The team at Reeds Rains Blackpool have just agreed a let in an impressive six days on a property which had been on the market with another, well established letting agent since last October.

Elizabeth Close in Staining is a stylish four bedroom detached property at £950pcm which had a flurry of interest as soon as it went on the market.

Branch Manager Roy Sermon commented "We treat our lettings properties in exactly the same way as a sales property. As soon as an instruction from a landlord is received the first thing our team do is ring round our up to date list of tenants and arrange viewings." Roy continued "Often before properties have even been advertised online we have viewings booked; this results in quicker applications and minimises the void period for landlords."

If you have a property available to let or would like more about how the team at your Reeds Rains branch in Blackpool can help please contact Roy Sermon on 1253 304060 or email blackpool@reedsrains.co.uk.

The March 2012 Wales House Price Index from LSL Property Services/Acadametrics has been released this week, providing a measure of the average house price in Wales for March 2012.

• Welsh first time buyers struggle in March as banks reduce mortgage lending
• Transactions 5% lower than normal
• Average house price falls £419 in last 12 months
• Rising inflation means house prices 3.9% lower in real terms since January 2011

Data from the Wales House Price Index for March 2012

Nigel Favas, Managing Director of Reeds Rains, who has branches in Wales commented as follows in the latest Welsh House Price Index Report from LSL Property Services and Acadametrics published 23rd May 2012.

"Many Welsh first time buyers are having real difficulties in securing a mortgage at an affordable rate. The majority of them are being priced out of the market and forced to stay in expensive rental accommodation that is a black hole for their personal finances, making it even harder for them to save for a deposit."

"The lack of new buyers has caused house sales to drop well below their previous levels. It has put the brakes on activity further up the property ladder and caused the whole market to congeal. House prices are falling as a result. Adjusted for inflation, house prices have fallen by almost 4% in real terms since January last year."

"The underlying demand is there. People want to buy, but cannot because mortgage requirements are becoming steadily stricter. Banks are consciously reducing their lending to lower income buyers, hitting Welsh buyers disproportionately, and will continue to do so over the coming months. The eurozone crisis has made it much more expensive for banks to fund mortgages: they are covering off these extra costs by increasing rates and reducing the number of mortgages they grant to buyers with small deposits."

"Things are unlikely to get much better over this year. House prices will be closely tied to events across the Channel. If the problems blighting the eurozone become more pronounced, banks and building societies will have to scale back their mortgage lending even further. This will reduce sales yet further and knock chunks off the average house price."

"On a local level, the fortunes of house prices are heavily dependent on the performance of t heir immediate economies and, in Wales, this will particularly be influenced by the impact of public sector austerity and the threat of unemployment."

Katie Haworth gets the lettings market moving for Reeds Rains in Preston and writes for the Reeds Rains Blog about how she is helping landlords in and around the town.

Many Letting Agents brag about the number of properties that they have on their books or how much market share they have, proclaiming that they are the best agent in the city as a result. Truth is, the proof is in the pudding as they say. My pudding of choice is warm sticky toffee with melted ice cream, but in business it is the number of tenants we have moved into landlords’ properties that defines our success.

"Don’t just sit on the market losing money, call me for honest advice" says Katie (Reeds Rains Preston Lettings Manager)

Here at Reeds Rains in Preston we measure our success on how many properties we have LET! This is a goal that I am incredibly proud of as Lettings Manager in the branch.

This is not by luck, but by the way that we do business. When I go out to a property to discuss lettings with a Landlord I am honest; honest about the condition and honest about the rental that I think they will achieve. I base my findings on experience and comparable properties that have let in the area. Once a property is on the market we use our extensive marketing power to advertise your property, conduct viewings, accompanied if you wish, and give you honest feedback from these viewings within 24 hours. We aim to have let your house within a week, if not sooner. My team and I work with landlords to help overcome viewer objections and negotiate terms of the deal.

It is, usually, only at the time the tenant moves in to the property that the landlord starts receiving rent and therefore making money - in the meantime the property is just costing the landlord money.

• DON'T sit on the market losing money please call me at the Preston office on 01772 561666
• You can also request a rental valuation online by filling in our short form

Landlords tell us that the number one reason that they use Reeds Rains is TRUST. Nobody benefits from an empty property so whether you are an experienced Landlord or considering letting a property for the first-time then why not call me on 01772 561666 asking for Katie, I promise I will give you expert, honest advice.

New faces have brought a fresh approach to Reeds Rains branches in Consett and Stanley. Joining the branches in County Durham is a team of new branch managers and their appointments have been well received in the local market.

James Williams and Sarah Sweeney both bring with them vast experience of the property sector and have started in their new roles with some creative ideas and techniques to counteract the difficulties of the current challenging market.

Having already had a positive impact in the local market, Reeds Rains are keen to provide the historic market towns of Consett and Stanley with an honest, open and innovative approach with their great range of marketing tools and advisory services.

Sarah and James - New Reeds Rains Branch Managers

Reeds Rains North East Regional Director Omar Binder added "At Reeds Rains, we recognise that moving home is not all about bricks and mortar, it's about helping people get to where they want to be, which we’ve been doing successfully for over 150 years. We do our best to ensure that all our customers enjoy the smoothest journey, with open, honest communication along the way, whether we're letting or selling your property."

With great regional knowledge, James Williams, Branch Manager at Stanley added "Stanley is a fantastic town with a great range of properties; I’m really excited about kick starting the market in my area."

And Branch Manager for Consett Sarah Sweeney commented "Consett is an up and coming vibrant town which has a lot to offer any potential buyer." Sarah continued by saying "I am looking forward to bringing something fresh to a challenging market."

Celebrating the arrival of these new faces, Reeds Rains will be organising a charity fundraising event, so please make sure you check with your local branch for updates.

The Reeds Rains estate agencies in Consett and Stanley are part of a local network of offices across County Durham in the North East of England. You can find out more about the services offered by Reeds Rains in County Durham by getting in touch with the teams in your area. Properties for sale in County Durham as well as rental properties can be viewed online or in our branches.

Reeds Rains staff are all excited about the launch of a great new service "Reeds Rains The Auctioneer", a new property auction service, which offers an alternative route to selling residential and commercial property.

As one of the UK's leading estate agency groups, Reeds Rains plan to hold a minimum of 21 auctions per year. Combining regional expertise with a well respected reputation nationally, Reeds Rains The Auctioneer will host auction events in Manchester, Leeds, Liverpool and Newcastle.

Reeds Rains Regional Director Omar Binder commented "We've established a great partnership with The Auction People, one of the country's leading national property auction houses and we're looking forward to delivering a professional new auction service for our Reeds Rains customers. We’ve got a very competitive auction sales package, which has already attracted 19 new instructions. This new service is a very welcome addition to our existing range of property and financial services."

Reeds Rains Regional Director Omar Binder

Reeds Rains The Auctioneer specialises in residential property sales at auction on behalf of members of the public, public and private limited companies, investors and numerous individual residential clients and customers.

Our partner firm, The Auction People have been established for 20 years and are Chartered Surveyors regulated by the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and ISO 9001 Quality Assurance accredited.

If you would like to know more about selling residential property at auction or Reeds Rains The Auctioneer please complete our online form, email auctions@reedsrains.co.uk or call 0845 45 1877.