In a little over a year of their founding, market leading online estate agency, My Online Estate Agent, has saved UK house sellers over £1 million in traditional high street estate agency fees.

Challenging high-street estate agents by offering the same services without charging sellers any commission fees, My Online Estate Agent has sold 262 properties across the UK to date worth a total of £66,834,612 with total client savings of £1,002,519.

• 292 properties sold in the UK worth a total of £66 million
• Over 8,640 self-held viewings arranged in last 12 months
• “Exceptional customer service…truly gigantic fee £££ savings!”

The client in question who saved the £1 millionth pound was Stephanie Jackson from Liverpool who has her 3 bedroom property now under offer. Stephanie only listed her home last week and after receiving a high level of interest and multiple offers, she accepted one significantly above the asking price of £199,950.

>Richard Patterson, Director of My Online Estate Agent, comments,
Since we founded My Online Estate Agent back in 2012, it always been the team’s goal to reach the magic £1 million in savings mark. Having sold numerous properties ourselves and balked at the thousands of pounds demanded by traditional high street estate agents for what always seemed very average service at best, we believed there must be a better way.

“With austerity measures still affecting many vendors, we have had a very high uptake of our commission-free online house selling service and in fact have reached the target £1 million mark quicker than anticipated which we believe reflects the way the UK property sales market is moving.”

One of the major distinguishing features between My Online Estate Agent and traditional high street estate agents is that vendors are encouraged to hold viewings with potential buyers themselves. Richard and the team at My Online Estate Agent believe this has many benefits to both buyer and seller alike and have arranged over 8,640 viewings in the last 12 months.

On average clients save £3,445 in selling fees by using My Online Estate Agent and customer satisfaction levels are high with numerous 5* reviews via Trustpilot, the latest, on 6^th November 2013, commenting “Exceptional customer service…truly gigantic fee £££ savings!”

Over 350 properties for sale and 191 to rent across the UK are now live on the site and all major portals including Rightmove, Zoopla, Homes24 and Primelocation.  Seller packages start from £299 + VAT and include professional floor plan, portal listing, 12 months marketing, viewings arranged and feedback provided, all buyers financially vetted, assisted negotiations and telephone support.

For more information call My Online Estate Agent on 0845 257 1101 or visit www.myonlineestateagent.com.

As British Summer Time officially comes to an end this Saturday night, our thoughts naturally turn to winter. 

It is that time of the year when the leaves turn from golden to brown, soon forming great piles on the ground perfect for kids to play in. Conkers are in abundance, quickly becoming a feature in every school playground and sweet chestnuts, apples, rose hips and fungi are there for the taking by any adventurous foragers.

The shops are full of ghostly Halloween outfits, Christmas baubles have crept onto the shelves and mincemeat and marzipan are on the shopping list once again. At home, the menu has changed. The BBQ has been cleaned and put away for winter; salads have been replaced with stews and mulled wine becomes the top tipple. The 2014 calendar has arrived and thoughts have turned to Christmas – whose turn is it to host? Should we have a goose or turkey? What to buy Uncle Harry this year?!

Indeed Father Christmas and his elves might be becoming rather frantic but there is one other industry that sees a huge upturn in demand at this time of the year. For if you are one of the lucky households in the UK that has a real fire you will need to sweep it now.

The National Association of Chimney Sweeps reports that business has increased 40% over the past couple of years with much of this increase being as a direct result of the rise in popularity of wood burning stoves.

And what a delicious end to a hard day – to tuck yourself up on the sofa and watch the flames flicker up the chimney. A quintessentially British pastime of lighting fires and toasting bread or cooking your foraged chestnuts sets the perfect winter scene.

Are you looking for a house that has a fireplace of your dreams? Consider one of these stunning homes on the market today through leading online estate agent, My Online Estate Agent, which all feature a real fireplace:

Henley Road, Haslemere, Surrey                                     £685,000             

The picturesque rural hamlet of Henley is set in the heart of the South Downs National Park, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, on the Surrey/West Sussex border. Henley is surrounded by woodland and many miles of quiet footpaths and bridleways.

A lovely 4 bedroom 2 bathroom detached period cottage has been renovated and extended by its present owners to create a unique reverse level home, the property has under floor heating and double glazing throughout. The original part of the house is thought to be around 300 years old and retains a great deal of its original charm. The house sits in a wonderful elevated position with stunning views of the surrounding countryside.

Bwlch-Cae-Haidd, Bwlch-y-ffridd, Powys, Wales                     £325,000

An immaculately presented and modernised 16th century character farmhouse with 3 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms. Set in approximately 2.5 acres of beautiful grounds including a paddock, large workshop and studio with veranda overlooking the pond. The property also benefits from a large workshop, greenhouse and shed.

Geers Farm,Heathfield, Sussex                          £640,000        

An excellent well-positioned detached 5 bedroom period house oozing with character.  Parts of the house date back to 1450 when it owned all the land in the vicinity surrounded by woodland and wheat fields. A magnificent drawing room with stable door to garden and sun terrace, heavily timbered and with fine large inglenook fireplace, bressumer beam and raised brick hearth and with French doors opening directly onto the large patio.

Muirton House, Belhelvie, Scotland                                               £675,000

Muirton House is just a short commute from the Aberdeen centre yet offers country living with stunning rural views.  The house has been extensively refurbished in recent years to a high standard to meet modern day needs, yet retains many original features. With 6 large bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, separate cloak room, 3 reception rooms and 2 kitchens the property offers versatile, spacious accommodation over four floors.

Rural views may be enjoyed from the property which stands in extensive grounds of 3.6 acres including a walled garden, woodland, paddock and outbuildings.

For more information please contact My Online Estate Agent on 0845 257 1101 or visit My Online Estate Agent.

It may only be a week since the second phase of the Government’s Help to Buy scheme launched but its aim to help more people get on the UK property ladder is clearly working according to leading online estate agency, My Online Estate Agent.

• Help to Buy launched on Tuesday 8th October 2013
• Government scheme aims to get more people onto the UK property ladder
• 28% increase in viewings arranged by My Online Estate Agent in 7 days since launch 

In the 7 days since launch on 8^th October 2013, My Online Estate Agent has recorded an impressive 28% increase in the number of viewings arranged for properties for sale across the UK compared to the last 7 days preceding Help to Buy.

Richard Patterson, Director of My Online Estate Agent and hands on landlord, comments,

“With all the hype surrounding the launch of the Help to Buy scheme, we expected to see a rise in interest levels but nothing on this scale. Enquiries have literally been flooding in from first time buyers and second steppers alike, all keen to arrange property viewings now that they have been able to access mortgage finance.”

Indeed the rush to step up or on the property ladder as a result of Help to Buy has also been witnessed by mortgage lenders. The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) reported taking 10,000 calls in the first 4 workings days and booking 5,000 mortgage appointments within just 3 hours of the scheme going live.

With Barclays the latest bank to sign up to the scheme at the end of last week, over two-thirds of lenders in the UK mortgage market are now committed to helping those who can afford mortgage payments but are struggling to raise the deposit to get onto the ladder.

Richard Patterson continues,
“It is very encouraging to see the likes of RBS/NatWest, the Halifax, Santander, HSBC, Virgin Money, Lloyds, TSB, Aldermore and now Barclays all committed to offering Help to Buy mortgage products by the start of January 2014.

“All too often past Government housing market stimulation initiatives have fallen flat on their face due to a lack of external support but this time, things might just be different and allow everyday, hardworking Britons the opportunity to own their own bricks and mortar.”

For more information on the impact of Help to Buy on My Online Estate Agent please contact Richard and the team on 0845 257 1101 or visit www.myonlineestateagent.com. 

Results of a BBC Magazine poll published earlier today reveal that Georgian era homes are the nation’s favourite style of property.

38% of those who voted in last week’s online poll stated that Georgian homes were the preferred architectural era with the more decorative homes built in the Victorian era following closely behind with over a quarter of votes (26%).

Richard Patterson, Director of leading online estate agency, My Online Estate Agent, which sells and lets homes across the UK from a variety of periods for a one-off flat fee, comments,

“I’m not too surprised by the results of this BBC poll; as we have seen from own enquiries Georgian properties are in high demand from Grade-II listed manor homes to the desirable town house.  Open fireplaces and solid wood floorings are popular with home buyers and so sought after is this era that we are also seeing a growing number of new properties developed in the manor of the Georgian style.”

Spanning over a century from 1714 to 1837, the Georgian period saw the reign of three Georges. Divided into three sub periods, the Palladian, early and late Georgian, the style became lighter in terms of colours and level of decoration as the years passed by, eventually becoming the regency style.

Many will have gained their understanding of Georgian society through the works of the eminent writers of the time including Jane Austen, Henry Fielding and Mary Shelley, with the iconic architecture of Robert Adam, John Nash and James Wyatt creating the perfect backdrop. Other famous artists of the era include the romantic poets – Samuel Taylor Coleridge, William Wordsworth, Lord Byron, John Keats and Robert Burns – as well as celebrated artists Thomas Gainsborough and John Constable.

Some of our best loved properties today such as The Circus in Bath and 10 Downing Street are of the Georgian style. Typical characteristics of the era include a simple 1 or 2 story box with strict symmetry, a centred panel door topped with rectangular windows, cornice embellishments and chimneys on both sides of the house. Internally colour schemes began bold with popular colours including sage greens, subtle blues, stone, off white and burgundy, lightening up as the regency era approached.

Following on from the Georgian era, with over a quarter of all votes, the Victorian architectural style also remains desirable. Taking its name from the reign of Queen Victoria (1837 – 1901), the Victorian era saw the return of the Gothic style and the construction of many large public buildings connected to the engineering marvels of that time. Developments in construction techniques and the introduction of steel enabled famous buildings such as St Pancras railway station, the Royal Albert Hall and the Forth Bridge to be erected.

On a smaller scale, due to new manufacturing processes and the beginning of the railways, building materials including mass produced bricks, were widely available enabling the rapid construction of homes for Britons. Terraced properties were commonplace with wealthier Victorians preferring the villa style home.

Richard Patterson comments,

“Victorian properties are particularly popular with house hunters due to their large rooms offering bright and airy living spaces. The period fireplaces are the centrepiece of most rooms and a major selling point as well as the bay windows and decorative detailing synonymous with this period. Due to their size and layout, Victorian properties are often sought after by first time buyers and young families, especially those living within towns and cities.”

On the market:

Georgian style: 7 bedroom detached house for sale in Duns, Berwickshire, Scotland £595,000

An Elegant ´B´ listed Classical Georgian south facing family country home with 1 acre garden and electric fencing, affording stunning views of the surrounding countryside to the Cheviots beyond. The vicarage was sympathetically restored to a high standard approximately 15 years ago, and boasts 7 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, open working fires, original sash windows and shutters as well as hardwood floors throughout. There is also an additional unrestored east wing and plot of land with lapsed OPP for the erection of a Detached House providing as yet undeveloped potential.

http://www.myonlineestateagent.com/for-sale/berwickshire/duns/the-glebe-1433/

Victorian style: 4 bedroom semi-detached house for sale in Sheffield, England £454,950

An impressive 4 double bedroom, 2 bathroom, semi-detached Victorian stone fronted villa, with outbuildings. Despite benefiting from a complete rewire, plaster, new central heating system, new bathrooms and remodelled kitchen, the property still retains some potential to add value.

Situated in the very desirable Millhouses area, off the main road, seconds from Millhouses Park with play areas and walks, close to Ecclesall Woods, excellent catchment area for good Offsted rated schools (Silverdale/St Wilfreds etc). Fine dining and family friendly public houses within short walking distance. There is a golf course and sports clubs a short drive away.

http://www.myonlineestateagent.com/for-sale/south-yorkshire/sheffield/knaresborough-road-1630/

With lower house prices, rising rents and improved access to mortgage finance it’s no wonder that more and more Britons are looking to join the buy-to-let club. Indeed with UK GDP growing by a mere 0.6% in the three months ending May 2013 and many workers worse off in real terms as salaries remain frozen yet the cost of living continues to rise, securing supplementary income in the form of rental income is increasingly appealing.

• Virgin landlords looking to invest in 2013 at highest level in a year (Rightmove)
• Paragon Mortgages’ intermediaries saw 22% of B2L business from virgin landlords in Q1 2013
• Top 3 B2L investment picks from MyOnlineEstateAgent

Even despite average rental yields in the UK’s private rental sector falling by 0.1% last month according to Countrywide data, returns of up to 6.6%, as seen in Wales, are achievable driving more and more virgin landlords to enter the market.

According to the Rightmove Consumer Confidence Survey Q1 2013, the proportion of virgin landlords, looking to invest for the first time in 2013 was at its highest level for more than a year at 44%.

Improved access to B2L mortgage finance has also driven this sector forward with Paragon Mortgages revealing that intermediaries are seeing a steady increase in the number of first time landlords seeking finance. With echoes of the pre-recession boom period last seen in 2002, intermediaries saw 22% of business from virgin landlords in Q1 2013.

Indeed the latest figures from the Council of Mortgage Lenders indicate that buy-to-let loans accounted for 13% of the total 11.26 million mortgages approved in Britain in 2012, up from 9.8% in 2011.

Richard Patterson, Director of leading online estate agency, MyOnlineEstateAgent, comments,

“I have seen, both on a personal level through friends and family and professionally at MyOnlineEstateAgent, a rise in the number of first time or virgin landlords. The rapid growth of the rental market and sustained yields which can be achieved, especially from 3 bedroom family properties which are in high demand, makes B2L a popular investment choice.“

But with thousands of properties on the market, how do you choose the right property to pop your B2L cherry? Utilising his expertise and experience as a hands on landlord for 7 years, Richard Patterson shares his top 3 investment picks available on the market today:

1.       3 bedroom semi-detached house in Greater Manchester – Offers over £125,000.

Ready to let with no chain or work required, this property is a safe bet due to its strong transport links near the junction for the M60 and M62. A good family home which will be in high demand with more and more people turning to renting as they struggle to buy. Expected rental return of over 6.5% based on achieving a rental figure of around £700 per month. http://www.myonlineestateagent.com/for-sale/manchester/whitefield/brightwater-close-329/

2.       1 bedroom flat in Blackpool – Offers in the region of £59,000.

This spacious purpose-built 1 bedroom apartment with sea views is perfect for young professionals as a starter home or a retirement property. Neutrally decorated and secure with intercom access, the convenient location of this apartment, close to the seafront, shopping and Blackpool attractions, makes this a strong B2L purchase. Even if purchased at asking price, with an estimated rental income of £400 per month, the yield is over 8%. http://www.myonlineestateagent.com/for-sale/lancashire/blackpool/greystoke-court-338/

3.       3 bedroom semi-detached house for sale in London – Offers in the region of £229,950.

For investors looking for a B2L property in the Capital this 3 bedroom property in Lewisham ticks all the boxes. Newly redecorated, this family home, even if secured at an asking price of £229,950, should produce a yield of over 7% with estimated rent close to £1,400 pcm. In addition, with Lewisham recording an 11.9% annual price increase according to Land Registry figures (Q4 2012 compared to Q4 2011), this property should also deliver future capital gain. http://www.myonlineestateagent.com/for-sale/london/lewisham/southend-lane-1267/

For more information on these or other properties for sale please visit www.myonlineestateagent.com or call 0845 257 1101.

With 90% of potential buyers now starting their search for a home online, it’s no wonder that more and more of us are ditching traditional high street estate agents and choosing to sell our homes privately via online estate agents.

But if you aren’t a Phil Spencer or Sarah Beeny property expert and aren’t too sure of what your home is worth then the handy new free Value My Home tool from the experts at Think Online Property might provide the answer.

Available instantly to all prospective private house sale vendors, the free 20 page valuation and report draws together detailed information about your property, your neighbours, your road and your area. Each report, generated by filling in a one minute online survey, includes prices of comparable properties in your area, the duration those properties have been on the market, demographic profile and average price to earnings ratios of the community, a breakdown of current stock to determine how desirable your property is, house price trends over the last 5 years, rankings of the most expensive streets and those with the highest turnover of properties in your area.

Peter Joseph, Founder and MD of Think Online Property, comments,

“Traditionally sellers have relied on high street estate agents to provide valuations on their homes and to set the asking price. However this valuation is quite often purely subjective and can be incorrect leading to a property selling under market value or at worst not selling at all. Our free online Value My Home tool utilises hard facts and figures combined with our own extensive research in accurate pricing to ensure the marketplace value of your property is pretty accurate.

“At Think Online Property the client comes first and that is why we believe it is so important to present a realistic value of a seller’s home which will save a lot of heartache and hopefully result in a quicker sale being achieved. Plus, more importantly, if the bank’s surveyor does not agree with a specified sale price then your potential buyer may not be able to secure a mortgage and the deal may fall through.”

Available for residential properties across the UK, the free Value My Home tool can be accessed here http://www.onlineestateagentsuk.com/value-my-home/ or for more information call 0844 381 4787.