The Country House Company has been appointed to sell this single storey home in the centre of the highly sought after village of Hambledon. 5 Walnut Tree Cottages offers a vaulted sitting/dining room, open plan kitchen which also has a vaulted ceiling, 2 bedrooms, light bathroom and outside a patio garden, open fronted garage and further parking space. The guide price is £299,500.
5 is particularly unique because of its central village location, peaceful setting, single storey accommodation and being almost entirely detached. These attributes rarely come together and at this price point. The vaulted sitting room is striking and there are some attractive beams here too. The kitchen, which is open plan, interacts really well with the sitting room and accordingly makes for a very sociable space. A skylight in the bathroom makes this room very light. The main bedroom is generously proportioned and the second could either be a single bedroom or home office to suit.
There is a patio garden with raised bed which is wonderfully secluded and an open fronted garage which is rare for a property of this profile. There is space to park a further car in the courtyard. There are two storage shed areas enabling one to store a significant amount of items.
Hambledon is highly regarded and picturesque with a shop moments from the property, together with a pub, primary school and further shop at the other end of the village. The surrounding undulating countryside provides numerous recreational opportunities including walking, cycling and riding.
For a viewing please call Patrick on 02392 632275.
The Country House Company has been appointed to sell this delightful cottage in the centre of the highly sought after village of Buriton. 25 offers 2 bedrooms, large bathroom and a home office/occasional bedroom upstairs and a charming sitting room, generous kitchen/dining room and cloakroom downstairs. This Grade II listed cottage enjoys a good deal of natural light and no restricted ceiling heights other than on the top floor in the home office. The guide price is £450,000.
25 is full of character with many period features and some skilfully incorporated more contemporary touches such as the striking bathroom with a separate shower. The kitchen/dining room has an excellent ceiling height, attractive beams and versatile space for dining/sitting. The west facing, mainly lawn garden is reached from this room. The two bedrooms are both generously proportioned double rooms and one overlooks the garden. The bathroom is unusually large with bath and separate shower. There is a further staircase from the first floor landing that leads to an attic style, home office room which also has some beams and a conservation roof light.
Almost opposite the cottage is a detached tandem double garage with enough space for a workshop if required. This is a rare feature for Buriton.
Buriton is highly regarded and very picturesque with a large pond, historic church and undulating countryside surrounding it which provides numerous recreational opportunities including walking, cycling and riding. A primary school is also well regarded and very popular and although not to be quoted in the same sentence perhaps, two pubs!
For a viewing please call Patrick on 02392 632275.
Housing is becoming the most discussed sector. We are aware of the need for more housing but The Chancellor is apparently keen to direct wealth away from speculative residential property investment and into other sectors of the economy (still further!) thereby enabling greater choice for first time buyers looking for their first home. Interestingly the statistic being banded around is that since 2005, 195,000 new and second hand homes have been sold to investors to rent out…and only 165,000 have been built! This is clearly a government push away from ‘Generation Rent’ to ‘Generation Own’. An additional tax levied on landlords on capital gain or on rental income for these second homes might be the vehicle used but surely this is warfare on landlords and a step too far? As has been countered, the largest encumbrance for first time buyers is the deposit required on their first purchase…tens of thousands of pounds and so again, the most obvious assistance would be to offer a stamp duty holiday or cut for these home buyers. We have lobbied our MP on this but also a stamp duty concession for downsizers as that sector isn’t moving either. We understand that by doing this for downsizers alone, 27% more transactions would be released up and down the market and accordingly significant monies, including stamp duty in the middle, into The Exchequer.
Patrick Glynn-Jones
Having operated out of the Meon Valley for over 20 years The Country House Company is well aware of its stunning countryside, glorious walks and rich array of wildlife. We were therefore delighted to hear that The Wildlife Trust has acquired St Clair’s Meadow in Soberton a nature reserve in the heart of the Meon Valley, so offering further protection to this much loved site.
St Clair’s Meadow, which covers around 16 hectares, is located within the Forest of Bere and the South Downs National Park and contains a stretch of the River Meon, one of Hampshire’s internationally important chalk rivers.
Deborah Tann, Chief Executive of Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust, said: “We are absolutely delighted that we have been able to secure this wonderful site as a nature reserve. St Clair’s Meadow is a fantastic example of an historic water meadow, with a stretch of the incredible Meon chalk stream running through it. This is an exceptional habitat for wildlife that has been said to be as internationally important as the rainforests or Great Barrier Reef.
St Clair’s is already home to a rich array of wildlife, such as kingfisher, water vole and a large number of butterflies and dragonflies. We know that this meadow is also much loved by the local community and we are so grateful for their support and the support from Biffa Award that allowed us to acquire this land. We very much look forward to working with local residents in the months and years to come, to look after and enhance this new nature reserve so that it becomes a real haven for both wildlife and people to enjoy.”
For full details on properties for sale and to rent in and around The Meon Valley please contact Patrick Glynn Jones, Head of Sales or Kate Morton, Head of Lettings on 02392 632 275
A marketing campaign that effectively increases public awareness of safety issues should be applauded. At this time of the year we are used to seeing warnings about Firework danger so the innovative Halloween themed carbon monoxide awareness campaign, targeted at students, launched this weekend has been brilliantly timed and hopefully will have an impact.
Gas Safe has launched a short video called ‘The Silent Killer’ which is designed to look like a trailer for the latest horror movie. They entice the audience in, going on to reveal who the silent killer is and what the signs of carbon monoxide poisoning are.
It’s an intriguing watch, click here to view the video; it is worth sharing to raise awareness.
Marishelle Gibson
Legislation may be the bane of everyone’s lives but it is vital whatever business you are in that you are informed of the latest relevant legislation. So for all our landlords, please be aware:
With effect from 1st April 2018 properties with an EPC rating of less than ‘E’ will not be able to be let out.
This applies to new tenancies, renewed tenancies and new statutory periodic tenancies. This requirement will be extended to include all existing tenancies with effect from 1st April 2020.
Landlords only have to carry out work that is sufficient to bring it to the minimum rating of ‘E’. Various types of property are exempt – such as bed-sits or individual rooms being let within a larger building. Some listed buildings are exempt but not in all cases. Even if the property is not exempt the landlord could be eligible for an exemption on various grounds, which include where the tenant refuses access and where cost effective work has been carried out but the property is still rated below ‘E’.
All exemptions have to be noted to the Government operated PRS Exemption Register. The exemption lasts for 5 years at which point the landlord will need to re-apply and the situation will be reviewed.
The work should not effectively cost the landlord anything as they can apply under the newly resurrected Green Deal, or funding from the Energy Company Obligation or local authority grants.
We will be posting more information as it comes in and contacting individual landlords who may be affected by this. Please bear in mind you can call any member of the team here at The Country House Company if you wish to discuss any aspect of recent lettings legislation.
It maybe the bane of our lives but it is important.
Marishelle Butler
Looking for a cosy retreat from the autumn weather? Then either this pretty annex in Ramsdean or studio barn conversion in Hambledon, both available now, could be ideal.
The annex has been converted from stables and a hay barn and is situated in the grounds of the neighbouring farmhouse. The accommodation comprises of a ground floor studio with doors opening to a courtyard garden. The two double bedrooms and shower plus WC are also on the ground floor.
On the first floor there is an open plan living area, with kitchen, dining and sitting areas and opens to a south facing balcony overlooking the patio and main house garden and has wonderful views to Butser Hill. The annex has electric heating and double glazing and parking for two cars in the adjacent yard.
Also in the grounds of the main house, the barn has been converted to provide convenient and tasteful studio accommodation. An entrance hall leads to a spacious, galleried reception area with high ceilings and triple aspect double glazed windows. A door from the reception area opens out to the patio and a shared garden beyond. The well fitted kitchen has a breakfast bar, fridge freezer, electric oven and hob and dishwasher. There is also a modern bathroom with shower on the ground floor.
A staircase with low lighters leads to a double bedroom on the mezzanine floor overlooking the reception room, with fitted blinds, ample inbuilt storage and a generous walk in wardrobe.
Externally the studio is surrounded by very attractive gardens, maintained by a gardener and which can be used as directed by the landlord. There is access to walking in the adjacent fields, parking for two cars and use of a laundry room with washing machine and dryer.
Both properties are available to rent now. Please call Kate or Emilie on 023 92 632275 for full details.
The Butterfly Effect; ‘small causes can have larger effects’ is in fairness more often applied to science and weather than the property market yet it is interesting how a simple seemingly unrelated change can have an effect.
West Sussex, as all counties, has its traffic congestion hot points and the Chichester bypass is notorious, particularly in the summer, with all the traffic pouring to the Witterings and neighbouring coastline. With the rise of ‘staycation’ the Witterings have become increasingly popular during the school holidays, often causing traffic to come to a standstill. Now a new bypass is in planning and although at an estimated cost of £250 million, relieving the congestion with a bypass would open up a string of villages. There are many road improvement schemes underway continually opening hard to reach pockets of the rural South, and as car travel is still the key driver of economic growth in many areas, property values rise.
The second homes market would also benefit from the alleviating of the traffic misery on the route from London to the South Coast, as the sailing enthusiasts battle their way down to all the popular coastal villages and marinas.
So the rise in the popularity of staycation along with easing the traffic routes to make these delightful rural and coastal spots more appealing is positive for the property market; for us a positive Butterfly Effect.
Marishelle Gibson
Amidst all the publicity surrounding Theresa May’s speech at the Conservative Party Conference it was heartening to hear good news for the industry. The Communities Secretary, Sajid Javid MP used his speech at the conference to announce plans to introduce mandatory regulation for letting agents in England.
These measures follow 20 years of ARLA Propertymark campaigning for mandatory regulation and will, according to ARLA Propertymark, be the single greatest step forward in a generation for consumer protection within the private rented sector. Regulation offers to do more to clean up the image of the industry than the hundreds of smaller laws and pieces of legislation passed over the last two decades.
Here at The Country House Company we are active members of ARLA Propertymark and very supportive of the campaign for mandatory regulation. We consider it essential for the protection of landlords, tenants and those professional letting agents who take pride in providing a regulated service.
David Cox, Chief Executive, ARLA Propertymark commented that “We have seen regulation take different forms in different parts of the UK. It is essential that regulation reflects the commitment to higher standards embodied by the thousands of letting agents who have chosen voluntary regulation through membership of a professional body and in doing so have demonstrated the value of higher standards.”
A positive to focus on from the Conservative Party Conference!
Marishelle Butler