Introduction

Posts Tagged ‘London Property’

Sunlit uplands…pass me a bucket of cold water.

July 8th, 2010 by Ed Mead

I went to a lunch yesterday given by a publisher. It’s an annual event and I usually give all such events a miss. Shy and retiring as I am I was persuaded by a colleague and it was actually good to see a few old faces I see all too often. The old timers are thinning out, one lovely guy has just bowed out with MS, it’s the sort of business here in central London that you only leave when forced through illness. Many have tried to leave but came back. But I digress. 

Market News

May 11th, 2010 by Ivor Dickinson

With 70% of World’s wealth in property maybe this is the job for you?

May 6th, 2010 by Ed Mead

If you want to work in the wonderful world of property, and with c. 70% of the world’s wealth wrapped up in it it’s not such a bad idea, there are a plethora of choices many of which you wouldn’t necessarily think about straight away. You can either be a wide boy or a boring old stiff. Sorry, allowing my prejudice to shine through there, I mean you can be a salesman or a true property professional. You can sell, let or manage a property, for which you need no formal qualification, or you can decide you want the surety of a long term job with equally long term qualifications.

Why we WON’T all be selling privately in the near future

January 25th, 2010 by Ed Mead

There has been plenty of press over the weekend and Twitter chat about how the Telegraph’s interview with Sarah Beeny points to the demise of the estate agent. To be fair she opines that 50% of all property sales will be done privately by 2015 so that would seem to give half of us a stay of execution at least.

Sarah has obvious charisma and appeal and it’s all too easy to denigrate agents and jump on the bandwagon. I wish her all the best with her site which is well thought out, slick and deserves to carve out a niche for itself. Private sales are not new and have in the past been the preserve of the bargain hunter, either buyer looking to buy without competition, or seller trying to avoid paying an estate agency a fee. 

Misdescriptions all the rage…..apparently.

January 7th, 2010 by Ed Mead

It struck me last night crashed out in front of the TV that there’s an awful lot of misdescription going on in the adverts we’re all forced to watch. It’s beginning to get seriously annoying, and I’m sure you feel the same, seeing actress after TV presenter after reality “star” all claiming some potion or contraption keeps their skin looking young and that we’re all worth it. As a Court decided in 08 a certain brand was misleading, and they weren’t the only one. What makes these ads all the more difficult to watch is the obvious point that most of those you see with lovely hair skin or lashes seem to be either wearing false extensions or owe their new found lack or wrinkles to a plastic surgeon. There are times when it’s so obvious you almost feel it must be a p*** take.
Now if millions are forced to watch this claptrap it seems a bit silly to allow the pastiche that is property descriptions to be legislated out of existence by a few jobsworths. These people don’t seem to realize that most property descriptions are treated with the same seriousness as the audience treats widow twanky not seeing the obvious baddy behind her. It’s pantomime stupid, always has been and always will be.
In 30 years of doing this I’ve never once had a complaint about a description from a buyer, but sellers now complain all the time because existing rules allow almost no artistic license or indeed scant regard for any form of flattering prose at all.
No doubt there’s some QANGO somewhere that continues to meet and decide that we can’t be let off the leash and as long as estate agents are threatened with a criminal record (!) for being a bit adventurous another potentially vaguely interesting part of our heritage will fall victim to the pathetic creep of political correctness.

Logos of organisations accrediting Douglas & Gordon