Mark Townend, Wiltshire Estate Agent

18/04/2025

Calne News | Calne to Commemorate 80th Anniversary of Victory in Europe with Series of Events | Calne News

17/03/2025

Decade-high choice to benefit Spring buyers who miss stamp duty deadline

The average price of property coming to market for sale rises by 1.1% (+£3,876) this month to £371,870, in line with the long-term March average increase, as many new sellers price sensibly amid decade-high competition to sell:
🔲 While new Spring buyers will not beat this month’s stamp duty deadline, they will benefit from the highest property choice at this time of year since 2015
🔲 Massive log-jam of 575,000 moves in the legal completion process, with many trying to beat March’s stamp duty deadline
🔲 Despite ongoing global uncertainty, the property market remains resilient, with positive signs of growth heading into Spring:
🔲 The number of sales being agreed is 9% higher than at this time in 2024, a positive sign for the market post-stamp-duty increase, and the number of new sellers is now 8% ahead of this time last year
🔲 Mortgage rates remain only fractionally lower than at this time last year as buyer affordability remains stretched, and proposals by the regulator to look at ways responsible lending can be simplified:
🔲 The average five-year fixed mortgage rate is now 4.74%, down from the peak of 6.11% in July 2023, but only marginally lower than the 4.84% at this time last year

03/03/2025

Outright ban on leasehold new build properties has been proposed by the government.

Ministers want to move to a "commonhold" system where flat-owners own a share of their buildings.

27/02/2025

🏡 The Modern Method of Auction: A Smarter Way to Sell a Home With No Onward Chain🔥

Thinking of selling your property? The Modern Method of Auction (MMoA) is changing the game! Unlike traditional auctions, which require an immediate cash purchase, MMoA offers more flexibility while still ensuring a fast, transparent and secure sale.

✨ Why choose MMoA?
✅ Wider buyer pool – Mortgage buyers can participate
✅ Faster sales – Fixed timescales (usually 28-56 days)
✅ More security – Buyers pay a reservation fee, reducing fall-through rates
✅ Market value achieved – Competitive bidding drives the price
✅ 0% commission fee for the seller

💡 Whether you’re buying or selling, MMoA offers the perfect balance of speed and certainty. Want to know more? Get in touch today! 📩

23/02/2025

✅ UK House Prices (£/sq.ft)

As always, the £/sq.ft metric predicts Land Registry figures 5 months in advance with 92% accuracy (the orange line of the graph).

January’s final figure: £342/sq.ft.

* December ’24 : £339/sq.ft
* August ’24: £334/sq.ft
* January ’24: £330/sq.ft

This means UK house prices have risen 3.64% in the last 12 months.

21/02/2025

Why Do Estate Agents Require Proof of Funds? 🏡💰

Thinking of making an offer on a property? You’ll likely be asked for Proof of Funds (POF)—but why is this necessary? 🤔

📌 Ensuring You’re a Serious Buyer
Estate agents need to confirm that you have the financial means to proceed with the purchase. This helps sellers avoid time-wasters and ensures smoother transactions.

📌 Avoiding Delays & Complications
Without proof that you have the necessary funds (or a mortgage agreement in principle), deals can fall through at a later stage, causing delays and disappointment for everyone involved.

📌 Strengthening Your Offer
In a competitive market, having proof of funds gives you an edge! Sellers are more likely to accept your offer over someone who hasn’t provided financial confirmation.

📌 Compliance with Anti-Money Laundering Regulations
Estate agents are legally required to verify the source of funds to prevent fraud and money laundering. Providing POF helps them meet these legal obligations.

💡 What Counts as Proof of Funds?
• 💳 Bank statement showing available balance
• 🏦 Mortgage Agreement in Principle
• 📄 Letter from your solicitor confirming available funds

So, if you’re planning to make an offer, be prepared with your proof of funds—it’s a small step that makes a BIG difference in securing your dream home! 🏡✨

14/02/2025

Love may be in the air for Valentine’s Day and the same seems to apply when it comes to finding a home. One in five Brits have admitted that they could fall in love with a home without ever seeing it.

A survey of more than 1,000 people by Rightmove found 22% of respondents said it was likely they’d be able to fall in love with a home based solely on a well written description or a floorplan, but without physically viewing it, or seeing any photos.

Much like the contestants on Love Is Blind, who form relationships based solely on emotional connections, Rightmove said it seems some house-hunters are open to forming a strong bond with the right home, based on words rather than images.

However, Rightmove’s research showed far fewer people were open to going all the way through with a property purchase blindly.

Just 3% of respondents said they’d be comfortable buying a property without viewing it or seeing photos and only reading a well-written description.

The responses back up Rightmove’s own data on the importance of great property imagery.

Listings that have more than five photos included sell four days faster than those that don’t on average, while agents who prioritise making sure a floorplan is included are typically met with a 10% increase in interested buyers, compared with those that don’t, the research found.

Steve Pimblett, chief data officer at Rightmove, added “Is property love blind? Probably not, but the one in five who think they could fall in love with a home based on words rather than images highlight the power of a well-written property listing, which captures the information that buyers are looking for.

“Great images can set a property listing apart from the competition, capturing a home in all its glory and captivating the imagination of someone thinking of living there. Make sure to follow your estate agent’s advice when it comes to taking great photos and preparing the home for viewings, as they’ll be able to show the home in its very best light.”

All our listings are created with professional photography, engaging descriptions, detailed floor plans; videography and 360 Virtual Tours to ensure a fantastic first impression!

08/02/2025

** SOLD SUBJECT TO CONTRACT **

📍Penleigh Road, Westbury

After a week on the market which saw two well attended Open House events with 12 viewings which generated 3 offers, I’m thrilled to share that this gorgeous bungalow is now under offer.

Looking forward to working with both the seller and the buyer during the conveyancing process and seeing both through to the next chapters of their lives.

07/02/2025

Boost for buyers as interest rates are cut to 4.5%

The Bank of England delivered a boost for the property market yesterday after cutting interest rates to their lowest point since June 2023.

The cost of borrowing was cut from 4.75% to 4.5%.

Bank of England Governor said the Monetary Policy Committee will consider cutting rates again but he was cautious on the UK’s economic growth.

Markets are now expecting three more cuts in interest rates this year.

Nathan Emerson, chief executive of Propertymark, said: “Despite widespread uncertainty and the Bank of England expecting inflation rates to increase to 3.7% by the third quarter of 2025 before easing again, the announcement comes as welcome news for many.

“It’s now likely that mortgage borrowing takes the same path and dips slightly which will, in turn, help ease the strain on people’s finances and improve their chances of homeownership. This extra boost in affordability and confidence is needed, and we look forward to hopefully seeing new and improved mortgage products enter the market over the coming weeks.”

03/02/2025

Boost for property market as two-year lease extension rule is removed

The Government published regulations on Friday that officially removed the two-year rule to apply for leasehold property extensions.

The removal of this rule is expected to open up opportunities for leaseholders to remortgage or sell their homes.

But law firm Irwin Mitchell has warned that challenges remain.

Katherine Thorpe, legal executive at Irwin Mitchell, said: “This is a positive step toward leasehold reform, but many leaseholders and landlords alike will feel this is not adequately addressing their concerns and remain much uncertainty in the sector.

“Leaseholders must still prove ownership, which could be challenging due to current Land Registry backlogs. This may still cause delay and complications in lease extensions and enfranchisement claims.”

Mark Chick, director of the Association of Leasehold Enfranchisement Practitioners and a partner at Bishop & Sewell, added: “ALEP welcomes the news that leaseholders are able to extend their lease or enfranchise their qualifying leasehold house at a time of their choosing. This reform will make it easier for a wider class of people to access enfranchisement rights.

“However, if a lease needs to be extended because of mortgage conditions – for example, if it is under 80 years or of a length that is not acceptable to the mortgage lender because it is shorter – then the issue of needing a longer lease at completion of the sale remains.

“We will have to wait to see how (if at all) lenders respond to this change. It is however now possible for a purchaser to buy a property and consider the extension of the lease at a time of their choosing after the purchase without automatically ‘losing out’ as the lease will be two years shorter if they choose to wait.”

Further reform could be held up though as seven large freeholders have been granted permission for a judicial review into the fairness of the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. The case will be heard in July.

31/01/2025

•Mortgage approvals rise as buyers prepare for Stamp Duty rush•

The housing market has received a boost after mortgage approvals rose in December.

Bank of England data shows mortgage approvals on house purchases rose by 0.7% between November and December to 66,526.

The figure is up 27.7% annually and suggests a busy market in the build-up to the cut in Stamp Duty thresholds in March.

Total approvals during 2024 were up 30% at 577,173 despite rates remaining relatively higher compared with previous years.

Commenting on the data, Jason Tebb, president of OnTheMarket, said: “With approvals for house purchases, an indicator of future borrowing, picking up slightly in December following November’s fall, market stability and buyer confidence continues to be remarkably steady.

“While affordability remains an issue for many buyers, there is encouraging talk of further base-rate reductions this year. We saw how the two rate cuts in August and November boosted buyer and seller confidence and further reductions should provide another shot in the arm for the market, improving all-important activity. This, combined with the end of the Stamp Duty concession in March, points to a brisk spring market.”