As a new week begins it is always exciting to have new properties to rent and to buy. Three new properties have been launched today.
Available to let is an immaculately presented 2 bedroom cottage in the heart of the Test Valley village of Goodworth Clatford, near Andover. This modern detached property is finished to an extremely high standard with top quality fixtures and fittings throughout and offers bright, spacious and flexible accommodation. It is set within the grounds of the main house and has its own plot with a large private terrace and garden to the rear and good access to local walks.
Available for sale is a unique and stylish 3 bedroom semi-detached cottage situated in Buriton in The South Downs National Park. This attractive home was constructed using a blend of traditional methods and has been designed for modern, low maintenance living making it the ideal property for busy professionals, second homers or downsizers. The accommodation is well presented throughout with contemporary styling and includes on the ground floor an integrated garage, which could be converted to provide additional living space if required (STPP). The first floor provides the ideal entertainment space with the dining room open to the living room which has doors to a private balcony/terrace. There is a well fitted kitchen with range cooker and staircase to the second floor where there are two further double bedrooms and a bathroom.
Available to let in Privett is a 2 bedroom semi detached cottage with a small pretty annexe/home office. The cottage has a spacious open plan living area with wood burning stove and a well fitted kitchen with a range of units incorporating an inset induction hob and double electric oven. The pretty one room vaulted barn annexe has underfloor heating, wifi hub and water supply making it ideal as a home office or for additional accommodation. There is a good sized garden and a single garage with light and power. The cottage is situated on a farmstead with outlooks over open countryside.
For full details on these and other properties available please call 02392 632275 or see www.countryhousecompany.co.uk
The Greening Campaign, a national campaign started in Petersfield, Hampshire, was designed and established to give communities the tools to be more sustainable in the face of climate change. It is about communities and landscape and Sue Crossley; Founding Partner of The Country House Company, is heading the Greening Campaign in Hambledon.
As the campaign headline states,
If we each make small changes to be greener and cleaner, those changes will add up to make a healthy, richer happier future.
The Greening Campaign provides the structure, resources and guidance to help individual towns and villages join together and work as a community to engage in helping the Climate Crisis.
Working with Winchester Ccity Council and Hampshire County Council, Sue and her team have bought the community of Hambledon together in order to;
• Identify 5 significant changes that households can make to their lifestyle.
• To work as a community to protect the local environment.
• Make a vision for a sustainable community working on sections such as carbon reduction, communication, retrofit, saving water.
• Provide ecology packs that will help to evaluate the risks climate change will bring to the community.
The positive and enthusiastic response from the village to Sue’s initiative to join Hambledon in the Greening Campaign has been hugely encouraging. As Sue said:
“We are all aware that while the immediate crisis of the pandemic dominates our lives the greater crisis of climate change must be addressed and I am delighted that Hambledon has joined with such enthusiasm. The Country House Company will be supporting this brilliant initiative, working with the local and regional community.”
Further details on The Greening Campaign can be found at www.greening-campaign.org
The Greening Campaign, a national campaign started in Petersfield, Hampshire, was designed and established to give communities the tools to be more sustainable in the face of climate change. It is about communities and landscape and Sue Crossley; Founding Partner of The Country House Company, is heading the Greening Campaign in Hambledon.
As the campaign headline states,
If we each make small changes to be greener and cleaner, those changes will add up to make a healthy, richer happier future.
The Greening Campaign provides the structure, resources and guidance to help individual towns and villages join together and work as a community to engage in helping the Climate Crisis.
Winchester City Council, working with Hampshire Country Council, Sue and her team, have bought the community of Hambledon together in order to;
• Identify 5 significant changes that households can make to their lifestyle.
• To work as a community to protect the local environment.
• Make a vision for a sustainable community working on sections such as carbon reduction, communication, retrofit, saving water.
• Provide ecology packs that will help to evaluate the risks climate change will bring to the community.
The positive and enthusiastic response from the village to Sue’s initiative to join Hambledon in the Greening Campaign has been hugely encouraging. As Sue said:
“We are all aware that while the immediate crisis of the pandemic dominates our lives the greater crisis of climate change must be addressed and I am delighted that Hambledon has joined with such enthusiasm. The Country House Company will be supporting this brilliant initiative, working with the local and regional community.”
Further details on The Greening Campaign can be found at www.greening-campaign.org
We have a family looking to rent a family home in the Stockbridge, Houghton area, ideally not far from Farleigh school. Making plans and moving forward with optimism for the future should be encouraged. The Government has emphasized the importance of the property industry for the economy by making it one of the first sectors they opened after the lockdown of spring 2020 and in this current lockdown the property industry, along with removals, surveyors, builders and other associated industries, has remained open. This has enabled families and individuals to go ahead with plans to move areas, change jobs, build extensions and even buy plots and build houses. Plans can be put into action.
The demand for country homes in Hampshire and West Sussex remains high. Families are still looking to move to be close to schools, and the emphasis on the benefits of rural life with access to London which caused the exodus to the countryside last year is keeping the demand for country houses high as we start this year.
So if you are considering moving forward with your plans and looking to rent or sell your property then please do contact either Kate Morton, Head of Lettings or Kate Porter Head of Sales, 02392 632275.
There has been much coverage in the press recently on the pros and cons of extending the holiday on property tax. The National Association of Estate Agents, (NAEA) have recently launched a campaign to extend the holiday on property tax and we are fully supportive of this campaign.
The property market dramatically impacts on many sectors including lenders, removal companies, storage providers, plumbers, decorators, landscapers, builders, architects, surveyors, interior designers, and furniture retailers, to name but a few. The NAEA Propertymark have stated, that since the introduction of the cut to Stamp Duty/Land Transaction Tax/Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, the housing market has shown substantially increased activity and this will have been reflected in a boost to income and the economy.
The importance of the property industry as a whole was clearly acknowledged by the government in authorising the reopening of the property sector ahead of others. To further encourage and reinforce the importance of the property market, the government instigated the campaign to #keepthecountrymoving, which we have been actively involved with. We focused our marketing on the benefits of moving to the country and to the South in particular, with its excellent commuting links combined with glorious rural life. For the enthusiasm to move to be dampened by the government would undo so much of what has been achieved under such difficult circumstances.
Therefore, we will continue in our support of the NAEA Propertymark.
An article in the Sunday Times yesterday highlighted The Meon Valley as a perfect location to live in. The article stated that ‘With chalk streams, rolling open countryside, thatched cottages, country pubs, ancient churches, lavender farms, vineyards and wineries, not to mention Hambledon, ‘the cradle of cricket’, this is vintage English countryside.’
We are well aware of the delights and practicalities of living in this area but it is clearly recognised as such by a much wider audience. Towards the end of 2020 we were still letting and selling houses within days of them coming to the market and in a world where the future still appears to be uncertain one thing is constant, the demand for properties in the South.
Before the Covid pandemic dominated our lives, there was already a growing trend for a more rural lifestyle. Advances in technology had made communications and working from home easy. The constant improvements to road, rail and air networks had made commuting to the cities easier when necessary. Plus, there had been for some time growing publicity on the importance of fresh air, exercise, home work life balance and a healthy lifestyle.
The South offers the perfect destination with its stunning countryside, expansive coast line and proximity to London and mainland Europe and as our lives have become influenced by the pandemic so all the reasons to move to a rural location have been reinforced.
The exodus from the cities is likely to continue into 2021 and with popular media promoting the area, now could be the perfect time to ensure the asset that your property represents, either as a sales or rental opportunity, is fully achieved.
To discuss this potential, contact either Kate Porter, Head of sales or Kate Morton, Head of Lettings on 02392 632275
For sale through The Country House Company; an elegant 5 bedroom village house which has been extensively refurbished by the current owners to a high specification providing stunning and versatile accommodation arranged over four floors.
A contemporary open plan kitchen/dining/family room, with part vaulted ceiling and two sets of glazed patio doors to the garden, is ideal for entertaining. It is a spacious, light room with high specification fixtures and fittings throughout, including bespoke fitted kitchen with crafted wooden units, under floor heating, marble flooring and electric Aga.
Also on the ground floor is the sitting room with wooden flooring and log burning stove and a large study area which could serve as a formal dining room if preferred. Steps descend from the kitchen to the playroom and to the cellar and rise to a bathroom, separate cloakroom and on to the additional floors.
On the first floor is the principal bedroom with elegant en suite bathroom, including free standing bath and double shower There are two further double bedrooms on this floor with two attic bedrooms and a cloakroom and loft on the second floor.
Accessed externally is the self-contained studio, which benefits from open plan living space, kitchenette and shower room. In addition, it has a separate phone line making it ideal as a home/office, annexe, or potentially air B&B or holiday let (subject to any planning permissions required).
The garden is a lovely feature of the property and is extremely private with lawn bordered by mature shrub beds/borders, raised vegetable beds and attractive sun terraces.
Detached and positioned at the end of the garden is the double garage with parking to the front and electric doors. There is an electric car charging point and additional store to the rear.
The property is ideally positioned in the center of East Meon which offers a thriving community with two public houses, a local store, school, church and active village hall.
For full details please contact Kate Porter, Head of Sales, on 023 633026 or see www.countryhousecompany.co.uk
ARLA PropertyMark, our governing body, has confirmed and clarified the government’s most recent announcement that estate and lettings agents and removal firms can continue to work during the current lockdown in England.
Property viewings are still allowed to take place as long as the COVID-19 safety guidance is followed. The Country House Company has been following the safety guidance since the initial lockdown in March 2020 and has procedures in place to ensure the safety of our clients and team members, along with the smooth running of the business.
For full details on the safety procedures, we have in place please click here www.countryhousecompany.co.uk/
Full details on the regulations applicable to property agents can be found on the ARLA PropertyMark website https://www.arla.co.uk/news/january-2021/the-housing-market-can-continue-during-lockdown-in-england/
After booming in early 2020, the UK property market was severely affected by COVID-19’s first wave.
Aside from concerns over steep recessions and job losses, strict lockdown made it almost impossible for people to physically view properties, carry out property surveys and complete transactions. Many sales were delayed or collapsed entirely.
Announced in July 2020, the Government’s stamp duty ‘holiday’ was intended as a major boost to the UK’s property market.
The holiday appears to have worked, triggering a surge in transactions. However, significant delays occurred almost immediately. Many parties, including solicitors, lenders, surveyors and local authorities have struggled to cope with the ever-growing backlog, with staff working from home or in socially-distanced environments with reduced office support.
How does the stamp duty relief work?
Prior to the announcement of the cut in Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) rates in July 2020, any property purchase above £150,000 incurred stamp duty, unless the purchaser was a first-time buyer.
SDLT rates were calculated on a sliding scale, with a 0% rate payable up to £125k, 2% between £125k and £250k, 5% between £250k and £925k, 10% between £925k and £1.5m and 12% above £1.5 million.
Under the new SDLT ‘holiday’ rate, there is no stamp duty to pay whatsoever for properties sold for £500,000 or less. For properties over the £500k threshold, the rate remains as before, but the holiday still represents a saving of £15,000.
Higher rates still apply for owners of more than one property, unless they are replacing their ‘main residence’.
When will the stamp duty holiday end?
At the time of writing, the Chancellor’s SDLT relief is set to end on 31st March 2021. This means that the standard (pre-holiday) rate of Stamp Duty Land Tax will be due on transactions that do not complete before 1st April 2021.
The current SDLT threshold of £500,000 will drop back to £125,000. This means the buyer of a £500,000 property must find an additional £15,000 to fund their transaction. The threshold will remain at £500,000 for first-time buyers.
Despite growing pressure from professional bodies like Propertymark, Chancellor Sunak has denied requests for the deadline to be extended.
Running out of time
The property market is currently experiencing an unprecedented volume of transactions, as home movers who have delayed their transaction due to Brexit-related uncertainty and lockdowns flood the market before the stamp duty holiday ends.
At the same time, many property professionals are running at reduced capacity. Support staff at solicitors’ firms and local authorities have been furloughed or let go. Many staff are working from home in sub-optimal conditions. The aftermath of the first lockdown triggered a surge in requests (including for property searches, leasehold managing agents’ packs, surveys and mortgage applications) that the industry is yet to recover from.
Many transactions are now taking much longer than ‘normal’ to complete, with delays possible from multiple sources. Fortunately, there are still several tricks that sellers and buyers can apply to sidestep some delays, minimise the effect of others, and keep their transaction moving forwards.
Advice for buyers
Instruct a solicitor. Buyers often wait until they find a property and have their offer accepted before instructing a solicitor. There is no reason to do this. By instructing a solicitor early, you can get the initial paperwork, like ID verification, out of the way. If you also have an agreement in principle (AIP) from a mortgage lender, you can check that your chosen solicitor can act for your lender.
Order the searches and survey ASAP. Once your offer is accepted, you should ask your solicitor to order property searches immediately. Search backlogs, particularly for local authority searches, are causing serious delays, and these delays are likely to worsen as the March deadline approaches. The recent second lockdown has also made life difficult for surveyors and it may take weeks to book a survey.
Follow up and ask for updates. Whenever you reply to a question or request, if you don’t receive confirmation, you should check that your reply has been read, and that your response is sufficient. Many conveyancing firms are juggling a very high caseload in difficult circumstances, and there is the potential for an email or callback request to be missed.
Advice for sellers
Instruct a solicitor early. Much of the conveyancing work on the sale side (such as filling out property information forms and preparing the draft contract) can be carried out even before a buyer is found. There is no reason not to instruct your solicitor as soon as possible, complete the TA forms and get the draft contract prepared ASAP. If you are selling a leasehold property, you should also ask your solicitor to source the managing agents information. This paperwork can often take weeks to obtain.
Above article written by Chris Salmon of www.quittance.co.uk