HOUSE PRICES SET TO RISE BY UP TO 8%

Leading south west estate agents Besley Hill are forecasting that house prices will start to rise again next year and could increase by as much as 8% over the next three years. This prediction from managing director Adam Offer supports the view of property consultancy CBRE, which also says that prime central London will continue to outperform the wider housing market, with values increasing by 6% this year and by 22% over the next three years. Adam Offer said: “House prices in the south west are not going to increase by the same amount as central London, of course, but I agree with CBRE’s expectation that they will rise significantly, possibly by as much as 8%, over the next three years. At the moment, most of Bristol and South Gloucestershire, where our offices are concentrated, are seeing prices remain static as supply is matching demand.”

MODERN TOWN HOUSE IN TRANQUIL LOCATION

Tucked away in a discreet position on the prestigious Stoke Park development at Stapleton, this three-bedroom modern town house offers attractive well-proportioned accommodation with many highlights. The property, 26 Parnell Road, is on the market with Besley Hill Estate Agents at Fishponds for £194,950 with no upward chain. The quarry-tiled covered entrance has a decorative door leading to a hall with feature laminate wood grain effect floor, staircase with useful recess beneath, cupboard containing hot water cylinder and door to integral garage. Off the hall are a cloakroom with white suite of low w.c. and inset vanity wash basin; utility room fitted with storage cupboards with rolled edge working surfaces and single drainer stainless steel sink unit; and a bedroom with French doors to the rear courtyard garden. On the first floor is an L-shaped lounge/dining room with a feature fireplace with natural wood surround, marble effect inlay and matching hearth. The adjoining kitchen/breakfast room is fitted with a stylish range of timber grain effect wall, floor and drawer storage units to incorporate a brushed steel effect oven, hob and concealed extractor. Situated on the top floor is the master bedroom with an en suite shower room with a white suite of low level w.c., pedestal wash basin and independent tiled cubicle with a thermostatically controlled shower, slate effect floor and mosaic wall tiling. Also on this floor is another bedroom with a door into a bathroom which has a luxury white suite of panelled bath with mixer shower attachment over, low level w.c. and vanity inset wash basin. The garden is principally arranged to the rear of the property as a courtyard paved area with wrought iron effect boundary offering a direct outlook onto a landscaped open grassed area. Additionally, the property benefits from an integral garage with up and over door, power and light, and door into the house. For further details and an appointment to view 26 Parnell Road, Stapleton, contact Besley Hill Estate Agents, 764 Fishponds Road, Fishponds, Bristol BS16 3UA, tel 0117 965 3162, email fishponds@besleyhill.co.uk, website www.besleyhill.co.uk

SURVEYS SHOW GROWING CONFIDENCE IN HOUSING MARKET

Three surveys just published show increasing confidence in the housing market. Nearly 40% of respondents to The Halifax ‘Housing Market Confidence tracker’ poll expect house prices nationally to increase next year – almost double the proportion that believe they will go down. At the same time, a similar poll by property portal Zoopla reveals that 67% of British home owners believe that house prices will rise over the next six months, with the average property price across Britain predicted to rise 3.9% during this period. In the third poll, from the Post Office, 14% of aspiring first-time buyers who plan to buy within the next five years expect to buy this year and 22% next year. Almost half (45%) are confident of being able to fund the deposit themselves by saving up, while 16% will get help from their parents and the same proportion by using the Government’s FirstBuy scheme. The Zoopla poll also shows that people are now finding it easier to get a mortgage than at the end of last year, with 17% saying availability has improved. The Halifax survey indicates that most people still think of it as a buyers’ market: 55% think now is a good time to buy, more than double the 24% who believe it is a good time to sell. Adam Offer, managing director of leading south west estate agents, Besley Hill, said these findings reflected a general view that the tide has turned and a recovery in the housing market is now underway.

SHOP WITH FLAT TO BE SOLD AT AUCTION

A generous-sized lock-up shop with one-bed first floor flat is being sold with a guide price of £165,000-£185,000 at Besley Hill’s auction at BAWA, Filton, on Thursday 24 May. The shop premises at 6 Straits Parade, Fishponds, come with a multi-purpose rear room, staff room and toilet facility while the flat above has an entrance from the rear. Further benefits include a garage and rear garden. There is scope for some improvement/refurbishment offering an investment/business opportunity. The aluminium double-fronted shop front has shutters revealing a central doorway into a main shop area (19' 0" x 15' 6" (5.79m x 4.72m) wide) opening into a secondary shop area (16' 0" x 14' 6" (4.88m x 4.42m) wide) which leads to the staff room (11' 6" x 5' 6" (3.51m x 1.68m)). The shop toilet is fitted with a white wash basin with water heater, splash back tiling and frosted glazed window to a rear door into a separate w.c. The rear office, storage or preparation room, measuring 16' 5" x 8' 5" (5m x 2.57m), includes a single drainer stainless sink unit with twin cupboards beneath. The first floor flat, which can be accessed via the shop internally or from the rear of the premises, has a 14' 6" x 10' 5" (4.42m x 3.18m) lounge with two UPVC double-glazed windows to the front. The kitchen (11' 8" x 9' 6" (3.56m x 2.9m)) is fitted with several wall and floor storage and drawer units with timber grain-effect rolled-edged working surfaces, fitted gas cooker, single drainer stainless steel sink unit, space for fridge and separate freezer, hot water cylinder and UPVC double-glazed window to the rear. The bedroom (14' 6" x 8' 3" (4.42m x 2.51m)) has a UPVC double-glazed window to front; the bathroom contains a white suite of panelled bath, wash basin and fitted shower unit; and there is a separate low level w.c. At the rear of the property are a garage (16' 5" x 9' 3" (5m x 2.82m)) and a garden/yard with lawned area and pathway leading to a vehicular lane alongside a small outbuilding/store. The property is situated near Fishponds centre in the direction of Downend via Fishponds Road (A432). Straits Parade is a rank of shops positioned slighty behind Fishponds Road on the left. For further details, including open house viewing arrangements, contact Besley Hill Estate Agents, 764 Fishponds Road, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 3UA, tel 0117 9653162, email fishponds@besleyhill.co.uk, or the auctioneer’s office, tel 0117 9701551, website www.besleyhillsurveyit.co.uk

AUCTION PROPERTY WITH PERIOD FEATURES AND LARGE GARDEN

A bay-fronted mid-terrace three-bedroom house with period features and a large rear garden is to be sold at Besley Hill’s auction at BAWA, Filton, on Thursday 24 May with a guide price of £110,000 to £130,000. Situated in a popular area, close to local amenities, 4 Russell Road, Fishponds, has an entrance via a panelled door into inner vestibule with glass-panelled door to a hallway with stairs to the first floor, period cornice and under-stairs storage cupboard. The 15' 0" x 11' 2" (4.57m x 3.4m) lounge has a double-glazed bay window to front, period cornice and fireplace with mantle above while the dining room, measuring 13' 0" x 9' 9" (3.96m x 2.97m), has a period fireplace and window to the rear. Also on the ground floor are a kitchen (8' 10" x 7' 4" (2.69m x 2.24m)) with sink and gas point for cooker, a lean-to storage area, a w.c. and a glass door to the garden. On the first floor, bedroom 1 (14' 9" x 11' 5" (4.5m x 3.48m)) has a double-glazed window to the front, fireplace and built-in cupboard, bedroom 2 (12' 11" x 9' 7" (3.94m x 2.92m)) a window to the rear and fireplace, and bedroom 3 (9' 8" x 8' 3" (2.95m x 2.51m)) a fireplace and window to the rear. The bathroom has a panelled bath, pedestal wash hand basin, double-glazed window to the front and a wall-mounted hot water system. The rear garden, approximately 90 feet in length, is mainly laid to lawn. For further details of 4 Russell Road, including viewing arrangements, contact Besley Hill Estate Agents, 764 Fishponds Road, Fishponds, Bristol, BS16 3UA, tel 0117 9653162, email fishponds@besleyhill.co.uk, or the auctioneer’s office, tel 0117 970 1551, website www.besleyhillsurveyit.co.uk

DEMAND GROWS AS STAMP DUTY HOLIDAY ENDS

Potential buyers continued to test the market during March as the stamp duty holiday finally came to an end, says the latest RICS UK Housing Market Survey. New buyer enquires edged up in March with 9% more surveyors reporting increases rather than decreases in demand, says the latest survey. This is the highest reading in almost two years and suggests that the final weeks of the stamp duty holiday saw buyers looking to beat the deadline. Alongside this, the flow of new properties coming onto the market remained stable with a net balance of 2% more respondents reporting rises in new instructions (from +7% more in February). Significantly, many surveyors report that those looking to sell their homes must be realistic in their price expectations if they are to be successful. Looking ahead, with demand seeing gentle increases across much of the country, expectations for future transaction levels remain positive with a net balance of 20% more surveyors expecting sales to increase over the coming three months. Simon Rubinsohn, RICS Chief Economist, said there had been signs of a pick-up since the start of the year, but he expected a "pause" in activity in April owing to the stamp duty holiday having expired. However, Adam Offer, managing director of leading south west estate agents Besley Hill, reports that this "pause" has not happened and demand is slowly outstripping supply.

BESLEY HILL CELEBRATE ANNIVERSARY AS MARKET BOUNCES BACK

Besley Hill, the west’s largest independent estate agency group, are celebrating their 35th anniversary with rising property sales.

“The housing market is bouncing back,” said managing director Adam Offer (pictured). “Buyers are returning and our performance has improved in all sectors of the business.”

Over the past 12 months, the group’s sales have increased by 44%, new buyer registrations by 85%, viewings by 37% and instructions by 9%, while pipeline business is up 44%.

“These figures mean that we have started the year in a much healthier position,” said Mr Offer. “But, as a consequence of this sales success, our stock of available property is down by 15% on a year ago, so we need more homes to sell.

“The revival in the property market is benefiting all our offices and I am confident that the trend will continue during the year ahead.”

Besley Hill, based in Thornbury, have 15 branches throughout Bristol and Gloucestershire.

They are at Bedminster, Bishopston, Bishopsworth, Chipping Sodbury, Downend, Dursley, Easton, Fishponds, Kingswood, Knowle, Longwell Green, Stroud, Thornbury, Whitchurch Village and Wotton-under-Edge.

In addition, property is sold under the hammer at regular sales conducted by Besley Hill Auctions.

Philip Besley and Robert Hill founded Besley Hill in 1977 with one branch in the Kingswood area of Bristol.

The growth has mainly been organic but the expansion into South Gloucestershire followed the acquisition of several estate agency offices from The Halifax.

A full range of property services is provided including house sales, lettings, mortgages (in conjunction with the award-winning Mortgage Advice Bureau), financial services, auction, survey and conveyancing.

For further information, contact Adam Offer at Besley Hill Estate Agents’ head office, 57 High Street, Thornbury, BS35 2AP, tel 01454 411522, email thornbury@besleyhill.co.uk