s because for a fourth year in a row we have not experienced the autumn market we were expecting.

We are in a new cycle. January and February are now key selling months.

January takes off at a gallop following the Christmas family ‘get-togethers’. Country Life, Rightmove & Zoopla report an annual peak of website hits in the latter part of Christmas Day. Decisions are made around the roast turkey and crackers and the newly-focused buyers want immediacy. They do not want to wait until the daffodils come out before a house is launched to the market.

This is why NOW is the right time to buy. Like Frankel’s unsold foals, look at what is out there now - don’t let the great and the brilliant pass you by - your ideal house may have already been withdrawn from the market only to be launched to the market in a few months time for a higher price. Call your agent now to discuss what is currently ‘hidden’ from the market. Vendors are more likely to consider genuine and unambitious offers this side of Christmas before the starting gates open in January. Unlike the retail market, you are likely to find your better purchase deal in the run up to Christmas - if you are waiting for the January sales you need not apply.

Finally, in estate agency, we often hear the expression “if it’s not meant to be, it’s not meant to be” – this expression frustrates me more than any other. If you want something don’t let it lie in the hand of fate - go for it. If you want a house - don’t hang about. Don’t be reserved in showing your agent your keenness to buy. It is your enthusiasm that gives us confidence in you and your genuineness which we, in turn, convey to our vendors. Enthusiasm also puts you at the top of our contact list for our ‘discreet’ properties which we are lining up for early 2015.

So, whilst I’m throwing fate out of the equation with my previous paragraph, I have noted something interesting: Frankel was born on 11 February 2008; his first foal was born on 11 January 2014 and our racing hero was trained by the legendary trainer, Henry Cecil, who was born on 11 January 1943.

Noticed anything? Apparently number 11 is considered to represent the Master Teacher which is believed to be an inspirational guiding light - someone who is highly charged, very powerful and leads the world.

Caroline Edwards
Partner
Residential Sales, Long Melford
T: 01787 888622
E: caroline.edwards@carterjonas.co.uk