According to the Nationwide, January 2021 saw a house price growth of 1.8%, the highest growth since November 2018.  Mortgage lenders are also saying they saw an increase in mortgage applications and approvals, all of which is encouraging and it doesn’t end there.  PFK continue to see new instructions gain an enormous amount of interest and therefore buyer confidence appears to be back!  In fact, it would be fair to say that demand is currently outweighing supply as we see people want to move and therefore certainty is definitely replacing uncertainty. The news of the extended Stamp Duty Holiday to 30th June 2021 should also encourage home movers.

PFK are a team of local people who are property experts and our aim is to help our customers on their property journey from beginning to end.  We have our own in-house marketing team who are able to provide professional drone videos, photographs and targeted social media campaigns in order to put your property in front of a specific audience and achieve the best results.  Quite often our marketing campaigns on social media and to our registered buyers provide us with a list of buyers/tenants before going live to the wider market!  However, it is not about selling your property quickly it is about marketing your property right, finding a buyer that suits you and achieving the best price – that is the most important factor!  When PFK agree a sale or a rental, we are there with our customers until we achieve signed contracts and this has been especially important within the last year.  It was suggested in the last 3^rd quarter of 2020 half (52%) of house sales in England and Wales fell through before completion.  So, having an agent who is keen to find you the best price and then progress the sale after it is agreed is essential and an important tool in the PFK package.  We use our experience, enthusiasm and customer service to make sure there is an end result – we don’t just leave it with the property lawyers, we actively help and assist where we can.

If you are considering selling, renting or buying and you want an agent who is proactive and works for you, then contact your local PFK expert who will be able to assist you in relation to your property journey.

PFK continue to be here to support our customers safely in a way that’s convenient for them.  That can be in person, over the phone, by email or via video appointment.  We will continue to make sure we protect our staff and customers.

Lynne Lancaster, Head of Estates. 

In light of the recent lockdown announcement I am sure we are all now considering & contemplating how 2021 will pan out.

2020 was a challenging year for everyone – those who suffered due to the virus, those who lost their jobs/businesses, those on furlough and those who continued to work.

When the property market closed in March 2020 and agents stopped operating, we all tried to predict what would happen on our return.  When the market reopened and we saw a huge surge in activity as people reviewed their lifestyles, where they lived, looking for more outside space and homes with suitable space to work from, we were all taken aback and suddenly very busy.

We closed 2020 looking forward to a return in January, new beginnings, helping people move and endeavouring to help those get their sales across the line before the stamp duty holiday comes to an end. However,  buying, renting or selling a property is not about a tax advantage, it is about new beginnings, about building a home for one’s self or family and it is about investing in the future.

We have outstanding NHS personnel and medical scientists putting us well on the road to Covid recovery and we now know that the Brexit trade talks have come to one resolution or another.  So, as government guidelines allow Estate Agents to work in this lockdown and buying, renting or selling can continue, PFK are here to support our customers safely in a way that’s convenient for them.  That can be in person, over the phone, by email or via video appointment.  We will continue to make sure we protect our staff and customers as best we can and we also believe that the property market in our region will continue to remain active through 2021.

Take care, stay safe and contact PFK should you have any queries in relation to buying, renting or selling in Cumbria.

Lynne Lancaster – Head of Estate Agency 

At the start of the coronavirus lockdown those with second homes in the countryside were quick to relocate to take advantage of the increased space and greater freedom the countryside has to offer.

As lockdown eased, this translated into significant demand for rural properties. According to Rightmove, enquiries increased by 126% during June and July of this year, particularly for those looking to make the move from larger urban areas to the countryside.

With the demand for larger rural properties increasing, prices have risen due to limited supply, with even more modest country homes being highly desirable. Rural properties with paddocks or a field will be particularly desirable as they can attract a mixed-use stamp duty saving. And for those not able to move to the countryside, the demand for homes with good sized gardens will increasingly attract a premium.

Relocation to the countryside offers many benefits, including the opportunity for a better work-life balance with increased possibilities for flexible and home working meaning it is no longer a key requirement to live within easy commuting distance of a place of work.

Cumbria and the Lake District are perfectly placed to strike this balance, with an outstanding natural environment and excellent transport links to larger urban centres by road and rail.

At PFK we are experts in our local market and supported by in-house expertise in planning and land agency, we are perfectly placed to make your rural property dreams a reality.

There has never been a better time to escape to the country!

James Harrison, Carlisle office sales negotiator. 

Here are a few of our best rural properties currently on the market with our Carlisle office…

https://pfk.co.uk/property/40-bank-end-thursby-carlisle-cumbria-2199809/

https://pfk.co.uk/property/the-cottage-wigton-wigton-cumbria-2266338/

https://pfk.co.uk/property/kelora-longtown-carlisle-cumbria-2274906/

https://pfk.co.uk/property/plot-4-kings-view-north-end-burgh-by-sands-carlisle-2109541/

https://pfk.co.uk/property/ravenswood-kirkbride-wigton-cumbria-2325505/

https://pfk.co.uk/property/27-coopers-close-high-hesket-carlisle-cumbria-2103533/

As the second wave of Covid-19 affects lives, Paul Doyle, Manager of our Carlisle Estate Agency office looks at what’s forecast for the property market.

One thing that has proved to be resistant to Covid19 is the property market, which has if anything fed off the pandemic.

Looking back at the spring lockdown, it seemed to act as an incubation period as coronavirus fuelled people’s desire to move to larger homes, often in more relaxed locations.

Now we are faced with an open-ended second lockdown that will affect individuals, families, many businesses and our way of life. The question is what will happen to this bull property market that, according to Nationwide, has seen prices growing at their fastest rate for five years?

One area of public and commercial activity not to have been locked down this time is the property market. So, the answer seems straightforward; it will be business as usual – with all the necessary social distancing measures adhered to of course.

We know that these extraordinary market conditions can’t last forever. But these second-wave precautionary measures might even act to further fan the flames of the current market.

Completion by Christmas is often the aim when buying or selling property in the autumn. But now there is another target date, March 31st: this is the day the stamp duty relaxation measure is due to end. Buyers will be racing to find properties and complete purchases to avoid extra expense – money they could use for deposits or improvements to their new homes.

Of course, the Chancellor may postpone the cut-off date, or best of all discontinue this unpopular and opportunistic windfall tax altogether. But if he does neither strap yourself in – it’s going to be a hectic five months.

Fortunately, if there is one thing we learned how to do during the initial lockdown it was to work successfully in a highly unusual and demanding property market. Now we will continue to use that experience to ensure that our buyers and sellers can move, not just when they want to but also when they need to.