That is a saying I have always taken to heart, and I have always tried not to blow either my own trumpet or that of Berriman Eaton. However, there are always times it is hard not to be a little bit proud…
A recent article in The Birmingham Post listed the top ten most expensive homes to have been sold in the Midlands in 2024. And which estate agent was involved in the sale of the house at the top of the list? Yes, Berriman Eaton! The list included properties in Stratford upon- Avon, Moreton-in -the Marsh, Solihull and Broadway. All very affluent areas and you would not normally expect a property in South Staffordshire to lead the way, but it was an exceptional residence!
It was in December that I wrote my last article for this magazine, and at that time I was fairly bullish about how I believed the housing market would perform in 2025. As we are now at the end of February, I thought it would be interesting to report how the market has started, for us at least.
One of the most important things for any estate agent is to be asked to sell a property – if we have nothing to sell, we cannot work! In an average January, in the Tettenhall office, I would hope to be instructed on around 20 properties. This January, we received twice this amount! Not all of these are being advertised yet, as different sellers have different timescales, but it is certainly a healthy start to the year.
It has also been interesting to see how varied the instructions are. They have ranged in price, so far, from £98,200 for a shared ownership mews house to £2.65 million for a country estate – a wide spectrum of the market. We have also been instructed on an ‘off market’, property in the Wightwick / Pattingham area at around £2 million, one of the best houses I have seen in a while. Please contact the team for further details.
The second most important thing for estate agents is to actually sell the houses! And, so far this year, it is going well. As a snapshot, the shared ownership mews property is under offer, a property in Albrighton at £540,000 is under offer and a house in Sheriffhales at £845,000 is under offer. And there are many, many more!
The Lettings Team has also seen a flying start to the year. Business has been brisk and the figures are excellent, up 10% on last year, and has included three properties which were let ‘off market’, for reasons of privacy, with a combined rental figure of around £11,000 per calendar month.
So, we will see how the year continues If it carries on in the same vein, everything looks positive. And I have not even mentioned the fact that there are now sub 4% mortgages being offered! As ever, if you are thinking of selling or renting, please give us a call.
