Why Christmas Is the Perfect Time to Sell Your Property

Have a property to sell and waiting until New Year to put it on the market? Based on recent trends we advise against this. Holding off until the New Year is what most vendors are thinking. Understandably, the majority of sellers reckon they’ll get Christmas and all the festivities out of the way before they start concentrating on selling.

No Sale No Fee Estate Agent – Property Valuation and Listing

Come Boxing Day hundreds of house hunters are already online seeing what’s available. And if you haven’t already instructed an estate agent in Tooting, Sutton, Mitcham or surrounding to get selling your property then you’ve pretty much been left on the back foot. Act today and broadcast your listing with Next Step Estates.

• How to sell with us and list your home for sale
• Ten steps to successful property selling in London South West – Tooting Bec, Mitcham and Sutton, Surrey
• Call our team today on 020 8767 6181. Or, get in touch online via our Contact Form.

Independent and Trusted in Tooting – Sell Your Home with Next Step Estates SW London#

Boxing Day property viewers are increasing

Online portal Rightmove reported visits to their website on Boxing Day 2021 were 54 per cent higher than the previous year. We’re not surprised. The week between Christmas and New year is a period when people have the time – and inclination – to sit down and start organising their life – they’re still off work, after all.

Instructing Next Step Estates prior to the Christmas break will allow us time to implement the right marketing strategy for your property ready for a Boxing Day launch. Our marketing includes a professional photography session, floor plans, virtual tour etc all completely risk free to the seller as we offer a no sale no fee service.

Let’s chat! Book a consultation with us or call, email or just pop into our office, we’d love to meet and greet you. Did you know? Along with our offline marketing efforts plus the added boost of the increased online portal views we should be able to conduct a large number of viewings in January 2023 which will help in achieving the best possible price for you. Sound good?

SW17 London Best Estate Agent 2023 – Selling Your Property is Easy with Next Step

As an experienced estate agent covering Wimbledon, Morden, Sutton, Mitcham and Tooting we are well aware that another reason the Christmas holiday period is a good time to sell is because most families will be together. And that means being able to discuss any new house move with the main decision makers present in the room.

Sell your London home during the festive period, cash in on cosiness – The height of winter isn’t a bad time to sell your current home. Yes, you can’t get the full benefit of a lovely garden, but you can make the property look cosy, warm and inviting with a log burner, plenty of lamps and jewel-coloured throws and cushions.

Serious sellers choose the Christmas season

House hunters who are actively looking over the traditionally quiet festive period in the property market tend to be those who are very serious about moving quickly. In other words, they are motivated, which translates in to ‘quality buyers’. What do we mean by that? Well, they are viewing property because they want to – or feel they need to – rather than turning up at parties and enjoying all the frivolity of the season. And this means, you are far more likely to get a sale.

Selling in London SW17 – Set up a solicitor – How we’ll work together

As well as getting a good estate agent onboard, you’ll also need a conveyancing solicitor to help you sell your home. It’s a good idea to get one ready in advance so they have all your paperwork prepared and can act quickly when you give them the nod.

Here at Next Step Estates in SW17 we will prepare all the necessary particulars needed to sell your property so that it’s ready to be marketed online on Boxing Day. This includes getting a print of the floor plan, commissioning an EPC, instructing a photographer and producing a marketing brochure.

At Next Step Estates we don’t tie home sellers in to a contract. You can instruct us today and walk away tomorrow, that’s how confident we are in the service we offer. So, house sellers in SW17 put down the mulled wine and wrapping paper and pick up the phone today, would you like us to come round to see you at your home?

Sutton Rail and Tube to Balham, Clapham, Dorking, Guildford and St Albans

London Victoria is a mere 30 minutes from Sutton Railway Station. Balham is 20 minutes and Clapham Junction 23 minutes. You can also get to Dorking, Guildford and St Albans from here. Sutton Common Railway Station has local connections, such as, Wimbledon, Farringdon and Kentish Town. There’s also talk of extending Tramlink from Colliers Wood to Sutton. Sutton is actually in Zone 5. A TfL annual rail card is £2,628, while monthly it’s £252.30 at the time of publication (November 2022)

Driving in and out of London from Sutton is pretty easy, thanks to easy access to the A232 and A217. Further out you’ll soon get to the M25 & M23, and last but not least if you are looking for a property that’s close to a London airport – Gatwick Airport is a mere 30 minutes away, and Heathrow 60 minutes.

Rental Prices  and Costs in Sutton and Carshalton, SW London

Competitive rental prices for single tenants and families – A one-bedroom flat in Sutton comes in at around £1150 to rent while a two-bedroom house is renting for £1650. A three-bedroom flat is £1800 and a four-bedroom bungalow £2,700 (November 2022)

A one-bedroom flat in Sutton comes in at around £1150 to rent while a two-bedroom house is renting for £1650. A three-bedroom flat is £1800 and a four-bedroom bungalow £2,700.

Education

Sutton’s state secondary schools regularly feature amongst the top in the country. A report by Ofsted in 2021 showed 43 per cent of the borough’s secondary schools received a rating of ‘outstanding’ – significantly higher than the London figure of 36 per cent.

And, with a total of 24 state secondary schools and 50 primaries – including five grammar schools – parents have plenty of schools to choose from in Sutton. The local colleges at Croydon and Merton both also share good educational reputations.

Green spaces and parks – Outdoor activities nearby

Sutton has 16 parks, making it one of London’s top green areas. Certainly, with more than 1,500 acres of open space in total and the largest regional park outside of central London, there’s plenty of opportunities for getting away from city living in Sutton.

Whether you want to go cycling, running, skating or wandering around formal gardens, there’s something to occupy everyone. Play tennis at the 58-hectare Beddington Park, try a round of crazy golf at Grove Park or enjoy a game of bowls at Rose Hill Park. For those keen to get plenty of exercise or wildlife watching at the weekend, they can head for two local Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty at the Surrey Hills and the Kent Downs.

Crime 

Last year the crime rate for Sutton was 62 per 1000 people. That compares favourably with the crime rate for the capital as a whole (87 per 1000 residents) and makes Sutton one of London’s five safest boroughs.

Sutton High Street and Local Shopping

Sutton High Street offers brand names while more shops can be found in the Saint Nicholas Shopping Centre, alongside a food court and multiplex cinema. For independent boutique style shopping Wimbledon Village is just 15 minutes on the train while the bright lights of London Bridge and Victoria’s shops are just 30 minutes away.

Restaurants and cafes local to Sutton and Carshalton

The Grumpy Mole, The Ginger Frog, and the quirky and dog-friendly Shinner & Sudstone are favourite family bars and restaurants. The Winning Post (formerly Red Lion pub) is also popular and lays claim to hosting the Rolling Stones in their heyday.

For Italian head to Casa Nostra, Spaghetti Tree and Zizzi. Seafood lovers will no doubt frequent The Fat Crab where, actually, your hands are the cutlery. For Chinese food there’s Heen’s restaurant.

Entertainment

Sutton Music Festival is an annual event and showcase of young talent. You’ll also find drama and live music in Nonsuch Park, including a local country show and lively 5k weekend parkrun.

It may be world-famous for its tennis while it’s Common is renowned as the 1980’s home of the Wombles, but Wimbledon has something else going for it too. And that is community spirit. If you are a tenant or a family looking to rent in the Tooting Bec, Blaham, Morden and Wimbledon areas, call our team on 020 8767 6181. Or, get in touch via our Contact Form.

Wimbledon, London and Renting a Family Home

An upmarket area of southwest London beloved of families, there’s always organised local events for children and adults alike, giving it a village feel. Its demographic means it’s a safe area – one where it really is safe to walk around those green leafy residential streets at 3am without fear.

And, in fact, crime is extremely low in Wimbledon. Last year the Office of National Statistics (ONS) recorded the crime rate as 62.4 per 1,000 people. That compared favourably to a national average of 77.6.

It’s not just the green areas, wide streets and assortment of large three to four-bedroom homes that attract families to Wimbledon, there’s also the good school’s aspect. Then there’s the excellent travel connections with the London Underground, the tube stations are very well orientated. Heathrow Airport is a mere 60-minute drive (or the same time via TFL). Trains run direct to Gatwick Airport from Wimbledon Station. Access by car to the A3 is easy, opening up connections to Portsmouth. The A3 merges with the M25 then westwards on the M40 to Oxfordshire or eastwards to Surrey.

Wimbledon sits a mere six miles from the centre of London. Wimbledon Station is on the District line, with Westminster only 35 mins by train, Earls Court and Waterloo and within easy commuting distance too. Being in Zone 3, an annual travel card for Wimbledon is £1,808, or £173.60 a month. The Station connects to both South Western Railway and Thameslink. Wimbledon Chase Station also connects to Thameslink, while you’ll get a link to the Tramlink from the main Wimbledon Station.

Wimbledon Things to Do, Entertainment and Nightlife

The New Wimbledon Theatre shows a variety of plays and concerts throughout the year. This beautiful grade II architectural venue dates back to 1910 and is the eighth largest Edwardian Theatre in London.

Those looking for live music can head for the Prince Albert (rock) and Ye Olde Mitre (indie). The Crooked Billet or King’s Arms are big rugby pubs and regularly host live screenings of the Six Nations.

The All England Lawn Tennis & Croquet Club ensures the area is buzzing all summer long, of course, with the most prestigious tennis championship in the world taking place in its 12,000-seater midst. The Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum is another attraction – one which holds Family Fund Days twice monthly. Kids can also enjoy art classes at Wimbledon Art Studios, dance at The Russell School of Ballet and drama at the Polka Children’s Theatre (which started way back in1967).

Wimbledon School and Education Catchment Areas for Families Looking to Rent

It shows how many families live in Wimbledon when you consider there are seven secondary schools here, and 15 primaries. There’s also an international school – Lycée International de Londres Winston Churchill. Impressing education establishments include Wimbledon High School, Kings College School (which this year received an ‘excellent; ISI report) and the independent catholic, Ursuline Preparatory School.

November 2022 Single Tenant and Family Home Rental Prices

You can rent a bright and sunny one-bed maisonette in Wimbledon for £1550 a month and a two-bed flat for £1,700. Three-bed properties are renting for around £3,900 and a house with four-bedrooms for £4,983.

Thinking of moving to Wimbledon? Then ring our letting team here at Next Step Estates. After a decade working here we have built up excellent contacts in the area. Tel 020 8767 6181 or email us using our Contact Form.

Eco Friendly Green Spaces and Parks – Wimbledon Common

Wimbledon is blessed with green spaces – the Common offers wildlife and tranquillity from the business of living in the capital. It’s not unusual to find families enjoying picnics there in the summer and joggers all year round. Then again there’s also plenty of sporting opportunities for residents to get involved in. That’s because Wimbledon Park (just off the courts) is home to an 18-hole golf course, an athletics track, cricket pitches and nine ponds.

For something a little different, grade II-listed Cannizaro Park boasts landscaped gardens, diverse flora and fauna, a water garden, rose garden, various sculptures and lots of quiet corners where busy executives and professionals can chill for some time under a rare tree or two.

Shopping

Wimbledon is split into the larger High Street area and the more upmarket Village area uphill. The latter is pedestrianised and home to around 40 shops – many independent boutique offerings – and a cinema. The High Street sports, amongst UK recognised brand names, the independent century-old, grand Elys department store. Gourmet delicatessen Bayley and Sage is the place to go to stock up on picnic essentials and can be found in the Village, alongside such upmarket offerings as Cath Kidston, Le Creuset and Farrow & Ball.

Restaurants and places to eat

Thai Tho is the place to eat if you want to spot A-list tennis players, particularly the likes of Venus Williams’s who says it’s her favourite in the area.

High Street offerings come in the form of The White Onion, while more a la carte dining can be found at The Light House on Ridgway. Cote serves up French plates while Sticks ‘n’ Sushi is another favourite for Asian-inspired edibles.

First time buyers in Tooting, Sutton and similar areas of London have been handed a stamp duty boost by the current Conservative government.

Just as former Chancellor Rishi Sunak choose to provide a stamp duty holiday for buyers – and in doing so inflamed an already ‘hot’ property market – now Kwasai Kwarteng has increased the threshold at which stamp duty tax is payable.

The £125,000 no-tax cut-off point has been raised to £250,000, while first time buyers can buy property up to £425,000 without having to paying any stamp duty tax (previously the first-time buyer threshold was £300). In addition, first-time buyers can buy a property valued at up to £625,000 and still claim relief (a jump of £125,000).

Sellers encouraged to list sooner rather than later.

All of the new measures came in immediately and, according to the government, will benefit around 200,000 new property buyers in England and Northern Ireland, including first time buyers in Sutton, Tooting and other London boroughs. Scotland and Wales have their own Stamp Duty systems – Land and Buildings Transaction Tax and the Land Transaction Tax respectively – and where the cuts aren’t applicable.

The cuts to stamp duty have been welcomed by some first-time buyers, while others fear they may just make the cost of property even more expensive.

If you are thinking of selling, contact Next Step Estates