Category: Uncategorised

• Your opinion matters to us

  

  It’s been our mission since the day we were founded to create new build homes that are different….re-imagined. It’s a pleasure to receive a review that illustrates this.

  Our latest customer review comes from a new home-owner at Victoria Fold, Sabden…

  ‘I was ‘anti’ new-build, but my partner loved the low hassle of buying somewhere finished and warrantied. What swung it for me was the location and the charm of the stonework and stone boundary walls, as well as the lovely reclaimed slate roof. These details really ground the house in its setting and turn the development into an asset for the village. Also the house makes good use of the space – we loved that both of the double bedrooms were identical decent sizes and not strange shapes. We loved there wasn’t an en-suite hogging precious room from the bedrooms in our small home. We also really liked the open plan layout and reasonable sized garden which can be hard to find on a period terraced property. We are both precious about parking so the garage and parking space was the final tickbox that allowed us to go ahead. Also, Skipton Properties has a decent reputation locally after the development at Kearns Village, so the quality of that previous development helped give us some comfort buying on a building site!

  My dad is a site manager for a construction company and visited our home for the first time yesterday. He was impressed with things I hadn’t thought about, such as the finish on the woodwork, and the mortar mix you’d chosen for the stonework. It’s nice to know professionals can notice the difference between a ‘standard’ new build and a Skipton new build’

  If you live in one of our homes, even if you didn’t buy it directly from us, we’d love to hear from you. Tell us how you use your home, what we could improve or email us simply to let us know you like living there 🙂 Please send an email to [email protected] with your thoughts.

  3rd July 2020

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  Skipton Properties

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  Uncategorised

• Our focus on quality

  

   

  …that one of our three Directors will personally check and sign off every home before our customers move in? The fact that we’re a small family business means we’re able to provide a personal service, and our attention to detail and focus on quality runs through everything we do.

  Not only do our Directors check our homes before our customers move in, so do our Site Managers and Sales Advisors. This thorough sign off helps us maintain our high standards. What’s more, the fact that our Directors check our homes, coupled with our ability to be agile and feed design changes into our new sites, means we are constantly improving. One reason why we like to call our homes ‘New Homes. Re-imagined.’

  For further peace of mind and quality assurance, once customers move in their homes are protected by an LABC new build insurance policy, which covers any defects for a ten year period. The first two years are covered by us, with any queries dealt with by our friendly and efficient Customer Care team, and the remaining eight years are covered by the insurer.

  23rd June 2020

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  Skipton Properties

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  Uncategorised

• Only a few homes left…

  Only a handful of homes are now available across our developments inYorkshire and Lancashire. Talk to us today and book an appointment to view.

  At The Bridge in the charming village of Haworth, West Yorkshire, made famous by the Brontë sisters, we have just one four bedroom home remaining. Home has never been more important so we’ll tailor make a package of incentives to help you move if you reserve our last remaining home. If you’re looking for something smaller we’ll soon be launching our range of one and two bedroom apartments in the original Bridgehouse Mill. If you’d like to find out more, contact Debbie on 01535 288009 or [email protected].

   

  

   

  At The Rise in Harden, a little way over the hill from Haworth, we have just three homes left. Ranging from our three-storey Elliott concept with integrated garage to our largest homes, The Hartwith and The Ives. The development is nestled right next to the St Ives Estate and provides wide sweeping views across the valley. Prices start at £300,000. Let us get you moving with tailor made incentives. Contact Karen for more information on 01535 288002 or [email protected].

   

  

   

  Across the border in Lancashire we have just four homes left at our Victoria Fold development in Sabden,  a ‘Best Small New Development’ finalist at the LABC North West Awards. Take a trip to Victoria Fold and you’ll see why! We’ve gone to great lengths to re-imagine the style of the former mill that stood on the site and paid great attention to the ecology. Our four homes include the unique Marbill Residence, which has to be seen to be believed, and our three characterful large luxury homes – The Rivers, The Deerstone and The Radcliffe, all currently in build. However we’d recommend you book an appointment to view the position of these homes and experience the development as a whole. The feedback from local residents and buyers has been outstanding and is a credit not only to the design of our homes, but to the hard work and craftsmanship of our team. Contact Pam for more information on 01282 227130 or [email protected].

   

  

   

  Finally, we have just two homes available at Kings Mill Residences in Settle, North Yorkshire. The Bay and The Fen are both four bedroom homes situated on this quiet development of only eight homes that’s within walking distance from the centre of the town, whilst providing peace and quiet and views of the River Ribble. We’re currently finishing Plot 8, The Fen, to enable you to experience one of these luxurious homes in the flesh. Inside you’ll find a striking navy wood framed Chilcomb kitchen with double Belfast sink and Victorian-style tap. The kitchen also includes a full range of AEG appliances and Rangemaster professional stove, and we’ve chosen a complementary dark wood floor in Aged Oak. Upstairs you’ll find natural ceramic tiling across all bathrooms, to both walls and floors. Outside these striking homes include unique corner post aluminium windows to bring the outside in, and natural stone and slate roofs. Contact John on 01729 810360 or [email protected] to book an appointment to walk the development and view our homes in progress.

   

  19th June 2020

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  Skipton Properties

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  Uncategorised

• Time for a radical rethink of the planning system?

  

   

  Sarah, our Managing Director, shares her thoughts on the UK’s planning system and how it’s often holding back developers like us as we try to create new homes.

  “More homes are needed in the UK. Successive governments have shouted their commitment to creating new housing from the rooftops, but in practice it seems harder and harder to do what my family’s business was established to do: build new homes.

  “The finger is often pointed at developers when it comes to the lack of new housing coming to market, but what many aren’t aware of is the abundance of red tape behind the scenes. Said red tape is not just causing delays; it’s causing much-needed new housing developments to fail completely, as confirmed in a recent report by the Policy Exchange think tank that referred to the current planning system as a “straitjacket”. Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick MP agreed, calling it “overly bureaucratic”. Small and medium-sized developers like us are trying our utmost, in the face of what sometimes seem like insurmountable obstacles, to break ground on new developments. Unlike some larger developers, we are not in the practice of ‘land banking’, that is, buying land to develop and then simply sitting on it. When we a buy a plot of land we are committed to building on it as soon as we are able to. However, inefficiencies in the planning process means we are often held back from doing so, and our business is not large enough to cushion us against major delays. At a time of much speculation about the housing market post-COVID-19, the last thing the construction industry needs is uncertainty.

   

  

   

  “There is an obvious reason why the market is dominated by a handful of large developers: successfully applying for planning permission is often incredibly time-consuming, costly and complicated, and requires an enormous amount of preparation and consultation. Many developers won’t even consider purchasing a plot of land unless full planning permission has already been granted. At Skipton Properties we specialise in taking on difficult, often derelict sites with problematic topography; in fact we relish the challenges posed by such sites. However many similar sites around the country, where housing could be built, are overlooked because developers often don’t have the appetite for the amount of work required. Once the cost of planning is factored in – the need to retain planning consultants and other specialists and amend designs means that costs often mount up into the tens of thousands – it’s easy to see why the barrier to entry is so high for smaller developers.

  “The process of applying for planning permission from local councils is often inefficient and time-consuming. More joined-up thinking is generally needed from local planning authorities, though some councils do stand out for positive reasons. For example, a planning officer in Sabden, Lancashire, (within the Ribble Valley Borough) was assigned to our application to build a new development at the pre-planning stage and held responsibility for the duration of the planning process, even after we encountered issues with drainage and needed to reapply for permission. The fact that the officer understood the specifics of the site and our application meant that the entire process moved swiftly and effectively. The application took just three months in total – we have seen other applications elsewhere drag on for up to 12 months. If there is no change in officer, no time is wasted and consistency is maintained. I appreciate that some councils are under-staffed and under-funded, but surely it would benefit all parties if ways could be found to maximise the effectiveness of their resources.

   

  

   

  “Even after planning permission has been granted, it’s still possible for a project to be completely derailed due to delays caused by external parties. That planning permission, once granted, has a deadline attached to it makes the need to start construction even more pressing. In our case, at one site in West Yorkshire we are waiting for a utility company to reroute overhead powerlines. The powerlines are the only obstacle preventing us from starting work at this site, and yet the utility company in question won’t commit to a deadline for the rerouting and therefore cannot be held accountable for the delay it has caused. At another site in West Yorkshire we have applied for planning permission to redevelop a former mill adjacent to a watercourse. Here we have fallen victim to delays caused by another party which also seems beset by resource issues – the Environment Agency. This is somewhat ironic given that the EA is a governmental body and should therefore surely be working towards the government’s stated aim of creating more housing.

  “I am convinced there must be more efficient, mutually beneficial ways of working to achieve this aim with less delays, as well as ways to improve the existing planning system, and I am keen to collaborate with all parties involved in the process to get there. I hope that the supportive statements made recently by senior government figures will translate into meaningful change in the planning system, and I look forward to being part of the conservation.”

   

  

  12th June 2020

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  Skipton Properties

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  Uncategorised

• Building ‘New Homes. Re-imagined’​

  

   

  Caroline, our Sales, Marketing and Design Director, has been reflecting on our brand slogan, and how it enables us to build better homes for our customers. Here she explains what building ‘New Homes. Re-imagined’ means to her.

  “We developed our brand slogan several years ago now, but the concept has been a part of our values since we were founded. Re-imagining our homes runs through our veins. Each of our highly-skilled Site Managers always look for ways to improve a design from plan and our Directors not only track the progress of the build themselves but personally sign off each of our homes before a new family moves in. This means we’re able to evolve, improve and re-imagine the way we do things, all with the ultimate goal of building better homes.

   

  

   

  “The quality and style of our homes is at the core of what we do. We’ve tried to appeal to both sides of the market, convincing numerous homeowners over the years who never thought they’d buy a new build home to make that leap. I think this is what defines our homes on most of the developments we build. Traditional aesthetics combined with modern living.

  “I’ve been our Sales, Marketing and Design Director for three years now, with a role in the design of our homes for approximately the last eight. Being involved in sales yet also having a direct hand in the development of our homes has its benefits. I can follow the design of our homes from design concept to finished home and I’m able to work directly with our sales team to ensure customer feedback they receive is heard. We’ve used the ‘pause’ COVID-19 has provided to review our homes in this way. Asking our customers how they use their homes and what they would like to see improved.

   

  

   

  “Another aspect of building ‘New Homes. Re-imagined‘ is the unique developments we build. We are able to tackle such developments for three reasons: 1) we have our own directly employed groundworks team and plant machinery 2) the right sized, long-serving team to take on the detailed planning and build and 3) the willingness to create new house styles that fit the unique topography. Victoria Fold, Sabden, is recent example of such a development. We worked inside the fast-flowing Sabden Brook whilst we reinforced the brook walls and rebuilt the Marbill Residences. (We loved seeing the locals marvelling at the work as it progressed.) We also had various ecological considerations. As such all of our homes have low lumen lighting to encourage wildlife and we have built two eco towers, created from the stone from the old mill tower, retained to ensure we pay homage to the site’s history. The development saw the creation of four one-of-a-kind house styles. Kearns Village is another example, and is a development we completed in 2019. Here we had a set of unique levels, a culvert and wet, wintry conditions to contend with. The development featured seven one-of-a-kind house styles and won ‘Best Small New Housing Development‘ at the LABC North West Awards.

   

  

   

  “We don’t build homogeneous new build homes, each development we choose has a history and as such its own unique appeal. We believe it’s this combination of quality and individuality that sets us apart and it’s something we will never stop striving for.”

  14th May 2020

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  Skipton Properties

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  Uncategorised

• We’re back at work, and reopening for visitors on Saturday 16th May

  

   

  The doors to our Sales Office and Show Homes are usually always open to visitors, but have needed to remain closed these past few weeks for everyone’s safety.

  Construction is underway again at all our sites, with new Site Operating Procedures in place to protect our workforce, and a skeleton staff is working safely from Head Office, with the remainder of our office staff working from home. Based on the gradual reopening of workplaces announced by the Prime Minister on Sunday 10th May, we had been expecting to reopen our Sales Offices and Show Homes in early June, but a further announcement was made on the evening of Tuesday 12th May that would effectively enable them to reopen from today, Wednesday 13th May. 

  Whilst we’re glad to have the go ahead to welcome visitors back to our developments, we want to make sure we can do so safely, and with the necessary hygiene and social distancing precautions in place. The health of our team, their families, our customers and communities, and protecting the NHS, remains our priority, so our Sales Offices and Show Homes will not reopen until Saturday 16th May, and will do so on an appointment-only basis. If the guidance changes at any point, we will of course adapt accordingly. 

  When making an appointment, visitors will be asked if they or anyone in their family group has or has had COVID-19, is currently experiencing any symptoms, is shielding or at risk. We will also ask about your home requirements so we have a clear idea of what you are looking for and can provide any helpful information in advance, so that you get the most out of your visit.

  Home tours and site visits will be conducted with the following precautions in place:

  • Only one visitor/couple/family group permitted at any one time
  • Any unannounced visitors will be asked to wait until the previous visitors have left
  • Social distancing (2m) will be maintained
  • Unaccompanied viewings (i.e. in which the Sales Advisor waits outside) available on request
  • Safety screens to be installed in the Sales Offices between customers and Sales Advisors, so meetings can be conducted safely*
  • Details of all visitors taken to enable contact tracing to take place if needed; and visitors to asked to inform us if they or anyone in their family group subsequently develop symptoms
  • Hand washing facilities, paper towels and hand sanitiser available, and visitors to wash or sanitise their hands upon arrival
  • Visitors’ temperatures measured upon arrival (Sales Advisors will be provided with face masks for this), and the appointment of anyone exhibiting a high temperature rescheduled
  • Cleaning of touch points carried out after each visit, plus additional daily and weekly cleans
  • All internal doors left open to minimise contact 

  *The screens are currently on order from our supplier; until they arrive and can be installed, meetings will either be conducted outside or in the more open areas of the Show Homes. 

  To book an appointment to visit our developments, please use the following contact details:
  
  The School House (Barnoldswick) and Kings Mill Residences (Settle)
  John
  T: 07932 000922 
  E: [email protected] 

  The Rise (Harden)
  Karen
  T: 01535 288002
  E: [email protected]

  The Bridge (Haworth)
  Debbie
  T: 01535 288009
  E: [email protected] 

  Victoria Fold (Sabden)
  Pam
  T: 01282 227130
  E: [email protected]

  We are grateful to our customers for bearing with us over the last few weeks of uncertainty, and the latest Government announcement also brought good news for those who have reserved or are buying from us. Valuations can now be carried out, which means that the housing market – and homeowners – can start moving again. We will of course try to expedite the process by completing homes as quickly – and safely – as we can. 

  We look forward to giving you a warm, if socially distant, welcome back to our Sales Offices and Show Homes from Saturday! 

  12th May 2020

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  Skipton Properties

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  Uncategorised

• An out-of-office message: we’re taking a short holiday

  

   

  We made the decision to close our sites and pause construction to protect our staff, our customers, our community and our NHS on Friday 27th March.

  We have decided to maintain our site closures until Monday 4th May, when we’ll gradually start returning to work. The health and safety of our staff is of the utmost importance to us, so team members will be maintaining social distance and working in reduced numbers in line with government advice. You can rest assured that we’ll do everything within our power to protect our employees and our community, and we’ll share details of our new working practices and policies once we’re back at work.

  In the meantime, next week (27th April – 1st May) will see the temporary closure of the entire company, with every staff member taking annual leave to help protect our future productivity. By way of an out-of-office message, please note that we’ll respond to queries we receive next week on or after Monday 4th May.

  We are looking forward to getting back to we do best – building beautiful homes – with renewed energy and even more enthusiasm ?Here’s a visual of our upcoming development at Coniston Cold, The Sycamores, to give you a taste of what’s in store. We’re going to create eight natural stone and slate two-five bedroom homes at this beautiful rural location near Gargrave and we can’t wait to get cracking! Find out more and register your interest in the development here.

  23rd April 2020

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  Skipton Properties

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  Uncategorised

• Experience our homes with virtual tours

  

   

  If all this time at home has you thinking of making a change, we’re here to help. As we can’t show you around our beautiful homes in person at the moment, we’ve created virtual tours so you can experience some of them from the safety of your sofa instead.

  Let’s take a trip to Harden to visit our development The Rise, which occupies an elevated position bordering the beautiful St. Ives estate. We’ve mapped out two of our remaining homes there for you to explore, the three-bedroom Eavestone and the four-bedroom Hartwith, our Show Home.

  The Eavestone has a premium spec already installed, including a dove grey integrated kitchen with marble effect work surfaces, tiling to the kitchen and bathrooms, luxury flooring and carpeting throughout and mirrored, integrated wardrobes to the master bedroom. Outside the garden is turfed and we’ve installed a shed with mower too. Explore this and all three floors of this charming cottage-style home by clicking here or on the CGI image below. If you like what you see, click here to find out more.

   

  

   

  The Hartwith is our Show Home, so our virtual tour enables you to see exactly what this home looks like with furniture in situ. Like The Eavestone it has a south-facing garden and wonderfully sunny aspect (check out the open plan living area leading to the garden!) and plenty of family living space spread across three floors. Take a look around by clicking here or on the image below, and find out more about this home here.

   

  

   

  Over at Haworth, our development The Bridge is nestled in a picturesque valley overlooking the Keighley and Worth Railway and Bridgehouse Beck. Both can be seen and enjoyed from the expansive roof terraces at both our properties, and from the virtual tours we’ve created, so you can take in the views at the three-bedroom Fewston and four-bedroom Bridgehouse and explore these modern family homes from your own home. Just one of each home style is still available.

  The townhouse-style Fewston has three bedrooms and three floors of spacious family living space, including an island kitchen with views directly onto the historic steam railway, a master bedroom suite with balcony, two further bedrooms and a huge living and entertaining space on the top floor, which leads to the roof terrace. Take the tour by clicking here or on the image below, and find out more about this home here.

   

  

   

  The Bridgehouse has a similar townhouse-style design to the Fewston, but bigger! Think an additional 500 sq. ft. of living space, including a fourth bedroom and even more space to relax and entertain on the ground and top floors, plus a landscaped garden overlooking Bridgehouse Beck and the railway. Click here or on the image below to take the virtual tour, and click here to find out more about this fantastic family home.

   

  

   

  Over in Sabden just four homes are now available at our development Victoria Fold, with between three and five bedrooms. This virtual tour stars our Show Home, which is now reserved, but is similar to The Rivers, which is available to reserve off-plan. Click here or on the image below to take the virtual tour, and click here to find out about all the homes still on offer at Sabden; the others are The Radcliffe, The Deerstone and The Foster.

   

  

   

  If you’d like to find out more about any of the homes listed above, or make an appointment to view in person, please get in touch to discuss your options via [email protected] or 01535 288009.

  21st April 2020

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  Skipton Properties

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  Uncategorised

• Visualising the last remaining homes at Victoria Fold, Sabden

  

   

  Sometimes it can be hard to visualise a home while it’s under construction…so you can imagine our excitement when we saw these incredible 3D visualisations of our last remaining homes at Victoria Fold in Sabden.

  This beautiful trio forms a mews-style arrangement around a large shared quadrangle with plenty of off-street parking, and overlooks Sabden Brook at the rear. The architecture and unique footprints of The Rivers, The Radcliffe and The Deerstone honour the imposing Victoria Mill building that once stood on the site. Each home has an abundance of flexible living space with four or five bedrooms, a large garage and a landscaped rear garden, and now we’re able to help you visualise the way the interiors are laid out – take a look…

  The Deerstone

  Leading from The Deerstone’s entrance hall on the ground floor are a WC, a study and the main living area. This expansive open plan space is the heart of the home and features an island kitchen, a separate utility room and plenty of space for sitting and dining. Electric Velux windows overhead will flood the room with light and double doors give onto the landscaped garden.

  Part of the driveway is partially covered thanks to the recessed integrated garage, which is fantastically spacious and has space for one car as well as room for storage or a workshop, and direct access to the entrance hall.

  

  Up on the first floor are four double bedrooms and three bathrooms. The huge master suite has both a bathroom and integrated wardrobes, as does the second largest bedroom. The two remaining bedrooms share a family bathroom, and the galleried landing has stairs leading to the top floor.

  The top floor has a smaller floorplan than the two lower floors, but still offers plenty of flexible space for relaxing and entertaining. The larger room would be ideal for a home cinema, home office or play room while the smaller room would make a lovely reading nook or additional study. There are more Velux windows overhead to maximise light, plus a huge storage space leading from the main room. The Deerstone has a total of 2,335 sq. ft. of living space and is the home shown on the right hand side of the main image.

  The Radcliffe

  The Radcliffe has a similar configuration to The Deerstone, with a large recessed, integrated garage on the ground floor, as well as a fantastically spacious open plan living and dining area with island kitchen, Velux windows overhead, double doors to the landscaped rear garden and a separate utility.  Also leading from the generous entrance hall are a WC and storage cupboard.

  Up on the first floor are five bedrooms – four double and one single – and three bathrooms, one with bath. The master suite has both a shower room and integrated wardrobes, and the second largest bedroom also has an en suite. The top floor features a large room that can be used however you see fit; whether it’s as a games room or a home gym. There are more Velux windows to maximise light, plus more storage. The Radcliffe has a total of 2,245 sq. ft. of living space and is the home shown in the centre of the main image.

  The Rivers

  The Rivers is formed of two separate but interconnected structures providing plenty of flexible living and storage space. On the ground floor, the entrance hall leads to a large open plan living area, which has abundant room for dining, sitting and family life and a large kitchen, from which lead a utility room and WC. Also on the ground floor is a separate living room with a traditional wood burning stove. A spacious garage is located in the property’s smaller wing which is accessed separately, just across the driveway.

  

  On the first floor are four bedrooms – three double and one single. The master suite has both integrated wardrobes and a shower room, while the remaining bathrooms share a family bathroom with bath. Over in the separate wing, the floor above the garage boasts a self-contained space with storage that would make an ideal home office. (There is also a WC downstairs, on the same floor as the garage.) The Rivers has a total of 1,832 sq. ft. of living space and occupies the end of mews plot on the left hand side of the main image.

  Though our sites and sales offices are currently closed, we’re still on hand to answer any questions you may have about the last remaining homes at Victoria Fold, or any of our other properties. Say hello on 01282 227130 or [email protected]. 

  14th April 2020

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  Skipton Properties

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  Uncategorised

• COVID-19 and the property market

   

  

   

  The ongoing COVID-19 crisis is profoundly affecting every aspect of our everyday lives, so it follows that it’s also having a huge impact on the economy, and the property market with it.

  Our expert advisors at Savills and the Mortgage Advice Bureau have been monitoring the market closely and keeping us informed, so we thought we’d share some of their insights and predictions for the future with you.

  Property sales have declined significantly whilst the government’s advice to hold off on moving house for the time being is adhered to. However, if you have already committed to buy a property the advice is to sit tight as transactions should be able to proceed as normal once it’s safe to relax the COVID-19 restrictions. Depending on your solicitors, certain parts of the sale process can still be carried out in the background too. It’s worth noting that buying a brand new, vacant home presents less risk in terms of potential contamination than moving into a home that’s been previously occupied, and that, once the restrictions have been lifted, the supply of new homes like ours is likely to be reduced, as many housebuilders have temporarily halted construction.

  In terms of mortgages, many lenders have recently applied restrictions to their mortgage offerings and increased their LTV (loan to value) rates. However the expectation is that this is likely to be a temporary measure whilst lenders adjust to the uncertain market and deal with demand from existing customers, some of whom will be applying for mortgage payment holidays. In fact, if you’ve already received a mortgage offer, your lender is likely to have extended this for an additional three months, giving you extra time to complete your home purchase and saving you from having to apply again.

  Knight Frank predicts that any minor drop in house prices this year is likely to be corrected in 2021, when they predict a 5% rebound. The housing market was in a stronger position at the start of 2020 than it had been in some time, which is reflected in the uptick in property sales and growth in prices that we saw pre-pandemic. The demand for homes is still there, and Savills predicts it will only build up whilst transactions are on hold.

  The hope is that the disruption we’re currently experiencing will be relatively short-lived, so if you are considering making a move, it might be a good idea to explore your options so that you’re in a good position once the housing market reopens. We’re on hand via phone and email to talk through any questions you may have – you can reach us on 01535 288009 and [email protected] and view our available homes here. In the meantime, let’s all stay safe in our existing homes to protect our families, our communities and our NHS.

   

   

  7th April 2020

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  Skipton Properties

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  Uncategorised