Depressing....

Sorry for the lack of blogging of late - Avid readers may remember my previous exploits and my resulting broken hip. Unfortunately, of late my hip has been giving me 'jip' and I've spent a few days being looked after by the excellent staff at Raigmore.

I'm pleased to say that I'm back on the mend and I am all wi-fii'd up and ready to get back on the blogging wagon - which I've really missed, (along with my cakes and buns from Macleans) A mention sometimes guarantees me a free doughnut !

I've also popped in to see David at Moray Property - Seems things are going rather well and already they have a window stocked with properties. David tells me the rental market is presently 'on fire' and doesn't have enough rental stock to keep up with demand. (That wallpaper doesn't get any duller does it David !)

The same can't be said for sales - where it's certainly a 'buyers market' at present. With many vendors choosing to go down the fixed price route, rather than the more traditional 'Offers Over', snaring the first 'ready, willing and able' buyer.

It seems that prospective vendors in the area are awaiting the defence review which is due next month, we will then hopefully put an end to the speculation about the future of RAF Kinloss & Lossiemouth.

Let's hope it's good news, as closure of either base would hurt the local economy and housing market badly. We'd see house prices tumble, as many personnel are forced to ship out and sell up.

Though as usual, there is talk of the army moving into RAF Kinloss and the Navy back to RAF Lossiemouth, then again there's always talk of this every couple of years. We could do with Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic taking off soon (quite literally). That would certainly see the area 'Rocket'.

All this, coupled with the poor Summer and the forthcoming sale of Mackenzie & Cruikshank (one of my favourite shops) in the Forres High Street, things are certainly looking a bit bleak.

Thank heavens for Benromach and the cakes in the cafe on the green at Cawdor, like rental properties, both are well worth indulging in and will raise anyone's spirits.

Lets hope for the best & keep smiling.

Until the next time.

J.

Bauhaus Blocks....

A genuine design from the Bauhaus school, with the Naef Bauhaus Building Game by Alma Siedhoff-Buscher now available to entertain and educate your children.

In truth, it's more likely to entertain than educate, but if you like the idea of your little one being an architect, it's the perfect place to start.

During her training at Bauhaus in 1924, Alma Siedhoff-Buscher designed this building game, as part of the children’s room in the 'Am Horn' model house in Weimar.

Now it's available once more - a 22-piece set retails for £99 - Wow ... Your parents would need to be architects to afford that.... !

Play Nicely Now.

Mr J.

Confused by conveyancing....

Starting with... what it actually is. A new survey by Reallymoving.com really suggests Brits are really ignorant about the realities of the property exchange.

Thirty-seven per cent didn't know what "conveyancing" meant; 54% thought conveyancers organised the survey; 16% thought the conveyancer negotiated the price of the property on their behalf.

Amazingly, that 37% who had no idea what conveyancing was only dropped to 23% when the poll was narrowed to include homeowners who've been through the process themselves. Reallymoving have published a guide in response... here.

Happy Reading,
J.

Rightmove In Top 10....

From 'Estate Agent Today' they report that Rightmove climbed into the top ten web domains in June alongside the BBC website, Google and Facebook.

The latest statistics were produced by web monitoring agencies including Comscore and counted UK page visits for the month.

Miles Shipside, commercial director of Rightmove, said: “To be amongst the top ten web domains in the UK is a notable achievement for us.

“Rightmove is synonymous with home-hunting but this underlines our position as one of the most popular overall consumer brands on the web.”

Despite concerns that the World Cup could bring a slowdown in search activity, Rightmove measured an 11% increase in pages viewed on its website compared with June of last year.

Shipside added: “In spite of the World Cup distraction, it’s a sign of growing pent-up demand that people continue to search for properties.”

I would have thought that the World Cup proved no distraction for the people of Moray, perhaps only the England v Germany game, when I could hear cheering for each German goal echoing around the area !

Only another 4 years to wait, by which time Rightmove should have cemented its place in the top 5 and Wayne Rooney will be at his prime (perhaps...).

Seems incredible but still many local agents are not listed with them. When buying a house 'out of area' it's the first port of call for all potential purchasers.

Off to the Highland Games in Forres this weekend, please say hello if you see me there, I'm always keen to meet any of my blog readers.

Until next time,

Mr J

Bored about Boards....

Estate agency boards have returned to the streets of conservation areas in London’s Kensington and Chelsea after a 15-year ban expired.

The re-emergence of the For Sale and To Let signs in some of London’s finest streets have prompted fury among local residents.

Agents said the streets could be fairly targeted after the lapsing of the Regulation 7 restrictions first imposed in 1995, and said that once one firm put boards back up, the others had to follow or risk losing business.

It emerged that Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council wanted to renew the ban but there had been disagreement over how extensive it should be. Last year, it applied to extend the ban to 80% of its area, but the Secretary of State refused permission.

Other London boroughs, including Hammersmith and Fulham, Camden and Westminster, have also sought Regulation 7 controls.

Meanwhile the reappearance of boards in Kensington and Chelsea from the likes of Hamptons, Savills, Marsh & Parsons and Foxtons has prompted heritage groups to call for a blanket ban across the whole of central London.

Amanda Frame, chairman of the Kensington Society, said: “The more the boards go up, the more it shows they need to be controlled. The agents are cutting their own throats by putting them back up. It blights all areas, not just those with conservation status.”

Ian Dungavell, director of the Victorian Society, said the boards were “an anachronism” in the internet era.

The conservationists have an unlikely ally – in the form of an estate agent.

Ed Mead, of Douglas & Gordon, said: “My view is very strongly that boards should be banned – period.

“I think they are a blight and they are just used to advertise the agency. Why on earth, at a cost of £6 a board, should an agent be able to blight a street when everything is done on the web these days?

“A ban would get rid of much of the stigma attached to the estate agency industry.”

Personally I can't help but smile when I see David's new boards (above), they certainly brighten up any street - they match the shop wall paper in case you hadn't noticed.

Hope you're not 'board' reading this - Until the next time.

Mr J

Celebrity House Sitters...

From the ever popular 'Rat & Mouse' blog.....Thanks guys !

Ever wondered who would be the UK's preferred celebrity house-sitter? Me, neither. But thanks to a survey of moneysupermarket.com users, that data is available:

1. Jeremy Clarkson (28%)
2. Christine Bleakley (23.9%)
3. Sarah Beeny (23.8%)
4. Cheryl Cole (14.2%)
5. Lord Alan Sugar (6.3%)
6. Wayne Rooney (3.7%)

The results are surprising. Remember, these are people entrusted to look after a gaff while the occupants are away, so catching Bleakley in the shower isn't a possibility. And what possible value will the presence of Clarkson add? To anything? The lovely Sarah Beeny? I suppose you could always leave a note asking her to do a bit of remodelling if she's time.

Poles Apart.....

An extraordinary recent poll by Barratt shows:

71% rated home ownership an eight or above in importance (out of ten)
46% rated marriage as important
44% gave having children the same rating
27% considered an active social life an eight or more
Between the ages of 18 and 24, that 71% rises to 81%

How many wished to live in a Barratt house though ?

The poll doesn't say...

Surprisingly Yours,

MR J