Category: Opinion Pieces

Gauzumping in Scotland – How Does It Affect Property Buyers and Property Sellers in Scotland? In Particular, How Do the Little-Known Law Society Anti-Gazumping Guidelines Affect Property Sellers in Scotland?

Robert Carroll Leave a comment

The ‘G’ word is one of the dirtiest words related to property sales.  It blights the reputation of estate agents, puts fear into the hearts of property buyers and causes a whole heap of additional headaches to solicitors north of Hadrian’s Wall.

This article will address some fundamental misunderstandings that exist amongst the majority of property buyers and sellers in Scotland.  It will show you how gazumping actually happens, what you can do as a property buyer to try and prevent it, and how all of this can negatively affect you as a property seller who just wants to get the best possible price for your property.

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10 Reasons Why iPads Are Great News for Estate Agents

Robert Carroll Leave a comment

I have to confess that I am a gadget freak.  Pretty much every bit of tech that has come out in the past few years, I’ve wanted to be an early adopter.  Usually being an early adopter ends up being a bad move: the first Blackberry email devices were pretty clunky and the first iPhones weren’t anything like as good as the second generation ones that were released quite shortly afterwards.  So, with that in mind what on earth was I doing buying not one but two iPads for my business within a few days of their launch in the UK?Your Read More Link Text

HIPs Are to be Scrapped in England and Wales. Are Home Reports in Scotland Therefore Doomed?

Robert Carroll 2 Comments

One of the first acts of the new coalition government in the UK was to scrap HIPs (Home Information Packs) in England and Wales.  This had been a pre-election pledge and therefore came as no huge surprise.  This has led to a lot of clients and prospective property sellers in Scotland either (a) telling me they’re delighted that HIPs have been scrapped (when they actually mean ‘Home Reports’ and think that they are one and the same thing) or (b) asking me whether this means that Home Reports in Scotland will be scrapped too.Your Read More Link Text

Budget 2010 Stamp Duty Changes – Six Large Criticisms of the New Rules

Robert Carroll 2 Comments

I should say that what follows is in no way political and that I am writing this from the perspective of a property professional.  That disclaimer out of the way…!

In Budget 2010 today, the Chancellor, Alistair Darling, announced that the Stamp Duty threshold for First Time Buyers would be raised from £125,000 to £250,000.  Therefore, any first time buyer purchasing a property up to £250,000, in the next two years,  will not pay any Stamp Duty on it, starting from midnight today.Your Read More Link Text

Is the Cost of Selling Putting Preventing People in Edinburgh Putting Their Properties on the Market?

Robert Carroll Leave a comment

As people continue to tighten their belts due to the credit crunch, the housing market in Edinburgh continues to struggle.

 

Estate agents are reporting that increasing numbers of people are putting their properties on the market.  In addition, recent reports show that more mortgage products are becoming available to first time buyers with smaller deposits.  However, a healthy property market needs a good supply of new properties coming to the market and the number of properties on the market for these new buyers remains low compared to just a couple of years ago.Your Read More Link Text

Are Estate Agency Fees Unfair?

Robert Carroll Leave a comment

I’ve previously asked this question on my blog: is the way that estate agents bill for their services unfair? I got a variety of responses: those at the more affordable end of the market thought things were fine as they were whilst those at the upper end of the market resented having to pay a solicitor/estate agent thousands of pounds for what they perceived as being little more than putting their property in the ESPC. I personally believe that the traditional way that people pay for estate agency services is old-fashioned and that people are ready for change.Your Read More Link Text

Home Reports – Response to Criticism by ESPC and Other Solicitors in Scotland

Robert Carroll Leave a comment

There has been a lot of criticism in the Press recently about Home Reports, all totally contradicting my own firm’s experience of them as having been a force for good in the eyes of property buyers in Scotland.  I wanted to take this opportunity to respond to that criticism.

I run a property-focused business in Edinburgh and the majority of our work is in the estate agency field.  I am happy to admit that I was not a fan of Home Reports prior to their launch.  I am also happy to admit that, based on experience since 1 December 08, I was wrong.Your Read More Link Text

Home Reports One Year On – A Success?

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The New Home Report Regime – Introduction

Home Reports, required for all properties marketed for sale after 1 December 2008, were probably the largest innovation in the last few decades in the way that residential properties are marketed and sold in Scotland.

If you put your property ‘on the market’ after 1 December 2008 then either you or your agent has had to be able to produce a Home Report for the property.  There are a couple of fairly minor exceptions of course but the vast majority of properties sold in Scotland fall into this category.Your Read More Link Text