Property Buying Agents Gaining Power

The Daily Telegraph recently listed the top 25 most powerful people in property. As you would expect there is a strong London slant and the usual suspects such as the Candy brothers, Lord Rogers and Prince Charles appear on it. Others include major land owners, property owners & television personalities. However, what I found surprising was that property buying agents have now made the list but even more surprising was they had taken not one but 3 positions.

So why have property buying agents become so influential in this established market place?

1. Value – they typically save in excess of 10% of the purchase price. Their fee, typically 2% of purchase price.

2. Knowledge – They know the market place – what has sold, what has not and why, vital in making the right decision and getting the best price.

3. Access – They will know all properties on market, off market with agents, and off-market/privately available as part of their own private property portfolio giving them direct access to vendors which always works to a buyers advantage.

4. Representation – Buyers have somebody on their side to represent and protect their interests. Remember, estate agents may appear friendly and very nice chaps but they are paid for by the seller, so quite rightly first represent the seller’s interests.

Therefore serious buyers realise that to gain priority knowledge, access to all property information and more importantly access to the best properties they need to appoint a buying agent.

The reality is that the service not only pays for itself financially through price savings and knowledge but also in time saved stopping unnecessary viewings and the stress & strain of having to manage the pre-exchange process liaising with solicitors and surveyors et al.

So that is why buying agents are becoming a major influence within the sector and for the discerning buyer, a vital service.

For assistance in buying your next UK country property, farm, equestrian or waterside home please contact Sands Home Search

Tel: 01425 462549 (from outside UK +44 1425 462549)

Email: s.ascough
Web: www.sandshomesearch.com

Backs to the Land – Buying Farmland, Driving Profit

Buying farmland raises a number of issues that do not apply when purchasing a residential property.

Whether or not the farm is fully operational at the time of purchase makes little difference; the key factor to remember is that it is land intended to derive an income.

As such, it is important to know the different ways to derive profit from farmland, either through direct farming of the land or via subsidies.

Single Farm Payments

The Single Farm Payments Scheme is an agricultural subsidy paid on a per-hectare basis to landowners under the EU Common Agricultural Policy.

SFP units can be purchased for around £80 per hectare by landowners, against land that is either owned or rented, and they are tradable.

Land must be eligible to qualify for the SFP Scheme, and payments are made under entitlements.

SFP units may be sold on – a common practice among UK farmers; however, the conditions that currently apply are likely to be affected when the Common Agricultural Policy is reviewed in 2013.

VAT

Whether or not VAT applies to the purchase of farmland depends on decisions taken by the previous owner.

If they chose to ‘opt to tax’ the land, then tax is payable by the buyer on the purchase price at the standard rate of VAT.

However, this may not mean that the buyer is personally liable for the tax cost of the transaction – if they meet the following criteria:

a) the land is registered as a farm by the new owner

b) a third party is contracted to farm the land, or manage the farm

c) the new owner receives the value from the crops

then the VAT charged on the sale can be claimed back.

However, VAT on the purchase will be absorbed by the buyer if:

•the land is rented out under a tenancy agreement

•the land is purchased and neither farmed, nor rented out

Environmental Stewardship Scheme

The Environmental Stewardship Scheme rewards landowners for using their land in a number of certain, specified ways.

It is a five-year programme which offers modest returns, but can require very little work in order to comply with the selected options.

To take part, the landowner must meet with a Natural England representative and apply for a number of preferred land uses.

For example, a 300-acre farm chooses to take the following measures:

1.protect infill trees

2.take field corners out of management and cultivation

In return, an annual payment in the region of £4,520 is received.

Returns from the Land

Of course, owning farmland offers the opportunity to derive an income from the land itself.

A recent example, based on today’s prices, was a 250-acre farm used for the cultivation of winter wheat which delivered profit of £150 per acre, after costs.

The figures involved in the calculation were:

•expected yield of four tonnes per acre

•expected sale price of £140 per tonne

•expected costs of £410 per acre

This equated to £560 of income with £150 of profit per acre, across 250 acres – a combined income of £37,500.

Any Questions?

The examples above are based on specific circumstances. If you want to learn more about your own situation, call Sands Home Search Country on 01425 462549

About Sands Home Search

Sands Home Search are Property Search Agents who find and acquire the finest property for sale in The UK Country House & Farm market, London &

in Cape Town, South Africa for private, corporate & international property buyers.

CONTACT US FOR PROPERTY BUYING ADVICE TODAY

UK TEL: 01425 462 549 (if calling from outside the UK: 0044 1425 462549)

UK Country home search becomes a waiting game for no-compromise buyers

The home search market has become increasingly polarised in recent months, as city-dwellers move more quickly and those buying in the countryside take their time.

Propertytalk reports that country properties have fallen in price by 1.7% over the past year, with the gap between vendors’ and buyers’ expectations widening over the same period.

This compares with the city, where prime properties in central London have gained 11.4% in 12 months as a growing number of buyers add to competition in the capital’s home search market.

At Sands Home Search, we’ve seen this trend take shape since the last quarter of 2010 – and it’s turned the country market into a waiting game for vendors and buyers alike.

With conditions throughout the UK property market softening, vendor expectations are relatively high at the moment, leading some to price their homes for profit rather than a quick sale.

But buyers – even those keen to make an immediate investment – are still not prepared to pay over the odds, leading to complex negotiations in some cases.

Knowing when to make the move

As buying agents working throughout the prime property market, we gain a strong overview of how country and city listings as a whole are changing at any given time – and when the time is right for buyers to make their move.

The falling valuations in the country are a clear hint at how the market has fared over the summer. We’ve seen sellers prepared to drop their prices in order to secure a sale, and a high volume of homes coming on to the market – including many that were listed previously and are now subject to further reductions.

For vendors, that leaves two options – wait it out until more buyer fluidity returns, or bite the bullet and accept a lower offer than originally hoped.

Meanwhile, for buyers prepared to negotiate, the opportunity is still undeniably there to use the lack of competition as the first step towards securing an enviable purchase price on a prime property.

For our buying agents in London, the opposite trend is shaping up as rising prices place pressure on investors to complete their transactions quickly and avoid paying more for property in the capital.

This makes it a fine time to be a London property seller – but with prices bound to peak at some point, it’s equally important not to hold out too long and risk missing the market’s moment of highest value.

About Sands Home Search
Sands Home Search are Property Search Agents who find and acquire the finest property for sale in The UK Country House & Farm market, London &

in Cape Town, South Africa for private, corporate & international property buyers.

CONTACT US FOR PROPERTY BUYING ADVICE TODAY

UK TEL: 01425 462 549 (if calling from outside the UK: 0044 1425 462549)

UK Country home search becomes a waiting game for no-compromise buyers

The home search market has become increasingly polarised in recent months, as city-dwellers move more quickly and those buying in the countryside take their time.

Propertytalk reports that country properties have fallen in price by 1.7% over the past year, with the gap between vendors’ and buyers’ expectations widening over the same period.

This compares with the city, where prime properties in central London have gained 11.4% in 12 months as a growing number of buyers add to competition in the capital’s home search market.

At Sands Home Search, we’ve seen this trend take shape since the last quarter of 2010 – and it’s turned the country market into a waiting game for vendors and buyers alike.

With conditions throughout the UK property market softening, vendor expectations are relatively high at the moment, leading some to price their homes for profit rather than a quick sale.

But buyers – even those keen to make an immediate investment – are still not prepared to pay over the odds, leading to complex negotiations in some cases.

Knowing when to make the move

As buying agents working throughout the prime property market, we gain a strong overview of how country and city listings as a whole are changing at any given time – and when the time is right for buyers to make their move.

The falling valuations in the country are a clear hint at how the market has fared over the summer. We’ve seen sellers prepared to drop their prices in order to secure a sale, and a high volume of homes coming on to the market – including many that were listed previously and are now subject to further reductions.

For vendors, that leaves two options – wait it out until more buyer fluidity returns, or bite the bullet and accept a lower offer than originally hoped.

Meanwhile, for buyers prepared to negotiate, the opportunity is still undeniably there to use the lack of competition as the first step towards securing an enviable purchase price on a prime property.

For our buying agents in London, the opposite trend is shaping up as rising prices place pressure on investors to complete their transactions quickly and avoid paying more for property in the capital.

This makes it a fine time to be a London property seller – but with prices bound to peak at some point, it’s equally important not to hold out too long and risk missing the market’s moment of highest value.

About Sands Home Search
Sands Home Search are Property Search Agents who find and acquire the finest property for sale in The UK Country House & Farm market, London &

in Cape Town, South Africa for private, corporate & international property buyers.

CONTACT US FOR PROPERTY BUYING ADVICE TODAY

UK TEL: 01425 462 549 (if calling from outside the UK: 0044 1425 462549)

More and more home owners are opting to sell their properties privately.

If you have a prime property to sell we’d be very interested to hear about it. Perhaps you are in no rush to sell, but would be open to it if the right offer came along. You may not want … Continue reading →

Footballer Phil Neville has bought a palatial new home in Cheshire’s sought-after village of Hale

Footballer Phil Neville has bought a palatial new home in Cheshire’s sought-after village of Hale

The Everton captain, his wife Julie and their two children spent ‘a shade under £4 million’ on the six-bedroom detached new-build mansion which was on the market with local agents Gascoigne Halman for offers around £4million.

It has all the accoutrements you’d expect in WAG-land including a cinema, gym, sauna, steam room and large garage.

The 34-year-old has not yet found a buyer for his penthouse in Manchester city centre’s Beetham Tower, despite reducing the price by £250,000 to £3.75million last month. He’s now considering letting it out.

Source: Daily Mail

Contact Sands Home Search today to see how they can help you find the home you are looking for.

Click here to register to receive details of off-market & confidentially available properties for sale.

ABOUT US : Sands Home Search are property search agents & relocation agents who specialise in finding and acquiring the finest residential property for sale in London, The UK Country House & Farm market & in Cape Town, South Africa for private, corporate & international property buyers clients.

CONTACT US FOR PROPERTY BUYING ADVICE TODAY

UK TEL: 01425 462 549 (if calling from outside the UK: 0044 1425 462549)
EMAIL: inbox

Categories: Property finders, buyers agent, Property Search, Buying a prime property, finding premier properties, farm for sale, farms for sale

Britain’s top end property market still buoyant despite the global economic crisis

Britain’s most expensive home sold for record £140m

Britain’s most expensive home, Park Place, has been sold to a Russian buyer for a record £140m, it has emerged.

The buyer, who has not been identified, has snapped up the 300 year-old Grade II-listed property, in the village of Remenham, near Henley-on-Thames, Oxon.

The record sale also reportedly includes about 200 acres of the parklands, listed monuments, house, cottages, stables and a boat house.

The £140m sale price makes it Britain’s most expensive house, eclipsing the £136m sale at One Hyde Park, Knightsbridge, central London, earlier this year.

Experts said the sale showed that the top end property market was still buoyant despite the global economic crisis.

Park Place, which has 30,000 square feet of living space and is set in 570 acres, was bought for £42m in 2007 by Mike Spink, a developer who specialises in upmarket properties.

Source: Countrylife

Contact Sands Home Search today to see how they can help you find the home you are looking for.

Click here to register to receive details of off-market & confidentially available properties for sale.

Categories: Property finders, buyers agent, Property Search, Buying a prime property, finding premier properties, farm for sale, farms for sale

ABOUT US : Sands Home Search are property search agents & relocation agents who specialise in finding and acquiring the finest residential property for sale in London, The UK Country House & Farm market & in Cape Town, South Africa for private, corporate & international property buyers clients.

CONTACT US FOR PROPERTY BUYING ADVICE TODAY

UK TEL: 01425 462 549 (if calling from outside the UK: 0044 1425 462549)
EMAIL: inbox