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It's commonplace for companies to have fancy advertising slogans, mission statements and core values, but here at Proper Local we like to keep things simple.
So, instead, we're just going to make you some promises.
We promise...
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With the high level of demand for rental properties in E14, it is easy to see why many people think that acting as a landlord will be a good way to generate income. If you have funds available to invest in property, or you have a satisfactory credit history and financial status that you can obtain a mortgage for property investment, acting as a landlord can provide you with a better lifestyle.
However, it is important to be aware that being a Landlord isn't easy. There is a difference between good Landlords and bad Landlords. Over time, good Landlords find that the process becomes simple and they can make good money without a lot of work and effort, but unfortunately, there are a lot of bad Landlords out there. Bad Landlords don't provide a good standard of service and expect to make money from little work or effort. In the long run, they lose out and often ending up in debt or losing out on a lot of money.
Being a Landlord is a good idea if you are committed, and here are some top tips on how you can achieve this:
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Awards
As a property seller or landlord, you might roll your eyes and think ‘so what?’ when an estate agent mentions their accreditations and awards.
But this stuff matters and is often the difference between good and bad agencies.
The consistent positive feedback we receive from our clients has led to us being given the Gold Trusted Service Award from Feefo.
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One of the biggest myths in the property industry is that because corporate estate agencies are big they have more marketing muscle than smaller, independent agents.
That used to be the case but like so many things the arrival of the internet changed everything.
The property portals - Rightmove, Zoopla and Prime Location - have levelled this playing field.
They drive buyers and tenants to properties not individual agencies.
Most buyers and tenants now conduct their property search online. Gone are the days where there was a queue of people outside your office on a Saturday.
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We’re not the most loved of professions, estate agents, but why is that?
Is it the perception of underhand sales tactics? The unreturned phone calls and emails? Lateness to appointments? Or, perhaps, the needless flashy suits and the general ‘geezer’ image?
To be honest, we don’t care, because we’re not like that, and to be fair we don’t think there are many who fit the approve profile left (but there are a few, so be warned!)
A good estate agent should be your ‘trusted advisor’. A person who knows his or her area, knows the market, knows the ins and outs of the legalities, and isn’t afraid to pick up the phone when the news is bad (funnily enough, we all find it easy to make ‘good news’ phone calls).
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As an estate agency currently tracking at 5 out of 5 stars with our Feefo reviews you might think that we think we’ve got this selling and renting lark down to a tee. But do we? No.
OK, so that might be a bit overly-humble – we do know what we’re doing of course – but the point is this: do we, as estate agents, truly understand what our customers want from us?
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What will happen to the Canary Wharf property market in 2019?
As 2018 draws to a close the question on everyone’s mind is: what will 2019 hold for the property market?
Now, there are agencies far larger than Proper Local, with whole floors of staff dedicated to research into property prices and sentiment. We can’t pretend to have a team such as this, but we do have plenty of common sense, and some good old-fashioned proper area knowledge.
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We’re not really ones to blow our own trumpet but…
We thought it might be of vague interest that we have recently awarded the ‘Highly Rated’ mark for our Lettings services by The Best Estate Agent Guide.
All forms of recognition are nice, but this award is particularly comforting because we didn’t do anything to achieve it. We didn’t apply for it. We didn’t ask for it. And we didn’t pay for it.
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Just in case you missed it, we thought it might be worth republishing this article from Andrew Ellson of The Times.
Of course, at Proper Local we couldn’t agree with Andrew more: the charging structure of most ‘traditional’ estate agents is indeed ridiculous.
Whilst Andrew doesn’t explicitly say it, the structure to which he is referring is a percentage-based fee structure. What very few agents will ever admit to you is that it’s the same amount of work whether you’re selling (or letting) a one bedroom flat as it is a four bedroom house. So quite why an agent would charge a fee which is two, three, four or even five times as much for doing the same job leaves us at a loss too. That’s why we charge a fixed fee.
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At Proper Local we specialise in properties to rent in East London, but wherever in London you are looking to rent a property, this useful guide will help you save time.
Rental contracts in the UK typically contain two month notice periods for both landlords and tenants, although if the original fixed term of the contract has expired (and has lapsed into what it is termed a ‘statutory periodic tenancy’) tenants are only required to give one month’s notice to vacate.
You may not think that tenancy law has a bearing on when you should start your rental search, but it comes back to this: when do agents start marketing properties to let?
