We are delighted to announce that with immediate effect Ball & Percival have commenced marketing two new homes sites “Virginia Mews, Southport” and “Hartley Grange, Southport”, with a further site “Links View, Ainsdale” available soon. The link between the well established new homes builders Bellway Homes and Ball & Percival brings together two pro-active and customer orientated companies with the same targets and goals in mind.

In a difficult market place where many ‘new build’ projects have not even got out of the ground or even past the planning stage, one company has bucked the trend successfully building two new sites in Southport, with work commencing in 2012 on a third site in Ainsdale. The Bellway Group has provided more than 100,000 homes since it was formed in 1946 and is one of the largest housebuilders in the country with operations spanning the length and breadth of the United Kingdom. Bellway homes are designed, built and marketed by local teams operating from regional offices managed and staffed by local people. This allows the company to stay close to its customers and to take key decisions about design, build, materials, planning and marketing in response to local and not national demands. Designers and other consultants tend to be local, which makes for house designs with a strong regional identity in tune with the local vernacular.

Call today for further information on any of the sites, with a wide variety of property available ranging from affordable two bedroom terraced properties to substantial four bedroom detached family homes. Tel – 01704 536900 or email enquiries to d.withall@venmores.co.uk.

The Carnation, Virginia Mews, Virginia Street, Southport

The Jasmine, Virginia Mews, Virginia Street, Southport

The Lavander, Virginia Mews, Virginia Street, Southport

The Your Move Property Awards took place at the Crypt in Liverpool at the beginning of December and was attended by hundreds of people within the Liverpool Property Industry.

We were very excited to be attending the awards and hoped to win something, never thinking we would win two amazing awards.

Not only did we win Best Property Website but we also won the Contribution to Fundraising / Community Award. 

We were delighted with this award as we have been huge supporters of charities this year and this has given us even more drive to raise even more in 2012. 

We are delighted with our Awards and will be hoping we can do the triple next year!

Back in December we saw the launch of the new look Bradshaw Farnham and Lea website, which was the final phase of the Venmore Group switch over.

We’re pretty pleased with the end result and would encourage all potential clients to familiarise themselves with the site and to get registering your details on line.

The new site is bigger, bolder, informative and very user friendly and even gives you the chance to “Like” our new Facebook page which is bang up to date with all the latest property from our Wirral branches, promotions and company news.

Since going live all our offices have noticed a high volume of enquiries coming through and our properties are experiencing some great hit rates. Our Venmore version of the site even won “Best Website” at the latest Your Move awards, so we can’t say fairer than that!

The majority of instructions on the new site include, eye catching strap lines, larger internal and external photographs, detailed maps with street views, floorplans where possible, a mortgage calculator and staff photographs so we’re not just a voice at the end of the phone.

So whether you are a potential buyer, seller, tenant, landlord or just want to keep an eye on the market why not have a look for yourselves at www.bflhomes.co.uk

Our up and coming auction is not far away!  There are a wide variety of properties to purchase from investment, residential, mixed use or commercial opportunities.

Viewings are still available prior to the auction. If you would like to arrange a viewing please contact the auction team; Paula or Ronan on 0151 236 6746. For further information you can click on the button below to see a full listing of properties available for this auction.

 The auction will be held at  LIVERPOOL TOWN HALL, DALE STREET, LIVERPOOL, L2 2SH and will commence at 1pm.

1 Royal Park, Grosvenor Road, Birkdale     &499,950

  Four Bedroom Mews House

  Beautifully Presented Throughout

  Landscaped Gardens to the Rear

  Double Garage & Additional Parking

  Fantastic location

For Full Property Details Click Here

 2 Oakham Court, Alexandra Road, Southport     &189,950

Well Presented semi-detached house

• Three Bedrooms

• Modern Fitted Kitchen & Bathroom
•  

• UPVC Double Glazing Throughout

• Garage & Off Street Parking 

For Full Property Details Click Here

 4 Farm Close, Churchtown, Southport     &269,950

Four Bedrooms

Two Reception Rooms

Large Open Plan Dining Kitchen

Off Street Parking & Garage

Immaculate Condition 

For Full Property Details Click Here

•  7 Turnberry Way, Crossens, Southport     &142,000

Two Bedrooms

Lounge/Fitted Kitchen

Conservatory

Fitted Bathroom

Off Street Parking & Gardens

For Full Property Details Click Here

20 Beach Priory Gardens, Southport     &355,000

Attractive Detached Family Home

Four Bedrooms

Two Reception Rooms

Central Heating Throughout

Off Street Parking & Detached Garage

For Full Property Details Click Here 

The New Year has got off to a great start in terms of activity around the region in selling houses with strong viewings, offers, valuations and, dare we say it, sales. We thought we would share our view of what is happening.

Across Merseyside, Southport and the Wirral the volume of houses for sale has dropped by 5% during 2011. The decline in stock has had no effect on prices which have remained static at best during the 12 month period.

There has been more activity in the past 12 months in the sub &150,000 market, primarily as a result of funding being slightly more competitive and easier to find both for first time buyers and buy to let investors.

At the above &1 million level it remains very much a buyer’s market with properties on the market outstripping would be purchasers at a rate of 5 properties for every active buyer.

Whilst the number of new applicants registering was lower in the final 6 months of 2011, in comparison to 2010, the number of viewings was up. The conclusion drawn from this is that people are registering when really interested and also are viewing far more properties before making their decision.

The age of austerity is beginning to be accepted as normality in the mid market and in the past few months there have been slight positive signs that families are looking to move for the traditional reasons of more space and bigger gardens . This is a refreshing change from the debt, divorce and death reasons to sell which have dominated the market in the past years.

We believe that sales volumes will increase slightly in 2012 over 2011, prices will remain static up to mid market and that above &1 million it will remain a buyer's market.

Sellers are considering all options when marketing their homes, having a strong regional presence through the shops and a successful auction business has been key in home owners choosing our business to sell their home.

Local Hot Spot: West Kirby

West Kirby is a seaside town on the northwest corner of the Wirral Peninsula.  West Kirby has a lot to offer with a Victorian promenade, sandy beach and a large man-made 'Marine Lake', not forgetting the elegant shopping parades. The area has excellent primary and secondary schools including West Kirby Grammar School, Calday Grange Grammar School and Hilbre High School.  Former pupils include Glenda Jackson and Daniel Craig.  The Merseyrail station provides easy access through to Liverpool and Chester and there is also a good bus service.  For details of properties for sale in West Kirby please CLICK HERE

Local amenities: The Marine Lake, popular with wind surfers holds many sailing events, The Concourse Leisure Centre has a swimming pool and sporting facilities, health centre and library.   Ashton Park has been host to tennis tournaments attracting players like John McEnroe and Boris Becker.  It has bowling greens, children's playground and lake and is a starting point for walking the Wirral Way following the route of the old West Kirby to Hooton railway line.  Hilbre Island, a local nature reserve can be reached from West Kirby, but walkers must follow the approved route and consult the tide tables.

Wining and Dining: There are many bars and restaurants in West Kirby - The Wro Lounge, The Wro Bar, The Red Door and Mojos, to name a few and more traditional pubs including the White Lion and Ring O'Bells.

                                                            Local Hot Spot: Georgian Quater 

The Georgian Quarter is an area of almost uniformly residential Georgian architecture, most of which strictly speaking dates from after the Georgian era. The area derives its name from one of its principal thoroughfares, Canning Street. This is named after George Canning, (1770–1827), who was a British politician who served as Foreign Secretary and, briefly, Prime Minister. The area includes Falkner Square, Falkner Street, Canning Street, Percy Street and Huskisson Street.

Local amenities: Alongside the wonderful architecture of the Georgian style buildings in the area there are also a great many churches, museums and places of interest that make the Georgian Quarter one of the most distinguished and fascinating places to visit in the city. 

Wining and Dining: The area offers a wide array of bars and restaurants but a definite must is the ever popular Bistro; 60 Hope Street. In the heart of the Georgian quater, the restaurant lies nestled inbetween the cities two magnificent cathedrals and offers a fantastic menu.

Hot Property:  &139,950: 72 Canning Street, L8 7NR

This recently sale agreed first floor apartment is located in a Georgian Grade II listed building which has been sympathetically converted into apartments combining period and contemporary features.  The accommodation in this apartment offers great versatility of use.  At present it is laid out as a one bedroom apartment with separate utility room and combined lounge with freestanding kitchen units.  The utility room could be converted into a second bedroom if required.  The magnificent front Lounge/kitchen area has the original pitch pine floorboards and three floor-ceiling sash windows typical of the era and give access to the balcony which runs the full width of the building.  There is a double bedroom to the rear and bathroom with a white suite.  The apartment has a gas central heating system installed.  View full details.

2012 so far is proving to still be a very busy time for mortgages. We are seeing an increase in family gifted deposits, this is where a relative gives a family member money to use as a deposit or to help make a larger deposit to purchase a property.

In 2011 we arranged a significant number of buy to let mortgages (BTL) as people were unsatisfied with the level of returns their money was earning. This trend appears to be continuing. There certainly seem to be a lot of bargain properties on the market and we are seeing many clients now becoming landlords for the first time and even building small portfolios.

We are also seeing existing BTL investors building their portfolios too. Lenders are now starting to re enter this market and offer competitive products.

All our advisers are fully qualified and have many years of experience in the mortgage market. We do not charge a fee for our advice unlike the majority of other mortgage brokers. We also offer advice from the whole of the market, meaning we find the best deal for our clients.

For more information please call 0151 342 1755.

It is fantastic to receive the recognition from such a prestigious local magazine, and we are happy in the knowledge that our organisation is moving in the right way.

Venmores group is the largest independent estate agency in Merseyside and we offer services in property across the entire spectrum from management, sales, lettings, surveys, conveyancing, mortgage, Energy Performance Certificates, as well as having the oldest auction house in Merseyside which has been operating for over a hundred years.

If you think that Venmore offer a great service and that we deserve to win the award for Best Property Company in Liverpool then please vote for us now by clicking on the link below. It will only take a few seconds to vote and we would appreciate the support.