Encouraging Start As Our Offices Reopen
Home-mover momentum has been building over the three weeks since the housing market reopened in England, leading to a number of records on Rightmove.
We urgently need more homes to Sell and Let as the demand is definitely there!
Both the number of visits and the amount of time people are spending on Rightmove have hit new highs over the past week. Wednesday 27th May saw visits exceed six million in a day for the first time, which is up 18% on Wednesday 29th May last year. The busiest day for time spent on Rightmove was Saturday 23rd May with over 47 million minutes spent collectively.
What's more the searches are being turned into action, with record levels of email and telephone leads sent via Rightmove, also up 18% on the same day last year. In a new survey, Rightmove found a new wave of buyers now entering the market since before lockdown. Of those who had no plans to move earlier in the year, over a quarter of them (28%) are now saying they are planning to move.
Statistics across our partnership websites Simpson and Partners and Simpson West confirm this, with a strong level of interest being received from purchasers and tenants whom we are pre-qualifying to ensure only the most committed are offered a physical viewing. Those that do view have been happy to observe our safety procedures which are published on our website and confirmed with the viewer in advance. The introduction of Virtual Valuations and Virtual Tours including our new 360° Experience Tours are proving extremely popular and we are recommending everyone takes time to look at the tours before requesting a viewing.
Buyers are showing interest across the region with a potentially quieter life proving to be popular as home-movers’ priorities start to shift and outside space becomes more important. There are also those considering a move further out now that they’ve realised they can work out of the office and may be finding they can get more for their money.
Lettings has seen an equally if not greater demand with one property receiving 30 enquiries within in the first 48 hours. Rightmove have registered a huge 22% increase in demand for lettings compared to the same point in 2019. These statistics show that the sector is almost back up to its pre-coronavirus levels in terms of tenants seeking homes.
Mortgage feedback from buyers has highlighted difficulties and delays when trying to contact Banks and Building Societies to discuss options, we have been informed of 3 to 4 week timescales for a telephone appointment with no physical meetings taking place. Simpson and Weekley Financial Services are here to help, our advisors have direct access to a wide range of providers and can obtain quotes much quicker than you may achieve going direct, at the moment we have a small number of lenders offering desktop valuations on mortgages with an LTV up to 85%.
Please contact our Finance Team to discuss your requirements 01933 418917