PAD4U have been our letting agents for past two years. The service we have received from them has been incredible. We approached PAD4U when we had a bad tenant in our very first property and our then letting agent was totally unhelpful. We went to them with the view of moving our property to them. Luke Elston, their Business Development Manager took over the property from us, dealt with the immediate assessment of the property within a matter of hours and got it let out within 3 weeks. Luke had been immense help to us ever since. It’s his help in viewing properties with us and giving us good sound advice that’s led to us now being owners of 6 buy to lets in a short span of 2 years. What we can say about PAD4U is that there are many agents talking about service but PAD4U and specially Luke has given us support and reliability that we most wanted to maintain and increase our property portfolio. We would recommend PAD4U to anyone looking for a reliable agent and a value added service.

Luke Elston, Sales Manager, “We’ve sold a lot of stock in February and we’re now busily taking on new properties as confidence returns to the Levenshulme market”

Look our for our new style sales boards which will be coming to a street near you!  If you are interested in a FREE NAEA approved valuation of your property please contact us on 0161 257 2441 and you too can have a shiny new board!

“I’m proud to say that the launch of our new Guaranteed Rent on Time Scheme has already generated interest from Landlords wanting to secure their cash flow in the future. We have also converted a couple of our let only landlords to come on board our full management service so they can be included in this scheme.

The fact that PAD4U are guaranteeing Landlord’s Rent On Time free of charge for the initial 6 month period of any new tenancy is bound to be attractive to landlords in this difficult financial climate. It gives landlords the confidence in us as managing agents and they are safe in the knowledge that they will not have to be continually checking their bank accounts to see if the rent payment has arrived or have to start transferring monies between accounts to cover mortgage payments.

Other schemes are in place on the market but PAD4U will pay the full market rent (less our normal management fees) until vacant possession is obtained. We are not charging any more for this service and have not increased our initial finder’s fees or monthly management charges. Landlords will have the option to renew this valuable cover for either a 6 or 12 month period after the initial free period and we will be happy to discuss these fees with you. However, on average it works out at about 55p per day! For me it’s a no brainer as this covers full rent guarantee, legal costs up to £25000 and my rent paid on the same date each month without fail.

I am passionate about our new scheme being a success and will be delighted to take any calls to discuss this in more detail.”

To find out more click here.

This time last year I blogged about PAD4U’s property market predictions for 2012.  The view I took was that there were equally opposing forces for prices to both rise and fall and thus nationally at least I expected house prices to pretty much remain the same.  Depending on which index you follow Nationwide report prices down 1% over 2012 and Halifax 1.3%. However, whichever index is to be believed I think it’s fair to describe house prices as flat over 2012.  Of course, at the time, all sorts of speculations were being touted including drops of 20%… which of course didn’t materialise.  Low interest rates ensured forced sellers remained minimal and the banks were not so keen to repossess properties if there were viable alternatives. This, along with a predictable supply side deficit meant there was little chance of such predictions coming true.  However the figures for 2012 belie the underlying regional differences with London and South East property markets defying the recession whilst the majority of other regions are suffering price drops.

So what will happen to the property market in 2013?  Well everyone seems to be in more optimistic mood and again we have wild speculation about dramatic rises in house prices, presumably from those who predicted dramatic drops the year before!  Our view is that the spread between the divergent fortunes of the South East and London and rest of the UK is likely to diminish.  This could occur by rising house prices in regions outside of London or a slowing of the London/South East price increases, or a combination of both factors.  Overall we expect the Government and Bank of England initiatives to start trickling through and for banks who have also been fearing the collapse of the euro economies, to be less pessimistic and more willing to lend to what has been a reasonably steady asset class over 2012; ergo we are likely to see increased housing transactions over 2013.

We are also likely to see the return of the First Time Buyer, who having been sitting on the sidelines has taken note that the market appears stable, combined with the understanding that renting is no panacea and rents continuing to play catch up after a long siesta (of which landlords will continue to try to grow their portfolios to profit from), are likely to want to pull the trigger on a house purchase, with their parents crucially in agreement and more certain of their ability to support their children in this financial commitment.   However, don’t expect a landslide. Due to deposit requirements, people will be renting longer as they try to build up the necessary funds.

Manchester looks well placed overall to benefit in 2013 with Jones Lang LaSalle tipping the City Centre as one of it’s top 2o investment opportunities.  The Metro network continues to grow, whilst Media City and the BBC inflow has certainly raised the profile of the Manchester.  PAD4U have long seen the opportunity here and invested whilst the banks and others ran for the exit.  We have found demand for rentals to be strong and tenants willing to pay a premium to be in the centre.  Rents in the suburbs of Manchester such as Levenshulme, Longsight may continue to be constrained by austerity, but demand will continue to be strong.  We expect sales in Levenshulme, Longsight to grow as First Time Buyers come back to the market.  Plans announced this week for HS2 (the high speed link to Manchester/Leeds/Sheffield to London), are likely to pique both foreign and domestic investor interest and perhaps persuade them to leave the relative safety of the Capital to seek greater rewards further north.  The journey time from Manchester to London will be halved from around 2 hours to around an hour (possible commuting time).  This will bring the Capital closer to Manchester than ever before and curtail the recent increased divergence of the North/South divide .  Whilst the project isn’t certain and is a long way off, markets and investors tend to look forward when making their decisions today.  For those who act sooner rather than later the risk is greater, but so to are the likely rewards.

For those Landlords who are looking to increase their portfolios in 2013, please drop us and email and let us know (luke@pad4u.com, david@pad4u.com), as there are often opportunities available off market that you may not be aware of.  Please let us know your views by placing comments below.

I wish you all a prosperous 2013.

Our sponsored category for the awards was for the Carer Award.  It’s the category that we feel is a uniquely human trait to care for others who need help, without such the community wouldn’t be as pleasant or as caring a place to live.  This year Jackie Fairfax was the winner of this category for her decades of service as a lollipop lady helping children cross the road to Alma Park school.  Her friendly and caring approach to both parents and children makes Jackie a very deserving winner of this award.  Jackie also was awarded the overall Inspire Award for 2012.   Having meet Jackie for only a couple of hours at the Awards, it was immediately clear she radiated warmth and a caring manner, and we all want to congratulate her for winning these Awards.

Jackie Fairfax winner of the Carer and Overall Inspire Award 2012

Lettings Manager, Julie has been involved in the property market for 12 years. Over that time she has gained a wealth of knowledge in Lettings Law and Property Management. Julie’s background is in Banking and Financial services.

Julie demands a high level of Customer Service from the team. ” I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work with such an innovative and growing business which already has a strong reputation for professionalism and integrity”.

Julie enjoys travelling and socialising with friends and family and has a keen interest in Genealogy (family tree research)

Nominations are open until Wednesday 17th October before a judging panel will meet to decide this year’s winners.

Please visit: http://inspireawards.info/

Proposed changes to planning permission could present opportunities for savvy buyers and investors.

The Government are proposing to double the current allowance for extensions (from 4 meters to 8 meters) to be permitted without having to go though planning approval.

There will  be a temporary planning holiday for a year, but this will present an interesting window of opportunity to carry out a larger extension or conservatory without getting bogged down in red tape.

For buyers who are looking to stretch their budgets further, searching out properties that have potential to extend could save thousands and end up with a larger property than they could otherwise afford.

For investors, it’s well known that extending a property has the biggest impact on the value of a property and therefore seeking out cheaper properties that have the potential to extend quickly without requiring planning, could be a real boon.

The changes, which only apply to single storey extensions, are due to go out to a short six week consultation and could be in force by the end of the year.

PAD4U looks at some of the most useful property mobile apps.

1. PAD4U (FREE) (we couldn’t resist).  If you’re looking to rent or buy in Greater Manchester this app has the best properties available, plus it will even direct you on how to get there!

2. Around Me (FREE). Will show local supermarkets, restaurants, doctors, banks, hospitals, taxis, etc.  So you know what facilities are nearby.

3. Dulux Let’s Colour Studio (FREE).  If your looking for inspiration this app will help you know your Mocha Sands from your Azure Blues!  It will even match a colour you take with your camera.

4. CrumbTracks (FREE).  Weird name but this app lets your keep track of properties you have viewed with photos and annotations, so you remember everything you liked or didn’t like about a property.

5. MousePrice (£2.99).  Easy access to Land Registry data to snoop on your neighbours!

6. Compass (Usually Free).  There are many compass apps out there to help you find that south facing garden.

7. IKEA (FREE).   OK the stores feel like one great big maze designed not to let you out.  However, IKEA still offers some innovative ideas that are stylish and affordable.

8. Kirstie and Phil’s House Hunters  (£2.99).  Love them or hate them there is some useful advice here for those looking to get on the housing ladder.

9. Neighbourhood Info (Headlines Free).  Has information statistics on education, crime, health and the economy of each Local Authority.

10. House Move (£0.69).  Will help you keep track of all the little tasks you need to do when moving home.  Allowing you to tick off from a master list that will prompt you throughout the process.