September 2010
Monday, 06 September 2010
Reasons to be cheerful
If one were to take too much notice of the national press and broadcast media one might become rather depressed about the economic outlook and the housing market in particular. However, any decent psychologist will tell you that the national press and the broadcast media are past masters in the art of negative conditioning. In other words the worse the news, the more we read and watch. The EDP does, of course, take a rather more positive approach to local news I’m pleased to say.
There are plenty of good news stories about the economy that are buried in the small print. For example the economy is growing, the deficit is being addressed, unemployment is falling, there is stability in financial markets and the culture within government to buy now and pay later is being curbed. The last great period of austerity was in the 1950’s which is a period many regard as a golden era for this country. In fact the measures taken in the 1950’s to balance the books following the Second World War paved the way for prosperity during the following four decades. Rather than fear austerity measures we should embrace them and see them as a necessary medicine for a sick patient.
So when it comes to moves in the property market I would advise sellers to choose an agent who is not just hard working, local and well connected but realistic and objective and to be patient in selling because the desired outcome may take several weeks or months.
Although I think it would be foolish for any estate agent to use the word “buoyant” when describing the market at the moment, there are encouraging signs. At Hadley Taylor we have agreed three sales in the Golden Triangle each in excess of £600,000 in as many weeks. This is a sure sign that the market is not as depressed as the editors of national newspapers and producers of news programs would have us believe.
Times may be hard and confidence in property has been dented but the fundamentals that underpin the