Estate Agents Surrey

Monday, December 31, 2012

12 Days of Christmas - Day 7

A remarkable opportunity to own a lakeside home with it's own private island, in a quiet exclusive cul-de-sac backing the Old Mile, close to Ascot Village Centre.

The property sits high and looks down onto a beautiful lake with wildlife wandering freely to the rear.

The current owners have significantly improved this property to give it a modern feel with the accommodation re-designed so it flows in a pleasant relaxing style.

There is a lovely breakfast area and a second sitting room which overlooks the grounds and a private study to the front of the house. The first floor has five bedrooms including the excellent master suite with balcony overlooking the lake. Three bedrooms have en-suites and there is one family bathroom.

There is also an integral double garage and plenty of parking to the front of the house on the sweeping driveway approached via electric wooden gates.

The garden to the rear is mainly laid to lawn and meanders down to the water and there is an enclosed heated swimming pool with surrounding patio to one side of the house.

Priced at £2,450,000, for more information, please contact Barton Wyatt on 01344 843000 Virginia Water properties.

Barton Wyatt provide luxury golf villas in Florida and select Octagon Developments. James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt. Tel: 01344 843000

Sunday, September 23, 2012

House prices 2% up over a year

House prices were 2% higher than a year ago in July as the strength of the London property market outweighed declines elsewhere in the UK. The annual growth rate revealed today by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) was slower than the 2.3% recorded in both May and June, with the average price across the UK standing at £234,000.

England recorded a 2.4% annual increase, taking typical prices to £242,000, while Scotland saw a 1.1% drop, pushing average prices to £183,000, and prices in Wales fell by 0.2% to reach £159,000.
Northern Ireland recorded a 10.9% year-on-year drop in house prices to stand at £130,000, continuing a trend of sharp decreases which analysts have put down to prices re-adjusting after they soared before the financial crisis struck.
Most of the house price growth was concentrated in the South East of England. The ONS said that if London and the South East were stripped out of the figures, UK prices would have only risen by 0.6% in the 12 months to July.

Prices rose by 5.7% in London year-on-year to reach £397,000 on average, while the North East, which saw a 0.5% annual decline, had the lowest average house price of the English regions at £145,000.
Analysts have predicted that a widening gap between the stronger growth in sellers putting their homes on the market than the numbers of potential buyers will push prices downwards for the rest of the year against the background of a weak economy and the ongoing eurozone crisis.

The Bank of England and the Treasury recently launched a “funding for lending” scheme to unclog the flow of credit, but much of the competition among mortgage lenders has been concentrated around borrowers with larger deposits.

Howard Archer, chief UK and European economist for IHS Global Insight, said: “We retain the view that house prices will trend gradually lower over the latter months of 2012 and very possibly beyond in the face of limited activity, low and fragile consumer confidence, and muted earnings growth.”
The average price paid by a first-time buyer rose by 1.8% year-on-year to £174,000, the ONS figures showed. Existing owners paid £269,000 on average, representing a slightly higher year-on-year increase of 2%.

Barton Wyatt provide luxury Property in Sunningdale. James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt Letting Agents Sunningdale. Tel: 01344 843000

Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Choosing the right rental agency in Surrey

The real estate dealings are complicated enough; let alone without a trusted expert on your side. Especially the property rentals transactions in the United Kingdom come with a whole host of legal responsibilities and regulations on both parties (tenants and landlords). If you are a corporate client requiring a home for your employees, a family looking to rent a new home, or a property investor looking for a buy-to-let property in Surrey, you need a reputable letting agency that can help you.

You should expect the letting agency to be able to cover the full range of Surrey rental services, including short lets, property management and tenancy management regardless of whether the property is furnished, part-furnished or fully furnished.

The letting agency must have a team of people that can provide a complete landlord tenant management service; from rent processing to full management.

As a tenant, whether you are looking for a studio apartment, flat, luxury apartment, new home or house to rent in Surrey for a few months or a few years, you expect some trusted lettings experts guide you through the properties that are on the Surrey market. If you are new to rentals, you also rightfully expect to be taken through the formalities of renting a home.

If you are new to Surrey and need advice about its towns and parishes, such as Virginia Water and Englefield Green, and what they offer, the letting agency should be able to help you decide where would suit your needs and which types of property are available to rent in a given location.

Most importantly, the lettings agents you deal with must understand your needs and tailor their service according to your requirements. They should provide a professional and friendly service to ensure a trouble-free tenancy for you both

Barton Wyatt provide luxury golf villas in Florida and select Property in Sunningdale. James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt Letting Agents Surrey. Tel: 01344 843000

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Surreygate – Lives of the rich and famous behind bars

Whether designed to keep undesirables out or the occupants in, the trend for gated developments first seen in the US, remains as prevalent today as ever in the affluent Home County of Surrey.

On the exclusive Wentworth Estate in particular where resident footballers, celebrities, Hollywood A-listers and politicians value their privacy over all else, it is extremely common to have properties and their occupants hidden from view by oversized firs, perimeter fencing and 10 foot high gates.

Be they ornate wrought iron works of art, simple yet sturdy electronically operated wooden gates or high tech, bullet proof technological masterpieces with full CCTV and alarm systems which view the humble Postie with dubious suspicion, the Surrey set take their life behind bars very seriously.

James Wyatt, Partner of 7 times winning Best Estate Agents Surrey, Barton Wyatt and Wentworth resident himself, comments:

“Gated properties have been popular in and around Virginia Water and the Wentworth Estate for some time but “Surreygate” seems to have hit in recent times with the need for ever more lavish entrance gates. Keeping up with the local property fashion is hard work for home owners – wrought iron or wooden, flamboyant or plain, full obscurity or not. Then there are decisions on the intercom, video and remote systems. The biggest question I wonder is ‘Are they blocking people out or trapping people in?

“The Wentworth Estate’s rumoured latest celebrity residents Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie for example, in what one can only assume was an attempt to retain some privacy from the insatiable paparazzi, ‘filled’ their gate in with coloured plastic recently.

“That said, sometimes it’s not all about hiding away; on a personal level, we have installed a simple gate to our home mainly for safety reasons to ensure that the children don’t run onto the road after a rogue football when playing outside which offers invaluable peace of mind.

“Currently winning the popularity stakes are solid wooden gates – so nosey parkers can’t see in at all yet many smaller houses that don’t have room for traditionally opening gates use roller gates which slide sideways and I’ve even seen a house in Sunninghill with anti-terrorist bollards which rise out of the ground as a second line of defence.”

For more information, please contact Barton Wyatt on 01344 843000.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie rumoured to be renting £20m mansion on the Wentworth Estate

Where else would Hollywood royalty choose to live than the 'Beverly Hills' of England, the exclusive Wentworth Estate in Surrey.

With rumours rife that the A-list couple have rented a palatial pad backing onto the famous Wentworth golf course, home to the BMW PGA Championship later this month, we asked James Wyatt, Partner of Barton Wyatt, the longest standing estate agent in the area and Wentworth resident himself, just why this is the perfect UK base for the couple and their family:

"The very fact that I was unaware of the rumours that Brad Pitt had rented a property on the Estate despite being a resident myself is exactly the appeal of Wentworth - privacy.

Designed by Tarrant in the 1920's, Wentworth is home to numerous celebrities, successful business tycoons and even royalty who all value their privacy. The 700 hectare estate enjoys 24 hour security with private roads and many of the homes have considered landscaping to ensure maximum privacy as well as some of the most advanced security systems. The range of onsite leisure facilities, 'village' feel and attractive parade of local shops on hand also makes the Wentworth Estate and practical as well as desirable place to live.

Being only 20 miles from London with direct train line access, only a few miles from Heathrow international airport and with the highly regarded TASIS American School just minutes away in Egham, I can fully understand how the Pitt-Jolie family would find living on Wentworth very convenient."

For details of other property for sale in Virginia Water, please contact Barton Wyatt.

Barton Wyatt provide luxury golf villas in Florida and select Property for sale in Sunningdale. James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt Letting Agents Surrey. Tel: 01344 843000

Sunday, March 25, 2012

Welcome to Wentworthski: Multimillion pound family home on exclusive Surrey estate sparks Russian bidding war

One of the most desirable homes on the exclusive Wentworth Estate in the heart of Surrey sparked a Russian bidding war this weekend reports the appointed agent, Barton Wyatt.

September House, the luxurious detached property from established developers, Millgate Homes, enjoyed a flurry of interest from a number of international buyers in recent weeks but it was two Russian families who eventually went head to head to secure the sale.

After fierce negotiating the lucky winner transferred the deposit for this £6,250,000 family home in record time and is set to move in within the month.

Commenting on the successful sale, James Wyatt, Partner of the award winning agency, Barton Wyatt, says:
“It is sales such as September House that make estate agency really exciting. In my 25 years in this industry, I have never seen such strong competition for a property. Both parties fell in love with the 10,000 sq ft new house but in the end, as it often does, money talks and the lucky buyer secured the deposit first.

“The indoor swimming pool was a big hit in this house, not to mention that the property had been dressed by well known interior designers, Alexander James Interiors who worked with Millgate Homes to create a perfect blend of luxury and sophistication.”

September House’s new owners will not be the only Russian residents in the area. This corner of leafy Surrey has become a hotspot for Russian families attracted to the open green spaces, easy commute to London, large detached new homes complete with high tech security features.

James Wyatt continues, ‘I wouldn’t go so far as to say that this area has turned into ‘Wentworthski’ but I can certainly see why international buyers, including Russians, are buying in and around Wentworth in ever increasing numbers. Be it their primary family home or a country retreat, the estate offers some truly special homes.”

For more information on the Russian demand for property in Surrey contact Barton Wyatt on 01344 834000 or visit www.bartonwyatt.co.uk.

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Closure of Stamp Duty loophole will not deter my foreign buyers says James Wyatt

21st March, 2012

"Chancellor George Osborne might have kept his promise of coming "down like a tonne of bricks" on those who have avoided paying stamp duty by closing the tax loophole in today's Budget but this won't deter foreign nationals from buying property in UK.

The UK is an extremely attractive place to buy property given the Pound's weakness in recent years. In fact the UK is an all round favourite choice due to our dominant financial centre, superb sporting and cultural activities, some of the World's best restaurants and top drawer educational choices.

Since the start of 2012, 35% of our business has been selling houses to overseas buyers and of those, 65% were from Eastern Europe (Russian, Ukraine & Kazakhstan).

Barton Wyatt have sold properties on the exclusive Wentworth Estate and St Georges Hill, Weybridge, both of which are attractive to wealthy buyers. Foreigners pay an average of £8m for a house and have taken advantage of the loophole using an offshore company in the past however at this price point, I doubt the revised 7% stamp duty applicable on standard purchase vehicles moving forward would put off a serious buyer.

In terms of property types, new homes is the preferred purchase by foreign buyers. Recently one luxury developer Millgate Homes sold 'September House' on Wentworth for £6.25m after a bidding war broke out between two Russian families.

The problem we face in the Home Counties is not the closure of the stamp duty loophole but a dwindling stock of new properties of a high enough calibre which will inevitably lead to price rises."
For more information or immediate bespoke comment from James please contact Barton Wyatt on 00 44 1344 843 000.

Barton Wyatt provide luxury golf villas in Florida and select Property in Sunningdale. James Wyatt MNAEA, MARLA, TRC, REALTOR ® is a partner at Barton Wyatt Estate Agents Surrey. Tel: 01344 843000