Wednesday 20 June 2007

Quick! Retreat back to Shepherd's Bush

When I see Kristen Digby on the telly, I feel like retching. However, this story amused me. It appears that no amount of spring cleaning will improve the value of a house in Peterborough. Unfortunately, the property market is beginning to struggle up there. The BBC's property cheer leader may have to cancel her program highlighting some run down over priced properties in the town.

Rising house prices has also generated a bubble in TV property shows. I wonder whether the public will want to see Kristen cavorting around sub-standard houses when the property market is down 15 percent. I doubt it somehow. So when the housing bubble goes pop, it is going to bring down all those cheap and nasty TV shows with them.

I can't wait. Whatever the Beeb puts on to replace Open house, it is bound to be an improvement.

Fears property market will force TV no-show

Estate agent Chris Taylor inside a Bretton house to be featured on the BBCs Open House programme, presented by Kristian Digby. Producers hope that the programme will see a fierce bidding war between people desperate to purchase two different properties.

However, the Peterborough estate agent who is marketing the homes admitted that he is struggling to attract interest because of a depression in the housing market. Chris Taylor, a senior partner at Brightmoves, said: "Because of rising interest rates and the Government's Home Information Packs, people are waiting before they buy.

"There are a surplus of properties on the market, but not enough people who want to buy them. It is as quiet as I have ever known, and I have been an estate agent since 1995." The BBC's Richard Black, a runner on Open House, said Peterborough was selected because the city offered a multitude of "desirable" properties.

He said: "We are filming 20 episodes in some of the most desirable locations up and down the country, and Peterborough is one of those. It is a city with a good range of properties at good prices." Filming began last month, when property experts visited the homes in Jerose Way, Bretton, and Sunnymead, Werrington.

The current homeowners were offered simple tips to drive up the value of their house without breaking the bank, such as removing pictures, de-cluttering rooms and cleaning carpets.

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

hello alice. Excellent blog...

I m wondering - Who are you? You must be a journalist or someone on the inside - you have alot of useful info on here - much more than i ve found and i spend all day on HPC and GHPC!!!!!!

Hmm.... a mystery!

Anonymous said...

LOL! I asked that before.

Given the way TV shows are budgeted and produced, then surely the disappearance of these ghastly shows will be a lagging indicator.

Anonymous said...

Brightmoves are not exactly one of the leaders in estate agency in Peterborough, and seriously Bretton? Really not one of the better areas of our wonderful city.

If they'd had one of the properties at Orton Longuville, Orton Watervile or Orton Wistow - which as soon as they come on to the market are sold - they would have no problems getting a bidding war going.

I suspect had the producers approached one of the larger well known agents there would be a lot more interest - who reads lineage ads when buying a house?!

Anonymous said...

Brightmoves are one of the stronger Estate Agents in Peterborough actually. I had my property on the market with three estate agents at the same time(Sharman & Quinney, City & County & Woodcock Holmes) with little success! A friend of mine recommended Brightmoves because they had sold her home. They are a small family run business that prides itself in excellent marketing material, virtual tours, 3D floorplans etc. We decided to bring them alongside the others.
Chris was very charming and seemed to know his stuff. Within 3 weeks they had sent more viewings than the other three agents between them and they sold our terrace home within the month.
Highly recommended. If they struggled to sell the property on the TV program, it was down to the market conditions, not the agent!
While I type this one year on, we all know that the housing market has crashed, so it is clear that the market was to blame after all.
I also noticed a few Brightmoves boards up near us last week, so they are still trading unlike many that have closed down already.
Credit where credit is due.

springerlover said...

I would also like to say that Brightmoves are one of the very best Estate Agents in Peterborough. We started off with the `big boys` Sharman & Quinney who failed miserably to sell our property. We then turned to Brightmoves who were highly recommended to us. We are so glad that we did as Chris Taylor provides an excellent and friendly service. Not only are pictures taken of the outside of the property but inside pictures also, along with virtual tours, floor plans and aerial views. Despite a rapidly declining market Chris sold our property!! (Then about a week later, another just up the road). Yes, Brightmoves is a small family run business but remember, bigger doesn`t always mean better as some of the best surprises come in the smallest of packages!! Many, many thanks to Chris, HE got the job done!!! Why not take a look at their website.

Anonymous said...

I like to say i enjoy Open house and to buy or not to buy cause they are lighthearted fun in this sad old world, anyway anytime your passing ramsey pop in Kristain for a cup of cup.