Snow again

19/02/2010

Here we go again!

One track road past the office, and it is due to freeze hard tonight, so we will be closing early.

Well done to our staff, who struggled in again - worst weather for years - are we nearly at the end of winter?

Hope so.

EMERGENCY CALL OUT AND OPENING DURING BAD WEATHER

11/01/2010

Worcester is not to bad - mostly slushy - but the M5 is blocked so traffic is diverting and blocking it up.

Malvern is positively dangerous on the roads, with more snow last night that settled. The gritters are stuck in the traffic jams and a refuse lorry has hit a wall in Malvern Link.

The trains are on time, so well done to them.

Congratulations to those staff who have all made it into the office today in these difficult conditions.

We will be closing the office at around 2pm to make sure that it is safe for our staff to travel home before night fall and everything freezes up.

A particular "Well done" to Malcolm, who managed to get in every day last week,and deal with emergency issues - and is here again today (Monday).

We have arranged for an emergency call out service when the office is not manned, but they are snowed under and are having difficulty getting about.

Carl from 24/7 can be contacted on 07787 108546 or 01905 616567

Please note that this service should only be used for emergencies.

We will try to open our offices tomorrow at 9.00am, but the outlook is still grim.

Our advice is to stay in, stay warm and stay safe.

The housing market in the Malverns

05/01/2010

We are looking forward to a number of properties coming onto the market in the next few weeks, once the snow goes away.

Having sold so many properties in the last few months (the last week in November was another record week for us on number of completions) we are very short of properties to sell.

We are optimistic that the positive trend will continue through 2010, despite the economic forecast and the election, because Malvern is a very popular place to move to. People also want to stay within the Malvern area, downsizing or upsizing depending on their circumstances.

We do not try to forecast short term house price movements, but the following points should be borne in mind:

Nationally, there is an increasing shortage of new build properties, and this long term trend will lead to a considerable shortage developing, and prices will probably rise at some point.
John Maynard Keynes, one of the most important economic thinkers of all time, was of the opinion that low interest rates tend to lead to higher house prices (see Robert Skidelsky's book "Keynes, The Return of the Master" - an excellent read). We have very low interest rates.
Prices have now been rising gently for some while, and people are starting to think that they can no longer afford to wait to make their purchase, in case they miss out.
Those cash buyers who are in rented accomodation continue to come back into the market, and some are now disappointed that the only way that they can get their dream house is by paying close to the asking price - no more big discounts now.
First time buyers living with Mum, who have now saved their 25% deposit, are also looking to buy, but there is a general shortage of stock for them to choose from.
Many reluctant landlords, who temporarily let out at their property because they could not sell it, have now sold or are seriously considering their options.

So the long term trend appears to be up - but there may be a few ups and downs on the way.

Malvern is a lovely place to live - people want to come to live here, and always will.

Although Philip Laney & Jolly did very well in 2009, we cannot rest on our laurels and we will continue to work very hard on our clients' behalf in 2010. We are independent and proud of our hard earned reputation - we must retain the respect that has been built since our formation here in Malvern in 1966.

For a free, no obligation, discussion about selling your property, please call Malcolm or Liz on 01684 575100

Free wallpaper for December 2009

05/01/2010

This is the last of the excellent series of "wallpapers" provide by Daren Scott, the talented local photographer, whose limited editions are available here in Great Malvern.

Daren has a web site showing some more of his work at www.morfe.co.uk

We hope that you have enjoyed the superb offerings from Daren, whose work can be purchased here in Malvern, and thank him for helping us to promote this area of outstanding natural beauty.

Please ensure that you know how to load wallpaper before attempting to put it on your computer.

For a definition of "wallpaper" click here to be taken to the Wikipedia site.

To set up this picture as a background on your desktop follow the guidelines below: Click on picture Right click Click on "set as background" This is the one for a standard monitor
	December 1024 x 768 px
If you have a wider screen then try this one for size.
	December 1600 x 1200 px

Office refurbishment

01/01/2010

The refurbishment of our front office is nearing completion.

Considerable damage was done when the building was converted into a building society, but the original mouldings have now been exposed and restored where possible, and chandaliers (with energy efficient bulbs) have been hung.

If you would like to see your property dispayed at 21 Worcester Road, Great Malvern, then please call Liz or Malcolm (sales) or Vicky or Lizzy (lettings) on Malvern 575100

Mortgage advice - ask the experts

03/12/2009

As an independent firm of Estate Agents we are not "tied" to any mortgage provider, as many agents are.

If asked for mortgage advice, we suggest that our clients contact Bamford & Associates, the local father and sons practice.

They can make your property purchase easier through the vast choice of mortgages that they can access. The aim is to give you flexibility so that you are able to choose a mortgage to suit you.

Their St. James’s Place Partnership approach to Wealth Management can also provide professional expert advice to businesses, to those who are already retired or approaching retirement, and to young people and their families.

For free downloads on topics ranging from Inheritance Tax to Invesments, visit their web site by clicking on this link and then click on the "market update" button at the bottom left hand side of the home page.

Click on the "Back" button if you would like to return to this site

Auctions

01/12/2009

Do you think that your property might be suitable for Auction?

We are now taking entries for our Winter Auction at the Foley Arms, Malvern

If you would like to consider this option for your property, please call Liz Chetwood on 01684 575100 for a free, no obligation, consultation.

Malvern’s own holiday lettings agency is born

01/07/2009

Malvern has been rated as one of the top holiday destinations in the world, and it now has its own self-catering holiday lettings agency.

Great Malvern Holidays has been launched by Philip Laney & Jolly to help to boost tourism in the Malverns and to attract more visitors to shop in the Town.

Roger Barter, managing director of Philip Laney & Jolly, said that the new business was a natural extension of their lettings and “short lets” business streams.

“We have a steadily growing family of small business ventures based in the Malverns and in Worcester, and this is our new baby.

Great Malvern Holidays will specialise only in accommodation in the Malverns – an area known well by Philip Laney & Jolly staff.

Established in Malvern in 1966, Philip Laney & Jolly has grown into one of Worcestershire’s most successful estate agents, specialising in lettings, block management, short lets, residential sales, and commercial property.

Roger said “as we are a privately owned family business, we have more freedom to try something new”.

“Property sales were slow in the winter”, he said “so we decided to take a positive attitude to life and start on a new addition. I think that taking this positive attitude has helped other parts of the firm to thrive, and property sales and lettings have been going really well for several months now. We have been so successful that we are short of properties to sell at the moment”.

Local owners of self-catering holiday properties have been quick to welcome the new arrival and their properties can be viewed on the new Great Malvern Holidays web site at www.greatmalvernholidays.co.uk.

“We have some really top quality properties available – for example, The Coach House at West Malvern has its own indoor heated swimming pool and glorious views across to the west”.

If you are thinking of turning your property into a self-catering holiday let and would like to discus the possibilities, please contact Roger or Vicky on 01684 575100 or send an email to lettings@philiplaneyjolly.co.uk.

21 Worcester Rd Great Malvern WR14 4QY