DON'T WAIT 'TILL IT'S TOO LATE!

September is traditionally a busy month in estate agency, as many people who have been putting off the thought of starting a home move during the peak Summer season may start to turn their attention to the idea, often with a wish or desire to complete the whole experience by the end of the year.

However, as many property transactions can take 3 to 4 months to reach completion, the sooner the process is started, the better. Get a head start by placing your home for sale before the Autumn rush! Your home will be more prominent in the marketplace & with less immediate competition, buyers may be pursuaded to pay a fuller price!

With demand for homes currently outstripping supply, we at Village Properties areable to offer very favourable commission terms. Call us today to find out more.

BENEFITS OF SUMMER SUN!

Your home will be looking at its best right now... bathed in bright sunlight with a backdrop of azure blue sky! If you're thinking of moving home, or having trouble selling, let Village Properties help - we're acheiving top prices at the moment & bouyed by the excellent weather, we're selling homes faster than we're replacing stock! Village Properties can make the most of your home with professional standard photography to make it stand out in the crowd; call us now for an expert appraisal!

PROPERTY PRICES INCREASING!

Latest information from HM Land Registry is that property prices are on the up. Annual figures for the period March 2012 - March 2013 indicate a 5.3% rise in the South East of England. This is good news for sellers & suggest now is a great time to put your home on the market.
At Village Properties, we can help you to capitalise on the current return to house price growth plus the surge of home-buyers who are now looking to make that next purchase.
For an expert view on today's market, call Village Properties today to book your free valuation.

MORE HOMES TO SELL NEEDED!

Our sales successes continue with around half of our entire housing stock now Sold (subject to contract) since January! Are these the 'green shoots of recovery' in the housing market? Well, in addition to the volume of recent sales agreed, those sales are being agreed at sale prices much closer to asking prices, which is a reflection of the current high demand for family homes & the usual pre-Spring shortage of suitable property for sale. However, we also believe it is also a reflection of Village Properties being the most popular choice of estate agency in the area!
More homes to sell are urgently required to keep up with demand & we can offer very competitive commission terms. Take full advantage of the current buoyant 'sellers' market place to achieve the best sale price for your home! Please call our office to arrange your valuation & marketing appraisal! 

SALES SUCCESS!
Wow! A great start to the New Year! Despite the snow & ice, half of our new listings this month are already 'Sold STC'! We urgently need more homes to sell!

The latest statistics from property website rightmove.co.uk are just in for the period 23/12/12 - 19/01/13 & we are officially Tilehurst's most popular estate agency!
For the coverage area of RG31 plus half a mile & out of 55 estate agencies:
Village Properties - 1st for new lisings
Village Properties - 1st for available stock
Village Properties - 1st for highest number of homes listed as 'Sold STC'

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

After a very busy end to 2012, we welcome in the new year with enthusiasm & the need to replenish our stock of homes to sell.
Some may hold back their home move until Spring arrives hoping their property will sell better once the weather improves, odd jobs around the house are finished & the first garden tidy-up has been acomplished. However, there is traditionally a strong property market in January & February as people who sold their own home at the end of last year are now our house-hunting themselves in earnest. This together with all the new season's house-hunters who've made a New Year's Resolution to move home means there is a captive audience of prospective buyers eager to view anything new for sale.

So, don't delay placing your home for sale! You have less immediate competition right now, meaning your home will be in the spotlight & therefore more likely to achieve a fuller price in a shorter timeframe! 

Please call us for a up-to-date valuation or if you just want some friendly & constructive advice!

NEW WINDOW DISPLAY!

Check out our awsome new LED office window displays! New 'state-of-the-art' backlit window cards create a 'halo' effect highlighting each featured property! With no unsightly electrical wires, the streamlined displays showcase to greater effect the homes on offer, attracting more 'foot-traffic' to our door and enhancing our high steet presence, especially in low light conditions and in the winter evenings!

SUMMER SAVINGS!

We've had our new distinctive 'blade banner' flags delivered this week & they certainly stand out! A highly visible & exciting new addition to our high-street presence creating a prominent focus to our 'Summer Savings' marketing campagn & complimenting the eye-catching new window graphics.

If you are thinking of selling your home this summer, we are offering some fantastic discounts & incentives - simply call the sale office to list your home for sale by 30th September to take full advantage!

CHARITY DONATION

Some of you may know that Village Properties has a notice board outside our office where members of the public can advertise goods, services & events to the local community. We charge a small amount, 50p per week, for each notice we place, which we donate to one of 3 charities: Air Ambulance, Cancer Research & Multiple Sclerosis Society.
Air Ambulance have recently collected their charity pot & left us a receipt for over £195 with a certificate of thanks!
So well done Tilehurst! Have a pat on the back!

GET A MOVE ON!

Village Properties sold (stc) more homes in April than in any previous month in the last 2 years!
We urgently need more homes to sell to continue our success!
We will offer you attractive commision terms to list your home for sale with us!
Call us now to find out more!

CONGRATULATIONS!

I am very pleased to announce that Charlie Higgs has been promoted to Director! Charlie has been working at Village Properties for eight years now, so this is just reward for all his hard work & dedication. Well done & well deserved!

NEW STYLE EPCs

From 1st April 2012, a new style Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) will be used for homes being to be sold or let; the front page of which will feature in estate agencies property particulars.
I am pleased to announce that both myself & co-director Mike Haas, as Domestic Energy Assessors, have passed the 'Top-Up' Qualification to produce these new style EPCs.
Village Properties are one of the only local estate agencies to be able to produce EPCs 'in-house' - just another example of something else that sets us ahead of our competitors & shows our on-going comitment to the housing industry.
Please call us to find out more about EPCs or see the special section on our website.

SPRING IS ON THE WAY!

The Spring season will be with us soon - traditionally the busiest time for us in estate agency. Prospective sellers will be preparing their homes for sale in readiness, undertaking the first garden tidy-up of the year & doing last minute odd-jobs that will help to show their home in its best light.

If you think about it, particularly if a family have children of school age, it makes sense to start selling in the Spring so that the move can be completed by the Summer holidays, especially if the children may be starting a new school in September.

It is a readily verifyable fact that Village Properties sells more homes around Tilehurst than any other estate agency! There are a number of contributable factors to this statistic, but above all we are honest & realistic with our valuation appraisals. We take the time to listen carefully to clients plans or reasons for moving home & can therefore tailor our marketing propgramme accordingly. If you are considering selling your home in the forthcoming months, I would be delighted to offer my help & advice on anything property related. Just give me a call or drop me an email!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

We've started the New Year with a special deal for home owners currently thinking of selling.
Save £££s when you list your home for sale with Village Properties under our standard sole agency terms before 1st February 2012.
We'll provide a FREE Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) - worth £120 & a FREE legal fee on your sale with our recommended conveyancer - worth £600!
Terms & Condtions apply, please call the office on 0118 9415607 for full details.

STAMP DUTY HOLIDAY ENDING SOON

Anyone thinking of deferring a property sale until the new year may be missing out on an end of year rush from First Time Buyers that is likely to have a knock-on effect through the property marketplace.
At the moment, First Time Buyers do not pay Stamp Duty Land Tax on property purchases up to £250,000 but this 'holiday' ends on 25th March 2012. Therefore to qualify for exemption, the First Time Buyer needs to LEGALLY COMPLETE the transaction before this date. With an average timescale of 8-10 weeks to complete a sale, First Time Buyers really need to agree a property purchase by the end of 2011 to ensure there is sufficient time for the legals to go through. The net result is that anyone thinking of selling a home (whether in the First Time Buyer marketplace or not) would be wise to consider the likely surplus of motivated buyers that will be around in November & December. If you are contemplating selling your home, give our sales office a call on 9415607 for up-to-the-minute advice.

NEW HOMES!

Village Properties are pleased to announce our appointment to sell 6 brand new homes right in the centre of Tilehurst village! Everyday amenities are right 'on the doorstep' making these homes ideal for young families to walk to school or those of retirement age to walk to local shops, frequent bus service, library, doctors & dental surgeries.
This exciting development is set well back from School Road in a private driveway & comprises 5 cottage-style terraced houses plus 1 detached house, each with 2 car parking spaces. Each house also has a useful downstairs WC, 1st floor home office/3rd bedroom, gas fired radiator central heating plus solar panels for hot water, latest contemporary fixtures & fittings, tiled flooring in kitchen & bathroom & turfed rear garden.
The new homes are built by a local developer to exacting standards with a 10 year NHBC warranty & are now available for viewing by prior appointment with us. Prices are from £247,950 & full details can be found in both our 'Homes to Buy' & 'Featured properties' sections of our website.

IS YOUR HOME BEING SEEN IN ALL THE BEST PLACES?

Statistics show that most property sales are currently being generated from internet enquiries! If most prospective buyers are now house hunting on-line, shouldn’t your estate agent be advertising your home for sale on more than just one website?
At Village Properties, all our homes are advertised for sale on the UK’s top websites ensuring we reach the widest audience of prospective buyers locally, regionally, nationally & internationally.
You can see all our listings on 'rightmove.co.uk', 'primelocation.com', 'findaproperty.com', 'globrix.com', 'vebra.com', the NAEA's website 'propertylive.co.uk', plus you can also see our weekly property advert on line at 'readingchronicle.co.uk'.

SUMMER-THE BEST SEASON TO BUY A NEW HOME?

Now may be a great time to do a deal for your next home! Although we've had a busier than expected Spring season, there are still a few home-owners out there anxious to move by the end of the summer who have reduced their asking prices to attract a quicker sale! Check our wesite listings first as changes show there a day before they filter to the national property websites like rightmove.
Activity still remains strong so register your requirements with us today so we can help find the right home for you. Quite often we can notify you in advance if something particularly suitable may be coming available for sale before the information hits the internet.
You can always call us for any additional information you require about any property you see listed on our website, particularly for things like owner's onward moving plans, school catchments, etc. We look forward to hearing from you!

SPRING HAS ARRIVED!

The clocks have moved forward to British Summer Time, so evenings are now lighter for house-hunting! Spring flowers are blooming, buds are on the trees & many people have done their first garden tidy-up of the year.
This usually signals a noticable increase in family-size homes coming into the marketplace for sale, with the expectation that the owners can move home during the summer months & therefore any children can be settled before the start of the new school year in September.
Village Properties are pleased to announce that we received more new home listings than any other estate agency in the Tilehurst area during March (source rightmove.co.uk)& aready have had some notable successes in selling homes within a week or two of receiving instructions - hopefully a good sign of things to come!
As ever, please call us for a valuation of your home if you are considering moving; prices being achieved are changing month by month so we will ensure you are up-to-date with the prevailing market.

BEAT THE SPRING RUSH!

More than half the registered prospective buyers with Village Properties are ready to buy now! These include cash buyers, investment buyers, first-time buyers, buyers leaving rented accommodation, job movers, divorced & separated buyers and a fair number of existing home-owners who have now sold (s.t.c.) their existing home.

The run-up to early Spring sees a marked increase in activity & whilst we're busy at Village Properties valuing many local homes in anticipation of the Spring rush, shrewd & canny sellers are taking advantage of the pre-Easter period where their home will stand out just that little bit better amongst the current competition. If you are condsidering selling a property soon & require a 'no chain' or 'closed chain' solution, Village Properties might just have the right buyer for you!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Well, here we are again! January is off to a busy start with a full diary of appointments. We've already seen a steady stream of recently registered applicants with a New Year's resolution to move home this Spring, so we're keen to list as many new properties 'for sale' to satisfy this demand!
If you are contemplating a home-move this year, feel confident entrusting your sale to the team of experts at Village Properties. After all, we are the most experienced local estate agents & we've a hard-earned repuation as a 'safe pair of hands'! Call us today to see what special New Year deal we can do for you &/or to register your requirements for your next home!

Still the no. 1 estate agency in Tilehurst!

As 2010 nears its end, we can reflect on the challenges & difficulties we have confronted with falling house prices and lack of first-time buyers. However sales figures have been resonably consistent and lettings have significantly increased throught the year. We are pleased to see that the latest data analysis from rightmove.co.uk indicates that Village Properties is still selling more homes in the Tilehurst area than any other estate agents' Tiehurst branch office!

A big thank-you to all our clients who have entrusted the sale of their home to us & from the Directors & staff at Village Properties, we'd like to take this opportunity to wish everone 'Seasons Greetings' and a happy & prosperous New Year!

NEW OFFICE SIGNS

On the back of the recent opening of our Rental Office next door, we have taken the opportunity to replace the office signage & window graphics to tie-in the 2 premises more closely together in a common framework. Even though we say so ourselves, we are rather pleased with the result! The refreshed shop front projects a cleaner, bolder & more modern image whilst highlighting to greater effect our distinctive 'four rooftop silhouette' logo. See what you think next time you are passing by?

NEW RENTAL OFFICE

For many years, Village Properties have had busy rental department working from our main premises, but now they have their own separate office exclusively for lettings, situated right next door to our village centre sales office! Headed by director & co-owner Ron Westbury, our aim is consolidate, grow & improve upon our dedicated full-management service to landlords in Tilehurst & the surrounding area. We offer a 'no let - no fee' tailored service to landlords with low set-up costs once a suitable tenant is found.
If you considering letting your own home, or already have a property suitable for letting, why not pop in for a chat to see what we can offer you?

NEW SIGN BOARDS!

Village Properties' sign boards have always been a familiar sight in Tilehurst & the surrounding areas for many years. We now have a fresh, bold, eye-catching new design to help make our homes for sale stand out even more! See if you can spot them when you're out & about!

On another note, we get numerous facts and figures pass through our office but two stood out this week, both from rightmove.co.uk; the UK's largest & most popular property website. According to their analytics, between 28th March & 24th April this year, Village Properties received more new property listings for sale than any other local estate agency branch; 20% more than our nearest competitor! In addition, for the same period, Village Properties also had more stock of homes for sale than any other local estate agency branch; a staggering 30% more than our nearest competitor! So for the best choice of homes in the area, keep checking back on this website & bookmark our homepage or add to your favourites!

SPRING IS HERE!

Well, we've had a fantastic start to 2010 with lots of new listings! At the time of writing, roughly 1 new property per day in February & March is being placed for sale with Village Properties. Our stock of homes is already leading more prospective buyers to register on our mailing list and we've seen a marked increase in the daily number of applicants actively out viewing; searching for their new home!

For anyone considering moving home in & around the Tilehurst area this Spring, we'd encourage you to speak to us to discuss your requirements & if you need to sell your own home, ask about our very favourable commission deals!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Snow, snow & more snow! When will it end?

Despite the weather, Village Properties is raring to go and equipped with three 4x4 vehicles on our fleet, we can still arrange for your home to valued without delay - even if you're off the beaten track!

WE'RE HAVING A JANUARY SALE!
Already we have received numerous enquiries in the last week or two from prospective purchasers anxious to secure a home in January or February so we're keen for more new listings to satisfy the demand. Give us a ring, drop us an email, or pop in an see us and ask about our favourable commission fees if you place you home with us by the end of January!

Seasons Greetings!

Well we've certainly had a year of it, haven't we? Despite media doom and gloom and the world still in deep recession, property values locally are still showing signs of small month-by-month increases. Even so, the property market can still be described as 'difficult' with Banks' and Building Societies' strict lending criteria not helping matters.

Even with the prevailing property market, statistics show that throughout 2009, Village Properties was still selling significantly more homes in the Tilehurst area than any other estate agency! (source: www.rightmove.co.uk, RG31 plus half mile radius)

At Village Properties, we’ve been around for nearly 30 years, so having been through the previous property boom of the eighties and subsequent recession of the early nineties, we’ve a good idea of what to expect. If you’re going to survive in estate agency right now, you have to be good and there’s no other estate agency locally with more experience than us. If you're thinking of selling in January or February 2010, here's a thought...why not give us a call in December so we can get everything prepared for you whilst we're quieter, rather than wait for the New Year rush.

We will be open over much of the Christmas period if need to contact us.

From the directors and staff of Village Properties, have a great Christmas break and here’s wishing for a happy and successful New Year!

PROPERTY VALUES , STAMP DUTY & VAT

At Village Properties, we have seen a small rise is property values since the summer, so we recommend that anyone thinking of placing their home for sale in the near future should have an up-to-date marketing appraisal or re-appraisal of their home to ensure their asking price is appropriate.

As ever, we are always in need of more homes to sell or let to replace our stock levels. A particularly busy last few months has left us with a list of prospective buyers anxious to find their next home by the end of the year. If you are thinking about selling your home soon, please give us a call or drop us a line by e-mail for a special deal!

Don't forget that Stamp Duty Land Tax will be applicable on all property purchases above £125,000 which complete after 31st December 2009. As many solicitors close their offices between Christmas and New Year, property buyers currently purchasing up to £175,000 need to hurry to complete their move by 3rd week of December!

Also, VAT goes up to 17.5% on 1st January 2010 too. (VAT will be charged on the solicitors fees, estate agency fee, HIP, etc.....)