Diary of an Agent: Julia Robotham and Christopher Dewe

Julia Robotham (JR) covers areas including Guildford, Haslemere and Turnbridge Wells as part of Knight Frank’s national Country Department.

Christopher Dewe (CD) is a former office head and is part of the senior management team that supports the day to day running of Knight Frank’s office network outside of London.

Exchanges outside London were up 60% in the week ending 29 August versus the five-year average, as offers translate into transactions.

The country house market has performed strongly since restrictions were lifted, why do you think this is?

JR - I recently agreed a sale of a house in Mereworth near Sevenoaks. It is a Georgian-era home, and although there’s no central heating and it needs work, it’s beautiful and a huge property. It had languished on the market with another agent, but we took it on and relaunched it a month ago with the garden in bloom. It ultimately went to a local person but saw competitive bidding from two London-based buyers. It’s people’s desire for more space and greenery, as well as their wish to get on with things after years of political uncertainty, that’s driven the country market since it reopened.

CD – Gardens and outdoor space became people’s focus when we went into lockdown. Six months ago, we’d feature a kitchen diner as a main image in marketing material but its now all about the outdoor space. The other aspect is that people realise with the option to work at least some of the time from home that they can live further away from a city and get more for their money.

What are your thoughts on the stamp duty holiday?

JR – I think everybody is happy to save up to £15,000. The increase in activity at the lower end of the market benefits the whole market, so it’s welcome.

CD – When the market reopened it was the higher end that was busiest but since the stamp duty holiday was announced the market below £1m is really moving. That’s helped property chains come back together.

Has supply kept pace with demand?

JR – Probably not. Along with my colleague Nigel Mitchell in Guildford we have just exchanged contracts on a property in Chiddingford. It took only three weeks from first viewing to exchange, and the buyers had previously missed out on three properties, which shows how strong demand is at present.

CD - When we came out of lockdown we launched a lot of stock and that’s now gone under offer. There was a feeling that that might be it, but we’ve seen a second phase with a surprising amount of people saying, ‘let’s do this now rather than wait until the spring’. So, we arrive in September with lots of nice, new stock to sell and the recovery set to run.

What affect is this having on pricing?

JR – We’ve reduced pricing on properties that we‘ve been instructed on, typically ones that were listed before lockdown. However, due to the competition in the country market many are, at the very least, meeting their previous guide price. What is evident, is that despite a rise in the number of prospective buyers registering with us, you need to have your property on the open market at present to maximise exposure and achieve the best price possible.

CD - We have quite a few deals that are going above the guide prices, if they are sensibly priced. The £1m to £2m has been the busiest since we came back, although now we are seeing deals growing in numbers over £750,000, during the month of August especially, probably the stamp duty playing into this as buyers want to get a house before it goes up again [next year].

What will autumn have in store?

JR - As long as your property is priced and marketed correctly it will sell in the market we have. We haven’t seen the traditional slowdown this year and I expect to be busy throughout September, with October potentially slightly quieter but still strong.

CD – There’s clearly going to be an extended market in the country, and we’ll be busy for the rest of the autumn. It then depends whether there is a second Covid wave. If that’s avoided then we’ll be in very positive position heading into 2021.