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Real estate advices

Selling a property during lockdown

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So, you’ve decided to move, either put your house on the market (or made the decision to), then this current, worrying, Coronavirus situation struck. Can you carry on selling a property during lockdown?

We’ve had a few people contact us and ask: “What should I do?”

So we decided to put our advice into a blog…

Don’t make any knee-jerk decisions

Coronavirus, lockdown and everything that has happened in the last few weeks, has all happened very quickly. With restrictions in place that affect things like physical viewings on properties, it would be very natural for you to feel like giving up the idea of moving altogether. HOWEVER, there really is no major reason why you should. If you’ve been thinking about moving, it’s probably been something you’ve been thinking about for a while, or perhaps have a real need to. In the grand scheme of things, and however overwhelming the situation is right now, we are confident that things will start to get back to normal (or at least, a new normal) in only a matter of time. It’s a fact of life, people need and want to move house, the government know this, and the property market will get going sooner rather than later.

Therefore, since you’ve already done a lot of the hard work by getting your home ready for selling, choosing an agent (hopefully us if you’re in the Bromley area!), getting your place valued and quite possibly on the market, you might as well carry on and use this time to…

Get ready for when the market picks up again

We know for a fact that there are a whole load of potential buyers at home who are still looking to move, and are using this time to ‘window shop’. Even people who weren’t previously considering it! Our website has had an increase in traffic to our residential properties page, as well as more hits on our Rightmove and Zoopla listings. Here are some things you can do to get you ahead of the property game when it’s all systems go once again:

  • Add some extra value to your property if you can, whilst you are in lockdown and possibly have some more time on a weekend or during the week. If you can get your hands on some, a touching up paint work, tidying the garden, repairing anything broken, or simply having a good old declutter are good ways to spend your time.
  • Spend some time looking for somewhere that YOU want to buy. You may have had slight tunnel vision when it comes to what kind of property you might like, but now could be a good time to think outside the box. Look at properties that are slightly below or above your budget; consider locations you hadn’t thought of before, re-check school catchments, and consider taking on a project.
  • Make sure your finances are in shape. Coronavirus has obviously potentially had some far-reaching and unexpected implications on families’ finances. Review all your income and outgoings. Are there any savings you could make? Do you really need that gym membership now?! Is money being saved on petrol that offsets a bigger food shopping bill? By doing a bit of financial homework, you can hopefully be in the best place possible when it comes to getting that all-important mortgage offer.
  • Launch a ‘Vendor Video Tour‘ Get people excited by your property by going on the market with us and filming ‘teaser’ footage of it, both inside and outside. We then edit the footage together, and potential buyers can view from the comfort of their living room. We’ve already had enquiries off the back of these, and the Evening Standard featured us due to their success so far!

If you have any other questions about selling during lockdown, then please do give us a call and we can put your mind at ease.

Find out what our clients have to say about their experience of using Bromley Property Company to sell their home here.

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Lewis McKale

Director, Residential Sales, Lettings & New Homes

lewis@propertycompanygroup.com

lewis@bromleypropertycompany.com

07507 656 668

020 8462 7155

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Lewis has over 20 years experience in the property industry. As a young negotiator he worked for large South East London Estate Agency and he also worked his way up to Associate Director at a City based Estate Agency by the time he was 25.

He jointly owned and sold a successful business in the East End of London before deciding to come back to his roots and set up Bromley Property Company in late 2016.

Lewis is a life long Bromley Borough resident and hails from West Wickham where he attended Wickham Common Primary School and then Hayes Secondary School.

He's married with three children, all of whom attend local schools. Both himself and his wife are very active with local autistic charities helping with various events.

Football plays a big part in his life, playing for Charlton Athletic youth team in his early days and he is an avid supporter of Bromley FC.

The competitive drive that pushes him on is what helps fuel his passion for the business. This and his in-depth knowledge of the borough is a great combination which helps deliver the results his clients have come to expect.

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Kyle Peters

Director, Land & Commercial

kyle@propertycompanygroup.com

020 8462 7155

07801 577 782

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In a career spanning more than 20 years Kyle has bought, sold and let Real Estate of all types and sizes in every sector of property industry. Throughout this time he was a long serving founder member of one of the South East’s most successful Commercial & Development property agencies. In addition to a successful agency career he has held senior client-side positions in asset & property management and investment and development acquisitions affording Kyle a holistic viewpoint and greater understanding of the entire process than some agents.

Technically knowledgeable and with a keen eye for detail he has a deep understanding of how to effectively market a property and revels in getting amongst the strategy of a transaction to ensure his clients expectations are regularly exceeded.

With a natural flair for identifying development opportunities and adding value Kyle works regularly with a number of clients on acquisitions and development & planning consultancy and has specialisms in the retirement, care and affordable housing sectors.

Born and raised in the Bromley area, outside of work Kyle enjoys spending as much time as possible with his young family, travelling and all things car related.

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Stuart Jackson

Sales & Lettings

stuart@bromleypropertycompany.com

020 8462 7155

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Stuart has worked in the property industry for 10 years now.

Previously working in the East End of London specialising in Shoreditch and The City but deciding to come back to his roots and work in Bromley, Stuart brings his enthusiasm, knowledge and hard work to the company and local Bromley residents will all benefit from this.

Stuart is also a local lad that grew up in Keston, attending Keston Primary School and Hayes Secondary School so his local knowledge is second to none. Currently living in Shortlands Stuart prides himself on his excellent customer service levels and is always available to talk about property and will accommodate viewings whenever he can 7 days a week.

Stuart works very close with Lewis in ensuring that Bromley Property Company offer a customer service unlike any other local estate agent making sure all of our clients be it Vendors, Landlords, Buyers or Tenants are all looked after and dealt with in the best way possible.

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Angela McKale

Admin & Marketing
 

angela@bromleypropertycompany.com

020 8462 7155

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Angela has worked supporting Lewis and his team for the last 5 years now and has taken the admin side of the business over and helps to ensure that our clients are given a service that is as efficient as possible.

She is responsible for that majority of the companies marketing and she also looks after the properties on our website as well as ensuring our clients are written to promptly.

Helping to run diaries for the team and ensuring everyone is kept on their toes is a real help and she helps keep things organised and ensures the business runs as efficiently as possible.

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Trevor Doran

Head of Property Management

management@bromleypropertycompany.com

07740 055 025

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Trevor has over 30 years’ experience in maintaining and managing properties.
20 years in the home improvement industry rising to director level served him well as a landlord and since 2009 owning and running his own business specialising purely in property letting and management.
A lifelong Bromley borough resident Trevor runs Bromley Property Company’s letting and management department and continues to operate at the highest possible levels of professionalism and service as the portfolio grows.
Sport and fitness play a big part in Trevor’s life as he tries to keep up with two athletic children currently in sixth form and university. He also follows the fortunes of the ever-improving Bromley FC.

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Amy has worked in Lettings and property management for 10 years starting as a Lettings Negotiator for a corporate Estate Agents in Dartford.

She then worked for an independent Estate Agent in Bexley as a Property Manager and then as Branch Manager for 3 years.

She took some time out when she had her daughter and started working again in Property Management 3 years ago.

Amy has a BA (Hons) Degree in Fashion and enjoys making clothes and she is also classically trained to Grade 6 in Piano.

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Becky Freeman

Digital Marketing & Social Media

becky@bromleypropertycompany.com

020 8462 7155

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Becky brings with her nearly a decade of digital marketing and multi-award nominated lifestyle blogging experience, and has worked with both household names and smaller companies to create content and enhance their social and online presence. She has appeared in various Interiors & lifestyle magazines, written for publications including The Guardian, and appeared on Channel 4’s ‘Kirstie’s Handmade Christmas’ winning her category of Christmas table styling!

After a disappointing experience trying to sell her house with a local high street agent, West Wickham-based Becky had heard great things about Bromley Property Company, swapped to us and quickly sold, and says she couldn't rate Lewis and his team's knowledge of the area and honest valuation highly enough.

As a bit of a property geek with a background in both business and lifestyle marketing, Becky is now on board to oversee all things digital for us through her agency Becky Freeman Digital.

Living and raising 3 children in the local area, Becky loves Bromley and all it has to offer a young family.

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Mary Radovanovich

MAAT, MICB PM.Dip., Accounts
 

mary@bromleypropertycompany.com

020 8462 7155

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Mary has been in the accounting industry for over 23 years and has a license with the AAT and ICB. Mary prides herself on excellent customer service and strongly believes in building a close working relationship with her clients.

Mary deals with the invoice payments and tax for the group as well as assisting with all aspects of accounting.