Diana Matthews took a careful look at the Finn's Lettings business before deciding we were the kind of organisation she would be proud to join.
Attracting experienced and friendly lettings professionals to any Lettings business is always going to be a tough challenge. This can be a high pressure business with landlords and tenants alike, who are looking for Lettings personnel to be personable, effective and calm - no matter what issues might arise.
Research by retail and commercial bank, Shawbrook, suggests that three-quarters of private sector landlords have taken steps to help tenants cope, as the cost-of-living rises.
They also found that one in four landlords have frozen rental prices for the time being, while 22% have offered tenants a payment holiday.
Meanwhile, one in five landlords have lowered rents, and 19% have offered to include the cost of bills in the monthly payments.
The housing market once again exceeds expectations after a poor reception from the chancellor’s mini-budget and regular talk of a possible slowdown, as current research suggests that in 2022, almost a third (31%) of properties are now receiving offers within an hour of being viewed, compared to a mere 7% in 2018.
Over a five-year period, almost one in five (17%) properties received an offer within one hour of a viewing. An even more notable 7% of buyers made an offer on a property without attending an in-person viewing, according to data from MPowered Mortgages.
The data also outlined that properties receiving an offer in a day is up over the same period, rising from 26% in 2018, to almost half (48%) by 2022. Around 12% of homes have received an offer without a viewing this year, which could be a result of social norms shifting in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, where remote/virtual viewings became the new normal. The data showed a substantial jump in buying without viewing, up from 7% in 2018.
It’s no secret that today’s property market is thriving at peak buoyancy, with record house prices and demand going through the roof, which is why it’s easy to overlook the history of the market which brought us to this point. However, while the market reaches a fruitful era for both buyers and sellers, there are notable periods of buoyancy over the last 50 years which could put things into further perspective.