Property Search

Day: 26 April 2023

Resilient House Market On The Move

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Sold board McCarthy Holden

Who would have thought it!

April trading showed a house market defying the doom and gloom peddled in the Media since last year, defying the odds and performing better than expected given the backdrop of the UK economy.

House Buyers Positivity

There are hints of the attitudes that house buyers displayed back in the Covid days, when the house market took off because people wanted to get on with their life’s ambitions determined not to let the disruption of the pandemic get in the way.

Today, the attitude of house buyers seems to be one of pursuing their house buying goals, negotiating cautiously but importantly being decisive and not waiting for the next piece of economic news to impact on their focused approach to house buying.

April Showers Didn’t Dampened April Sales

Take these examples of a properties going to the market, achieving excellent interest in today’s market, and finding perfect outcomes.

North Warnborough, Hampshire – This character 2 bedroom property was put to the open market in April at a guide of £675,000 and the marketing generated multiple buyer interest, resulting in a sale being agreed 5% above the guide price.

North Warnborough, Hampshire

In the Blue Triangle area of Fleet Hampshire, this traditional property hot spot has seen several house sale agreed in April, provide excellent examples of a fast moving market.

During the first week of marketing at a guide of £1,250,000 the buyer response to the property below was excellent, resulting in five viewings in a matter of days and a sale agreed shortly thereafter.

Sale agreed example in April McCarthy Holden
Blue Triangle, Fleet, Hampshire

Also in the Blue Triangle area of Fleet and nearer the top end of the market, the property below was sold (stc) to a cash buyer in April on a guide of £1,675,000.

Sale agreed example in April McCarthy Holden
Blue Triangle, Fleet, Hampshire

And yet again in the Blue Triangle in Fleet, the property below went to market at a £1,100,000 guide and was snapped up with 24 hours.

Sale agreed example in April McCarthy Holden
Blue Triangle, Fleet, Hampshire

The country and equestrian market is also on the move, as per the example below. This fine house in Finchampstead went under offer in April on a guide of £2,250,000.

Sale agreed example in April McCarthy Holden
Finchampstead, Berkshire

These properties provide excellent examples of a house market still very much on the move!

In our area of operation on the Hampshire / Berkshire borders, house prices have held up well with some sectors only slightly lower compared to a year ago. Fears of a major downturn in prices are overdone and with levels of supply improving house sales are being agreed at an increasing rate. This is supported by the fact that our first quarters trading results show a 6.75 increase on the house sales front and a 7% on the house lettings front when contrasted to the same period last year. The resilience in the residential house market continues.

A strong labour market and medium term likelihood of falling mortgage rates are supporting good buyer activity levels and house sellers are becoming more realistic on price if they are serious about moving home, hence we have a more balanced market with buyers and sellers more aligned on where they see pricing.

If you are thinking of a house sale, contact our nearest branch and arrange a free no obligation valuation.

Sale agreed example in April McCarthy Holden
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Sunshine yellow: 12 ways to brighten your home with summer’s favourite hue

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The sunniest of shades is back, says Sam Wylie-Harris.

If the recent spring weather has put you in a sunny mood, why not mirror those feel-good vibes at home with some sunshine-yellow decor?

The brighter days may even have reignited an urge to tackle some long overdue DIY projects, or perhaps breathe life into your space with a fresh lick of paint.

If you’d rather take the easy option however, there are plenty of sunbeam-hued homewares in the shops, energised and raring to go.

Let the happiest hue give your home a new lease of life with these top finds…

1. John Lewis ANYDAY ‘Hello Sunshine’ Cushion, £12, John Lewis

A sunny scatter cushion emblazoned with a cheery message will set the scene for an all over glow. Bound to bring a smile.

2. Capri, Yellow – Roman Blind, from £51.31, 247 Blinds

Window dressing with timeless appeal, wildflowers against a yellow background works like a dream with soft greys and neutrals. Style with a fruit bowl of bananas, lemons or yellow peaches to add vibrancy to your scheme.

3. Wilko Embossed Glass Tumbler, Yellow, £3, Wilko stores

These fetching tumblers will make that smoothie or fruit punch taste extra-special, without being spendy. Ideal for garden parties and al-fresco lunches once it really warms up.

4. Daisy Bee Wipe Clean Table Cloth, from £28-£32, Next

From summer soirées to brekky or brunch, this sweet print looks and feels as fresh as a daisy.

5. Sass and Belle Yellow Round Bamboo Tray, £19.95, The Northern Line

When it’s time to proffer those Aperol Spritzes, this serving dish signals sundowners.

6. Victory Colours Sunstar No 42, Matt Emulsion, £44.95 for 2.5L, Victory Colours

A joyous celebration of colour, this bright yellow paint works for both contemporary and classic schemes. Create a feature wall full of warmth.

7. The Candy Neck Arm Wall Light in Yellow, £224, Made to Last

This industrial style retro-looking wall light makes a bright statement, before you’ve even flicked the switch.

8. Neve Linen Sofa Bed – Mustard, £199.99 (other items from a selection), The Range

A Scandi-style sofa bed in mustard will spice up a small space – and look equally good in a sun room. Think afternoon doze, sunny siesta style.

9. Plant Pouches Gift Box, from £28-£38, Cera Cotton

We love these wax coated fabric plant pouches – ideal for showing off your succulents. Available in three sizes, they can also be used for storing simple household items.

10. John Lewis + Matthew Williamson Wave Bath Towel, Mustard, £22.95, John Lewis

Looking to give your bathroom a fun beach vibe? This wavy print is a prize pick.

11. Salsa Garden Chair, Set of 2, Two Tone Yellow, £189, John Lewis

These funky rattan chairs will work a treat indoors or out. The pop of colour makes for an easy update for patio spaces and balconies.

12. Golden Somer Wood Paint, from £20 for 750ml, Thorndown

It may take some work, but imagine the satisfaction of bringing a tired piece of furniture back to life. Suitable for indoor and outdoor use, this buttercup yellow will liven up a lawn or living room.

We made the coronation quiche – this is what we thought

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Lisa Salmon made the King and Queen Consort’s coronation quiche recipe containing spinach and broad beans – and even her teenagers ate (most of) it.

At first glance, the King and Queen Consort’s personally-chosen ‘coronation quiche’ recipe looks fairly cheap and easy to make.

Featuring spinach, broad beans, cheese and fresh tarragon in a no-faff recipe (you put everything in a pre-baked pastry case and stick it in the oven), what could possibly be the problem?

Fresh tarragon, it turns out. It may be easy to get your hands on when you’re royal, but I went to three supermarkets and even tried one online, and just could not find any.

The recipe has been shared on the royal family social media channels in celebration of Coronation Big Lunches, which aim to bring communities together to celebrate over the coronation weekend (May 6-8).

Great British Bake Off judge and Big Lunch ambassador Prue Leith was one of the first to try it, at a special Big Lunch at Westminster Abbey, and described it as “absolutely delicious”.

Leith added: “There was no soggy bottom, the custard was not overcooked and dry, and the balance of tarragon was perfect – a really good quiche.”

The royal family’s website says the dish is “a deep quiche with a crisp, light pastry case and delicate flavours of spinach, broad beans and fresh tarragon”. It does not, of course, mention the fact finding fresh tarragon is about as easy as wearing the Crown Jewels on a night out at Wetherspoons.

I resorted to using dried tarragon (£1.09 at Morrison’s), with the internet suggesting using one teaspoon of the dried variety for every one tablespoon of the fresh stuff, as dried tarragon is much stronger tasting.

The other ingredients were easy to find, and pretty affordable. A packet of frozen broad beans is about £1.50 (and you only need a handful for the recipe), you can buy a small pack of spinach for 99p, double cream costs about £1.35, and the other ingredients – like milk, eggs, cheese and butter – you might have in your fridge already.

While the recipe does give the option of using shop-bought pastry, I made my own – tweaking the recipe to make it vegetarian. Although the quiche filling is all veggie, the pastry included a mixture of butter and lard, which is most definitely not vegetarian! I used all butter for my pastry instead, which was fine.

Making pastry is easy enough, and I baked my pastry case ‘blind’ for the suggested 15 minutes. I suspect a few minutes longer would have been better though, as while I’m pleased to say the finished quiche didn’t have a soggy bottom, it wasn’t exactly ‘crisp and light’ as described.

The filling couldn’t be easier. Half the cheese, cooked spinach (which I squeezed in kitchen paper to get rid of excess moisture, although the recipe doesn’t suggest this) and broad beans go in the bottom of the pre-baked case, then a mixture of the double cream, milk, eggs, tarragon and seasoning are poured on top, followed by the rest of the cheese (I added a bit more than suggested, simply because we all love cheese!).

After baking for 25 minutes, the quiche looked roughly like the one in the official Palace picture (although perhaps not quite as neat). But, what did it taste like?

Creamy was my overriding impression, and the hint of tarragon was nice, but I wished I’d added a little more. And to be honest, although I like spinach and broad beans, I didn’t really notice them taste-wise – although the quiche looks very green.

Green food is not something eagerly consumed by my teenage sons, so I was expecting them to turn their noses up at this. Surprisingly, they didn’t – and, although they picked out the broad beans, they actually said they liked the rest of the quiche and ate it all. Amazing!

However, although the recipe claims to serve six, there was just about enough for four of us – six portions would be very small.

The final verdict goes to my 19-year-old son, who concisely described the coronation quiche as: “Creamy and cheesy, with a twist.”

How to make the coronation quiche

(Serves 6)

For the pastry:

125g plain flour

Pinch of salt

25g cold butter, diced

25g lard

2tbsp milk

Or 1 x 250g block of ready-made shortcrust pastry

For the filling:

125ml milk

175ml double cream

2 medium eggs

1tbsp chopped fresh tarragon

Salt and pepper

100g grated cheddar cheese,

180g cooked spinach, lightly chopped

60g cooked broad beans or soya beans

Method

1. To make the pastry: Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl; add the fats and rub the mixture together using your fingertips until you get a sandy, breadcrumb-like texture. Add the milk a little at a time and bring the ingredients together into a dough. Cover and allow to rest in the fridge for 30-45 minutes.

2. Lightly flour the work surface and roll out the pastry to a circle a little larger than the top of the tin and approximately 5mm thick.

3. Line the tin with the pastry, taking care not to have any holes or the mixture could leak. Cover and rest for a further 30 minutes in the fridge.

4. Preheat the oven to 190°C.

5. Line a 20cm flan tin with greaseproof paper, add baking beans and bake blind for 15 minutes, before removing the greaseproof paper and baking beans.

6. Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C.

7. Beat together the milk, cream, eggs, herbs and seasoning.

8. Scatter half the grated cheese in the blind-baked base, top with the chopped spinach and beans and herbs, then pour over the liquid mixture.

9. If required gently give the mixture a delicate stir to ensure the filling is evenly dispersed but be careful not to damage the pastry case.

10. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Place into the oven and bake for 20-25 minutes until set and lightly golden.

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