October is no longer a symphony of permanence and change
Emmerson Dutton, one of the Partners based in Bury St Edmunds, reflects upon the year to date and wonders what the future holds for the property market. The Stamp Duty holiday is now over and it has been an extraordinary period for the housing market, with exceptional demand met by a good supply of houses in post-lockdown 2020 and exceptional …
Remember September!
A sense of normality has returned as the children go back to school after the long summer break. Whilst the market remains very strong, one cannot help believe that a sector of the market was hampered during the summer by childcare challenges or simply because they enjoyed a well-earned break somewhere in the UK. Now that we are in September, …
FULL-TIME OFFICE ASSISTANT REQUIRED – BURNHAM MARKET
Our Burnham Market office is looking for a full-time office assistant. Computer literacy, a pleasant telephone manner and excellent organisational skills are required, as is the ability to work efficiently within a small team. Please send a CV and covering letter to Bedfords, The Bower House, 25 Market Place, Burnham Market PE31 8HF or via email to bmkt@bedfords.co.uk
Hidden Gardens of Bury
We are proud to once again be sponsors for the Hidden Gardens event. Bury St Edmunds has many fine and historic buildings, but Hidden Gardens gives people the chance to discover the secret patios, lawns, borders, vegetable gardens, greenhouses and other features behind their facades and high walls. All the gardens are in the town centre and within walking distance …
ONWARDS AND UPWARDS
Ben Marchbank looks to a genius to make some sense of a property market, the like of which we haven’t seen since the 1980s. What Isaac Newton, who formulated the laws of gravity in the middle of the 17th century, would have made of the current gravity-defying property market is anyone’s guess. But no doubt, like most people, he would …
Spring…a surprise!
The daffodils are standing tall, the clocks have gone forward, lambs are gamboling playfully in the fields and the Easter Bunny is eagerly anticipated across the land. It is fair to say that spring has sprung! But one traditional seasonal event has failed to come to pass this year; the Easter Parade of new instructions at which spring buyers keenly …
“Winter Is Coming” or “Now Is the Winter of Our Discontent?”
In advance of the Budget, there has been much speculation as to what measures the Chancellor might introduce and of course, our concern has been how they might impact the housing market. The speculation has largely occupied two schools of thought; those who thought that further positive measures might be announced before, inevitably, tax rises are implemented (the ‘Winter Is …
SUPPLY AND DEMAND
First and foremost, may we wish you all well as you juggle with the demands of this latest lockdown. Whether you are a front-line worker, a work-from-homer, a home-schooler, a self-isolator or a shielder, congratulations on having endured January – now we can look forward to February supplying the first snowdrops! Since the start of this latest lockdown, we have …
Happy New Lockdown…
It was announced just after 8pm on Monday 4th January 2021 and coincided with the unexpected and sudden end to ‘Dry January’. A new national lockdown for England has been imposed to lessen the spread of the new variant of coronavirus. Our first thought, of course, was how will this impact the property market? Thankfully, the government has made it …
A look into Bedfords’ crystal ball
It is that time of year again, when we blow the dust off Bedfords’ crystal ball to see what it foretells of the coming year. I should probably confess now that much to our subsequent disappointment, last January our crystal ball failed to predict the imminent pandemic, the resultant lockdown or the resurgent boom market that followed. But on the …
OUR CHRISTMAS OPENING HOURS
As the year comes to a close, we are already thinking ahead to January and preparing properties to put on the market in order to satisfy the continued interest from outside of the region. Since last June, an overwhelming number of buyers have registered with us, hoping to live in the peaceful villages and towns of Suffolk and Norfolk, and …
LOCKDOWN II – WHAT DOES IT MEAN FOR THE PROPERTY MARKET?
We now have clarity on the extent to which the new lockdown will further restrict the housing market and limit the way we operate – and to all intents and purposes, thankfully it won’t. We will still be here in our offices or WFH helping clients and customers with their home moves, albeit whilst we remain open for business, our …
Flying off the shelves
As we head for autumn and further Covid restrictions, Michael Bedford of Bedfords assesses the state of the property market. So many people are asking us about the property market at the moment. To provide some perspective, we often answer the question with a question. We ask, “Do you remember back in March, how loo rolls became difficult to find as …
A BOOM MARKET?
Since May demand for good quality houses in Norfolk and Suffolk has been exceptionally strong; no doubt people have been reassessing their lives in larger towns and cities and our quieter way of life looks more attractive and safer. This coupled with a low supply of property coming to the market has caused the market to rally to a greater …
Stamp Duty Holiday…
The Chancellor has just announced a temporary Stamp Duty holiday on the first £500,000 of all property sales in England and Wales which will last until March 2021 (although, to be clear, the 3% surcharge on the acquisition of additional homes will continue to be levied against the entire purchase price). Undoubtedly, this should stimulate activity in what already has …
BACK IN BUSINESS – ONE MONTH ON
I suspect that anyone involved in the property market was somewhat surprised to hear on the evening of May 12 that the market would be allowed to resume trading the following day. I certainly was! For me personally, it heralded a spell of frenetic activity as my mobile rang and pinged with a succession of new enquiries from sellers and …
Business…but not as usual
The Government have now detailed how the property market can resume. As part of the Health Protection (Coronavirus, Restrictions) (England) (Amendment) (No.2) Regulations 2020, the Government has now removed its restrictions on residential sales. Viewings and market appraisals can now be carried out, along with visits by photographers, Domestic Energy Assessors and floor-plan technicians. This is a pivotal development and …
LOOKING INTO OUR CRYSTAL BALL…
I’m sure many of us had similarly mixed feelings on hearing today’s announcement that we must continue to stay at home unless essential for at least another week – and only the most optimistic amongst us would have thought that the lockdown might end in a week. On the one hand, we all want to do our bit to help …
BUSINESS AS USUAL?
The world seems to have become a very different place in the last three weeks and I cannot think of any aspect of our lives that is carrying on its ‘business as usual’! Last week we closed our offices, in line with the government’s advice. As I locked the door in Burnham Market for the last time till we-know-not-when, my …
Bedfords | Here to help…
As the spread of Covid-19 continues, we wanted to write to reassure you that the wellbeing of our clients and employees will be our continued priority. We will of course follow Government advice, whilst remaining dedicated to providing an ongoing service to clients. The situation in the United Kingdom is obviously moving fast, and at present our offices in Norfolk …
SNOWDROPS
Ben Marchbank responds to the dramatic start to the new property year and looks at the green shoots of improvement. Like early snowdrops, property buyers have begun poking their heads above ground after a long period of slumber. In fact, in some parts of the UK, there are significant and spectacular drifts of these ‘snowdrops’ appearing. Is this because of the …
VACANCY | WOODBRIDGE
A senior position has become available and we are keen to hear from driven and personable individuals interested in joining our team. An attractive salary package will relate to experience. Please contact Jennie Stammers in confidence on 01284 774 612 or jennie@bedfords.co.uk for an application form.
TIME TO MOVE ON?
Winston Churchill once wrote, ‘No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time’. I think it is fair to say that 2019 shone a light on the flaws in our parliamentary democracy and …
POLICIES PLEASE
Ahead of the general election Ben Marchbank from Bedfords asks the political parties to spare a thought for the property sector. As we inch towards the general election on 12th December, much will be said about Brexit, the NHS, education, crime and the economy. But how much will we hear about housing? For a very long time housing has been …
STAMP DUTY
Talk has turned once again to Stamp Duty, following a recent election pledge made by Boris Johnson to lower rates. As someone who derives a living from the property market, clearly I would welcome any reduction in taxes on property, which should result in an increase in the volume of transactions (good for estate agents), an increase in social mobility …
Let’s DEAL
Bedfords look at the two basic questions really worth asking when it comes to selling your home. Estate agents or online-only wannabes offer cut-price commission rates to tempt sellers, and the press bombards the public with alarming commentary on falling prices, the Brexit effect and the state of the market in central London. But selling a home still only boils …
DISCOVER BURY’S BEST KEPT SECRETS
Bury St Edmunds has many fine and historic houses, but Hidden Gardens gives people the chance to discover the secret patios, lawns, borders, vegetable gardens, greenhouses and other features behind their facades and high walls. Be prepared to be surprised and inspired. Sponsored by Bedfords in aid of St Nicholas Hospice Care. Tickets are available on the day at the …
FULL-TIME OFFICE ASSISTANT REQUIRED – BURNHAM MARKET
OUR BURNHAM MARKET OFFICE IS LOOKING FOR A FULL-TIME OFFICE ASSISTANT TO WORK 5 DAYS A WEEK, 9:00 – 5:30 PM. COMPUTER LITERACY, A GOOD TELEPHONE MANNER AND EXCELLENT ORGANISATIONAL SKILLS ARE REQUIRED, AS IS THE ABILITY TO WORK EFFICIENTLY WITHIN A SMALL TEAM. PLEASE SEND CV AND A COVERING LETTER TO BEDFORDS, THE BOWER HOUSE, MARKET PLACE, BURNHAM MARKET, …
WOULD YOU LOVE TO SHOW BEAUTIFUL HOUSES TO INTERESTING PEOPLE?
Would you love to show beautiful houses to interesting people, and get paid for it? The Bury St Edmunds office has had a fantastic start to the year and find ourselves looking for further assistance in showing potential buyers our lovely properties. Sure, sometimes the hours can be unsocial (but incredibly social too!) and a last-minute call from the office …
READING THE MARKET
Ben Marchbank of Bedfords reflects on a property market affected by Brexit and uncertainty, but showing some clear signs of resilience. It has been a trying three years since the Brexit referendum. No market likes uncertainty, and the property market is no exception. It is hard to think of an event in recent memory that has fostered so much worry …
