The Blog

The property market is volatile. One month you’re looking at an abundance of buyers and plenty of available properties to fulfil their needs, and the following *crickets chirping*.  So what can you do if you need to move ASAP and the market is unusually slow? Here are some tips from Paul Stripp Estate Agency.   Review Your Circumstances If the market is particularly stagnant, it may be worth sitting down and reviewing whether you really need to move right now. Could you wait for the market to pick up again? If not, could you rent in the short term? While this situation may not be ideal, it could provide you with a buffer, ultimately helping you to purchase the property you want and not just a property you’re left with.  Keep Your Estate Agent Informed If you need to move urgently, make sure your estate agent knows this! We’re here to help you, and if that means speeding things up or hunting down a property to complete your chain, we’ll do so. Whatever your circumstances are, try to keep your estate agent informed.  Filter Your Search Results Simply refreshing the first page of Rightmove isn’t enough to guarantee that you’re seeing all of the properties out there. Instead, make full use of the filter functions and tailor your searches to ensure that you only see properties that meet your needs.  Check Portals Daily New properties are often snapped up quickly in a slow market, so you need to keep an eye on the latest listings. While we don’t expect you to sit at your laptop all day, a daily check will help ensure that you’re one of the first to know when a new property comes up for sale. Remember, here at Paul Stripp Estate Agency; we also offer off-market matching, so be sure to sign up to our email notifications list to be the first to know about new properties before they hit the market.  Post in Community Groups If you have your heart set on a specific area, then it doesn’t hurt to post a message to one of the local community groups. You never know, someone may be thinking of selling soon, and your message could be the motivator they need to put their house on the market.  Build a Relationship with Local Agents (Like us at Paul Stripp Estate Agency) Lastly, when things are tough, it helps to build a rapport with a couple of local estate agents. Let them know what you’re looking for and the budget you have, and they can then keep you in the back of their mind.  Now is the time to think out of the box, so don’t give up hope if the market is proving challenging. If you’d like to find out more about the services we offer at Paul Stripp Estate Agency, Battle, or would simply like to chat about whether now is a good time to buy, please get in touch. 

Here at Paul Stripp Estate Agent in Battle, East Sussex, we have regular conversations about ‘dream homes’, and for many people, owning a period home is the ultimate property ambition.  Whether you’re a fan of country cottages, rustic farmhouses, stately homes or Victorian terraces, there’s nothing quite like owning a piece of British heritage. However, a potential drawback with this kind of property purchase is that they often need a touch of TLC before they are ready for a modern lifestyle. Renovating a period property requires planning and a respectful approach to modernisation, so here is our guide to help you with your next project, whether that is in Battle, Sedlescombe, Ninfield, Catsfield, Etchingham, Robertsbridge, Brede, Crowhurst or other beautiful locations in East Sussex. Consult an Architect First  Before you make any changes to your property, you need to ensure that they don’t conflict with any planning restrictions. With a period property, it’s often best to consult an architect and/or a planning consultant as they will be able to advise you on the materials, costs, design and processes involved. While you can research the regulations yourself, engaging a professional will often save you money, time and stress in the long run.  Use the Property as Your Guide In our experience, the most successful renovations of period properties are those which take inspiration from the property itself. If the property is Victorian, for example, can you pay tribute to the period in your furnishings or décor? When you’re replacing windows and doors, they should be as energy-efficient and strong as possible, but consider choosing a more traditional style to maintain the external look of the property. Traditionally, windows had timber frames, but these can be costly and require a lot of maintenance, so you might want to opt for aluminium or composite frames with a timber effect finish. Keep As Many Existing Features as Possible When stripping away contemporary décor, you’ll likely expose some treasures beneath. You may find original features that have been forgotten, such as timbers, tiling, brickwork or boarded up fireplaces. You can use these original features while modernising other areas of the property to achieve a charming mix of the past and the present. Conversely, the renovation process is supposed to help mould the property to your lifestyle, so don’t feel you have to keep an original element of the home if it doesn’t work for you. If you find features that you don’t want to keep, you may be able to relocate them or use them as materials in another area. Wood, for example, could be used to create furniture. Maximise Natural Light Older properties tend to have lower roofs and smaller windows, limiting the natural light you enjoy. A great way to maximise the light in your home is to add new windows or even to add bi-fold doors. These doors can replace an entire wall with glass panels that fold back in a concertina fashion to remove the barrier between the inside and outside.  If you are adding new windows or bifold doors, you should also consider installing period style shutters. The shutters will not only look great with the rest of the property’s period features but will also make your home more private and provide an extra layer of protection against heat loss. Don’t Fall Foul of Common Mistakes  If you are a new homeowner wishing to renovate your first property, there are several common mistakes you’d be wise to avoid. These range from underestimating the cost of the work to expecting every aspect to run according to plan. Unfortunately, with any renovation task, unexpected issues will arise, and while you can’t prepare for all of them, you can help reduce their effect on your project. Here are a couple of other common mistakes to be aware of: Failing to get the correct planning permissions.  Tackling too much at once.  Failing to have a reserve budget. Focusing too heavily on aesthetics over practicality.  Forgetting to include the garden and exterior in your budget.   While renovating a period property most certainly has its challenges, it can also be extremely rewarding, both in terms of your enjoyment of the space and the resale value of your home. If you’re looking for a period project in the TN33 area, drop Paul Stripp Estate Agency a message and we'll help you find it. 

Let’s face it, while house hunting can be exciting, it’s also incredibly tedious – especially if you’ve got a long list of preferences and have your heart set on living in a specific area.  Below we’ve listed our top tips for finding your perfect property: 1. Go Beyond Pages 1 and 2 While the first few pages of portal websites tend to feature the latest properties, sometimes homes fall through the net. If a sale has fallen through and the property is relisted, it won’t always end up on the first page of sales results. To ensure you’re getting the full picture, you will need to go beyond pages one and two if you want to make sure you’ve seen everything for sale in your local area.  2. Don’t Rely Solely On Rightmove or Zoopla Whole Rightmove and Zoopla are both great portal websites, don’t forget to browse beyond the big four. A simple Google search of properties for sale in your chosen area will often bring up a number of lesser-known sales portals, which could be where your dream home is hiding. 3. Get Your Estate Agent to Hunt for You Here at Paul Stripp Estate Agency, besides selling your home, we can also actively help you to find your dream property. We have a database of buyers and sellers, many of whom aren’t on the public market. Simply let us know what you’re looking for, and we’ll use our network to see if there’s anything coming to the market that could be of interest to you.  4. Remember that Not All Sales are Public While the internet is a fabulous tool for estate agents, it’s important to remember that not all properties are marketed online. This is especially true for luxury properties whose owners may not want their sale to be public knowledge. Private sales are another reason why it’s always worthwhile speaking to your estate agent in case they know something the rest of the internet does not! 5. Make Use of Social Media Lastly, never underestimate the power of social media. Tell your local community what you’re looking for, and you never know; you may unlock some passive sellers. As your estate agent, Paul Stripp Estate Agency is also committed to making full use of social media, and we’ve found it very helpful in connecting buyers and sellers.  So there you have it! Our top five tips for finding your dream home. If you’d like to find out more about buying or selling in the Battle, Robertsbridge, Ninfield, Catsfield, or surrounding TN33 areas, then drop Paul Stripp Estate Agent, Battle, a message as we’d love to help.