UK Property Blog

Blog interview with property investment & lettings author David Lawrenson

Posted on December 15th, 2009 by admin

David Lawrenson has kindly agreed to answer a few questions we thought would be interesting to our readers at Gartoo.

Just as a bit of background about David, he is an independent property investment and lettings expert, helping companies and private landlord and investors. You can find out more on the Letting Focus website, blog or buy his book.

Do you think that the industry (landlords, tenants, estate agents, portals etc) have a good understanding of how powerful the internet is when promoting their property?

Yes they do these days and this has changed substantially within the last 5 to 10 years.

However, I still don’t think that a lot of landlords have cottoned on to the fact that they can advertise directly on the main portals for around £60 with the on line letting agents, thus cutting out the high street agents.

They can then do all the rest of the stuff – viewings, tenancy checks themselves.

In another 5 years time I think the amount of high street floor space owned by letting agents and estate agents will be less than half what it is today

Do you think the internet has now become the most popular first port-of-call for research when looking to buy/rent a property?

Yes, definitely

How has internet usage become a major part of your job role?

Cannot live without it. Anyone with a site also has to really understand internet marketing and SEO.

Are you particularly impressed by any online application about property?

Rightmove and the like are pretty slick. It is also good to be able see past selling prices. A while ago I really liked the UpMyStreet capability to track past house selling prices by property type and area as a graph. For some reason they stopped doing it as a graphical output – weird. Can someone do that again please?

How are you promoting your book online?

Oh yes, with publishers like mine who let’s say aren’t so great at getting it in the high street, I have to be pretty focused on driving on line sales myself.

Even though my book is only available in about one third of Waterstones and is never stocked by WH Smiths or anywhere else on most high streets for that matter, it is still, nevertheless the top selling UK property book and has been so for 3 years. It’s quite laughable really and in a small way explains why Amazon is gobbling up the market – i.e. high street booksellers are often a bit sleepy while Amazon and Play.com are clued up and always have books that sell in stock.

Do you foresee any major challenges for innovative property search engine like Gartoo UK, which uses semantic search to allow users to find properties online?

Oo, that all sounds complex but anything that helps speed up the process is good news.

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The most northerly house in Britain

Posted on December 2nd, 2009 by admin

About as close to Norway as it is to mainland Scotland, Skaw Cottage on the island of Unst has long been recognised as the most northerly house in the UK. As a result, Amazon thinks this is a good enough reason for us to want to pay £4.99 for a 10×8 photograph of it!

Skaw Cottage
Image credit: Flickr

The picture itself is no more interesting to look at than the little factoid that goes with it. There’s the same undulating scrubland as in every other photo of the Shetlands, a one-way road with a few cottages at the end of it, and a strip of North Sea in the background. It’s quite pretty, although dare we say, not the most immediately eye-grabbing scene ever.

Home owners in the area can look forward to a Winter during which there may be no more than 5 hours of day light a day. The weather is known to change at the drop of a hat, though you are guaranteed at least some rain on 285 days out of each year.

However, we have been saving the best piece of Skaw trivia until last: it’s no longer the most northerly house in Britain. When the RAF closed the Saxa Vord radar station (Britain’s most northerly, of course) in 2006, work quickly began on converting the remaining buildings into the “Saxa Vord Resort”. As of April 2007 visitors can stay in any one of its 20 “self-catering holiday homes“. A close comparison of the co-ordinates places Saxa Vord a good 5.62 latitudinal seconds or two hundred metres further North, robbing Skaw of its centuries-old title and making it “almost the most northerly house in Britain”.

OK, if you’re being picky Saxa Vord is not a year-round residential house, but it’s certainly the most northerly sheltered place in Britain. Also, being perhaps a little fairer on Skaw, where else in the UK are you as likely to be able to watch the Northern Lights from your front window? A brief online property search on Gartoo for property in Unst find very reasonably priced some four-bedroom houses, surrounded by a few acres of land. Some going for “offers over £205,000”. Moreover, whilst admitting that the locals may be “a little more reserved than you’re used to”, Shetland.org notes that “the thing that people value most of all is the strength and warmth of the community.” With the competition over who’s the most northerly out of the way, and after viewing a few more photos like the one above, the Shetland isles might begin to sound rather lovely, really.

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Google Maps Real Estate vs UK Property Sites

Posted on November 12th, 2009 by admin

In July 2009 Google launched it’s Google Maps Real Estate service in response to a 35% increase in Internet property search queries in 2009 compared to 2008:

“Nielsen research shows that 87% of Australian home buyers use the internet to research properties*. Google saw more than 35% growth in real estate-related searches from Jan/Feb 2008 to Jan/Feb 2009**.”

the services allows internet users to locate rental listings and property for sale on Google Maps – and in some areas you can use the Google Maps street view feature to get a close-up panoramic view of the property. But how has this innovation affected the UK’s property industry?

When Google first launched their Google Maps real estate service it’s fair to say that the launch was more gradual and quiet (when compared to other Google service launches) – Google Maps real estate was originally launched in just the US, then in Australia, New Zealand, India and most recently in the UK. During the launches there were very few prominent links to the service and no ‘try Google Maps real estate’ adverts on Google Networks. Perhaps this was to test the reaction of the current property search engines and property agencies?

As well as allowing individual homeowners to add a free classifieds listing, Google also allows property agencies and brokers to upload their listings, referring traffic back to the property agencies source listing. Where does all of this leave the home seekers?

Property search engines in the UK, such as Gartoo, are likely to keep focusing on ease of use, which helps users find the properties that are more suited towards their needs. Gartoo in particular is experimenting with its semantic search facility – a user can search for ‘3 bedroom house to rent in Manchester’ and it delivers relevant results specific to the search query without the need of using drop down menus and check boxes to filter the results.

Gartoo - innovators in property search

Gartoo - innovators in property search

It is uncertain how Google Maps Real Estate will evolve in the future and whether it will embrace smarter property finding technology. The Google Maps Real Estate help section says:

“Our role is to connect users as quickly as possible with the information they need. People come to us looking for all kinds of information, including housing listings, comparable pricing, and how to find an agent or broker in their area. In all cases, we want to deliver these users to the industry experts who can provide the most useful answers.”

But will Google be able to resist trying to shape the landscape of the property industry? – Time will tell.

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Five Properties You Would Love in Mayfair

Posted on October 8th, 2009 by admin

Mayfair is without a doubt the most exclusive district in London, located in the very heart of the capital it is one of the most exciting places to live, work, and visit in London.

Renowned as the most expensive property on the monopoly board game, Mayfair attracts some of the worlds wealthiest and most influential people with it’s luxurious Georgian-style contemporary and chic property.

Mayfair property
Image credit: Flickr

Here is a countdown of Gartoo’s pick of the top five properties in Mayfair and the West End.

5. North Row
Located in the very heart of the Mayfair, North Row runs parallel to the popular commercial shopping area of Oxford Street, and features some of the most expensive properties in Mayfair. The North Row Place is one of the most luxurious 3 bedroom apartments on North Row, valued at £7.5million.

Properties in North Row


4. Grosvenor Square
Developed in 1721, Grosvenor Square was the third most fashionable residential addresses in London at the time, and forms the centerpiece of the Mayfair property of the Duke of West minister, taking it’s name from his surname (Richard Grosvenor). The properties in this area now consist of impressive Neo-Georgian style apartments, surrounded by embassy’s and hotels.

Properties in Grosvenor Square

3. Queen Street
Situated in one of the more peaceful residential areas in the London’s West End, the properties on Queen Street ooze luxury, and tranquility. The property below is valued at almost £7,000,000 and has five stylish en-suite bedrooms, two dining rooms (one of which has a gallery), two reception rooms, a kitchen, and balcony.

Queen Street, Mayfair property


2. Park Lane
The properties on Park lane are optimally located overlooking one of the largest green spaces in London (Hyde Park), the apartments are predominantly Mid-Georgian in style and were historically one of the most fashionable residential addresses in London.

This apartment in Park lane is valued at £6,500,000

Properties in Park Lane


1. South Audley Street
Following an extensive refurbishment programme, the new romantic town houses on the south end of South Audley Street have some of the most impressive contemporary designs in the district. Unlike the north end of Audley street, the properties on the south side of maintain a large deal of their Georgian characteristics. Properties in this area value up to £11,000,000.

Properties in South Audley Street

There you have it, Gartoo’s pick of the top five properties in the Mayfair area. For more information on property in London visit the Gartoo property search engine.

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Why thatched roofs are good for the environment

Posted on October 1st, 2009 by admin

Thatching has been used as a form of roofing in England for hundreds of years. The word itself is of Anglo-Saxon origin, although there is reason to believe that the craft of thatching is one of the oldest building techniques known to man. Roof tiles are no younger, having been extensively used by the ancient Greeks and Romans, although their use was historically reserved for larger and more expensive buildings than the average home. After the Industrial Revolution when mass production of roof tiles became possible, their popularity took off in the UK largely replacing thatching as a roofing material, but at what cost to the environment?

In spite of this illustrious pedigree, the demand of thatched roofs remains very much in demand nowadays. A search for “thatched roofs in Devon” yields a few dozen nice cottages currently on offer.

Thatched roof
Image credit: Flickr

Thatched roofs have always been less expensive

The manufacture of roof tiles requires more resources than the processing of natural fibres. While the water reed or straw necessary for thatching both grow naturally, clay or slate need to be mined. Not only does this mean that thatch is a renewable resource, it also means that cultivating it will generate far less carbon emissions than producing roof tiles, whilst possibly providing a habitat for wildlife. Water reed, by definition, only grows on land that is non-arable and so can be used to generate income from marshy ground without destroying animal habitats.

A local thatch is a good thatch

Nowadays a large proportion of English thatch is imported from abroad, although for those looking to earn their green credentials a local source is a must. As a matter of fact, the regional aspect of thatching, the local traditions, techniques and craftsmen, are a big part of what makes it so green. As all good locavores know, when things are locally sourced they create far less carbon emissions than when they are flown in from elsewhere. That includes the building material and the labour, both.

Energy saving by insulation and durability

The other main benefit to the environment is a result of thatch’s insulating properties. People with thatched roofs have no need to purchase additional loft insulation, making their heating demands a lot lower than many other homes.

However, above and beyond all of the other effects upon the environment, thatched roofs have one more advantage over roof-tiling: they blend in. As it slowly ages to a textured charcoal colour, thatching blends the line between your home and the natural world surrounding it. Birds like to nest in it (or, regrettably, steal bits of it and fly away), and mini-creatures like to live in it although you won’t notice them any more than in a normal house (or so I‘m told).

After the several decades that it will take before your thatch needs replacing, nature will have thrown up a new batch of building material that has housed ten generations of river voles before it did you. All in all, it’s hard to think of a more environmentally friendly building material for a modern house, and with thatched roofs slowly falling back into fashion, it’s certainly an interesting option for those who are willing to make the investment.

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Top 20 UK Properties on Google’s Monopoly City Streets

Posted on September 21st, 2009 by admin

You may have noticed during the last couple of weeks that Google has teamed up with Hasbro to create the hugely popular online game Monopoly City Streets. This is based on Google Maps, where users can play the game by purchasing their favourite streets from around the world.

Monopoly City Streets

So we thought it would be interesting to put together a list of the UK’s top 20 properties, not surprisingly these are all located in London! Many of which are owned by Mr Monopoly and will be openly available for auction in the near future.

Top 20 properties on Monopoly City Streets:

1. Euston Road – £2,809,000,000
2. Old Kent Road – £1,930,000,000
3. Oxford Street – £1,381,000,000
4. Park Lane – £1,287,000,000
5. Piccadilly – £1,104,000,000
6. Whitechapel Road – £1,071,000,000
7. Buckingham Palace Road – £910,000,000
8. Regent Street – £895,000,000
9. Pentonville Road – £759,000,000
10. Vauxhall Bridge Road – £754,000,000
11. Strand – £706,000,000
12. Fleet Street – £556,000,000
13. Trafalgar Square – £499,000,000
14. Pall Mall – £419,000,000
15. Whitehall – £344,000,000
16. Northumberland Avenue – £328,000,000
17. Leicester Square – £254,000,000
18. Coventry Street – £224,000,000
19. Bow Street – £185,000,000
20. Marlborough Street – £143,000,000

Interestingly there are 20 properties in the UK which are clearly very overpriced, although as a guide for which are the most valuable streets current property prices in Euston Road makes the Monopoly valuation very credible. 18 of these properties are owned by the game itself at the moment, although the Daily Telegraph and Press Association have managed to secure an expensive property each too. It’s possible this is part of a marketing campaign as it’s unlikely that they have built up a profile which can afford properties at these prices so quickly.

Euston RoadOld Kent RoadOxford StreetPark LanePiccadillyWhitechapel RoadBuckingham Palace RoadRegent StreetPentonville RoadVauxhall Bridge RoadStrandFleet StreetTrafalgar SquarePall MallWhitehallNorthumberland AvenueLeicester SquareCoventry StreetBow StreetMalborough Street

As reported recently by Nestoria Germany, the online game has received a huge boom in popularity since being launched and many people across the globe have been snapping up their favourite properties. So which streets have you bought or have you got your eye on one of the top 20 when the auction opens up?

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