A Wisemove in challenging times (From Living Northeast)

A Wisemove in challenging times

2:59pm Thursday 5th February 2009 in

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There was no doubt that 2008 was one of the most difficult years experienced in the property industry, but Graeme Blenkinsopp, managing director of Wisemove Land and Property Consultants, is of the opinion that anybody believing that previous years’ growth would continue indefinitely were deluded.

“As land agents, Wisemove experienced more than most the considerable activity in the land and development markets which saw the share value of major housebuilders grow massively and property values rise at their greatest rate in decades. This can never continue and the current realignment was bound to happen,” says Graeme.

Wisemove are at the forefront of land agency, surveying and energy assessments in the North of England, operating from the Scottish Borders to South Yorkshire.

“We have colleagues in the property industry who chose in the past few years to concentrate their attentions on areas of business making handsome profits, potentially losing focus on the traditional ‘bread and butter’ part of the industry that assists them in the longer term. I speak of some who closed departments simply breaking even, to concentrate on those specialist areas which have proven considerably profitable. When those profitable departments fail due to the economic downturn, it is difficult to return as market leaders and with any great conviction to those departments that they chose to forego.”

Wisemove are independently owned and run and are truly multi-disciplined, specialising in the sale of self-build development plots, the sale of land to major housebuilders and retailers, general work of Chartered Surveyors and, in the extremely busy period of rising land and property values, they took the decision to create a new department and qualify three associates as energy assessors.

Graeme says: “We have never lost sight of the fact that interest in building a house of their own has been at the forefront of many people’s minds and therefore demand for self-build plots has never really wavered.

“This is our ‘bread and butter’ work, whereas other land agent specialists in the development markets have concentrated their attention on dealing only with the major housebuilders, foregoing the less profitable budget retail and selfbuild market. This has come back to bite them hard, at a time when the self-builders and budget retailers are the only seriously active buyers.”

With more than 4,500 individuals registered with them seeking self-build plots, and more than 25,000 people registered with their national partners, Buildstore, demand for self-build plots is at an all-time high.

“The ability to buy a plot of land, develop their own house and retain tax-free profit and equity has never been lost on the seasoned self-builder and we encourage all those who have never considered this route to contact us to obtain a land list showing the land currently available,” says Graeme.

“We are proud to represent many of the major housebuilders of the North in the sale of their surplus land in the form of self-build plots, along with representing private individuals in the sale of their oversized gardens, and owners of land with previous use now suitable for self-build and redevelopment.”

Wisemove are also a market leader in offering professional services associated to energy assessments. “2008 has seen the major implementation of a legal requirement for domestic energy assessments to be undertaken on all properties sold or let, for the provision of an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) to be included in the Home Information Pack,” says Graeme. “As qualified energy assessors, we are here to help householders and landlords provide the EPC, and we can also provide the complete Home Information Pack.

“We are never knowingly more expensive than other providers. We offer a speedy, professional service at what we consider is an unbeatable price.”

Contact Wisemove for further details:
St George’s, Billy Row Crook, County Durham, DL15 9SX
Call: 0845-2305263
Email: land@wisemove.co.uk
visit: wisemove.co.uk