Property news: Part buy is a success in Seaford
Richie and Verity Skinner were relieved when they found a chalet bungalow in Seaford available through Affinity Sutton on a shared ownership (part rent/part buy) basis, which met the specific and complex needs of their two-year-old daughter Lola who has Cerebral Palsy.
Richie, 47, and Verity, 35, were previously living in Brighton, in a rented two-bedroom flat with a steep flight of stairs leading to their front door.
Having spent a year searching for their ideal home which would offer Lola a better lifestyle, the couple saw an advert on the HomeBuy Options website for the three-bedroom chalet bungalow and they reserved the property off-plan.
The couple purchased a 25 per cent share in the bungalow for £110,000 and were able to put down a 20 per cent deposit, allowing their mortgage repayments to become more affordable.
Richie says: “Moving into our new home has transformed our lives. Living in a two-bedroom flat with Lola was difficult but now we have so much more extra space.
Richie is currently fundraising for a cerebral palsy charity detail of which can be found at: http://runningsponsorme.org/richieskinner.
All the homes at Diamond Jubilee Close are now sold, but Affinity Sutton has a large selection of homes available in the South East. www.affinitysutton.com.
Leaders’ success in lettings seminar
Over 100 landlords and prospective investors gathered at Fontwell Race Course in Sussex on 16 July to hear expert advice at a specialist seminar entitled ‘Success in Lettings’. The event was co-hosted by Leaders – the UK’s largest independent letting specialists, – Spofforths Chartered Accountants and Healys Solicitors. Experts in lettings, buying-to-let, tax and legislation delivered a number of in depth talks, including: Lettings market update, opportunities for investors, letting legislation update, and contractual tenancy and tax issues for landlords.
Videos of the presentations are available via the Leaders YouTube channel:http://www.youtube.com/LeadersLettings. The speakers were on hand after the talks to answer any questions and offer advice on any specific issues landlords had, as were representatives from Leaders’ Sussex branches. As well as prospective investors, many of those who attended were seasoned landlords interested in expanding their portfolios at this time of high demand for rental accommodation.
Leaders’ Senior Manager, David Thorne, who spoke at the event, commented on the lettings market in Sussex: “Demand from tenants for all types of property in Sussex has been strong for many years and this shows no signs of changing.
“Good quality properties that come onto the market with us are being let extremely quickly and rents are very strong. This is all good news for landlords and would-be investors. But it is imperative to seek advice from an experienced, independent specialist on exactly where and what to buy for a successful investment.”
Leaders say that there are many opportunities in the sales market at the moment for people interested in buying a property to let in Sussex. For advice you can trust on all aspects of letting or renting in Sussex please contact your local Leaders branch.
www.leaders.co.uk
Hamptons International Anniversary Celebrations
Hamptons International celebrated its 10th anniversary of sponsorship at The Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park in August.
To mark the anniversary, Hamptons International hosted a lunch for 60 clients and once again, partnered with top British event rider, Harry Meade. Harry led a Cross Country Course Walk and provided insights on how professional riders prepare before a world class event as well as top tips on finding the right equestrian property. Hamptons International also ran a competition to win a lesson with Harry in aid of their corporate charity Cancer Research UK.
Andrew Marshall, Regional Sales Director at Hamptons International comments: “We were thrilled to celebrate our tenth year of sponsorship at Gatcombe Park last weekend. Set against a backdrop of three fabulous days of eventing, we were delighted to meet many potential clients and cement relationships with existing ones.
“The competition to win a lesson with Harry Meade raised an impressive amount for Cancer Research UK and we were once again honoured to be the only property agency to be involved with this prestigious event. Successful partnerships are something we take very seriously and we hope our sponsorship will continue for years to come.”
For further information about Hamptons International’s presence at The Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park, visit your local Hamptons International branch or visit www.hamptons.co.uk
Maslen Estate Agents offer apprentice full-time role
Maslen Estate Agents has offered its first apprentice, Sam Neal, a permanent role with the organisation as a Trainee Negotiator. Sam started his apprenticeship straight from Patcham High School in June 2011 and has consistently proved himself hard-working and eager to learn.
He has achieved his NVQ Level 2 in Property Services, as well as additional in-house training with Maslen Estate Agents on topics such as organisation, time management and telephone training to aid his transition from school to work.
Sam will continue to be based in the Lewes Road office where his duties include administrative tasks, answering the telephones and liaising with buyers and sellers to arrange viewings and surveys. Under the mentorship of his senior colleagues and with additional training Sam is also starting to conduct viewings and provide feedback to clients.
Commenting of achieving a permanent role, Sam Neal said: “ I was delighted to be offered the job after all the work I put into the apprenticeship. The training I’ve received has been excellent and I look forward to developing my skills further.”
David Maslen, Director of Maslen Estate Agents, added: “I’m really happy that our first apprenticeship has gone so well and we were able to take Sam on. He has a really good attitude, a great manner with people and has worked extremely hard over the last two years. It has been a pleasure to watch him develop his skills and become more confident. Since we offered him the post he is already receiving glowing feedback from our clients.”
wwww.maslen.co.uk
Cubitt & West hold charity cabaret
John O’Neil from Cubitt & West Western Roadd organised a fabulous charity night at the Queens Arms in Kemptown in aid of Martlets Hospice.
Three of Brighton’s biggest names in Drag Cabaret: Dave Lynn, Miss Jason and Lola Lasagne provided an over-the-top thrilling evening with fabulous raffle prizes, auction and live DJ.The evening was a fantastic success with raised £1500 for a very
good cause.
www.cubittandwest.co.uk
