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SummitEvery year the influential Mayfair Group, of which TuckerGardner is a hand-picked and exclusive member, organises a round of regional summit meetings across the country with my fellow estate agent members from over 100 firms from the top of Scotland to the tip of Cornwall and just about everywhere in between. This forum is an opportunity to discuss, analyse and understand the property market from local, regional and national perspectives. For several years these summits were quite sombre affairs at times as estate agents across the length and breadth of the UK reported difficult trading, low sales figures and a general inertia in the market.

But this year was different. At each forum there was a feeling of marked optimism, of increased sales, of more enquiries and of greater interest. Certainly the issues and problems of difficult mortgages and hard-to-acquire deposits are still prevalent. But the overwhelming feeling was one of increased confidence in the property market, in jobs and in the economy.

Property is always the first in to a recession and is inevitably the first out – but always with an upward trend. We know this only too well from the last three recessions we have been through since the early seventies. Indeed since the mid-fifties the average house price rise per parliament – six Labour and six Conservative – has been about 58%. That is 54.8% under Labour and 61.2% under Conservative. So, in house price terms, there is not much between the two major political parties. But if Mr Cameron does not want his legacy to be one of overall house price decline then he will need to stay in office through a time of post-recession growth as did two Conservative prime ministers before him – Thatcher and Heath. Averaged over their tenancies at No 10 house prices increased by more than 155%!

But at least our current prime minister may now take heart from some recovery. From our reports across the UK it certainly sounds as if we have begun the long haul out of the greatest economic peacetime crisis in living memory. Nowadays the media is full of news about the market although one isn’t sure they always get it right. But estate agents are the very first to understand what is really happening in the housing market – their businesses and livelihoods depend on it. The Mayfair Group regional summits were revealing. Boom times are not exactly back – except perhaps in Central London. But one suspects that a period of slow but sustained incremental growth in activity, demand and value will carry us through the next few years. This will provide us with a relatively stable, non-volatile market which will help give an impetus to the rest of the economy.

man runningOn the 26th of May my colleague Andy Bassett will be running the Edinburgh Marathon with two of his friends, Paul Mills and Peter Stocker.

Peter’s uncle has Leukaemia, so they will be raising money collectively for Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research, a charity dedicated to improving the lives of patients with all types of blood cancer.

Good luck boys and remember to have blister plasters at the ready!

If you would like to sponsor Andy and friends please visit their fundraising page.

HH May 2013 Front Page ThumbTake a look at this month’s HouseHunter magazine, available as a flip magazine on our website and as a hard copy in each of our offices.

Cambridge Cookery School’s feature is all about meat!  With summer around the corner it may be time to improve your barbecue skills with one of their upcoming evening courses.

If you are more interested in the sweeter things in life, flip to page 16 of this month’s issue.  The Cambridge Bake Off will see contestants go head to head in four rounds, culminating in the final at the city’s Big Day Out in July, in a bid to be crowned Cambridge’s Best Cake Baker 2013.  With the closing date for entries looming, any amateur bakers better get cracking!

Carrying on the foodie theme, Cambridge Food Tour offers a 10% discount on their walking tours.  If you are new to Cambridge it could be the perfect way to find where to get the best food in Cambridge.

If you would like to see your local business featured, email kmccloskey@tuckergardner.com.

New JobBright, ambitious, people-person needed to deal with all prospective tenant enquiries made via email, in person and over the telephone, whilst also maintaining lettings content on our market leading website.   Letting Coordinator is a key role within our Cambridge team and would suit a personable, organised individual with excellent interpersonal skills and, ideally, proven experience in a customer contact role.  Previous letting agency experience not required as the right personality is more important.  Full ARLA training will be provided, which can lead to industry recognised qualification.

To apply please forward a copy of your CV and a covering note to me via alogan@tuckergardner.com.

cakeTest your baking skills and pitch your talents against other local amateur bakers by taking part in the Cambridge Bake Off!

Sponsored by ourselves, with our very own John Adamson being a judge, the Cambridge Bake Off will see contestants go head to head in four rounds, culminating in the final at the city’s Big Day Out in July.

The competition challenges bakers to make a chocolate cake in the first round, a classic Victoria sponge in the second and a cake containing seasonal fruit and crème patissiere in the third.  The final challenge will be to create a celebration cake for a summer occasion.

For full details of the contest, the judges, the prizes and how to enter, visit the Cambridge Evening News website and search ‘Cambridge Bake Off’, with regular updates on Facebook and Twitter.

gradsCongratulations to four members of our Cambridge Lettings team – Ashley Chaffey, Charlotte Wilkins, Kathryn Pipe and Teella Jefferies – for successfully passing their NFoPP Technical Award in Residential Letting and Property Management. This award, in addition to being a nationally recognised industry qualification, is an entry requirement of the Association of Residential Letting Agents (ARLA) – the only professional body specialising in raising and maintaining practice standards in the UK private rental sector.

Having four more ARLA recognised members of staff further enhances our position of having more qualified staff than any other local agent and this hopefully demonstrates our desire to provide the very best service that we can for landlords and tenants alike.

On your bikeOfficial figures now point out that the housing market hit a three-year high in March. But we didn’t really need official figures to tell us that.  The level of activity has increased significantly.  The higher number of viewings, offers and sales is there for all to see. Inevitably the number of properties on the market is dwindling. Pressure on buyers is growing.  In some areas gazumping is raising its ugly head again – remember gazumping?

Of course this increased activity is by no means across the board and we are a long way from repairing all the damage of the past seven years.  But it is a start.  Can we sustain this improvement? It is all down to the economy, jobs, interest rates, other people, other countries and confidence. Last spring started the same way. But then we had the Euro crisis.

The recent death of Margaret Thatcher reminds those of us who lived through it, of her decade in power.  It was a time of depression, anger and protest – but also one of growth, of greater opportunity and getting on one’s bike to look for work. We are also reminded of Baroness Thatcher’s housing legacy – good or bad.  Say what you will about the Iron Lady – and most do have a lot to say – she did put confidence and pride into a country that was at a very low ebb.  The happy recipients of her right-to-buy housing policy at the time are generally supportive. But many benefactors of that policy today blame her for a share of our housing woes. Yet the confidence she instilled did power a period of intense property growth. The economists will argue these points for years.

But the past is another country. We must look forward. Who’s to say that this latest surge in activity will not be the kick-start we need now? Spring is, at last, almost here.  Other buyers are out there eagerly looking at property. My advice is don’t wait until you see a property on a property portal. By then it could be too late. Property portals are useful but they do level the playing field. The best way of finding the right property is still having a regular dialogue with a good estate agent.  It’s the best way to get ahead of the rest – just like they did in the ‘80s!

HH April ThumbTake a look at this month’s HouseHunter magazine, available as a flip magazine on our website and as a hard copy in each of our offices.

Along with a selection of some of our finest properties currently available, to buy or rent, you’ll find the recipe of the month from Cambridge Cookery School.  If you haven’t indulged enough over the Easter break, why not try their cupcake recipe?  They also tell us about their classes for youngsters and why they are a great way to prepare your children for independent life.

Our feature article this month also focuses on youngsters.  The team at Ely City Golf Club give a guide to their Junior Academy, which we are sponsoring.  Their aim is to increase junior participation and help them develop as golfers as well as learn new life skills.

If you would like to see your local business featured, email kmccloskey@tuckergardner.com.

Red Nose Day-8 croppedCongratulations to our Great Shelford team who started peddling at 9.00am this morning in a bid to cycle 200 miles to raise money for Comic Relief.  Two exercise bikes have been going non-stop in the lettings office and will continue until 5.30pm, despite them reaching their target mileage at 3.00pm, that’s dedication!

You can still show your support by visiting their fundraising page or why not drop in to the office to cheer them on? There’s piece of cake in it for you… in exchange for a donation of course.

You can take a look at photos of their efforts on our facebook page.