Post lockdown
The Covid-19 crisis has forced the UK property industry to rethink the way it operates. With little warning, the pandemic disrupted the day-to-day operations of property companies across the globe, forcing them to dramatically alter their working methods and approach.
The housing market
Despite the disruption caused by the pandemic, early signs are that, coming out of lockdown, there is tremendous pent-up demand in the housing market. The “lockdown effect” on the housing market has led to a surge in property enquiries. Right Move reported its busiest day on record on Wednesday May 27, with more than six million visits to its listings, an 18 per cent increase compared to the same Wednesday a year ago.
We only have one remaining townhouse for sale at our popular development at King George Gardens, Warwick-Bridge and due to a surge of recent enquiries we don’t expect this to be available for long! On the rental side it’s clear that the market is bouncing back after lockdown, unlike many other businesses, as our properties are very much in demand! Our brand new rental development at Carrick Square, Denton Holme is almost fully occupied!
Act now to avoid missing out!
Escape to the country
It is reported that property trends are already being changed due to the coronavirus impact on daily life. Many homebuyers are planning a rural retreat after lockdown as many agents report surges of enquiries in ‘out of city’ locations.
According to Zoopla, village locations in the British countryside have become so desirable that 40 per cent of house hunters say this is the type of area they would now like to live in – shifting focus away from traditional favourites, such as walking distance to the station and short commutes to work.
Many of our property enquiries have been for our last two luxurious farmhouses at The Dell, Talkin (a small village with a cosy pub and short walk from Talkin Tarn) as many have been browsing for their dream house, whilst getting very comfortable working from home. We now crave bigger homes, prize open space and gardens more than before, which is unsurprising after the amount of time we have been stuck at home. Act now to avoid missing out!
Cost of property
For many a move away from large urban locations will mean getting more space for the same amount of money. By moving out of towns and cities, buyers are likely to be able to afford more space as prices tend to be lower.
Right Move report that a flat in London is sold for an average of £554,663 and findings from London-based self-storage provider, Attic Self Storage, highlight that the average floorspace is just 635 sq. ft. In comparison one of our luxurious, lift serviced apartments in the prime location of Wetheral is priced at just £285,000 with almost double the floor space at 1,260 Sq Ft!
You better be quick though as we only have two left!
Moving Home
The government has made it clear that people who wish to move home can do so, but this needs to be done safely and the process may be different to usual.
Following government advice, removal companies are now operational. Here are a few tips on how a house move can be done safely:
- Do as much of the packing yourself.
- When the removal firm is within your home, open all internal doors so they don’t have to and adhere to social distancing rule.
- Don’t provide them with refreshments, but do offer access to hand-washing facilities, using separate towels.
Start planning early! removal companies are experiencing very high demand because of the back log of moves that were delayed before lockdown.
The ‘new normal’
Citadel Homes has had to adapt and respond quickly to unprecedented operational challenges.
We are happy to report that construction is now well underway at our latest developments and our office is fully open. We have achieved this by following the government guidance and implementing additional health & safety and social distancing measures.
Things may still be a little different, but we are here to talk to you about your potential new Citadel Home and we can offer safe property viewings.
Please remember that the safety and wellbeing of our customers, contractors and staff is our main priority, therefore anyone who is suffering from COVID-19 symptoms, or is self isolating should not visit our office or any of our developments.