January Price Reduction!

This beautiful apartment has now come down in price to £569,995 - a very realistic selling price for a superbly finished property on the Sandbanks peninsula.

Three double bedrooms, two bathrooms, and a full regime of enhancements has been carried out throughout, forming this terrific space that effortlessly blends modern design and traditional home comforts.

Call us today for a viewing on 01202 744 944.

Happy New Yera (and year).

Gary Berendt of Arlington & Hall offers some thoughts on the property year ahead.

Welcome to 2016 and to a new era of property. It promises to be an eventful-packed year. The way has already been prepared for a change in April when higher stamp duty rates are applied to properties bought for either buy-to-let or second-home purposes. So, expect a busy time in the next few months as buyers rush to complete purchases before the axe falls. Already, buy-to-let purchases are near their pre-crisis levels and the Chancellor may well tighten up lending criteria to stave off any potential problems down the line - 2015 saw buy-to-let borrowing at £38 billion compared to £45.7 billion in 2007. Mr Osborne will further affect landlords as from April as when they will also lose higher-rate tax relief on mortgage interest payments.

And what is happening with the ripple effect - the radiating waves of consequence that the London property markets have on housing elsewhere in the UK? London now seems more disconnected than ever from the rest of the country as prices have spiralled from highly expensive to pretty much unaffordable over the last few years. And don't think for a moment that the 'unaffordable' tag does not affect the super- and even ultra-rich. It really does. Prime London properties are seeing a significant negative adjustment as higher taxation, the slump in worldwide oil prices and the Chinese economic slowdown have had a severe impact on the clamour for property. Perhaps the circus has left town as buyers now consider New York to be the darling of high-end residential property investment.

So, what about those who do not want to buy a holiday home or investment property - those people who merely want a roof over their heads? Well, 2016 may be eventful-packed for them also including the possible lift in house prices of between five and eight percent. But it will be a slow and frustrating start. 2015 saw ten straight months of selling instruction decline. The stock of unsold properties is currently the lowest ever recorded. The law of supply and demand suggests this should have a positive effect on prices in many parts of the UK. Like global warming, the UK housing market is open to conflicting interpretation. Is it the lack of new homes which is causing the log jam or is it that people have just stopped moving for the time being and are staying put, perhaps busy building extensions or digging basements to provide more space instead of buying somewhere larger? Maybe it is loft conversions - people moving up, and not out. For now, it is hard to know the true position.

It is also difficult to work out what any long-anticipated interest rate increases will do to the property market should they be introduced, or what might happen if the UK heads for the Brexit following the European referendum. Even if there is a vote to remain in the European Union, the uncertainty may well spook the property market for a few months - if the last General Election and the Scottish referendum are anything to go by. Heads will also be turned by the Olympics in Brazil in the summer, and all the while political and economic upheaval in the rest of Europe, and further afield, will create further uncertainty. All of these things have previously affected the property market, in one form or another, and we expect their current iterations to continue to do so.

So, 2016 will not be without its challenges in the property market. But, we are used to handling challenges for our clients. Our advice, as always, is to purchase carefully and within your means - and this includes your mortgage if interest rates rise. This year will not be a perfect one for property speculation without the greatest prudence and care. But it will be a good year for settling into a home that provides safety, warmth and shelter for you and your family in these uncertain times. Whatever is going on in the world, any year is a good year to do that.