Belvoir Andover Shortlisted For ESTAs Award 2016

Belvoir Andover has been shortlisted in the biggest awards for estate & letting agents in the UK, known throughout the industry as The ESTAS.

Belvoir Andover has been recognised for its outstanding customer service to its clients by the largest and longest running award scheme in the UK residential property industry.

The ESTAS sponsored by Zoopla determines the best estate & letting agents in the UK through research carried out amongst customers who are asked a series of questions about the service they have received from their agent.  This year saw record entries making the competition the toughest yet and one of the biggest surveys in the UK property industry with just over 30,000 customers completing one of the online questionnaires.

Estate and letting agents have been shortlisted in 22 regions around the UK.  The regional and national winners will be announced at the 13^th annual ESTAS ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on 15^th April.  The awards will be presented by TV property expert Phil Spencer in front of 1,000 of the UK’s top property professionals, Spencer said “Any firm that enters The ESTAS has already sent a clear message that they are passionate about customer service so to make it on to the shortlist is a huge achievement in itself”.

Simon Brown, founder of the awards says “Its client feedback which determines who is shortlisted and ultimately who wins that makes The ESTAS so valuable.  We’ve introduced categories for conveyancers, mortgage brokers and developers so The ESTAS now recognises the best firms across the whole of residential property sector.”

Jon Notley, Chief Commercial Officer of headline sponsor Zoopla said, “This is our sixth year sponsoring The ESTAS and we are delighted to be once again supporting this key industry event. Customer feedback is essential to any organisation and it is fantastic to see the best in the industry being recognised for their efforts. Good luck to all those taking part and I look forward to meeting the winners on stage in April!”

Ann Osman - Property Manager for Belvoir Andover said “We’re absolutely delighted to have made it on to this year’s shortlist. We are passionate about the level of service we deliver to our clients and this proves all the hard work the team put in has paid off”.

The Awards are organised by The ESTAS Group Ltd.  www.theestas.com

For more information contact Simon Brown on 01892 610245 at The ESTAs or Greg Greatbatch 01264 366611 at Belvoir Andover

Our Festive Opening Hours 2015 / 2016

Our festive opening hours are:

23rd - Catch us if you can before we head off for team drinks, banter and gift giving at the local - time TBC
24th - Last chance to catch us before we head off at mid day to START our Christmas shopping (well Greg, anyway)
25th - Closed for Bucks Fizz, Christmas Dinner, The last EVER Downton Abbey (thank god!!), a few family arguments and potential indigestion.
26th - Closed for a replay of the Turkey (turkey a la sandwich), naps in front of the sofa and hitting the sales for a brave few.
27th & 28th – Closed for food poisoning recovery.
29th - Open with skeleton staff on hand to help in support and account management from 10 - 4, with added leftovers coming in too.
30th - Those skeletons are back, helping you out when you need them from 10 - 4. They'll probably try to offload leftover Quality Street on you.
31st - Before we get our glad rags on for New Years Eve the skeletons are here from 10 - 4 to pay our lovely landlords. Then dancing shoes on...
1st - Closed for sore head resting after New Years, cleaning up party poppers and sporadic online shopping.
2nd - Open for business between 9 - 4 with dietary plans in place - ready to tackle 2016 with gusto and make your property marketing amazing!
3rd – Closed for reflecting on the past year’s highlights and pondering what 2016 has in store
4th - Amazing property marketing continues as normal !

Choose Belvoir To Buy Or Sell Your Property

Buying and selling property is notoriously stressful – but we will be there to help make the process as smooth as possible for you.

We understand the pressures involved in selling your property. We hope we will provide you with useful information to help answer some of those burning questions and ease some of your worries such as finding out how much your property is worth.

How do I choose the right agent?

Selling and buying property can be an expensive and time consuming activity which relies heavily on excellent communication, good management and experienced professionals to help it go smoothly. The vast majority of people simply do not have the time or resources that are needed to sell a property on their own, which is where an estate agent comes in.

• An estate agent’s primary role is to facilitate the sale of your property as well as providing regular guidance and support through the more complicated and stressful stages of the transaction.
• They are responsible for the correct appraisal of your property, taking into account any issues that are affecting the market at that time.
• The agent will also take care of the Energy Performance Certificate for your property.
• They will be responsible for how your property is presented to the market and how widely it is promoted, including online presentation.
• They are responsible for attracting and carefully qualifying the right buyers. There is nothing worse than having the wrong buyer for your property; it can delay the transaction for months and even time and money.

Choosing the right estate agent is crucial for the successful sale of your property. However, selecting an estate agent can be an intimidating task, especially with so many to choose from.

A selection of Belvoir offices are now offering a sales service which means we can help with all aspects of buying and selling property.

Belvoir operate to strict codes of conduct and are members of the Property Ombudsman (which offers a redress scheme in case of any disputes). Qualifications and training are essential for the development and success of an Estate Agent.

“A good estate agent should be well informed, intelligent and interested in the motivations and needs of its clients”

Advertising

Your home means so much to you. You’ve spent time and money on making it the place you enjoy returning to at the end of the day; the place where you entertain friends, or maybe raised your family. We totally understand this and it is these details we use when starting to build the marketing plan for your property. We’ll pick out the details that we know will engage and connect with potential buyers. It could be a beautiful original fireplace, maybe you have a fabulous garden, or a stunning view from your bedroom window. These are the things that we will notice and ensure we use to market your property.  

Over 80% of property searches start online now, so getting your home on our market-leading website is a priority. We’ll make sure it is seen on all the other major property websites too, like Rightmove and Zoopla.

Our photography and exceptional approach to writing your property description will bring your property to life. There’s nothing quite like a charming brochure, packed with stunning photographs and carefully written copy to motivate a buyer.

Rely on us to attract the right viewers for your home  

We pride ourselves on having a mixture of the very latest marketing practices that each bring out all the best points of your home.

• Sale particulars with good quality photography
• Online marketing nationally with Belvoir.co.uk, Zoopla, Rightmove, PrimeLocation etc as well as social media websites – everywhere the buyer is going to look
• Window displays in our prominent offices
• Dedicated Smart Phone App

If you are looking to buy or sell a property, come to the leading Andover Estate Agent for award winning customer service.

Tel: 01264 366611 Email: sales@belvoirandover.com

The Brand New Andover Show 30th Aug

ANDOVER AND ANTON ROTARY CLUBS

        

        NEW ANDOVER SHOW, THRUXTON

BELVOIR, the Andover and Anton Rotary Clubs in Andover have got together to organise and present a fun day out for all the family. The event, that we hope will become a regular annual attraction, is being held at the Thruxton Motor Racing Circuit on Sunday 30^th August 2015.

Among the many attractions for all ages, there will be:

·         Live music during the day and a live rock concert in the evening.

·         John Wall and Son’s Fabulous Family Funfair.

·         A Vintage Car and Motorcycle display

·         A Racing and Supercar display.

·         Hot Rod and Mod’ed car displays.

·         A Vintage Steam traction engines and Tractors

·         Craft and Farmers Market.

·         Trade stands and displays by local businesses.

·         Vintage Helicopter display

·         Various Sport activities for the whole family to have a go at

Valley Leisure Village Fun Park featuring:

Children’s Activities

• Archery
• Rock & Roll
• Pillow Wars
• Sumo Suits
• Indoor Kayaking

Fitness/Strength Activities/Demonstrations

• Abs
• Tabata
• Armageddon
• Spinning
• Tug of War
• Archery

     Displays by the emergency services and armed forces.

·         Police car and crew with display

·         Fire Service display

·         Ambulance display

·         Music provided during the day on the stage

Evening Entertainment:

On stage first – ‘Reload’  followed by the tribute band, ‘Call Me Blondie’

Camping overnight - £10 per pitch

On the Race Track:

SOAP BOX DERBY

We are inviting local sports clubs, pubs, schools and colleges, businesses and youth groups to enter a soap box racer and take part in this multi class event.

CYCLE FOR PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH, as part of a nation wide effort by Rotary clubs across the country to raise £1,000,000 there will be cycling events on the famous Thruxton circuit for all the family, as well as for cycling clubs.

“DON’T FORGET TO BRING YOUR BIKES”

COST OF TICKETS

The price of tickets for this event is as follows:

Advance tickets:  £10 – Family of Four (2+2 under 16) Adult: £3 Child: £2.50.

These can be obtained from the Valley Leisure Centre, The Lights Theatre, Ben’s Quality Dry Cleaners and Crisp and Clean, Weyhill Road.

On the Gate:

Family of Four (2+2 under 16): £15 Adult: £5: Child: £3.

For further information, to book a stall, or to enter a team in any of the events, please email Mike Walton at walton-m1@sky.com  or telephone 07939 573825.  Or log on to: www.antonrotary.org.uk

Petition against BTL Mortgage Interest Tax Relief: (UK)

Further to our blog of 16th July regarding Chancellor George Osborne’s announcement on mortgage interest tax relief for buy-to-let homebuyers, there is an online petition for landlords to sign in order to raise a parliamentary debate asking that the planned restriction be reconsidered as it has unfair implications. 

This may be of interest to any BTL landlords you presently have their portfolio mortgaged and should they wish to have their voice heard we have added a link below to sign the online petition: https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/104880

If you need any further information on this, either read the expanded details of the upcoming changes here: Belvoir Property Blog or call us on 01264 366611

Landlords no longer able to offset all their mortgage interest?

The new conservative government have put changes in place that will effect all landlords that finance their portfolios.

Please find out more by visiting our Landlord blog by clicking here


Have a news story you would like to share? Please send copy to greg.greatbatch@belvoirandover..com

Tenants could lose their home if Labour win election

A million tenants could lose their rental properties as a result of Labour’s policies, predicts Belvoir 

Belvoir, one of the UK’s largest property management agencies, predicts that Labour’s pledge to introduce new anti-landlord rental policies could result in up to a million tenants losing their rental properties.

We are by no means a political business here at Belvoir, but when a blatant policy decision is set to effect the lettings industry is such a drastic way, we feel compelled to communicate it to our clients, tenants & friends to ensure they understand the implications of their voting actions. 

“I am shocked at Ed Miliband’s proposals and his decision to ignore industry experts who have issued dire warnings about the unprecedented suffering that his party’s policies are likely to cause to tenants,” says Phil Pinkney, Belvoir Andover Director.
 

“Under a Labour Government, landlords will be forced to commit to three-year tenancies and banned from raising rents above inflation. You don’t have to be a mathematician or property expert to work out how deeply flawed these policies are.
 

“There are currently eleven million people renting property in the UK, which amounts to about 20% of the population and includes 1.5 million families with children. There are around four million rental properties available and if just 10-15% of landlords decide to withdraw from the rental market because they are uncomfortable with Labour’s proposals and feel unable to manage their risks – particularly when mortgage rates rise - these homes will no longer be available. 

“I would like to know where Ed Miliband suggests these tenants should live? These tenants will either become homeless or face the appalling consequences of having to move in with family and friends on a long-term basis. 

“Looking at housing proposals for new builds from all the main parties, the most that any party has pledged is 300,000 properties in the next five years and clearly this figure will not even begin to satisfy current demand, which is the reason that we’re facing a housing shortage. 

“We should not forget that it was the Labour Government’s incompetence that contributed to the financial crisis of 2007 and 2008, which resulted in a credit crunch that has left millions of people unable to obtain mortgages or save for a deposit to buy their own home. It is therefore very shortsighted and totally irresponsible of Labour to introduce policies that will drastically reduce the number of available rental properties. 

“Landlords are very tired of being made to look like criminals who are constantly looking to rip off tenants and provide low quality housing. In our experience, 99.9% of landlords are decent people that provide decent housing for tenants on a long-term basis. Belvoir’s rental index confirms that in most parts of the country there has not been the major rental increases that Ed Miliband speaks of. However, if we look back over the past five to ten years and apply Labour’s proposed inflation rule for rental increases to many parts of the UK then tenants would indeed be paying much higher rents than they are today.  

“Labour’s proposals are full of loopholes and have clearly not been thought through, but merely put forward as a way to attract votes. One thing is certain - Labour’s policies will not raise standards or increase tenant security. They are likely to cause a housing crisis that will result in millions of people left with nowhere to call home.”

If you too feel strongly about the above, make sure you vote with your feet and get to a polling station near you and vote against a Labour government.