Merry Christmas!

We hope everyone has a very Happy Christmas! Celebrate, eat excessively, and spend time with the family in your own Castle!

Looking back on 2012

2012 was a great celebratory year in the UK; both the Diamond Jubilee and the Olympics managed to give us weeks of excitement, taking our minds off of the economic downturn. However, even though the Olympics was said to have boosted the economy slightly, there's no running away from the reality of it; the economy is still at a slump, as is the housing market.

In light of the bad news, however, it's comforting to see that there is still confidence within the housing market. Earlier in the year, we heard of reports that homeowners remained confident that house prices would rise; housing costs did indeed rise slightly earlier in the year. In recent news we have also heard how first time buyer mortgage rates have fallen, making life slightly easier for people looking to own their first property. And very recently, we heard in the chancellors autumn budget, that he plans to bring 50,000 homes to the market. This is all great news!

On the other side, however, Halifax are claiming that even though house prices rose in November, the market is 'more unclear than ever', and that prices may remain flat throughout 2013. Now, this may be good news for first time buyers, but existing owners, specially those willing to sell, may be made slightly un-easy at the news.

Still, even though there are many tosses and turns right now, owning your own property is a great investment. If you are a first time buyer, then take advantage of the lower costs and mortgage rates, and invest in a property. You can search our lists online, and get in touch with us with any enquiries you may have. Our friendly team is here to help!

Helping You Move

Moving home is one of the most tedious & difficult periods of anyones lives. The hassle that comes with sorting everything out, from sorting out the mortgage, to hiring the right removals company is enough to put anyone off. Getting the right help is vital, and that's why we're here to help.

We believe we are the best estate agents within Farnham & Aldershot. We're a passionate, friendly team with a big reputation for professional and friendly service. Our aim is to put your mind at rest when searching & buying property.

We have some of the widest coverage available, with both our offices in Farnham & Aldershot, working alongside a further 1100 offices accross London and the wider UK.

We've had thousands of satisfied clients  over the last 20 years - why not give us a go today?

We can't guarantee a stress free time, but we will try and take away as much of the stress as possible!

To find out more about our estate agent in Farnham, and our estate agent in Aldershot, do not hesitate to visit us today!

Property Prices Expected To Rise In Next Six Months

Around two thirds of homeowners believe their house prices will rise over the next six months, according to a new survey. Homeowner confidence has been on a rise, whilst property prices keep falling. The Zoopla Survey reaveled homeowner in London are the most optimistic about the property market, whereas homeowners in Northern Ireland are the most pessimistic. This news makes it ever so much brighter for current homeowners wishing to sell their property. View all our latest news on our Website

Find Us On Social Networks

Castles has gone social! Alongside our Facebook page, you can now find us on Twitter &Google+!

Letting Agents, Consumers And Acceptable Standards

Following another year which saw a further increase in letting complaints, The Property Ombudsman, Christopher Hamer, is renewing his call for standards to be raised across the lettings industry in his latest Annual Report. "My office dealt with 7,641 letting enquiries during 2011, a 26 per cent increase on 2010," reports Mr Hamer. "Slightly more than 25 per cent of these complaint enquiries concerned letting agents who were not registered with TPO and I am concerned that, for those consumers, they may have little alternative but to undertake potentially costly legal action to pursue their complaint, a daunting prospect in the current financial climate." Mr Hamer acknowledges that it is not current Government policy to consider regulation of letting agents but his report highlights several areas where simple changes could be made to provide greater protection for consumers and, in doing so, support those letting agents who are already providing a service in accordance with agreed industry standards. "Consumer awareness is the key," adds Mr Hamer. "Knowledgeable landlords already check if an agent has a separate account for client money and has signed up to a redress scheme, before allowing them to market their property". "However, landlords who are new to lettings, for example, will no doubt be attracted by lower fees and may not enquire what protection the agent can provide both them and their tenants should problems later occur. Agents who protect client money and follow the TPO Code of Practice can give landlords this reassurance. If all landlords ensured that their agent had these credentials, I firmly believe that tenants and landlords would see the benefits of using agents who adhere to important standards of business and stories concerning 'rogue agents', with which we are all familiar, would dramatically reduce." In order to achieve this level of consumer awareness, the Ombudsman is proposing the formation of an industry council to develop and promote overall standards within the lettings sector. The council would also seek to ensure that consumers understand why they should avoid letting agents who refuse to follow a set of industry standards, such as the TPO Code of Practice, and who do not seek out membership of recognised industry bodies such as ARLA, NALS, or RICS. "Getting that message across can only be achieved by such bodies pulling together, and bringing in a consumer stakeholder contribution, so that it is made obvious to consumers which firms remain in the minority, intent on operating outside of industry approved standards," explains Mr Hamer, who also points to a potentially quicker way of achieving this objective. "The Consumers, Estate Agents and Redress Act 2007 (CEARA) required all sales agents to register with a redress scheme. Since then, my office has seen a year upon year improvement in standards relating to sales agents. If letting agents were compelled by law to register with a redress scheme, I believe that standards across the lettings industry would improve in a similar way." The law governing estate agents is more than 30 years old and at the time it was enacted, it did not take into account the lettings sector. In the Ombudsman's view, that law could be easily redefined to embrace all forms of tenancy. "The consequences of redefining just one phrase "interest in land" would mean that the obligations of CEARA would become applicable to every agent operating a lettings business, forcing them to join an approved redress scheme and, of course, obliging them to act in accordance with a Code of Practice." Full commentary on these issues, the potential repeal of the Property Misdescriptions Act 1991, case studies and statistics for 2011 can be found in TPO's 2011 Annual Report. http://www.tpos.co.uk/annual_reports.htm
 www.castles.co.uk

February 2012 Thank You!

We would like to say a big THANK YOU to everyone who has purchased and sold through Castles who completed one of our customer surveys either online or via the post. You have helped us to raise £250 for the Phyllis Tuckwell Hospice in Farnham! The Hospice is the only adult hospice serving West Surrey and North East Hampshire. They care for seriously ill people and their families both at the Hospice and in the local community. For more information on what the team at the hospice do, the services they provide or ways to help raise funds to support them take a look at www.pth.org.uk