Tag: Estate Agent

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Events…

events

Dominic Parravani of Durrants takes a look at what’s important in a confusing property market.

Asked what he thought would define his premiership, Prime Minister Harold McMillan famously replied, “Events, dear boy, events”.

It is much the same with the property market. Events largely control turnover and turnover affects prices – up or down.

There are major events like world wars and global pandemics and inconveniences like fuel and food shortages, interest rate hikes and cost of living rises. But it might surprise you to learn that the events which so often drive the property market are not global or even national: they are personal. They are births, deaths, beginning cohabitation or ending cohabitation, stage of life changes, ambition, career success and career failure. These everyday events create a need or desire to move on or move in.

They will always be with us no matter what is going on in the world or which government is in power. When a government – any government – dabbles in the property market, the result is usually a massive hangover once the policy party is over.

No, the market is best left to home buyers and sellers. Right now we seem to be in a state of zero gravity. We are floating between price rises and price drops, as the lack of property for sale is counteracted by the rising cost of living, garnished with some pretty momentous global news.

Put it this way; if you wait for global events to stabilise, you will wait a long time. It’s better to let your life direct you. That way everyone knows where they are.

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Durrants achieve approvals after Norfolk councils promise swift action on Nutrient Neutrality

nutrient-neutrality-3

The Durrants planning team are pleased to have recently secured numerous planning consents on sites outside the catchments but within the authorities affected by the recent Natural England update – see our previous article on this here.

In a recent update seminar held by representatives of the Norfolk authorities, which Durrants attended, assurances were made that a permanent solution would be found by February 2023, with further information and strategies introduced to try to free up development in the meantime. 

We were pleased to hear that staff from the councils shared developers’ frustrations with the sudden nature of the announcements, as well as what appears to be a sensible plan to find a solution. In the short term, this includes producing a more detailed map of the catchments to identify any areas within them where development could go ahead, as well as providing their own nutrient calculator to replace the flawed one published by Natural England.

It was particularly positive that the authorities are meeting regularly to ensure consistency across the county, as well as with authorities elsewhere in the country who have successfully grappled with the problem, such as Cornwall Council.

We have however seen some inconsistencies in the approach adopted by officers, which tend to centre on foul drainage and each authority’s view on septic tanks and treatment plants. Despite this, we have achieved approvals for developments involving new overnight accommodation (the trigger for nutrient neutrality) in South Norfolk and are working on others in Breckland, the Broads and Broadland authorities.

Overall, councils are working positively with us on applications outside the catchment, and we are providing the information needed to unlock decisions, with a slight delay to the original determination date (generally a few weeks). We are therefore up to speed on the nuances between authorities and would therefore encourage applicants to get in touch with the team to discuss their proposals.

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From concept to completion – Durrants Building Consultancy

durrants building consultancy

Durrants are renowned for providing expert advice when buying or selling your home, but we are also behind many successful new build and renovation projects managed by our expert team at Durrants Building Consultancy.

Whether you have plans for a barn conversion, minor residential development or larger scale projects on existing land, we can advise you on the whole process including site appraisals and planning through to architectural design.

Jasmine Philpott, Planner at Durrants Building Consultancy, believes our in-house experience and capabilities make us the obvious choice when looking for a company to work with on your next project. She says: “Our key advantage is that we have architects in-house working alongside the two planners on the team. We all look at drawings together to give a fully cohesive approach to a project.

“Alongside that, the experience available within the team of both the market and the local area is second to none. We have the capability to advise and manage anything from a single house extension to promoting a site for a large-scale housing development.”

Jonny Rankin, Principal Planner adds: “I’ve worked for, and with, local authorities across East Anglia and our decades of experience in that area gives us an excellent working knowledge, so we work with Planners and Conservation Officers to achieve successful outcomes for clients.”

The team has experience in working on as many as 50 new dwellings in a large development but Durrants also often works with private individuals who are potentially looking to sell an existing piece of land or who need advice on how to convert an outbuilding.

It is the variety of different projects that Jasmine says makes her role exciting. “It sounds a bit like a cliché, but you really are changing people’s lives. If a client has had a barn in their garden for years and didn’t know what to do with it and you’re able to get them planning permission, it’s quite life changing. They can decide to create a holiday home to rent out or sell it and use the money as they wish.”

The friendly team at Durrants Building Consultancy are always happy to discuss your plans and help you get your project off the ground. There is more information about our services here, but please get in touch with our Building Consultancy team to find out more on 01379 646603.

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Build Back Better

build back better

Dominic Parravani of Durrants gets ready for the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations and considers what we have and have not learnt over seventy years of the property market.

This weekend, we celebrate the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee. There will be parties in streets which didn’t exist when the Queen came to the throne and many that did.

In 1952 our major cities were still heavily pockmarked from second world war bombs that rained death and destruction – the type of destruction of life and property that the poor people of Ukraine experience today. Nothing, it seems, changes, just the location.

After the war, Britain had to rebuild, and the Queen saw, as many did, the giant strides made in terms of materials, technology and infrastructure that have come to play a vital part in where and how we live today. But, during the Queen’s reign, successive national and local governments have dismally failed properly to tackle housing. Today, there are too many under-insulated homes and too few new houses to satisfy demand. At a point in the property boom-and-bust cycle when interest rate rises and increasing energy and food costs might point to a softening in housing demand and, therefore, dampen property price increases, the lack of housing stock could instead sustain, at least, some upward momentum. Successive governments have also failed to address the national disgrace of our conveyancing system.

A recent political slogan is Build Back Better. We should build back better – better eco-friendly houses, especially on greenfield sites, and better and more social housing. Above all, we should build safer housing to prevent a horror like Grenfell Tower from happening again and fully compensate those leaseholders who are innocent in this scandal.

As we celebrate the seventy-year reign of a remarkable woman who could hardly have done better, we should also reflect on how we can learn from those years and determine to build better in future.

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Potential delays to planning applications in Norfolk following Nutrient Neutrality announcements

News Article Potential delays to planning applications

If your site falls within either of the catchments outlined on the maps below, brace yourself for a long wait for planning consent.

In March this year, Natural England suddenly announced that the Broads SAC (special area of conservation)/Ramsar site and the River Wensum SAC are in an unfavourable condition due to excessive nitrate and phosphate levels. Their announcement meant that any development proposals generating overnight accommodation within these catchments should not be decided unless it can be proven that the development will not impact on either of these sites. Unfortunately, this is currently impossible to do, as it relies on mitigation schemes which do not yet exist.

Any development that generates sewage will generate nitrates and phosphates, and this needs to be mitigated, either on-site through the creation of wetlands or woodlands, or off-site through large scale areas set aside for this purpose. As an example of on-site mitigation, a single dwelling could require around 2.5 acres of woodland or 0.05 acres of wetland to offset its nutrient impact. 

News Article Nutrient Neutrality announcements
News Article Nutrient Neutrality for inclusion
All authorities in Norfolk are affected, though only parts of them are in the catchments. Most of these authorities have put a hold on deciding any applications which generate overnight accommodation on sites within the catchments until they have found a solution.

Sites outside the catchment are not technically affected. However, so far the acceptance of this varies greatly between authorities. The general trend is that information is still being requested in order to prove the site does not ultimately drain into an affected area. This ranges from full drainage strategies, to communications from statutory bodies, all of which unfortunately is at the client’s cost, and comes with an extension of time on the application.

It’s important to remember that the measures only apply to development which gives rise to overnight accommodation – i.e. new dwellings, hotels, barn conversions. Agricultural development, business development and extensions which do not generate overnight accommodation are currently not affected.

Our message to clients within the catchment at this time would be to go ahead and submit your application, so that when a solution is eventually found, your application will be among the first to be decided (as there will be a backlog). And to those outside, be aware that there could be delays and potential additional cost in satisfying the local authority that your proposals are not captured by these changes.

The situation is continuously evolving, and the Planning team at Durrants are working with qualified professionals to find solutions and progress applications. We would encourage you to speak to us to discuss whether your proposals are affected, and how we can best pre-empt any issues. Details below.

Jasmine Philpott 
07710 674301
Jasmine.philpott@durrants.com

Jonny Rankin
07508 334889
jonny.rankin@durrants.com

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Top tips for selling your home

News Article Selling your home

August Atkinson, Residential Sales Manager at our Diss branch, has some top tips to help get your home into perfect condition for attracting a buyer.

When it comes to selling your home, first impressions really do count, because people often buy into a lifestyle as much as a property. They need to be able to envisage what it would look like if they were living there. Buyers often find this difficult, so here are my top tips to help make your home as appealing as possible to prospects.

Kerb appeal

Your house may be stunning inside, but the outside also needs to look cared for and well maintained. Sometimes you only get one chance to make a good first impression, and while you may be focusing on beautifying your indoors the exterior of your property is just as important. People often make a decision about whether or not they are interested in buying a property just from how it looks on the outside…before they even step over the threshold.

Working the room

Let rooms show their purpose. It should be clear what each area of your home is for, and that it ‘works’ – whatever its size. The use and function of some rooms in a house can become blurred over time; the living room becomes part office, the dining room becomes the kids’ play area and the spare bedroom might be used for storage.

Clean and clear

A home free of clutter feels more spacious, and if it’s clean too buyers will be assured it’s well cared for. A major declutter and clean will ensure your home looks, feels and smells its best for viewings. This applies outside too. Gardens are a big draw right now, so mow the lawn, weed the flowerbeds, cut back foliage and place a table and chairs on the patio. Buyers will be able to see the garden as a place to relax in, rather than a job to be tackled.

Sweet smell of success

Everyone is familiar with the cliche of baking bread or brewing coffee before a viewing, but pleasant odours can enhance the appeal of your property. Instead, try fresh flowers, candles or reed diffusers. Also, ensure any features that first attracted you to the property are visible.

Blank canvas

Viewers need to be able to imagine themselves living in your house, so depersonalise it as much as possible. You are setting a stage for them to project their own image of a ‘better life’ onto your home. If buyers think you live a good life in your house, they’ll think a good life awaits them there too! Buyers will fall in love with your house when they can imagine themselves living there, and make your house their home.

To contact August please call 01379 642233 or email August.Atkinson@durrants.com

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Durrants to fundraise for Diss Community First Responders at Carnival

diss first responders

Durrants will be raising money for Diss Community First Responders at this year’s Diss Carnival and Fun Day on Sunday 3rd July.

The team are all volunteers and the service performs vital work locally, assisting potential life threatening emergencies and stabilising patients in the vital minutes before the ambulance crew arrives and takes over the treatment. At a time when the ambulance service is busier than ever, they have undoubtedly saved many lives in our community.

We will be raising as much money as we can for them on our stand at the Carnival so we thank you in advance for your generosity.

As Carnival sponsors, Durrants are thrilled to support the event which organisers are promising will be a party to remember. We look forward to seeing you on our stand where you can meet members of our team and find out about all the services we provide from our Diss office. 

We’re counting down to 3rd July!

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Here be Dragons

Here be Dragons

Dominic Parravani of Durrants enjoys some spring sunshine and considers whether this is a good time to buy and sell property.

There was a time when spring was the perfect season to put one’s property on the market. There were charmingly simple reasons for this. In May the trees are newly in leaf and everything seems fresh, the days are warmer and longer, and buyers often like to move in by the summer holidays or before the start of a new school year. Yes, spring has always been a perfect time to enter the property market.

Nowadays however, although the above still hold true, there are many additional and sometimes less charming reasons to trigger a sale and purchase. So why could an owner benefit by selling this spring rather than later in the year?

Kyiv might be over 1300 miles from London, but what is going on there and the longer-term ramifications of the war with Russia mean the future is uncertain. Energy and food price rises mean we can’t predict the future cost of living, and escalating interest rates mean our mortgages will be higher, but by how much? The way we work is changing. Many employers are eager for workers to get back to the office, so the five-days-a-week work-from-home idyll isn’t as much a given as it was. Covid is still a worry.

So whichever way you cut it we are surrounded by uncertainty, and the property market like any other market hates uncertainty.

The only thing we do know is what is happening today. So, if you are sitting on the fence waiting for a sign, let this be the sign. You might not have anywhere to move to yet and, yes, currently there are few properties for sale. But that is because everyone else is sitting on the same fence. However, it’s incredible how things can open up once you have made the first move. One thing is certain though, nothing will ever open up unless you do make a move.

So, is spring 2022 an excellent time to sell? It is a brilliant time to sell. First, there are all the traditional reasons to sell at this time of year. But now we think this is probably the top of a bull market, and so do most other leading estate agents. Prices could fall back a little and there probably won’t be the buying frenzy we saw last year. There will be more property on the market with which to compete. If anything should get you off the fence it’s when all the selling stars are aligned – and they are now.

Old charts printed ‘Here be dragons’ in unexplored waters. In property if you want some certainty it’s often better not to chase dragons.

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Spring into action

spring into action

As we head into spring, Dominic Parravani of Durrants looks at what’s required to win the race to buy a home.

Markets are forever in flux. So our handling of markets must be flexible.

We can buy, hold or sell in the stock market depending on conditions. In a fruit and vegetable market we can buy the freshest produce early in the morning at the full price. Or we can purchase what no one else has bought at a cheaper rate in the late afternoon.

The property market is also in constant flux. There are occasions when there is a lot of stock and buyers have so much choice they can take their time and sometimes make low ball offers.

But we are not in that market now. In many areas around the UK it is quite the opposite. Figures show that generally there are twice as many buyers as there are properties to buy. This is hard enough for buyers. But, in hotspot areas, there are many more buyers per property – result, a feeding frenzy.

So forget a leisurely, late evening, glass-in-hand, browse through your preferred property portal. It is not going to help very much. Because by the time a property gets onto a portal nowadays, the early bird will have already caught its worm.

Serious buyers behave differently in this sort of market. They know they need to find a property before it ever reaches a portal. And the best way to do this is to get to know their local independent estate agent so they can be first in the queue for the pick of the properties.

You see the experienced local agents know their own market best. Years of working in their area mean they know local people and – crucially – often hear first when someone is about to make a move. Then they carefully match those who want to sell with those want to buy. Property portals don’t do that.

If you are serious about buying this spring, get to know your local, well-established estate agent. You will find their knowledge and experience provide the very best in buying advice. And if you are selling, their knowledge, experience – and list of buyer contacts – is vital in a hot market.

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Make sure you take a meter reading today

meter readings

Money experts are urging everyone to take and submit meter readings for electricity and gas today, 31st March, before energy price increases kick in.

The majority of households are on a standard tariff, which is subject to a price cap set by the regulator Ofgem.

The annual cost under the price cap is set to rise from April by almost £700, so experts say everyone, particularly those who pay by direct debit, should make a note of their consumption today and submit it online to their energy company so they and you have an accurate record of energy consumption.

Money saving expert Martin Lewis told viewers to his ITV show why people paying by direct debit should take gas and electricity readings now. 

He said: “That way you draw a line in the sand that says to your energy firm, I’ve only used this amount at the cheaper rate, don’t start charging me more on the higher rate and estimating I use some of it afterwards.”

Monthly direct debit amounts are calculated across the year in an effort to smooth out higher consumption over the winter months in comparison with lower use over the summer. Having accurate figures on consumption can help avoid companies over-estimating future usage which could inflate the amount paid each month.

If you’re having difficulties with energy costs or other bills, you are advised to speak to your energy company first to see if they can help. There are also other organisations who can offer free help and advice, including:

Citizens Advice – 0808 800 9060

National Debtline – 0808 808 4000

Step Change – 0800 138 1111

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Durrants to sponsor Diss Carnival 2022

Diss Carnival

Durrants are pleased to announce we will be sponsoring this year’s Diss Carnival and Fun Day taking place throughout the town on Sunday 3rd July.

The Carnival is back with a bang this year after an enforced break due to the Pandemic and we are happy to support the town’s comeback event which organisers are promising will be a party to remember.

The theme for the carnival is “The Great-Diss Showman” tying in with The Corn Hall’s Diss Elephants art project, which itself is inspired by the legend of Madame Abdella, one of two circus elephants said to have been buried under Fair Green.

Claire Keen, Diss Carnival Committee Chair, said: “We’ve decided that Diss needs something to look forward to, to celebrate and enjoy.  I can’t wait to see the town covered in bunting, the shop windows colourfully decorated, and, for me, the atmosphere in the town when the parade passes through is exhilarating.

“We’re hoping the parade and shop window displays will be bigger and better than ever for our comeback carnival and will include everything from circuses and funfairs to characters from the musical ‘The Greatest Showman”, helter skelter rides, dodgems, fortune tellers, clowns, strongmen and women, acrobats, lions, tigers and even dancing bears!”

As well as joining in the fun, Durrants will have a stand at the Carnival Fun Day where you can meet members of our team and find out about all the services we provide from our Diss office.  We hope to see you there on 3rd July!

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Introducing August Atkinson

August Atkinson

Durrants are pleased to welcome August Atkinson as Residential Sales Manager in our Diss branch.

August has 30 years of experience in estate agency and is already using her skills to match people with their dream homes.  She said: “I love houses, I love property.  I’ve grown up with it – my dad was always renovating something.  I got my passion from him and my mum and I’ve always worked in estate agency.”

Her greatest joy comes from occasionally surprising potential buyers looking for that next move.  “There’s nothing more satisfying than getting someone to look at something they’ve maybe not contemplated and then seeing them discover it’s the home for them.  When they say they’d have never looked at it unless I’d mentioned it is quite exciting.”

August expects the market to move more freely as we move into spring.  She said: “We are seeing a lot more activity at the moment with a lot of valuations coming to fruition.  But there are definitely still more purchasers then vendors out there, so we need more property.”

Managing property chains in the sales process is an area where August believes the experience of Durrants can really help.  “It’s about communication really.  If something hasn’t happened for a week, both parties still need to be updated.  We don’t just rely on solicitors to keep both the vendors and purchasers informed; we like to think we are proactive regarding the progression of a sale.”

August is looking forward to meeting prospective buyers and sellers over the coming months in her new role at Durrants.  “I think we really do care about our purchasers and vendors; we will do as much as we can to help,” she said.  “Durrants is the best firm I’ve ever worked for in my 30 years in estate agency.  There’s so much support, I’ve never been anywhere like it.”

To arrange a valuation of your home or a viewing of a property, please contact our Diss branch on 01379 642233 or email diss@durrants.com.