Well, our new business David Phillip Estate Agents, with its office based in Bramhope, which opened just a couple of weeks ago has attracted a huge number of followers via Social Media alone which in this day and age can never be underestimated, for example, through Facebook and Instagram alone we’ve enjoyed an audience reach of over 2,000 followers.

The most engaging portal so far has been of a property marketed in North Rigton, North Leeds which at a guide price of £3.5m  has been viewed by over 3,000 followers on Rightmove (including the panoramic video), with several requests for details of this property.

David Phillip Estate Agents also subscribes to Zoopla and Prime Location, which receive over 50million visits a month*, this is particularly helpful as Zoopla have a number of partner sites which in this area includes the Johnston Press platforms.

Interest via the company website: davidphillip.co.uk has also been fantastic. David Phillip Estate Agents aims to offer quite a unique service, re-defining estate agency with fairer fixed fee packages, using the best immersive technology and contactable by phone on 01134 676 400.

#bramhope, #cookridge, #adel’ #pool-in-wharfedale, #northleeds, #leeds, #zoopla, #rightmove, #primelocation #fairerfees, #Matterport, #estateagent, #property, #onthemove,  

*Source ZPG internal data Jan-March 2017

*Figures on picture are from Facebook alone. 

This week has been very exciting for Bramhope’s newest agency, David Phillip Estate Agents which officially opened on the 11th September. I was also reminded this week just how technology has moved forward since I first started over 30 years ago. There were no colour photos and black and whites only if you were lucky, no floor plans, no internet, no property portals, no social media and when colour photos emerged they were stuck on manually!! This week too we were privileged to have taken on a superb property instruction jointly with Hopkinsons of Harrogate, a country estate priced in the region of £3.5m with stables, a lake with a lodge and land extending to approximately 140 acres. This property will be marketed with the latest technology; drone images, lifestyle videos that can be viewed 24/7, Matterport 360 degree virtual tours enabling the property to be viewed room by room and appear on all the main portals, Rightmove, Zoopla and Prime Location. The property will also be showcased on the main social media channels, to further increase the audience  – just how forward thinking are we?!

You will almost certainly have read about technological advances relating to driverless cars, flying taxis and hyperloops (a mode of transport that propels a pod at speeds of up to 760mph). Whilst these offer the tantalising prospect of alternatives to commuting on congested road networks, the most common futuristic tools you are likely to come across are available as smart upgrades to your home.

Smart-home upgrades can also help you sell or let your property...

The most popular ones can be quickly, easily and affordably be installed to help you differentiate your property from others on the marketplace:

1. Replace thermostats with smart models which enable you to control your property’s temperature by voice control and geofencing (the ability to adjust the temperature as you leave and return home)
2. Install smoke and carbon monoxide detectors. Providing peace of mind, smart detectors can send alerts to your phone and even tell you when the battery is running low.
3. Add warm glow smart lightbulbs. By swapping out old lightbulbs with smart LEDs connected to a control hub you can control your lighting over the internet. Turn your lighting on (or off) before you arrive home and change the mood by changing the brightness and even colour of the lighting.
4. Keyless locks and video doorbells. Improve the security of your property with smart door locks that use smartphone apps, key cards and tags to provide bank level encryption, PIN code access to your property and next generation video doorbells to enable you to see, hear and speak to anyone at your door from a smartphone, tablet or PC. Wherever you are, in the UK and abroad.
5. Introduce hubs and controllers. There are a growing number of smart home product categories enabling you to control everything from lights and temperature, to locks and security in your home. Devices such as Amazon’s Alexa work with a number of smart devices directly and via ‘recipes’ (using If This Then That; IFTTT) enable you to voice control gadgets around your home.

In addition to making life easier, smart tech can save you money, improve your home’s efficiency and add major value for home resale or let. It will also help you appeal to the fastest growing, largest potential audience for your property; Millennials.

If you need any help or advise about moving home, contact us today.

Selling your property? First impressions count. Before you work on improving your property’s ‘curb appeal’ or infusing the air with the aroma of percolating coffee, consider this. For more than 98% of buyers, the first encounter they will have with your property are the listing photographs! So how does yours measure up?

To get the best possible first impression, you need an agent that understands how to ‘stage’ your property, to connect with prospective buyers and tenants, as well as the photographic skills to produce outstanding photographs that present your property in the best possible light.

Before you appoint an agent, take a look at the quality of photos on their property listings. Your agent should have state-of-the-art equipment, that creates the highest quality images, combined with post-production editing skills to make them look crisp, with good lighting, and stylish images that attract interest and generate viewings.

So how can you help in this process?

1. To start with, no-one knows your property better than you do. You probably have a favourite view of your property – inside or out. So, make sure you tell your photographer, so they know can make the most of it.
2. You also know the least attractive parts of your property. Maybe your Grandma’s dining room table is looking a little tired? If so, move it or disguise it, before the photographer arrives.
3. Think about the condition of the décor around your property. Fix chips in woodwork, repair broken tiles and replace mouldy grout. Where possible neutralise the colour by painting over bold colours.
4. Check all the lights work. Lighting is one of the most important aspects of photography, so ensure everything works.
5. De-clutter. We all use washing-up liquid and shampoo, but they don’t need to be on display whilst your property is being photographed. Whilst you’re at it, hide away worktop appliances and general clutter such as; papers, postcards, kids’ artwork and more.
6. If you have a dog, get someone to take him / her out whilst the property is being photographed – and hide away dog bedding, food bowls and toys.
7. Style and accessorise your property. Place, quality magazines on coffee table, attractively presented fruit in fruit bowls, add fresh flowers and plants, which can be moved from room to room, to create a focal point for various shots. In addition, make up the beds with neutral bedding, dress the table for dinner and add fresh, fluffy towels to your bathrooms.
8. Make sure your home is spotlessly clean, smells fresh and is de-cluttered to the point of promoting a comfortable lifestyle rather than something that is too sterile.  Take the same approach to your garden.

Follow these tips to make sure your home is looking at its best, and you are ready to show to potential buyers.