Your Local Property Journal

I was really chuffed to be invited to support Kingshill House Exhibition: Play & Compassion 2023 again this year with their latest exhibition 'Play and Compassion', with artists from all-over being invited to submit their artwork for consideration. Dursley has a vibrant creative community and I can't wait to see the entries! Submissions are being taken now until 14th February and the exhibition itself will run from 25th March until 2nd June. While a number of artists will be

Last week saw the typical ‘back to routine’ blur, hindered by the bleak weather and excess-induced lethargy, so slightly belatedly (and finally rejuvenated) I'd like to wish you a happy new year! A heartfelt thank you to everyone I had the pleasure of working with during 2022, it was quite a journey and your support and encouragement meant a great deal to me. Here we are in a shiny new year with a fresh slate and a whole 12 months to fulfil a year’s worth of dreams and goals.

I had loads of fun a few months back working on a brand photography project with Jenny Stewart, who is a personal branding photographer - she managed to get me in front of the camera which is a rarity indeed! If you've considered brand-photography for your personal or business use but don't know where start check out Jenny's work here she's amazing!

Now that the balmy summer days are upon us, and we approach our official ‘Summer’, you may well ask – is this a good time to move house? It’s certainly a whole lot more enjoyable house hunting in the sunshine, gardens look prettier, rooms appear brighter, and functionally there are more daylight hours to conduct to viewings! Traditionally summer ‘holiday-time’ is a slower time of year for the property market, with people taking leave (particularly during school holidays), alt

A new year like any fresh start is a time to reflect, consider, refine and improve. 2021 was an interesting year on every level, unprecedented in so many ways, not least the chronic under-supply in the property market. Great for sellers but deeply frustrating for buyers, keen to move but with competition and low supply working against them. Over the Christmas period I've reflected on the extraordinary business year I've had and have been busy planning the year ahead. During t

Great to see a few of our brilliant village pubs listed in the 2021 Good Pub Guide as we roll into the cosy fireside season, including our very own The Bell Inn at Selsley. Time to hunker down, post walk with a pint (or a warming glass of red..) in front of the fire and celebrate autumn, the very best time of the year by far! Roll on The Old Crown at Uley relaunching - we are really missing our local pub. https://bit.ly/3mJHPPn

Could there be a more deserving place than Stroud for the accolade 'Best place to live in the UK 2021'. Living here we know we are lucky, but isn't it fantastic to be acknowledged by The Times, beating 78 other locations to be crowned overall Winner. Not just for our stunning landscape, transport links and great schooling - but also for our community spirit and value for all things 'local'. Well done Stroud! (Image credited to The Times and Sunday Times.)

Selling 'The Pumps' meant so much both to me and the business, and I am so very grateful to the sellers for putting their trust in Sage Residential to represent them. This was our first listing, first sale and first completion; not an easy transaction by any means, but rewarding in so many ways - not least that both the buyers and sellers were an absolute delight to work with (and the fact that the property was so beautiful helped a bit as well!). I couldn't have asked for a

The worst part of this job is delivering bad news to potential buyers in a sealed bid situation, when they've stretched themselves and offered on a property that they really, really want to live in yet they've lost out to another bidder. This has happened this week, and I've not only had to deliver bad news once - but six times over. What this is indicative of is an IMBALANCE. A shortage of good quality homes in certain sectors of the market (if not all), a local property de

So the Stamp Duty petition is set to be debated next Monday 1st February, I’m sat here pondering where this will lead? There are much publicised fears that the current holiday ending on 31st March will result in transactions falling through if they have not successfully completed, however surely an extension will only result in deferring this same issue by a few months? I imagine an extension will result in another surge in the market, putting the same pressures on property p

I’ve just read a fascinating article about the importance of buyer feedback and the value of good service in property marketing and how estate agency is evolving in this respect. The most fascinating thing about the article is the suggestion that feedback is a ‘new thing’. Estate agency has evolved massively in the 20+ years I’ve been doing this job – not least with the introduction of computers and internet (!!) however during this time a constant has always been feedback. F

In collaboration with the brilliant Cam Family Butchers we've recently run a brand-awareness competition to assist Sage Residential on our fledgling journey, and of course to help promote the very best butcher in town! On the weekend our in-house birthday girl selected (at random) our winner and I couldn't be more pleased with her selection. Sophie is a fellow local business person (being the face behind both Pawfect Pets https://www.facebook.com/PawfectPets02 AND Miscarri

At a time where high street agents are working from socially-distanced desks, behind locked doors with customers only permitted to enter the premises by appointment, and if absolutely necessary, I feel incredibly lucky with my work situation. Yes, the business is relatively new and I’m working incredibly hard to establish a presence, you might argue that this could be achieved more quickly with a branded high street office to entice customers. However what lockdowns 1:0 and 2

Over the years I’ve had the pleasure of working with a vast array of clients, each one of them on their own unique journey, sometimes joyous, sometimes sad. When it comes to moving home, playing the long game really does matter. As an ‘outsider looking in’, many of you will believe the role of an estate agent is simply to open a door at the beginning and hand over a key at the end. Those who’ve experienced poor estate agency often feel our role serves no purpose, while those

So as we face another full lockdown, what does this mean for the property industry? Currently experiencing a much needed uplift following the lockdown in spring - must everything now grind to another halt? No, thankfully estate agents are permitted to remain open, viewings and valuations can continue to take place, and the all important sales transactions and removals are still able to continue. These are uncertain times indeed, but as with everything, effective communication

I've been promising on social media to share my pumpkin chutney recipe for a little while now, and here it is - just in time for Halloween. It's set to be a miserably wet day tomorrow so a few hours in a warm kitchen with a bubbling cauldron could be just the ticket! Also published in the Uley Village news, distributed today.

It may not be what you want to hear but there is ALWAYS a compromise of sorts when you select your next home, if I had a pound for every prospective buyer I’ve heard say ‘If only we had xx more pounds…’ I’d be a very wealthy woman! Statistics show that whether humble or grand, buyers tend to purchase properties priced towards the top of their financial capabilities, and generally aspire to just a little more – regardless of budget! It’s human nature. So when searching for a

In a normal year my birthday tends to pass by quietly, or they certainly have for about 15 years. I try to get excited, but find it much easier to get excited about other peoples birthdays than my own. This year though is no normal year, I don’t know whether it’s because it’s been such an utterly rubbish year, or if it’s because it’s become such a significant year for our family – but I feel like running around waving my arms in the air. Clearly there are no big celebrations

I’ve enjoyed speaking with those people who’ve contacted me during the last week, all looking for homes in the area. There’s definitely a tone of frustration for some that ‘the one’ doesn’t seem to be out there (just yet), but there is also a common theme – the impact of COVID-19 and associated life changes, have been a motivator for each and every one of them. In these times of change, that uncertainty feels even sharper for many buyers. For some, they can’t tolerate the tho

Covid cases are without a doubt on a sharp increase and it’s natural to be concerned about having people visiting your home, or about travelling to view. We are taking every recommended precaution – and more, to ensure we are healthy before meeting with customers. Furthermore we are ensuring the customers have a clean bill of health before entering a property. Do visit our homepage for a full run-down of our Covid strategy https://www.sageresidential.co.uk/ The key factor her