Week 47 - The Solihull Property Update

What a week, and yet still the media isn’t talking about interest rates starting to fall?

Perhaps that’s not scary enough news?

We have seen a little kick-on in the local market over the last 7 days, I expect this to last until mid December - it’s encouraging to be talking to clients that are now committing to moving, minds are made up and launching in the New Year is what’s agreed. This enables all of the leg and pre-market work to be carried out well in advance of official launch.

If you’re wanting to move in the first 6 months of 2023, now is the time to be talking to the team. You’re more than welcome to pop in to our offices or meet for a coffee locally, in Dorridge we tend to use The Forest and from Head Office in Solihull, Brew23 - alternatively of-course we can meet at your home.

This week has been a fun, busy but encouraging one for me, there’s been a reshuffle in the ‘Land’ department - Chris is now off rowing his own boat, to which I wish him all the very best. This has taken up some of my time and focus as I get ‘back in the saddle’ so to speak and meet with our clients. A special thanks to Lisa for stepping in and helping with this.

It’s all go in Dorridge, as we met for the final time before the ‘Christmas Light Switch On’ which takes place on Monday evening and looks set to be a fantastic occasion and well supported by local businesses and residents alike.

On Wednesday I found myself driving down to Beaconsfield to get a contract signed, to enable exchange of contracts to take place - not wanting to take a chance with the postal strikes!

Thursday, Kathy and I attended Secret Supper Club - a big thanks to Jas Rohel and Ian Rogers for organising, an event that will take place again next year and exciting to hear rumours about a Birmingham one in the making.

Something special has been brewing. When Gabrielle and I sat down little over 12 months ago and discussed launching DM & Co. Lettings, I could not be prouder sat here today with a lettings team that continues to exceed expectation and deliver results for its clients. So much so, we are seeing Landlords actively migrate their portfolios to DM & Co. - the effort that Gabrielle and her team puts in day in, day out is phenomenal and when you have a team that is so focussed on delivering exceptional customer service - the byproduct of that is referred business.

If you are a Landlord, self managing or just finding yourself wound up by your current agent - please do get in touch, I’m available 24/7 feel free to WhatsApp me on 07595 903 811 and I’ll connect you directly with the team. If you aren't a member of The Landlord Club - you should be - click here to join!

In the meantime, that’s enough from me - let’s see what teams from across the business have to say this week, starting with my Sales Director, Lisa Smith

‘Is it true that I need to sell with the agent I want to buy through?”

We are asked this so often, and after a potential seller asked today, I thought I would take the opportunity to discuss further.

The answer to this is simple “NO, you do not!” You should be selling with the agent that you want to use and who you have built a rapport with, one that you believe will do the best job for you.

Some agents will say this to you so they can list your house, but they cannot guarantee you will get the property you want. If they are saying this to you, how many other people are they saying the same thing to? We continue to hear from multiple people that they have been promised ‘24 Anonymous Avenue’ if they market their property with ‘Agent XYZ Ltd’ - this is so wrong on so many levels.

We do not just let our own vendors view our properties; this would not get the best price for our clients. We want all potential buyers to view properties whether they are our clients or clients of other agencies.

One of the downsides to being lured into such a promise, is that if you do not get the property you want, you are most likely to then be tied into a long agency agreement with an agent that you resent for failing to secure your purchase!

Whilst we aren’t the biggest agent in B93, does biggest really mean best…?

If you’d like a hardworking, honest team fighting your corner - drop me a line or pop into the office and I’d be delighted to help you in whichever way possible. - Lisa Smith, Sales Director & Dorridge Branch Manager.

Moving over to Peter Faithfull now in the Solihull Team...

I am pleased to say that the Solihull office here at DM & Co. continues to defy the recent doom and gloom in the media who would have the buying and selling public believe that the housing market has ground to a halt- I can’t speak for other agents but only for us and our phone lines remain busy.

With a selection of new properties being prepared to come to market over the coming days we still have a good selection of competitively priced stock for buyers out there, with asking prices currently ranging all the way from £100,000 up to £850,000, so a budget and property type to suit most pockets and requirements!

I remain perplexed and amazed by the inconsistency and unpredictability of some agents valuations and advice that they are providing to prospective sellers.

Please I would urge any prospective seller out there who is shortlisting agents to give us a call if you want some honest, realistic, unbiased advice in order that you give yourself the very best chance of achieving the best sale price in a reasonable timeframe.

You don’t have to instruct us, but spare us an hour of your time and see what we have to say.

I have this week had discussions with many new prospective sellers who are wanting a New Year launch of their property; new year, new home! Together with calls from sellers disillusioned with their current agent who just aren’t delivering what they first promised – a familiar but ever frustrating thing to hear.

At DM & Co. we don’t list houses to get free advertising by way of ‘for sale’ boards, or to make statistics seemingly look better, we do it to help sellers and buyers achieve what they want and need to do, and to do the very best job for them.

Whatever your requirement, buying, selling, or just wanting some free & friendly advice, give us a call or pop in! I’d love to hear from you - you can catch me via email by clicking here or by calling the office on 0121 775 0101 (Option 1) - Peter Faithfull, Solihull

Across now to Gabrielle in Lettings...

What a vibrant week we have had this week! We are so proud that our hard work is paying off with an abundance of new instructions coming to the market we are in for a treat next week with a diary full of viewings! I would argue (with myself) that we are busy because of the push before Christmas however having worked in the industry for 13 years, I have never been so fortunate to have so many amazing properties coming to the market. Keep an eye out for our property highlights in this week’s sneak peaks. I also had the pleasure of attending (again) a ladies networking lunch hosted by Anne Marie Pugh where I had the opportunity to meet some fantastic, strong powerful women with a variety of businesses! I walked away with a new potential client & a brain full of ideas!

Finally, having met with another local new homes team working on Blossomfield Park, I was thrilled to hear that investors are snapping at their heels for there new development on Alfred Mews which inevitably we will have the opportunity to rent them out! With our dedication to growing the business whilst keeping our clients happy, we are really excited to share that we are now looking to expand our lettings team with a variety of roles available! If you are looking for a new exciting career or perhaps a change of scenery in the within the industry feel free to give me a call or fire me a WhatsApp on 07842 310 269. - Gabrielle Argue, Head of Lettings

And last but by no means least, Kathy Griffiths with the update from DM & Co. Premium...

It would seem that the doom munger’s are more muffled now and industry experts more aligned with their thoughts for 2023.

The phones have been ringing and it’s been nice to be out doing more valuations as people are thinking about selling in the New Year or Spring. What we are reminding home owners is that the Christmas period sees Rightmove experiencing some of the highest traffic levels of the year, so don’t rule it out. It sets your property up for January viewings. We have some fabulous homes that we are working on at the moment using the very best marketing strategy unique to the properties that we market.

Please make sure you are known to us if you’re looking to buy. We can’t emphasis enough that we don’t just pop properties on Rightmove and wait for the phone to ring. We do our homework, we prepare, because we want to deliver the best service and achieve the best price with the most committed buyers for our clients. Our 'black book' of buyers is precious to us and very valuable! Please feel free to fire Dominic a WhatsApp on 07595 903 811 or send me an email directly by clicking here. I look forward to hearing from you. - Kathy Griffiths, Head of Premium

Thanks Team!

Let’s be honest - selling your home is never going to be easy, there will always be something that doesn’t quite go to plan - what is incredibly important is how your agent reacts to these instances.

If you would like to learn more about how we operate, please get in touch with the Solihull or Dorridge office on 0121 775 0101 or 01564 777 314 respectively.

We look forward to hearing from you.

Kind regards,

Dominic Murphy

Managing Director – DM & Co. Homes

WhatsApp me on 07595 903 811