News

As you may have seen from our social media posts, or heard from the excited cheers if you were near our office – we have been announced as the Best Estate Agent in PE1 and Best Overall Agent in PE1 for our excellent levels of customer service.

We are so excited to have been recognised by All Agents for this award, and still feel like we have our head in the clouds. This is a huge achievement for the team and our estate agency in Peterborough.

The Letters Group team would like to take this chance to thank all our customers. Without people coming to use to sell or buy their next home, we would not be in the position we are in now.

Here at Letters Group we are different to other estate agents in Peterborough. We strongly believe that it is people first. We always take the time to get to know our sellers, buyers, renters and landlords. We want to understand what they really want and their dream outcome is, so we can give them exactly that.

We believe that you should know who we are and how to find us. Buying or selling a house is a huge part of your life. We want to be alongside you, helping you, every step of the way. Pop onto our About us page and put a face to the name if you have had a chat with us on the phone, or pop into our estate agents in PE1 to meet us in person. We really are a friendly bunch.

Letters is 27 years old. In this time estate agents and letting agents in Peterborough have come and again. However we are still here, standing strong. If we weren’t good at what we did, we wouldn’t still be here now. This is why we think we won the Best Estate Agent PE1 and Best Overall Agent awards earlier this month.

If you’re looking for an award winning estate agent in Peterborough to sell your home, contact us now.

When your property is for sale in Peterborough there are a number of things you need to prepare and organise to ensure a smooth and fast transaction. Here at Letters Group we have a team of professional and caring estate agents. We know all the best property tricks and tips to ensure a smooth sale and we would like to share these with you, as they will help when selling your home in Peterborough.

Arguably the most important step in selling your home in Peterborough is making sure your finances are in order. You need to check your existing mortgage, how much is left outstanding and any penalties you may face by selling your home. 

If you are planning to sell your home to buy another speak to your mortgage broker, or our team. We can make sure you can get the right mortgage for your new home. 

It’s a good idea to put your house on the market before putting in an offer on a new home. This gives you a chance to check out the market speed and the properties about. You will also feel a lot less stressed if you have an offer through the door before making one on your next home.

When selling your home in Peterborough you need to make some important decisions early on. For example, you need to think about the lowest selling price you want for your home. Think about your furnishings too, will you take them with you, or include them in the sale of the house? 

By making these decisions before you start you will feel more in control and you will have less to worry about later down the line. Make a list of decisions you need to make and go through them one by one with your partner or family. Make sure you are happy with the decisions before you put your property on the market.

First impressions count when it comes to selling your home in Peterborough. It is essential that your home looks its best in all photos taken by the estate agents. We would recommend that you declutter your home to make rooms look bigger and more spacious.

Decluttering will also help with the move as you will have fewer things to take to your new home.

Paperwork is never very exciting to a lot of people, but it is really important that you get your paperwork in order. There may be times when you need a certain document on a very tight deadline and you can’t find it for love nor money. If you have been given an offer for your home that you can’t afford to miss, you will need to ensure your paperwork is to hand and organised.

Avoid that last minute panic by preparing a folder of all your mortgage documents, solicitor letters, energy efficiency certificates, plumbing certificates, boiler inspections and more. By having these organised and to hand, you will enjoy a much smoother transaction when selling your home in Peterborough.

When selling your home it can be really exciting; however it can take longer than you might hope. This is why we have put this blog post together so you can see the process of selling your home in Peterborough, along with how long this process might take.

Before the real process can start there are a few things you need to do as a house seller in Peterborough. These are things that we will be willing to help you with as your personal estate agents, but these things need to be done before the official process of selling your home begins.

Your To-Do List

• You need to choose an estate agent that you trust to sell your home. You may select a few and then shortlist them down after meeting them.
• Invite your chosen estate agent(s) round to value your home.
• Request the agency agreement and discuss any queries you might have.
• Prepare your home for sale. This includes some decluttering, quick DIY fixes, tidying and cleaning, for example.
• You then need to sign off any property particulars. Again, this is something we can help you with.
• Finally commission an EPC survey. We would be happy to get this started for you.

Selling Your Home Process

Day One: The first thing that happens is your home will be marketed. This will include a sign outside your house, details on our website and other home buying sites, social media posts, mail-outs to house buyers on our lists and more. 

You’ll then be called for viewings for your home. We can do these for you, and if you would like to give us the key we can complete your house viewings with minimal disruption to your daily routine. We will inform you of any viewings before they take place and the feedback from the viewings.

The right buyer will come along and give you an offer for your home. They may be some negotiations back and forth, but you will then accept the right offer that you feel happy with.

According to The Advisory research the average time for a house sale to get from marketing to accepting an offer is 4 to 14 weeks. This is dependent on how hot or cold the market is at the time of selling your home.

Once you have accepted the offer from the buyer searches, legal enquiries and a buyer’s survey will take place. There may be some more negotiations with the buyer around the results from these enquiries, surveys and searches. Once again, your personal estate agent can handle these for you.

The next step is the exchange of contracts and this is the point where the house sale becomes legally binding for both parties. The process from accepting the offer to the exchange of contracts can take around 9-12 weeks on average. However, a transaction can fall through during the second negotiations about findings through surveys which takes you back to the viewings part of the process again.

When contracts are exchanged your solicitor will receive the deposit on the house from the buyer and usually within 1-2 weeks the house sale will complete and you will receive the full balance of the house sale.

According to research the average house sale process can take between 15 and 25 weeks. However every house sale is different. Speak to your estate agent and they will advise as to how long it will take to sell your home, but this blog gives you a rough guide of the process and what to expect when selling your home in Peterborough.

There has been a real increase in the popularity of online services. People prefer to use Uber than book with real taxi companies and other would prefer to book accommodation through Air BnB instead of a real hotel. While this has a lot of positives, there are some services that just don‘t work as well online.

In this blog post we look at why a real estate agent in Peterborough is better than an internet only agent.

You’ll Lose Money with an ‘Internet Only’ Agent

Research completed by The Advisory, a company offering independent expert advice for house sellers found that a rightmove advert generated buyer will lose you 5% more than an estate agent database generated buyer. 

While 5% may not sound like a big deal, when it comes to selling a house, 5% is a big deal. In real numbers, 5% means you will lose £12,500 on a £250,000 home. This is a loss of £25,000 on a £500,000 home and £50,000 on a home worth £1,000,000. 

Suddenly 5% seems quite a large loss doesn’t it?

Real Estate Agents in Peterborough Get You The Best Buyers

The research from The Advisory goes on to confirm that you get the best buyers for your home when using a real estate agent in Peterborough, instead of an ‘internet only’ estate agent. 

The research shows that 73% of homes in the UK achieved a better result on the selling price, thanks to the involvement of a real high street estate agent. Only 27% of homes sold by ‘internet only’ estate agents were able to make the same claim.

High Street Agents Get You More Viewings

Even more research from The Advisory shows that by using a real estate agent that is proactively trying to sell your property will get your more viewings. The research shows that real estate agents can get you 48% more viewings for your home than an ‘internet only’ agent. 

The research then went on to show that real estate agents don’t only get you more viewing for your home; they get more offers for your home too. The research shows that homes for sale with real high street estate agents get 64% more offers than homes being promoted by ‘internet only’ agents.

While you may think you can save money by using an ‘internet only’ agent, it is extremely likely you will miss out in the long run. If you are looking for an estate agent in Peterborough that can get you the best price for your home, please contact us now.

If you are considering purchasing your first home in Peterborough then this is a must-read blog post for you. We have put together three things that first time buyers in Peterborough need to do. These tips will help you get everything in order so you can get your hands on your dream first home.

Speak To a Mortgage Advisor

The first step on the property ladder isn’t about spending ages meeting estate agents about houses and trawling Rightmove. Instead the first thing you need to do is to speak to a mortgage adviser. They will help you understand the budget for your property. If you are purchasing a first home in Peterborough with your partner it is important you are both aware of your responsibilities. Your mortgage adviser can go through this with you. By speaking to a mortgage adviser you will know the sort of property you can afford and the ongoing costs you can expect to pay for your home and mortgage. Give us a call and we can recommend some trusted and reliable mortgage advisors in your area.

Speak to an Estate Agent

This is where we come in for your dream house hunting. Now you know how much you can afford we can help you choose your first home. We will talk to you about house prices and what you can expect for a house that price. We will talk about areas where you can more for your money as well as any upcoming developments or homes that are new to the market and may be of interest to you. We will take the time to understand what you want from your home, and what you can be flexible on, as well as what your new home MUST have. For example your home may need to be near transport links, have off road parking or a large garden for your dog.

Be Ready

As a first time buyer you will be a popular home buyer for those selling their homes in Peterborough. This is because it is likely you will come with no chain, which means the house buying and selling process can be quicker for all involved.  It is essential that your paper work is up to date. This means then when you find your perfect home and your offer is accepted, you are ready to move house. When you speak to your estate agent and mortgage adviser they will tell you all the paperwork you need to have ready and in order. The sooner this is prepared, the smoother the process will be to buy your first home.

If you are a first time buyer looking to take that first step on the property ladder, give us a call. We can recommend a mortgage adviser for you, and help you find your dream home too.

House viewing in Peterborough is a great fun. It gives you a chance to view different properties in your budget, from the inside, not just the outside. You can get a real for a property and decide if that house could become your home.

House viewing in Peterborough also gives you the opportunity to ask lots of questions. Below we have listed some of the questions what we recommend you should ask when viewing houses in Peterborough.

How Long Has This House Been On The Market?

By asking this question you can find out of the home has been on the market a while. If it has you can speak to the estate agent about why. There may have been a higher price on the house before, or a buyer fell through. In some cases you may be able to make a lower offer on the property if it has been on the market a while and the seller is keen to get it sold quickly.

How Long Have The Home Owners Lived There?

If the home owners have lived in the house for ten years or more then you know it is a nice area to live. However if they have only been there for a short while you may want to dig a little bit deeper and find out more. They could be moving closer to an ill family member, or it’s been a relationship breakup. However they could have terrible neighbours and be keen to move away from them.

Why Are They Selling Their Home?

Similarly to the last question, you want to find out if there are any problems with the home and that is why they are moving. In many cases the sellers will be upgrading or downgrading and that is why they want to move. If you find out they are staying in the same village or even street, then you know it’s a good area to live as they want to stay there!

Is There A Chain?

By understanding how long the chain is and some details about people in the chain, you can start to see how long it may take from offer to completion. If it’s a short chain with a first time buyer then the time from offer to completion could be extremely quick. By knowing the chain you could be getting into before putting in an offer, you’ll be able to better weight up your options.

These are just some of the questions you could ask when house viewing in Peterborough. However when you choose Letters Group as your estate agents you will be given as much information as need. Our estate agents work hard to keep our clients informed; every step of the way!

It has been reported that some major changes to the way that properties are taxed could come into play with Boris Johnson as Prime Minister. 

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has revealed that he plans to abolish the tax altogether on properties below the value of £500,000. He has also met with AAT, the Association of Accounting Technicians to discuss more radical ideas for home sellers.

Boris Johnson feels that the housing market is locked because the high stamp duty costs put buyers off. Based on this he plans to cut these high stamp duty costs for the buyer. It has also been discussed that he may pass this tax onto the seller of the home, instead of the buyer. This would be a unique way of cutting stamp duty costs for first time buyers, without it affecting the government. It would also make it more possible for buyers to upsize their homes as the tax bill would be lower and they could afford a larger, more expensive property.

It is reported that this could save the taxpayer around £700m as the First Time Buyer Relief would become redundant. However it would still protect the £9 billion of revenue that stamp duty generates as this would still be paid in full, just by different people. In this case the seller and not the buyer.

However, it is not great news for everyone. Those people looking to downsize their homes will be left having to pay more. In fact their stamp duty bill could be significantly higher. AAT argues that in the majority of cases downsizers will have little or no mortgage to pay and will have significant equity. AAT feels that these homeowners are better placed to pay that little extra, unlike first time buyers who are often in the younger generation.

If you are looking to sell your home or buy a home then contact us directly. We have a wide selection of homes and buyers on our books and can help you with any changes as and when they arise in the process of buying or selling your home.

The Letters Group team are thrilled to announce that we are in the Top 50 for Top 100 Firms in the UK as reported by allAgents.co.uk. In fact better than just being in the Top 50, we are actually 44^th this week out of all the letting agents and estate agents across the UK.

Here at Letters Group we work hard to make our clients happy. Whether they are renting or selling their home or looking for a home to rent or buy.

Unlike other agents we don’t just send numerous people round to look at homes. Instead we speak to the buyer or renter to understand the sort of home they are looking for. We won’t send them to homes that aren’t suitable for them, just so the seller or landlord has appointments. That won’t help anyone. Instead we find the right people for the right homes. 

We also take the time to get to know our landlords and sellers. We will speak to them about their property. As property experts in Peterborough we can then recommend small changes they can make to the property to add value or to get it sold or rented quicker.

As you will see from our blog posts and social media posts, we work really hard to help people that are buying, selling or renting in Peterborough. We share tips, guidance, advice and latest news. We know that buying and selling a house can be stressful. This is why we do everything we can to take away as much stress as possible.

And this seems to work. You don’t come 44^th top agent in the UK by not offering a great service. We have some really great testimonials and reviews from people that have bought houses, sold houses and rented through us in the past to say how happy they were with our service.

If you’d like to sell or buy your home with an estate agent in Peterborough that is in the top 50 in the UK then give us a call. We would love to hear about your home and dream home.

Here at Letters Group we have a team of professional estate agents that are here to help you sell your property or buy a new property. Our professional estate agents in Peterborough keep on top of all the latest changes in the world of buying and selling homes so you don’t have to. 

Below you can find out about the latest changes in the price of property coming to market.

The price of newly-marketed property has risen by an average of 0.3% this month. This is an increase of £1,058. We have seen reports of all-time price highs in the East Midlands, across the North West, in Wales, Yorkshire and the Humber too. These all-time price highs have pushed the national average to within £91 of a new record. It is important to remember, this is all despite the background of the politically uncertain times we are going through as a country.

A better performance for new sellers coming to the market and sales agreed has been reflected in the market buoyancy in these areas, when compared to the national average annual change for the year so far. We were interested to see that sales agreed so far are better in the northern regions, down by just 1.7% year or year. However in the southern areas there does seem to be some hesitation as it is down 7.1% when compared year on year.

The regional pattern is evident in the number of house sales being agreed too. There is a clear and more marked reluctance of would-be sellers in the south. This means that there is less property choice for the buyers, which leads to few sales agreed in the southern regions.

However, research shows that the national average for the number of house sales agreed is down just 4.3% when compared to last year. Wales is setting new price records and is selling better than the national average. In fact Wales is 0.2% ahead of last year. We then look at Yorkshire and the Humber which is 1.9% down on last year. The North West is down by 3.3% and the East Midlands is down by 3.7%.

Please remember the housing market is ever changing. If you are looking to sell your home or purchase a new home please contact our team of professional estate agents in Peterborough directly. We can give you honest advice and guidance to help you make an informed decision about how the current housing market will affect you.

Making the decision to downsize your home is never an easy decision. However there are lots of opportunities for downsizing in Peterborough. Whether your children have flown the nest, you want a home that is easier to manage or you’re downsizing to have more available funds – we are sure you will find the right home in Peterborough to downsize too.

That said downsizing is still tricky. In this blog post we have put together some top tips to help you with the downsizing process.

It is only normal that we collect things over time. These could be things your children have made at school, your child’s first clothes, old phone’s in drawers (just in case) and the random wires that are kept in a box under the stairs because you never know when you might need them. Downsizing is a great time to go through these things and start clearing out. 

The wires have not been used for ages; it is unlikely you will need them, so throw them out. Donate old phones to local charity shops or sell them to a local shop who will sell them on for you (and you can make a few pounds in the process too). If you really want to keep the old baby clothes why not take cuttings and make them into a patchwork blanket? These boxes of ‘stuff’ will take up a lot more room in a smaller home!

Go through all your possessions. If you love it then keep it. If you are keeping it to make someone else happy then get rid. Things that make you feel sad, angry or lonely should not be in eye-sight within your home. By clearing these things out you will be a happier family in a happier home.

If there is furniture in your home that will not fit in your new home, then why not offer it to the person buying your home included in the purchase. Or you could sell it online and make some money to purchase brand new furniture for your new home, which fits perfectly.

Downsizing in Peterborough can be tricky. There is likely to be a tinge of regret as you have made happy memories in your home. Even if you are excited to be downsizing there can be those moments of worry. 

Stop yourself from feeling sad about downsizing by imagining your new lifestyle in your new home. Think about what the rooms will look like, clear, clan and spacious. Imagine friends and family popping in to see you, and admiring your new home. Then ask yourself if you really need all the objects that currently surround you, or if you could do without them!