I was on my to work the other day when I see Stuart Eccleston with this Mark One Escort someone had given him. It is well out of shape and a bit cream crackered these days, showing signs of plenty of rust and is somehow going to have to get an MOT, it looks like the Escort needs a bit of attention as well !!

Wha - hay, I have just had about the busiest month in my lettings career but I have been working on the Potters Bar shop and the project management of the new unit, which I am really pleased with and will post some photos later today.

So whats going on in lettings, the start of the year was slow for us and everyone because of the awful weather.But we recovered well and rented out a total of 34 properties, four of which were through Potters Bar whilst we were still setting up the shop. Tony has also let the first property from Bishops Stortford and is now taking on plenty of new instructions.

Of course we are nervous about the two new shops but I am positive that in the next few months we should be able to obtain a market share.

What else is happening ? We have our new Toyota Iq’s which are brillo and will shortly be sign written. Shame about the al quaeda boys losing to man u the other day, spurs are going to struggle to hang on to 4th place.

Still no full time property manager at Hoddesdon but we might have a good part time person on board soon - still stopped smoking and am going to start the gym again soon !!

Back to work in the bad weather, snowing again today and the whole locality stops, mind you happy days, not only did our competitors remain closed last week but most went home early today, can’t believe how lacklustre some agents are these days. We got a couple of deals away last week and had plenty of work to today as always, much too much to go home and play snowballs !!

Day 6 of stopping smoking and detoxing after christmas, no problem so far although Mrs D thinks I have gone from one extreme to the other…might even join the gym again !!

Bishops Stortford is now open and Potters Bar will be by the end of January, we are already picking up instructions in both areas and have viewings booked so we prepare to tie up our first deals shortly.

Well done to the Freestones and their protest against the football pitch proposed on land adjacent to the Lynch, if you dont already know the guy from the bungalow on the entrance to the Lynch is trying to gain planning for football pitches and changing rooms.

Dear Applicant , you must be having a turkish bath, you could never play football down there unless you wanted to celebrate a goal by breaking your leg and falling over the odd stray horse.

 Well I never, I will be arranging my protest in due course….

Just in case you were wondering where I have been or have been worried about me, I have been on the annual holiday with Mrs D and the girls in Duquesa, Spain. Will be posting a few photos shortly but  I am happy to report the love machine is fully re-charged and back to work.

I can’t help but feel I should go away more often, England winning the ashes and spurs top of the premiership…………

I have a friend of mine who wants to sell a leasehold house in St.Cross Court, a small and select devolopment in SouthHoddesdon. It is a two bedroom house at the end of the development, which could possibly benefit from a new kitchen,  two double bedrooms, nice condition, parking, french doors on to communal gardens, would accept £ 180,000 - potential rental of £ 800 pcm. If interested e mail me on rich@anthonydavies24.co.uk

Here we go again , can we slay the mighty Reds from up North, good result for the Spurs last night which releives the pressure for Cup Final - report to follow next Monday.

Bad news for the property market, this has all we have heard over the last three weeks, doom and gloom, scaremongering and negativity. It seems all the media are trying to talk the country in to a property recession.

Is it all bed news ? Yes and No seems to be my thoughts, although the sales market has seriously cooled I strongly believe that we live in a great area that should remain unaffected by negative prices and if you have a good house to sell and the valuation is right you will still be moving

What effect does the credit crunch have on the property market ? For us working in property it is and will be affected by the mortgage lending situation. Most lenders now are tightening their belts and do not want to lend unless you have a much larger deposit than we have previously known. This simply means less people can move thus slowing down the market. Mortgage lenders are not even passing on interest rate reductions, our current labour government need to be much more pro-active in making sure interest rate cuts are passed on. Gordon Brown be aware the public are sure to be looking to your government for more support.

How is the rental market ? Lettings remain on target to see a 20% growth this year, without doubt this area is seeing more and more demand, we have less tenants than ever moving out of property so we can report good news in this sector.

There will be interesting times ahead, some agents will be feeling the pinch, especially those relying on sales only. In this market the experienced agents are likely to prevail and remain strong, I am certain there will be opportunities ahead for those still willing to invest in the housing market, all will be revealed over the next 12 - 18 months.     Richard

Richard and Tony are pleased to announce the arrival of Gary Cooper at Hoddesdon Office. Gary brings over 25 years of local property experience with him and will be partner in our Estate Agency division.

We welcome Gary on board and look forward to a long and successful partnership. We will be launching brand new advertising and boards this month. If you have a local property to sell and are looking for a modern and upmarket approach please contact Gary on 01992 470335 or gary@anthonydavies24.co.uk  

Otherwise know as HIPS were introduced by the government in the summer of 2007, compulsory initially for houses with 4+ bedrooms and now including houses with 3+ bedrooms.

It is now necessary to compile the Home Information Pack when you want to put your 3+ bedroom house on the market for sale. It comprises of obtaining initial searches for the house and obtaining an energy efficiency rating for the property. A property can only be listed for sale with evidence the Home Information Pack has been applied for.

The cost is usually £ 300- £ 400 ( plus vat ), this can vary between the provider you choose and the Estate Agency you are listing with. We have access to several providers and have been using  local solicitors Breeze and Wyles who can compile the HIP with prices from £ 279 plus Vat ( if you use their conveyancing services for the sale of the property ) or £ 379 plus vat if using an alternative solicitor.

It is expected that Home Information Packs will be extended to the whole of the market and all properties in from 14th December 2007In all honesty the impact of providing a HIP has not been as controversial as first thought within the industry. It remains to be seen whether the actual process of buying a property will be speeded up and of course there will be probably less properties coming on to the market, thus keeping supply low whilst demand is still high. Will house prices be sustainable in 2008 ? that remains to be seen but personally I think they will remain level for some time yet…….. Rich