Cambridgeshire

In the year of the Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, Paul Norton, partner and head of residential sales at Carter Jonas in Peterborough, has the bunting out already to celebrate the best of British.

Paul Norton of Carter Jonas

A selection of properties for sale in our county sits comfortably side by side with property for sale in London’s Mayfair, New York city, Paris and Verbier in the latest edition of our annual The Collection Town & Country which is hot off the press.

The Collection Town & Country showcases some of the finest residential properties for sale or to rent from across Carter Jonas’s network of offices which includes our two Cambridgeshire locations.

Featured in this year’s portfolio from the Cambridge office is a quintessential Victorian farmhouse in Orwell to the south of the city, the 237-acre estate of Fordham Abbey, near Newmarket and a period farmhouse which dates back to 1650 on the Cambridgeshire/Bedfordshire border.

Further north in the county, The Old Rectory at Peakirk is described as one of the county’s finest by Carter Jonas’s Head of London Country Department, Jasper Feilding who is based in our Mayfair office.

In the year of the Diamond Jubilee and the London Olympic and Paralympic Games, The Collection Town & Country celebrates the best of British life as well as property. 

There is an interview with the 8th Earl of Carnarvon whose residence, Highclere Castle, is host to the television drama, Downton Abbey, an interview with the owner of the yard where some of Her Majesty The Queen’s racehorses are trained, an academic review of London’s changing skyline and a feature on the most English of beverages which unites us all – the great British cuppa.

The Collection Town & Country will be distributed to our clients and contacts but anyone who would like to receive a copy to share in the best of British this summer can request or download one, free of charge through www.carterjonas.co.uk/publications.

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The Maxine Lester team with Phil Spencer

Maxine Lester Residential Lettings has won an award at the prestigious Estate and Letting Agent Awards (ESTA).

The St Ives-based agency received the Bronze Award in the Letting Agent of the Year award having been recognised for its excellent customer service as voted for by its clients during 2011.

The award was announced by Phil Spencer, Channel 4’s property expert at a luncheon and ceremony at the Hilton Park Lane London attended by 550 of theUK’s top estate and letting agents. 

The awards were sponsored by Zoopla, in association with HomeLet, Endsleigh, Expert Agent, LCA Recruitment and RICS.

Phil Spencer said: “The ESTAS are the most important and valuable awards in our industry. An ESTA is not an easy accolade to pick up: to win one requires a lot of hard work over a very long period of time.”

Simon Brown, owner of the awards, added: “Agents that take part in the ESTAs believe passionately in providing the highest quality customer service.  They are prepared to go that extra mile, prepared to take criticism as well as praise, and prepared to invest and develop their businesses accordingly.”

The results of the competition were determined by research carried out among customers, who are asked a series of questions about the service they have received from their agent. Over 33,000 votes were received, making it the biggest consumer survey of its kind in the property industry.

Maxine Lester said: “Everyone here at Maxine Lester Residential Lettings is absolutely delighted to have won an award at the ESTAS. The award means so such because it’s our clients who have rated us, not a judging panel. We pride ourselves on high levels of customer service, and this award shows we must be getting it right!”

Jon Notley, commercial director of Zoopla, said: “The ESTAs are about consumers: consumers who have recognised agents for the high standard of customer service that they provide. This is exactly why Zoopla is involved with the ESTAs for the second year running and we are delighted to support and be part of this key industry event.”

For information on how this award-winning company could help you call Maxine or Fiona on 01480 494939.

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HAART is set to host the biggest-ever open house event in St Neots over the May bank holiday.

Haart is holding an open house event

The UK’s largest independent estate agent is expecting hundreds of people from across Cambridgeshire to attend the open house events between May 4 and 7.

Some £850,000 worth of property will be available to view by the public without appointment over the three-day period.

What’s more, taking part in the event couldn’t be easier. All potential buyers need to do is contact their local Haart branch for the times and locations of open house events in St Neots. Details will also be available on the branch Facebook and Twitter pages over the coming days.

Tom Mollett, branch manager of Haart of St Neots, said: “We host regular open house events in St Neots but we have never attempted anything on this scale before.

“The response from our customers has been extremely positive since we started promoting it and we are expecting to have literally dozens of homes available for the public to view without appointment over the bank holiday.”

Anyone interested in having his or her property featured during the open house event simply needs to contact the local Haart branch. To find out more call 01480 217888 or e-mail st.neots@haart.co.uk

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AS another Bank Holiday Weekend approaches, there are a couple of things that are almost certain – rain and the opportunity for DIY.

But don’t let your DIY dreams turn into a disaster, as it does for the 220,000 people who end up in hospital each year as a result of accidents in the home.

While some home improvements may add value to a home – provided they are carried out safely and to a high standard – others could actually hinder a sale, and see sellers themselves forking out for repairs.

It is estimated that 13 per cent of all DIY projects undertaken will go wrong in some way, resulting in Brits having to cough up a collective £169 million to sort the problems out.

Estate agents Harrison Murray has a few tips for homeowners to follow to help them avoid become one of the statistics.

Managing director Nick Salmon said: “If you are planning to put your home on the market, don’t bite off more than you can chew.

“Numerous homeowners do enjoy DIY, but while they may have bags of enthusiasm and a will to succeed, some may lack the basic skills required to carry out larger and more complex projects.

“Don’t forget that only qualified contractors should alter gas or electrical installations.

“A few simple DIY and housekeeping tricks may have the desired affect without tapping into the home insurance.”

• Spruce up your paintwork with a fresh neutral look throughout, simple and effective.
• Hire a carpet cleaning machine for the weekend and give your carpets a deep cleansing shampoo.
• Give your kitchen cupboards and units a new look with some replacement doors and handles which is far cheaper than a complete kitchen overhaul.
• Replacing the grouting around sinks and baths will give an instant brighter and cleaner look.
• Make sure the doorbell and smoke alarms are in good working order and replace the batteries if necessary.
• Hire or borrow a pressure washer to make the patio gleaming again following the wintry weather – but do check first to see if you are in a hosepipe ban area.

According to The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) injuries from tools and machinery are estimated to account for the 87,000 of the 220,000 accident victims turning up at hospital each year.

Ladder and stepladder accidents send 41,000 people to hospital annually, with 60,000 people seeking treatment for injuries caused by splinters, grit, dust and other particles.

RoSPA also claims that the most common DIY accidents – many of which could be avoided through better planning or adequate safety gear like gloves, masks and goggles – include cuts from knives while cutting cables and carpets, slips with saws while cutting wood, paving slabs falling onto hands and feet, or paint from ceilings dripping into eyes.

Harrison Murray are leading independent residential estate agents with 18 offices throughout Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire and Leicestershire. Visit the website at www.harrisonmurray.co.uk

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SELLERS in Cambridgeshire have just a few days left to benefit from an extra perk when instructing independent estate agents and valuers Harrison Murray.

Charlie Green of Harrison Murray

For the past few weeks, the company’s branches in Chatteris, March and Wisbech have been helping to put a spring in the step of sellers and local businesses.

In a free prize draw, these branches are offering all new sellers – who instruct Harrison Murray as sole agent during March and April 2012 – the chance to win up to £150 in vouchers to spend in local shops.

But time is running out, as the incentive ends on Monday April 30.

Three sellers from each branch, selected at random in May, will then each receive a voucher for £50, £100 or £150 to spend in a selection of local stores.

Harrison Murray area director, Charlie Green, who is based at the Wisbech office, said: “We know that spring is traditionally a time when people think about putting their house on the market, and we thought this free prize draw would capture the interest of people who are serious about selling. And to date – it certainly has!

“As a long-established estate agent with an enviable reputation in the area, our commitment is very much to the local communities, and we see this as an expression of our support for businesses in and around Chatteris, March and Wisbech as well as something extra to offer our customers.”

The draw will take place next month, and winners will be notified in writing by Harrison Murray. Terms and conditions apply and are available from the branches.

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Stuart Harris, partner and head of residential sales, Carter Jonas Cambridge, wonders what price quality of life?

Stuart Harris of Carter Jonas

Two separate surveys, published on consecutive days at the end of last month put a contrasting spotlight on the attraction of property in Cambridge and its surrounding districts.

While the Halifax’s annual rural areas quality of life survey ranked East Cambridgeshire as the number one district in which to live according to such quality of life measures as income, life expectancy and the number of hours of sunshine per week, research by Hometrack – one of the biggest suppliers of automated valuations to the UK’s lenders – identified Cambridge’s 52,927 residential addresses as having a total worth of £16.6 billion.

The Halifax survey saw East Cambridgeshire rise from its ninth place position of last year to nudge South Cambridgeshirefrom its previous top slot to now occupy the third place position this year under Wychavon district in rural Worcestershire.

Such property-centric surveys have been the scourge of estate agents in recent times and a source of gloom but these latest two provide complementary insights about our county.

Both sets of survey data, even the one which focuses on quality of life, rely on empirical research and focus on quantifiable factors. 

How can one argue about cold, hard asset values such as the Hometrack research which showed us that, with a housing stock worth £16.6 billion in Cambridge we’re not quite equivalent to a quarter of the market worth of global corporate Glaxo?

Yet, for most of us, when it comes to making a judgment about where to live and why, it’s the Halifax survey which taps in to our psyche more.

East Cambridgeshire residents look forward to sharing a life expectancy that is four years longer and the shire district’s average resident earns £100 per week more than theUK’s national average equivalent figures in each category.

In the end, most of us look for a home in which to nest rather than invest, and while the Hometrack survey showed the hotspot ranking ofCambridgein terms of the asset value of its housing stock, who wouldn’t prefer to live in a hotspot that was identified by number of hours of sunshine a week?

By the way, that’s 30 hours in East Cambridgeshire, which even in our drought-stricken region is just over the national average!

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