Property in Fitzrovia, Soho, Covent Garden, Bloomsbury and Marylebone

We want the properties we market to look spotless and wonderful.

However, the sellers eventually find that keeping their house in prime showing condition begins to wear thin after a few weeks for even the most impeccable housekeepers.

It is a lot of work to keep the beds perpetually made, the kitchen and bathrooms spotless and rooms neat. Is it worth it? It is–if you want to sell your house in a reasonable amount of time.

Buyers often see normal clutter, and what registers is “this house hasn’t been maintained.”
They see bathtub rings and think “plumber’s bills.”

Dirt under the radiators causes them to imagine having to replace the entire heating and air conditioning system.

People are often functioning more on emotion than logic when selecting a house.

You can help us by minimizing the amount of imagination that buyers will need in order to fall in love with your home

West End Properties and the Home Information Packs

MDA a Canadian firm who have cornered much of the Home Information Pack (HIP) supply chain have announced that “More than 50% of the buyer’s solicitors are continuing to replace the searches in the HIP, and adding extra searches as standard, such as environmental and chancel searches to maintain due diligence for their client.”

This follows an announcement earlier this month by the Government that the 1st day marketing of HIPS will be moved from June 1st to 31st December 2008.

London West End estate agents LDG comment that it is not just the solicitors who don’t find HIPS useful. So far they have had only one purchaser ask to see the a copy of a HIP since their mandatory introduction in December.

Ben Everest of LDG says that “First day marketing will make no difference as buyers are still primarily concerned about space and price rather than how energy efficient a flat is. LDG sell flats in Soho, Covent Garden and Fitzrovia and most of our stock tends to be flats. When you only have a few outside walls to a property it is difficult to see how you can make a property more efficient.”

One other change to the property market involving energy reports will be affecting the letting market from the autumn.

Javier Carillo of LDG’s central London lettings department says that “due to new Regulations from October 2008 any residential property when a landlord rents out a property they will have to provide the tenant with an Energy Performance Certificate.

Again, we expect that as the sales department have experienced applicants who are looking to rent out a property in central London will be more interested in finding the right space than an energy efficiency home. Especially as the average tenancy is between 12-24 months. The real motivation for these energy reports is for the eventual banding of council tax to have a direct relationship with energy efficiency certificates. ”

Property Sales: Fitzrovia, Soho, Covent Garden, Bloomsbury and Marylebone

When you are involved in the process of buying a home, it is safe to assume that you will probably find one that you like, make an offer, and purchase it.

There are many steps along the way, and more and more buyers in the market today want guarantees.

Inspections by structural engineers and environmental specialists often turn up something wrong with the property you want to buy.

Many sales have been halted or delayed because asbestos or lead was found on the property.

If a problem has been found with the property you want to buy, ask yourself two questions:
1) Can the problem be fixed?
2) If so, what will it cost to repair it?

Other problems could keep you from purchasing a property, such as the house is located under electro-magnetic power lines.or a Night Club is to be built next door.

We can also give you any information you need about nearby public transportation, schools, shopping, and recreational facilities.

Fitzrovia:Colville Place, London W1T

Lined with charming houses all graced by ornamental stone pots and urns filled with greenery, this secluded Georgian court of about 1765 links Charlotte and Whitfield Streets and was laid out by a carpenter named John Colville.

Today its grassy picnic area is packed in the summer months by West End workers soaking up the sun, or shoppers seeking a place of quiet repose from nearby Tottenham Court Road. Rarely do properties come on the market in this picturesque passageway. The last to do so sold for £1.2 million, and today it would easily exceed this value.Middleton Place, W1W

This quaint and quiet pedestrianised thoroughfare is neatly tucked away between Great Titchfield and Great Portland Streets in the heart of enchanting Fitzrovia: an area which is being hailed as ‘the new Notting Hill’.

Lying just off Langham and Riding House Streets, Middleton Place is characterised by attractive, Georgian townhouses overlooked at its Langham Street entrance by the charming Victorian tavern The Yorkshire Grey. A three bedroom house has been on the market recently for £1.4 mill.

Flats and apartments for sale in Fitzrovia, Soho, Covent Garden, Bloomsbury and Marylebone

To take much of the guesswork out of your consideration about whether a particular property is a good investment, you can check on the actual selling price of similar homes in the neighborhood.

Some sales information, such as the selling price, the financing terms, and the transaction dates, is public information.

We have record of all recent sales.

You can find out how properties have been appreciating, based on actual sales, rather than from the neighbours (they could be wrong!).

Driving by comparable homes can give you an idea about how they compare with the property you are considering.

We can give you additional information to help you make a decision.

Property Sales: Fitzrovia, Soho, Covent Garden, Bloomsbury and Marylebone

Your offer has just been accepted. Congratulations–you are about to become a homeowner!
Your initial euphoria may be short-lived, however, as you begin to have second thoughts about the purchase.

First, it’s the mortgage. It seems like so much money, and it will take twenty five years to pay off. You look over the cash you will need for the closing and feel like you will never be able to afford another holiday.

Finally, you stare at the Home Buyers Survey and convince yourself that the roof will blow off and the boiler will blow up the day after you move in.

You’re in a frenzy. You ask yourself, “What have I done?” The best thing to do if you begin having “second” thoughts is just relax!

These feelings are so common that they have even been given a name–”Buyer’s Remorse.”
“Buyer’s Remorse” is almost always a temporary malady, but call us if you are having an extreme attack.

We have experience in helping our clients through the home-buying jitters.
Seller’s Remorse

After just a week on the market, We find you a terrific offer to purchase your house–it is less than the asking price, but more than you expected.

The buyers were reasonable and well qualified. After talking with your agent, you decide to accept the offer.

After the agent leaves, you start thinking about what you have just done and feel terrible.

You wonder if you acted too quickly–maybe you should have waited for a better offer.

You fear that the buyers will let your garden go to seed or pull down all the beautiful wallpaper that you just put up.

These fears are such a common phenomena that they have been given a name–”seller’s remorse”!

It is perfectly normal to feel this way, especially if you are selling a home where you have lived for many years and which holds many memories.

“Seller’s remorse” is almost always temporary. It is quickly replaced by the excitement of moving into your new home

Fitzrovia Rebrand- NOHO!

The Evening Standard reports that billionaire brothers have come under fire from angry Bloomsbury residents who accuse them of trying to rebrand the area “Noho”.

Christian and Nicholas Candy have named the apartment building they are developing on the site of the former Middlesex Hospital building in Fitzrovia, Noho Square.

Critics of the Noho name – meaning north of Soho – say it is an attempt to rebrand the area north of Oxford Street and south of Euston Road, which has for decades been known as Fitzrovia. Locals believe the new name could damage the area.

Comedian Griff Rhys Jones, who lives in Bloomsbury, said: “This area is one of the most attractive mixes I know. Unfortunately, Noho signifies the desire to be seen as north Soho and this area doesn’t want to become a binge-drinking mecca.”

He added: “I hope no one will be influenced by the name. It’s not going to creep into my common parlance and some of my parlance is pretty common.”

Gallery owner and Bloomsbury ward councillor Rebecca Hossack said that Noho meant nowhere to her. She said: “It’s a meaningless word, which has nothing to do with community.

“It’s like putting a big white paint brush over something that’s incredibly delicate and has been very delicately woven together over hundreds of years.

“It drives a wedge between the community and the mirage of ‘lifestyle’. It’s so trendy, and so superficial. It implies a transitory lifestyle. But there are people who’ve been here for generations.”

She has written to Westminster Council and Candy and Candy. A petition to “say no to Noho” has been launched.

But the Candy brothers – taxexiles who in eight years have turned a £6,000 stake in a London flat into a property empire worth billions – defended the “Noho” name this week. Nick Candy said: “”We did not dream this name up on a whim, nor did we reach a decision overnight.” He said that after extensive research the company had “chosen not to hark back to an historic name for the site since the scheme is an example of contemporary, urban regeneration”.

He added: “While we would always prefer to ensure our neighbours are happy, we are aware it will not be possible to please everyone.”

To make the area’s identity crisis worse, in nearby Charlotte Street developer Derwent London is building apartments called Fitzrovia Village.

The Candy Brothers are said to have started their property empire by borrowing £6,000 from their grandmother in the mid-1990s to buy a flat in Earl’s Court. They renovated it and sold it at a profit.

Earlier this year they bought Chelsea Barracks from the Ministry of Defence in a £959 million deal with the Qatari government.

The 12.8 acre site between Sloane Square and the Thames is the most valuable residential plot in Britain to be developed, at £75 million an acre.

The brothers also paid £150 million for the One Hyde Park in Knightsbridge in 2004.

Fitzrovia Estate Agents: Fitzhip: What Makes Fitzrovia Tick?

The rising star of the West End, Fitzrovia has stolen Soho’s ‘hip’ crown and is now one of LDG’s most magnetic and popular residential locations. And with its famous landmark, the BT Tower, souring 580 feet above the streets, you will never have trouble finding your way home.

Since this sky-high structure was erected in the Sixties communications and media have been Fitzrovia’s livelihood.

The streets below buzz with television production squads, editing folk, new media types and ladies who lunch. Punters spill out onto Fitzrovia’s pavements where Italian side-walk cafés lend a distinctly continental air to summer evenings.

While after-hours, Fitzrovia resumes the distinctly bohemian aura of yesteryears when writers such as Dylan Thomas and George Orwell frequented the Fitzroy Tavern.

First developed in the 18th century by Charles Fitzroy following the Great Fire of London, Fitzrovia was later given its name after Fitzroy purchased the Manor of Tottenhall and built Fitzroy Square.

Today BT Tower and The Charlotte Street, Langham Street and Sanderson Hotels are only the supporting branches for a future of guaranteed change in which we will see residential property increasing.

The real gems of this effervescent hub are the little guys: independent, often family-run institutions tucked away in Fitzrovia’s back streets and various mews.

The Ships Galley on Hanson Street is a cheap and cheerful sandwich café, while on Great Titchfield Street Harris’s Italian delicatessen serves up the best ciabattas in town.

Newman Passage is an innocuous little pedestrian thoroughfare which links Newman Street to Rathbone Street.

While Charlotte Street runs perpendicular to Goodge Street and is the main focal point for wining and dining, although gastronomic rivalry is close at hand in nearby Market Place and Great Portland Street.

Only a few minutes walk away is the bustling artery of Oxford Street, making Fitzrovia the perfect West End spot to invest and reap the rewards.

Studios for sale in Fitzrovia, Soho, Covent Garden, Bloomsbury and Marylebone

You have probably figured out how much you will need for your deposit, but don’t forget about the closing costs. These additional costs can add up to a significant amount.

Closing costs will vary, depending upon the financing costs and the time of the month that you close.

We will be able to give you an estimate of all these costs, Local Search fees, Stamp Duty, Land Registration Fees, Land Charges Search Fees, Solicitors Costs, Office copy entries.

There will also be insurance costs for the Building, Contents and Mortgage Loan itself.

We can advise on the best cash-back deals and how to make major savings on these conveyancing costs.

Pest Control Flats and apartments for sale in Fitzrovia, Soho, Covent Garden, Bloomsbury and Marylebone

Most standard sales agreements require that a property be inspected before the closing and treated for insect infestation, if necessary.

It is a good idea to check for insect problems as soon as you sign a listing agreement, so that they don’t become an issue of contention in the sale.

Some insects may physically damage the house and may reduce its chances of selling .

Constantly having to push back spider webs while touring the house or an army of ants could seriously undermine a prospective buyer’s ability to fully appreciate your house.