I really wanted to use a title along the lines of “Back to Basics”, but the last person I remember using this phrase suffered public derision (Prime Minister John Major, twenty-five years ago). So, I thought the Abba song title might strike a more positive note!

Knowing both sides of the buying and selling equation has never been more important than in today’s property market here in Keswick. My colleague in the Cockermouth office of PFK wrote in his blog about the robustness of the property market in Cumbria when compared to many other parts of the country. Keswick, though, has a number of special factors.

The most significant aspect of the property market here in Keswick is the very restricted number of properties coming to the market compared to the number of potential buyers. This is not a temporary feature, but a structural part of the housing scene.

To start with, there are only four and a half thousand chimney pots in the town and the CA12 postal area, in a condensed radius of less than ten miles. And of course, it goes without saying that the popularity of the wider area as a National Park and World Heritage Site remains undimmed.

To complicate matters further, a good number of properties being sold in Keswick never appear publicly on the open market. This can be for any number of reasons; the vendor may not want the hassle of dealing with several offers, or may need a quick process through to completion. Alternatively, the ‘Guide Price’ could be offered promptly or, on the other hand, vendors can be content to wait and see what offers transpire, without the burden of full marketing.

Consequently, in Keswick, the estate agency needs to know its sellers and its buyers, and match one to the other. It must be able to assess guide prices accurately, and know local contractors and professionals to enable the selling process to proceed smoothly.

Funnily enough, I’ve ended up wanting to use my original title for this blog after all! Isn’t it simply “Back to Basics” estate agency? Isn’t that what we all want when we decide to sell or buy? Today’s communications technology can only get us so far, and in Keswick personal local knowledge is key.

Eat your heart out, Abba. I’m going with John Major.

Hannah Sims – Manager of PFK Estate Agency, Keswick.