Property

Have you considered selling by auction?

AREyou looking to sell your property quickly and easily? There are many benefits to selling your property at auction including a faster exchange, reduced risk of the sale falling through, higher prices and much more. In addition to staging traditional auctions, Killens operate a simple and exciting online property auction system that can achieve great results.

So how does it work . . .

Well, the system allows registered bidders to place bids on a property during a period of marketing, normally 30 days, without the pressure of the auction room. Potential buyers can see the bids being placed and get an email when outbid encouraging them to bid again.

At the end of the auction, buyers are automatically charged a deposit or reservation fee and are obliged to complete the purchase 28 days later. The system is really straightforward!

And the costs are really competitive.

If you are thinking about selling your property at auction, contact us to arrange a free market appraisal. Our expert valuers will provide you with professional valuation and marketing advice.

In marketing your property, we will undertake intense marketing with access to a large national database of investors from across the UK and abroad who will be emailed property details as well as advertising in the local press and promotion on all the main property portals including Rightmove, Zoopla, On The Market and Primelocation.

So why sell by auction . . .

• Auction can provide the fastest route to achieving a sale. • Competitive bidding during the short selling window can lead to properties selling for much more than expected. • Auction properties benefit from broader, more intense marketing. • The fast pace of the transaction and the requirement of a deposit reduces the opportunities for gazumping and vendors withdrawing so fewer sales fall through in comparison to estate agency methods. • You can plan ahead.

The team at Killens are seeking houses, cottages, commercial property, land and development opportunities to offer by auction. Contact them on 01749 671172 for a free appraisal of your property

Looking forward to a great year ahead

I HAVE never been more excited than starting the fourth year of my business. We are moving into a new office on the same site at Fairseat Workshops in Chew Stoke, we have a brand new website and we will be even more active on social media.

My experienced team are fully trained and motivated to go the extra mile for all our clients with all guns blazing, using their unrivalled local knowledge, which is something you cannot say for every agent.

We have our roots deep in the Chew Valley and we will continue to invest not only in our own business, but to support many of the wonderful local community groups who help to make the place so special.

We have come a long way since I started up just before the Covid pandemic and I am proud of what we have achieved. Our own belief is backed up by solid statistics from Rightmove, the UK’s premier property website.

They have confirmed that we are now firmly established as the number one agency, not only in the Chew Valley, but right across the postcodes of BS39 and BS40 when it comes to new instructions, sales and property views.

That is an amazing accolade and a brilliant reward for all the hard work we put in every day to provide the “Dedication, Imagination and Delivery” which are our watch words for everything we do.

All this means that whilst our focus will continue to be on the Chew Valley, we are also able to operate in adjacent districts such as the Mendips, Backwell and Long Ashton, broadening our reach for buyers and sellers, without in any way diluting the top class service on which we have built our reputation.

The market in this area is settling into what I call the new normal. Even in a national market which is cooler than it has been, we will continue to live in a hotspot so there will continue to be strong demand for homes and many people who want to come here to enjoy the lifestyle.

So my advice to you is that if you are considering selling your property, come and speak to us now so that you are ready for the buyers who will be flocking in the early spring sunshine.

We will be pleased to see you and keen to help you get on the move so that your 2023 can be as exciting as ours.

JOANNA TILEY

Farewell to popular adviser

A VOLUNTEER adviser with Citizens Advice Mendip has retired after 27 years of service.

Friends and colleagues marked Alison Cholmondeley’s long service with a celebration at their staff and volunteers’ meeting in January at the Portway Annexe in Wells.

Alison, of Wells, trained as a psychiatric nurse working at the Mendip Hospital in Wells. Since the pandemic, Alison has been an active volunteer with Wells Community Network alongside her work with Citizens Advice Mendip.

She said: “It’s been a huge joy and so satisfying. It’s an extraordinary thing to put yourself forward to do, to put your own personal views to one side and also to work with a fantastic team.

“I have seen how Citizens Advice gives people confidence in being able to sort out their problems. I have also witnessed how the organisation has developed as a force to be listened to by policymakers. And it has always made me feel I’ve been doing a worthwhile job.”

Ian Byworth, CEO of Citizens Advice Mendip, said: “Alison has been an incredible inspiration to many others with her commitment, giving up her free time to help others for almost 30 years! We need new volunteers to come forward and help continue the great work that Alison has been doing.”

Meanwhile, the organisation is opening up “self-service” kiosks where people can contact an adviser or access information on their website after reporting record numbers of people turning to them for help as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.

The first three kiosks have been set up at the Portway Annexe in Wells, the Crispin Centre in Street and Glastonbury Library – open Monday to Friday, 10am4pm.

It says feedback has shown that people like the anonymity and ability to access information at a time that suits them. Ian added: “It’s important for people faced with rising costs to know there are ways we can help.”

Alison and Ian (front) with citizens advice colleagues

Details: www.citizensadvicemendip.org.uk

Hospital’s new lease of life

SEDGEMOOR District Council and its partners have won a £19.7million bid to redevelop the former Bridgwater Hospital from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund.

The Grade II listed building, which has lain empty since the new Community Hospital was built in 2014, will now have a new lease of life as a Training Centre of Excellence for Health and Social Care. There will be an annexe of the trust, based in Minehead.

The project will see the building returned to public use by creating a wholly integrated skills development and learning academy to attract, retain, grow, and upskill key workers in the care sector.

Final call-out to young artists

THERE is still time to enter the Black Swan Arts Young Open 2023 competition which will be on show at the Frome-based art centre in March.

The Young Open, now in its eighth year, provides an exceptional opportunity for young people between the ages of five and 19 to have their work curated, judged and exhibited in the centre for hundreds of visitors to see. Entries close on Friday, February 3rd.

Submissions in all forms of art and craft are welcome, including painting, drawing, collage, ceramics, jewellery, textiles, photography, video/animation, metalwork, carpentry and sculpture.

Winners have the chance to take part in a small group workshop with a professional artist. The Workshop Prize is a unique element of the Young Open, with local working artists and craftspeople individual workshop prizes. Winners will also receive vouchers donated by local Frome business, Postscript.

In the eight years since the competition was launched, more than 1,500 works of art have been entered and more than 1,000 young artists have taken part and the five exhibitions to date have received more than 9,000 visitors. l The cost is £5 for one entry, £8 for two, £10 for three and £12 for four. Entry is online via www.blackswanarts.org.uk The exhibition runs from March 4th to April 16th.