Labels: buyers, Dillon Callum, News, Television Articles

Labels: Dillon Callum, Shaun Roberts, St Christophers Hospice

Are we there yet?

With record low interest rates and heavily discounted property prices, we have many people coming into our offices asking 'Are we there yet?'

Are we at the bottom of the market.

I sincerely hope we are, but it may take until April at the earliest before we can head off on our return journey to recovery.

House prices in Bloomsbury, Holborn and the City have held up pretty well all things considered and even the rental prices in these areas have been pretty resilient to the massive falls seen elsewhere in London.

If we were adding to the debate on weather it is the right time to buy or not, we would say 'yes'.

Every downturn is followed at some point by an upturn. Just because the house prices in the last recession (yes, we can say it now) took years to come back again, does not mean that the same can be said again of this one.

Whilst we will not see the huge leaps in prices that we have seen so quickly recently, things may not take as long to come back this time round.

Much of what is holding people back from buying is not the prices, but the fact that people are finding it hard to get finance.

Firstly, lets see which banks are left standing come April, then we will have to see how we do as an economy at that point. If we as a country are not ourselves bankrupt, we may see the green shoots this side of 2010 (as long as the banks that are left, start lending).

Labels: buyers, News, Typical Property Transaction in Bloomsbury

An interesting note as we go into the New Year.

A recent survey has shown that out of the 14 agents listed in the Holborn area of Central London, Callum Roberts has the highest average property price of £929,883.

With 2009 looking to be one of the most challenging years in the property market for some time, it is nice to know that Callum Roberts are showing the way forward as THE independent estate agents in WC1, Bloomsbury, Holborn and the City of London!

Labels: buyers, investors, sellers, Typical Property Transaction in Bloomsbury

Labels: buyers, investors, News

Dillon Callum MNAEA (Callum Roberts Director)
Are we seeing the first signs of a property recovery?

November and December are usually seen as a quite time in the housing market here in Holborn and Bloomsbury.

This is also usually the case seen across London and the country as a whole.

However, at our Holborn office over the last 6 weeks, we have seen an increase in the number of serious enquiries, some of which have turned into sales offers.

This has been reflected in a recent survey by RICS (Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors) and a separate one by The Council of Mortgage lenders. Both have seen a rise in enquiries and Mortgage offers, which is the first time this has happened for two years.

House prices across the country fell by 16 percent last year, although prices in Central London, The City and Bloomsbury have only seen falls in the single percentage point range.

As the pre - Christmas sales in the retail shops begin to take hold, it seems that there are many who see a bargain or two in Bloomsbury and The City housing market and are making the most of it by securing these bargains now.

It is anyones guess what is going to happen next year and the first quarter will be closely watched by economists across the globe.

The pound is weak, as is confidence. The Government has reduced VAT to 15 percent (as a temporary measure) and the Bank of England have reduced the base rate to 2.0 percent. Maybe these measures are beginning to help bring back a flurry of much needed activity?

If only the high street Banks would release their purse strings and start lending at rates which reflect the historically low base rate. Only then will we see stabilisation and a full recovery will (in our opinion) begin to take hold.

To see our appearance on Channel Four News on 9 December 2008 and the interview with Dillon Callum on this subject, please click the link shown on this page.

At least for the time being, it seems that with the recent activity we have had in our market, we might be able to afford a turkey for our Christmas dinner after all!

Labels: buyers, Dillon Callum, investors, News, Television Articles

1. Photo 1 shows Paula Callum and HRH Princess Alexandra
2. Photo 2 shows Shaun Roberts and Phyliss Callum with HRH Princess Alexandra
3. Photo 3 shows Callum Roberts 2007 Awards dinner
4. Photo 4 shows Belinda Kearns of St Christophers Hospice speaking at Callum Roberts Awards dinner
5. Photo 5 shows Dillon Callum hosting Awards dinner

Labels: Charity Events, Dillon Callum, Shaun Roberts, St Christophers Hospice