Northampton

[TheCountOfNowhere]

Was it the symetrical fronted one on the edge of the development?

I think it might have been. Looked a nice place but, way way over priced. I couldnt understand at the time why it sold at that price, now I know...some idiot bought it :-)

Here's a nice healthy drop in Grange park to amuse everyone:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-196...52&tr_t=buy

4th Sep 2008

* Price changed: from '£314,995' to '£275,000'

So I'd imagine they'd accept be £250K....TIMBER.....

[Executive Sadman]

Was it a Red brick thing?

[HouseDog]

175K Stamp Duty - Market Help

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-105...=8&tr_t=buy

Bollinger Close, Duston, Northampton NN5 Offers in Excess of £175,000 4 bedroom house

04 September 2008

Price changed: from '£189,995' to 'Offers in Excess of £175,000'

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-182...=9&tr_t=buy

Lapwing Close, East Hunsbury, Northamptonshire £174,995 2 bedroom bungalow

04 September 2008

Price changed: from '£185,000' to '£174,995'

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-225...=9&tr_t=buy

Scully Close, Simpson Manor, Northampton £174,995 3 bedroom semi-detached

04 September 2008

Price changed: from '£182,500' to '£174,995'

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-225...=9&tr_t=buy

Romulus Close, Wootton Fields, Northampton £174,995 3 bedroom terraced

03 September 2008

Price changed: from '£185,000' to '£174,995'

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-189...=9&tr_t=buy

Kettering Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire £174,995 3 bedroom semi-detached

03 September 2008

Price changed: from '£184,995' to '£174,995'

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-175...10&tr_t=buy

Limoges Court, Duston, Northamptonshire £174,995 3 bedroom house

03 September 2008

Price changed: from '£184,995' to '£174,995'

There’s also 5 new listed properties which have come on since the 3rd below 175K, I suspect some have been listed before.

--------------------------------------

[HouseDog]

175K Stamp Duty - Market Help

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-105...=8&tr_t=buy

Bollinger Close, Duston, Northampton NN5 Offers in Excess of £175,000 4 bedroom house

04 September 2008

Price changed: from '£189,995' to 'Offers in Excess of £175,000'

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-182...=9&tr_t=buy

Lapwing Close, East Hunsbury, Northamptonshire £174,995 2 bedroom bungalow

04 September 2008

Price changed: from '£185,000' to '£174,995'

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-225...=9&tr_t=buy

Scully Close, Simpson Manor, Northampton £174,995 3 bedroom semi-detached

04 September 2008

Price changed: from '£182,500' to '£174,995'

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-225...=9&tr_t=buy

Romulus Close, Wootton Fields, Northampton £174,995 3 bedroom terraced

03 September 2008

Price changed: from '£185,000' to '£174,995'

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-189...=9&tr_t=buy

Kettering Road, Northampton, Northamptonshire £174,995 3 bedroom semi-detached

03 September 2008

Price changed: from '£184,995' to '£174,995'

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-175...10&tr_t=buy

Limoges Court, Duston, Northamptonshire £174,995 3 bedroom house

03 September 2008

Price changed: from '£184,995' to '£174,995'

There’s also 5 new listed properties which have come on since the 3rd below 175K, I suspect some have been listed before.

--------------------------------------

A couple more ...

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-839...=9&tr_t=buy

Turners Newport Pagnell Road, Wootton, Northampton, NN4 £174,995 3 bedroom town house

06 September 2008

Price changed: from '£189,995' to '£174,995'

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-229...11&tr_t=buy

Adams Avenue, Abington, Northampton £174,995 5 bedroom terraced

06 September 2008

Price changed: from '£182,000' to '£174,995'

----------------------------------------

[HouseDog]

http://www.housepricecrash.co.uk/forum/ind...=23&t=62777 [5 Sept 08]

House price falls 'are even worse in county'

The price of a house has fallen by double figures in a year for the first time ever, according to the Halifax.

The lender yesterday released figures which showed the cost of a home fell by 1.8 per cent in August, a 12.7 per cent year-on-year drop.

The average house now costs £174,167, below the government's new house price level and a return to levels last een in February 2006.

Charles Orlebar, chairman of Northamptonshire Estate Agents Association, said: "I would agree with that. Locally there has probably been a higher fall than that. The underlying fact here is the lack of affordability."

Mr Orlebar said previously, someone on a £22,000 a year salary could borrow £130,000 but now could only borrow £90,000, despite having to pay the same to service the loan.

He added: "Prices have to come down to get the buyer back into the market.

"There is no other buyer out there, so prices have got to fall more than they have. When you've got economists saying there's another 20 per cent to come off prices it will be based on that."

Mr Orlebar said the situation would begin to change as lenders became more generous, with signs already of an increasing number of mortgages, but he thought prices would not level off until spring.

Annual house price deflation has hit double figures. for the first time. Last week Nationwide showed prices fell by 1.9 per cent in August and 10.5 per cent overall.

Halifax chief economist Martin Ellis said: "The pressure on householders' income, together with the reduction in the availability of mortgage finance due to the global financial markets crisis, is resulting in both lower property prices and activity levels.

"This week's announcement on stamp duty is a welcome development and will benefit a significant number of homebuyers, particularly outside the south east of England. Market conditions, however, will remain challenging."

---------------------------------------

12.7 per cent year-on-year so far. I think we could get to 18% by 2009.

[HouseDog]

RICS Housing Market Survey - August 08

http://www.rics.org/NR/rdonlyres/68174EA9-...yAugust2008.pdf [9 Aug 08]

Comments extracted:

Wellingborough – Northamptonshire

Martin Pendered FRICS - Martin Pendered and Co

The tough market continues, every time sales grow, the following month seems to show a corresponding reduction. New instructions remain difficult to gain, especially at realistic prices. There are signs of buyers in a strong position making

very low offers in the hope of a very cheap purchase, and being unwilling to negotiate higher. The situation is not helped by lawyers who, despite the lack of work, are so slow that matters drag out unnecessarily.

- - -

Northampton – Northamptonshire

Adam Farnsworth BSc MRICS FAAV – Berrys

We deal in the higher end market where there is always excess demand over supply. However, buyers, about 40% of whom are non-chain related, are frozen with uncertainty – there is no confidence

in values. The shortage of liquidity and ambivalence from the political side leave one cold. A rudderless ship and no practical understanding of statements like that on stamp duty. The last quarter saw a 25% increase in the number of

viewings to achieve a sale. However, the buyers out there are genuine and property marketed to sell is selling. In a downward market, adjustments to sale prices need to be lower than the present value in order to catch a sale. The anticipated fall would be 20% in this tax year.

- - -

There starting to sound a little more worried?

[Hmm]

Mr Orlebar said previously, someone on a £22,000 a year salary could borrow £130,000 but now could only borrow £90,000, despite having to pay the same to service the loan.

What?! A typo, surely?

Oh dear, we're in trouble all right...

[matnrach]

Simon Bond comedy column in today's C&E

Just spouted the same hype about the market improving because of stamp duty changes and Fanny/Freddie.

As always 'it a good time to buy'

I remember himsaying that in March/April/May/June etc etc.

I get the feeling from his tone that he is virtually resigning himself to the crash.

So much for a soft landing.

Hope he's got a good cushion in his bank account. He'll need it!!

Edited September 10, 2008 by matnrach

[HouseDog]

http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/Sta...s-in.4479426.jp [11 Sept 08]

Stamp duty change brings in the investment buyers

AN increase in the stamp duty threshold by £50,000 has prompted a wave of interest from investment buyers, an estate agent has said.

See above link for more ...

-------------------------------------------

[TheCountOfNowhere]

http://www.northamptonchron.co.uk/news/Sta...s-in.4479426.jp [11 Sept 08]

Stamp duty change brings in the investment buyers

AN increase in the stamp duty threshold by £50,000 has prompted a wave of interest from investment buyers, an estate agent has said.

See above link for more ...

-------------------------------------------

No where for concerned readers to leave comments tho !!!!

Disgraceful !!!

[matnrach]

Anybody read the C&E property column this week?

It's Richard Greener and he's worse than old Mr Bond

In summary:

'Everybody is talking down the market. Its fundamentaly sound so buy now at the bottom of the market. It'll never drop by more than 25%.

Pleeeeeese buy now. Pretty please. Honest the prices will be up next year and you will regret it'

Oh and

'People are putting really low offers its discaceful. You can sell at 10% less than marketed'

So that's 12% reduction already on average from peak + another 10%. I make that 22% and we've only started.

This guy must me in the brown stuff.

[TheCountOfNowhere]

Anybody read the C&E property column this week?

It's Richard Greener and he's worse than old Mr Bond

In summary:

'Everybody is talking down the market. Its fundamentaly sound so buy now at the bottom of the market. It'll never drop by more than 25%.

Pleeeeeese buy now. Pretty please. Honest the prices will be up next year and you will regret it'

Oh and

'People are putting really low offers its discaceful. You can sell at 10% less than marketed'

So that's 12% reduction already on average from peak + another 10%. I make that 22% and we've only started.

This guy must me in the brown stuff.

I think its time we all wrote to a)| The editor the advertising complaints committee c) Our MPs to complain about this blatant mis-selling and have it stopped.

Any idiot can see that prices are gonna keep falling, another bank nearly went down yesterday for goodness sake.

If you look on richard greeners website they claim to have sold lots of very expensive places so they should be doing ok.

[pablopatito]

I think its time we all wrote to a)| The editor the advertising complaints committee c) Our MPs to complain about this blatant mis-selling and have it stopped.

Any idiot can see that prices are gonna keep falling

Then why complain? I think anyone who buys a property on the basis of something an estate agent wrote in an advertising feature in the local rag deserves to lose their money! Personally I think they're stupid to write these things because all it does is further damage their long term credibility and when the market does turn upwards they're likely to be the boy who cried wolf.

[TheCountOfNowhere]

Then why complain?

Well, because the agents are partly to blame for the mess the country is in and they are being allowed to continue as if nothing has happened. They will be trying to talk vulnerable people into buying houses at the moment at over inflated prices just to save their own skin and finally because no other form of investment allows unregulated advertising like this. If no one complains it wont change.

[matnrach]

I got Greener around to value my house many years ago. He was a friend of my neighbour who wanted to buy the house (so I found out later)

Guess what. He put a really low valuation on.

I trust this guy less than Brown/Darling and the rest of the wasters.

However I do agree that if anybody buys a house based on the info from people this this they deserve all the NE they get!

[TheCountOfNowhere]

The C&E website has been down all day, maybe its all the heavy traffic from EAs posting comments saying how good the housing market is.

[HouseDog]

The C&E website has been down all day, maybe its all the heavy traffic from EAs posting comments saying how good the housing market is.

I can get the C&E site here.

I doubt local EAs have the time to post any comments on the Chron site now!

I keep hearing them say that prices are not falling and that their really busy with new buyers. So busy in fact that the group of EAs who regularly go to my gym haven't had the time to come for the past two months?

[HouseDog]

http://www.northantset.co.uk/news/Credit-c...c-to.4509269.jp [19 Sept 08]

Credit crunch is music to ears of auction house

Auctioneer Tim Conrad said: "Our success has been the result of a number of factors.

"As the housing market has crashed, many people are choosing to stay put rather than sell their homes for a low price and instead they are doing up their homes to make them nicer to live in.

--------------

[HouseDog]

BIG NEWS !!!!!

SOMEONE HAS JUST TEXT ME. MERRYS ON BRIDGE STREET HAS SHUT DOWN !!!!!!

CAN SOMEONE PLEASE CONFIRM ?

This could be the beginning of the end for a lot of the agents. I thought their bridge street offices would be untouchable.

Well today their office on Bridge Street was empty - no desks, no chairs no phones.

However, I don't think any of their other branches have closed.

[TheCountOfNowhere]

WoooHooo

Is this First four bed detached with a detatched double garage sub 250K in WoooHooo-tton ?

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-102...61&tr_t=buy

Edited September 22, 2008 by TheCountOfNowhere

[NorthamptonBear]

http://markbrinkley.blogspot.com/2008/08/upton-update.html

Upton Grange

"It’s a year since I last went to Upton, the much written about urban extension to Northampton. I called by again today to see how it’s developed. It was like a ghost town. Work on the new sections of the development has almost come to a standstill, and much of the finished housing lies empty. It must be very sad for the people working there, and not great for those who’ve already made their homes there in the hope that it would be nearly finished by now. The credit crunch has more or less left it high and dry.

There is some very strange housing there and a lot of it is very ugly."

"Like almost everything else in Upton, it's been stretched upwards to get a third storey. Whilst this may make good use of the footprint, it just looks all out of proportion for a detached family house, which is what this is meant to be. And the windowless south face makes it look like a warehouse. Covered in shingles. My prediction is that the cedar shingles will have to be replaced within five years because they will look awful by then. There are places where they can look great, but this is not one of them.

Around the corner, Dunster’s Zed homes are now nearly finished and were taking a last lick of paint. Despite it being fairly windy, the roof mounted wind turbines were barely spinning at all and the Dalek-like wind cowls seemed to be revolving in a near random fashion, though my photos shows the seven of them broadly aligned towards the breeze. All this roof-top wizardry gives the terrace a faintly toy-town feel which at least brings on a smile, and the proportions actually look very good, at least compared to many of the other developments.

It really is a very weird place, Upton. If you want to see what an eco-town might look like, then take a visit. In fact take a visit even if you don’t want to see what an eco-town might look like. There’s something more than a little disturbing about the whole place and I can’t quite put my finger on it."

[NorthamptonBear]

WoooHooo

Is this First four bed detached with a detatched double garage sub 250K in WoooHooo-tton ?

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-102...61&tr_t=buy

Thought I'd seen a decent 4 bed for 240k at one point, not sure about garage. But what I hate about newish houses, is their smallness of rooms and general bad layout. Ok, on reflection they're ok.

Bedroom Two 11' 5" x 8' 1" ( 3.48m x 2.46m )

Double glazed window to rear elevation, radiator, built-in wardrobe.

Bedroom Three 11' 8" x 7' 6" ( 3.56m x 2.29m )

Double glazed window front elevation, radiator.

Bedroom Four 12' x 7' ( 3.66m x 2.13m )

Double glazed window to front elevation, radiator.

[TheCountOfNowhere]

Hi NB, great comments on Upton.

I seem to remember some posts last year or early this year and the consensus of opinion on Upton was it was ridiculously over-priced and no one in their right mind would want to live there, sadly it's coming true. I viewed a 5 bed "town house" there about 18 months ago, it was nice, plenty room inside, postage stamp garden though and right on the road, 420K they wanted for it new !!!! £220K would still feel too much to me now.

I feel sorry for anyone that bought into it and hopefully one day it will be finished and a decent place to live, albeit at an affordable level.

Also, you're right about the room sizes on those new builds up, the places with the deteached garages are a lot better than the ones with them build it though so ive been looking at them.

Now, if you want a real treat forget the house prices on rightmove....have a look at the rents !!!!

Ive not looked for a while but there are so many to rent. If you look at the top end some have been up for rent for months and arent moving and ive see drops of asking rents of 1/3 at the top end !!!!

e.g.:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-173...p;mam_disp=true

date event

22nd Sep 2008

* Price changed: from '£1,395 pcm' to '£1,150 pcm'

* Subtitle changed: from '5 bedroom cottage' to '£1,150 pcm'

11th Aug 2008

* Price changed: from '£1,695 pcm' to '£1,395 pcm'

8th Apr 2008

* Initial entry found.

At the bottom end of the rental market looks liek stuffs still moving, but for 600 quid a month you dont get much.

If anyone is looking to rent they really have great choice and really should offer 30% less than asking because there must be some desperate landlords out there.

[NorthamptonBear]

...Now, if you want a real treat forget the house prices on rightmove....have a look at the rents !!!!

Ive not looked for a while but there are so many to rent. If you look at the top end some have been up for rent for months and arent moving and ive see drops of asking rents of 1/3 at the top end !!!!

e.g.:

http://www.rightmove.co.uk/viewdetails-173...p;mam_disp=true

date event

22nd Sep 2008

* Price changed: from '£1,395 pcm' to '£1,150 pcm'

* Subtitle changed: from '5 bedroom cottage' to '£1,150 pcm'

11th Aug 2008

* Price changed: from '£1,695 pcm' to '£1,395 pcm'

8th Apr 2008

* Initial entry found.

At the bottom end of the rental market looks liek stuffs still moving, but for 600 quid a month you dont get much.

If anyone is looking to rent they really have great choice and really should offer 30% less than asking because there must be some desperate landlords out there.

Bit of an unusual place!

But 2 places up for rent near me. Both highish price and still available 2 months later. At the time the papers were full of 'rents rising' stories. Actually rentals rising ie vastly more supply with slightly higher demand from temporary STRs or rent-to-renters unable to sell their own place but moving for job etc.

Anyway, got place much cheaper (almost exactly same), 200+ quid a month cheaper. This should have been the market rent, but others wanted or 'needed' more and have suffered 2 months without income.

A lot of Grange Park and Wootton have lost their shine since schools are over subscribed.

I expect people will lose jobs, go home, lower bonuses, split up under pressure. Only the last can add to demand. The rest will lead to people moving back to family & lower demand.

Yep, lower rents. Lower selling prices. Ah, job losses. Well 2 out of 3 ain't bad. As long as can tide yourself over for 3-6 months.

[NorthamptonBear]

Hi NB, great comments on Upton.

I seem to remember some posts last year or early this year and the consensus of opinion on Upton was it was ridiculously over-priced and no one in their right mind would want to live there, sadly it's coming true. I viewed a 5 bed "town house" there about 18 months ago, it was nice, plenty room inside, postage stamp garden though and right on the road, 420K they wanted for it new !!!! £220K would still feel too much to me now.

I feel sorry for anyone that bought into it and hopefully one day it will be finished and a decent place to live, albeit at an affordable level.

And anecdotally Upton suffers from lots of burglaries. I guess it would if not too many people are about as Brinkley found.