I haven't blogged on ActiveRain for a long time, why? Because Twitter has sucked my soul and now if it's more than 140 characters my brain melts into an oozey puddle!
But I need some advice and ya know what? ActiveRain seems like the best place to ask.
Those of you who know me will know that I may be a Featured Member in Anaheim but I am actually an impostor, being in fact a British lady living in London. When I signed up for AR I couldn't put an international city so I chose Anaheim, a place I've fond holiday memories of and home of my (almost) namesake ;-)
So here's the story, in Spring 2010 I'm coming to 'live' in California for three months. You folks don't make it very easy to get a visa so three months is the most I can stay without jumping through lots of hoops/tricking someone into marrying me etc!
Now I need some advice on WHERE to lay my head during this three month period. My shortlist of places is as follows:
San Francisco (Mission District)
Laguna Beach
Santa Monica
Newport Beach
I have vacationed in all of these places so know them in a very loose sense, but I can't figure out where I should stay for the three month period. Or, if I should stay six weeks in SF and six weeks in the OC, or one month in three different locations....or what!
The biggest thing that will affect my decision is that I won't have a car, I'm too young to hire and the idea of driving in America is terrifying to me if I'm perfectly honest.
So where would you recommend I made my temporary Californian home, bearing in mind I will be car-less, looking to meet lots of new people, looking to have fun, need great bars and restaurants but want to relax too? I really adore the idea of a beach, as I live in grotty central London and want a real change of scenery. I'm very happy to take public transport, but I want to be able to walk to cafes etc. And I want to feel safe wherever I am. Cost isn't so much of an issue, I'm coming from London for goodness sake!
I'm spending Christmas and New Year in Orange County so that will help me check out my options also before coming out for the three months in March/April but any advice is greatly appreciated :-D
Well, I have been quiet haven't I? The good news is that my lack of blogging has not been because the real estate market in the UK is so bad that I've gone to cry under a rock, oh no. I've just been so flippin busy lately that blogging has taken a bit of a sidestep.
I have lots of news, so I'll just tell you what I'm particularly excited about - Twitter!
I have been addicted to Twitter for a long while now and although Twitter is a hit with US based real estate agents, your UK counterparts haven't flocked to the social networking site...yet. Well, in recent weeks Twitter has seen a huge increase in traffic in the UK. In fact, Twitter is now one of top 100 websites in the UK in terms of traffic numbers. A few UK agents are starting to creep on there and I have a real positive feeling that it will explode pretty soon.
With that in mind, we made some changes at Globrix on Friday to make the site as Twitter friendly as possible. We have the largest index of for sale and rental properties in the UK now, around one million (and for a small country like ours, that's a lot!) and now every property can be tweeted :)
Under each property listing on Globrix we have added a 'Twitter this property' button, like this...
So if a user finds a nice house, they can tweet it - simple! We don't need the Twitterers user details/password to make this work, so nobody needs to worry about any phishing scams, it's all very easy and hopefully people will find it useful.
I also launched a new Twitter account myself last week - @PropertyPorn.
Like sexy properties? Really kinky ones with swimming pools, helipads and tennis courts? You need to be following @PropertyPorn!
Each day we tweet some of the hottest, baddest, naughtiest UK properties for your viewing pleasure. WARNING - Some homes are seriously X Rated! One that I tweeted yesterday was on the market for £700,000,000. Just count those zeros ;-)
Around about this time of year, everybody starts to make their predictions on what they expect 2009 to bring. Well they certainly do here in the UK, and I'd be surprised if it was much different in the US! When it comes to house prices, this years forecasts are of particular interest to EVERYONE.
Just like in the US, 2008 saw a pretty nasty time for UK real estate. Prices dropped dramtically, transactions decreased, and many estate agencies had to close their doors forever. In fact, 32,000 estate agents lost their jobs in 2008, nearly half of the entire estate agent workforce.
But is the worst over in the UK? Or is more bad news set to come?
Predictions for 2009 property prices range from the overly positive to the starkly bleak, Legal & General believe prices won't recover to their recent peaks for a decade. The Telegraph has a round up of predictions, with most agents reaching a consensus that prices will fall around 5-10% over 2009 and then start to pick up again. Mostofthe newspapers are running with Hometrack's prediction of a 12% price drop over 2009.
Looking back over 2008, our own stats at Globrix have shown that in some parts of the country up to one in four homes are still on the market having not sold all year. In Rochdale, Lancashire, as many as 26% of properties for sale have been stuck on the market waiting for a buyer since the beginning of 2008. Aberystwyth in Wales has also suffered, with 23% of homes for sale failing to find a buyer.
Globrix CEO, Daniel Lee, comments on what we've seen over the past year and how things are starting to look up for the New Year...
"It's been a terrible year for the property market. These end-of-year figures really do bring into sharp focus just how stagnant the property market has been in 2008.The gridlock in the market has been a result of the banks' reluctance to lend and an unwillingness by sellers to lower their asking prices to more realistic levels. Fortunately, in the past few weeks there have been signs that sellers are starting to accept that they need to drop their prices if they are going to attract buyers."
The predictions may differ for how 2009 will play out, but I think everybody can agree that the banks need to lend and sellers need to be realistic if the market is going to stand a good chance of recovery. That's what I think here in London, but I'm sure that message rings true in the US as well.
I have always wanted to go to an Inman Connect conference, but sadly being here in little old England has always meant I've followed the event from my computer screen...desperately waiting for the next tweet or blog post with all the hot RE gossip, tips and tricks.
Through platforms like ActiveRain I've come to know hundreds of US based RE folk over the past year and a half or so, and I was starting to think I'd never actually meet them 'IRL' (in real life).
This weekend, my luck changed dramatically :-D
On Friday night I entered a competition on Jay Thompson's popular real estate blog 'Phoenix Real Estate Guy'. The prize? A conference pass for the entire duration of Inman Real Estate Connect NYC (sponsored by the guys and gals at Inman News) and a whopping $1500 worth of travel expenses (kindly sponsored by the great team at HomeQuest).
When I entered Jay's competition I never thought I'd win, I won't lie and say 'I've never won anything before in my life' but the things I have won have usually been crappy things like pens or book tokens. A trip to New York? Unlikely.
I actually went to Brighton (on the English coast) for the weekend and wasn't even online when the draw for the winner took place, I was probably watching the sunset over the sea when Jay's daughter Lauren picked a name out of the hat for the prize. Just before midnight I checked my emails on my cellphone as I didn't have access to a computer, I was really just checking to see if I had any new Twitter messages or comments on my YouTube videos but there were a couple of direct messages through Twitter saying things like 'Congratulations'. The penny dropped when the next message said 'Can't wait to meet you in NY!'.
OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <------my reaction as I realise I must have won the competition.
I managed to find a friend with a dodgy internet connection where we were staying and logged on to Jay's blog to confirm the good news. I can't tell you how happy I am and how grateful I am to Jay, Inman and Homequest for making it possible for this loudmouth girl from London to hop on a plane to New York and attend Connect.
So I guess all that's left to say is that if you're going to Inman Connect...see you there!
If you're lucky, I may even bring British candy ;-)
Here at Globrix we're still keenly tracking those asking prices and it has become clear that since our last data release, asking prices have continued to fall.
So where is the best area in the UK to pick up a property at a rock-bottom price?
According to our most bang-up-to-date stats, Southend-On-Sea is the top location in the UK right now if you’re looking to pick up a bargain. In the past week alone (w/c 28th November 2008), 2.9% of sellers in the seaside resort have cut their original asking prices, a higher percentage than anywhere else in the country. This means for bargain hunters looking for a steal, Southend-on-Sea is the place to look, with 33 properties reduced in price by an average of £11,075 since Friday 28th November.
In the latest list of bargain hotspots, Southend-on-Sea is followed by Bedford (2.3%), where 38 properties have been reduced by an average of £23,831 in the past week, and Colchester (1.9%), where 52 properties have had an average of £11,430 knocked off the price since 28th November.
But in which large towns have price cuts been the sharpest?
Sellers in Cambridge appear to have had a major reality check over the past week: while only 0.6% of the properties in the famous University town have had their prices cut since 28th November, the average price cut was a massive 16.6%, or £42,772. Property price cuts in Stoke-On-Trent came the closest to Cambridge. The average price cut over the past week was 9.2%, or £9,588. In third place was Northampton, seeing an average price cut of 8.8%, or £11,220. In London, 278 properties have been reduced in price by motivated sellers during the past week, at a staggering average drop of £58,446. In Birmingham, the UK’s second largest city, 53 properties have been lowered in price by sellers, by an average of £7,806.
Nationally, 3293 properties have been reduced in price by sellers since 28th November at an average price drop of £22,061 (7%).
Daniel Lee, Globrix CEO, had this to say on the latest drops...
“As the weeks go by, more and more sellers are repricing their properties downwards on the basis that if they don’t then they simply won’t find a buyer. There is no doubt that sellers are becoming a lot more realistic around price — the penny really has dropped. Clearly the next month will be quiet but it will be interesting to see whether the combination of lower interest rates and lower house prices will finally stimulate the market in the New Year.”
Whenever I write or post pictures from various parts of the UK, all my ActiveRain friends seem to like it. So this is part of a new daily series introducing you all to various parts of this lovely little island! If you've got any special requests for certain English places, just drop me a line and it could be featured next!
Today we're talking about Guildford :-)
Guildford, in Surrey (South East of England), is a rather nice little town which more than a handful of my colleagues have called 'home' over the years. I grew up ten minutes down the road so I know it well! And we're not the only fans of Guildford, oh no. Guildford regularly appears in all manner of 'Top UK places to live' lists and has even been hailed the most attractive and safe shopping destination in the country.
Guildford appears in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it was deemed to be worth the princely sum of £32. Of course, just to own a property in Guildford nowadays you're gonna need a few hundred thousand more than that.
Guildford's got plenty of historical tidbits to offer, including a castle which is thought to predate the Saxons and the oldest remaining synagogue in Western Europe. The first ever game of cricket is also argued to have taken place at the Royal Grammar School in 1598.
Even in more recent times Guildford had made it's mark on the history books, the scary climax of The Omen was filmed at Guildford Cathedral and let's not forget that Cheryl Cole (nee Tweedy) was arrested for assault after thumping a toilet attendant in one of Guildford' favourite nightclubs.
We spoke to one Guildford resident to find out why they love where they live...
"There's a nice combination of rural and urban here, nothing's too overwhelming. There's enough of a buzz for decent shopping, restaurants and bars without the claustrophobia of a big city. I can be at Waterloo in half an hour or I can be in one of the many picturesque Surrey villages like Shere and Gomshall within 15 minutes. There's a mix of good state schools and private schools and there's lots for kids to do with the Spectrum nearby. The only downside? Don't start your night at the bottom of the high street and expect to make it to the top, that's a big hill and if you've had anything to drink then it's not going to happen!"
Whenever I write or post pictures from various parts of the UK, all my ActiveRain friends seem to like it. So this is part of a new daily series introducing you all to various parts of this lovely little island! If you've got any special requests for certain English places, just drop me a line and it could be featured next!
Today we're talking about Bury St Edmunds :-)
Bury St. Edmunds, one of the few towns in England that doesn’t end in Ton, Ing, Ham or Ford is situated in the heart of John Constable’s county of Suffolk. It earns its unique name from its dark and complicated history. Originally a Saxon monastery, King Edmund was buried here in the 900s, of which his fame brought prosperity and growth to the surrounding town. Monasteries crumbled, abbeys were erected and power regularly changed hands up until the wool trade in the 15th century, which allowed the market and nearby villages to flourish. In the following 200 years, some of the largest witch trials were held in the town by the “Witch finder General” Matthew Hopkins.
Despite the dark history, Bury St Edmunds’ town centre is a beautiful place with plenty of independent shops, bars and restaurants. The ruins of the abbey are open to the public and host some beautiful flower gardens and even a tiny bird zoo.
If you’re in to your ales, you’ll find the freshest Greene King beer in the country, as the brewery is based right in the town centre and fills the streets with delicious hoppy smells for most of the year. The Old Cannon Brewery also offers some independent and very high quality tipple.
Travel wise, London can be a bit far on the train but is still commutable, and property prices are considerably lower than Cambridge and Ipswich. If you work in the latter two towns of course, you can be at work in about half an hour. Also, if you’re in to your country property, the surrounding villages to Bury St Edmunds play host to one The Rothschild’s estates as well as Claudia Schiffer’s little agricultural project. In the summer, West Suffolk’s colour scheme is unrivalled as golden fields of wheat and barley compliment the ‘Suffolk-pink’ cottages that are so common around Bury.
If you like the sound of Bury St Edmunds, and you’re not a witch of course, why not check it out?
Whenever I write or post pictures from various parts of the UK, all my ActiveRain friends seem to like it. So this is part of a new series introducing you all to various parts of this lovely little island! If you've got any special requests for certain English places, just drop me a line and it could be featured next!
Today we're talking about Oxford :-)
Oxford, or The City of Dreaming Spires as some people like to call it, is in the South East of England. Perhaps best known throughout the world for its famous historic university, there's more to Oxford than just a fine academic institution.
The architecture is impressive, with buildings that reflect every architectural period since the arrival of the Saxons and if you're a history buff then you can while away weekends tracing Oxford's roots all the way back to the 9th Century.
But aside from the history, there's plenty on offer for those that prefer something a bit more modern. I spoke to one Oxford resident to find out why they love where they live...
"Oxford has absolutely loads to offer yet much of the cities character is defined by the university buildings - it's impossible to go to Oxford and not be inspired by the university's history which is there for all to see. That being said, I've never studied here and I don't feel like I've missed out. Of course, there's a big student population but there's lots to do whatever your age. There are great pubs, great shopping and I can safely get about on my bike. It's not an overwhelming city like London is sometimes, you can navigate Oxford really easily. Although if you want to get to London then it's only an hour or so on the train. I really like it here, and nobody does a better May Day celebration than us here in Oxford!"
Whenever I write or post pictures from various parts of the UK, all my ActiveRain friends seem to like it. So this is part of a new daily series introducing you all to various parts of this lovely little island! If you've got any special requests for certain English places, just drop me a line and it could be featured next!
One of our readers saw us talking about Chester yesterday and felt compelled to tell us about their home town with a similar name - Colchester.
Colchester, in the East of England, is officially the oldest recorded town in England. London stole the capital position from Colchester over 1000 years ago, but for some time it was the city of choice for kings, and plenty of history is still visible here too. Colchester’s town centre still prominently displays the old Roman wall and a fantastically preserved Norman castle can be found in Castle Park.
Old churches have been redeveloped in to arts centres and there’s even an old water tower which is rumoured to be converted in to a bachelor pad (add “bachelor pad” to your MyGlobrix search)!
Aside from the history behind the town, Colchester has plenty of shopping space available and can make a good night out if you head to the right places. It also makes a claim to fame by being the proud host of Pimp My Ride UK. For the grown-ups, London is only 45 minutes on the train to Liverpool Street, which explains the new (but quite aesthetically pleasing) housing developments near the station and for the children, Lexden road hosts some of the best rated schools in the UK.
Whenever I write or post pictures from various parts of the UK, all my ActiveRain friends seem to like it. So I'm going to start a new daily series introducing you all to various parts of this lovely little island! If you've got any special requests for certain English places, just drop me a line it could be featured next!
Today we're talking about Hove :-)
Hove is a popular Southern town in East Sussex, with some stunning Regency architecture. The wide avenues and grand buildings have made the seaside town a favourite coastal retreat for many decades, famous Hove residents have included Winston Churchill, Dusty Springfield and Paul McCartney.
Hove is Brighton's next door neighbour, together the two towns form the city 'Brighton & Hove'. It's important to never accuse a Hove resident of living in Brighton, they are likely to quickly remind you that they're from 'Hove, actually'.
I had a chinwag with one of the locals to see why they love where they live...
"I moved to Hove from London about three years ago, mainly because the stress of inner-city life was getting to me! When I realised I could live by the sea and still have a job in London it was a no-brainer really. I can be at my desk in the City in an hour and a half and at the weekends I have the coast and the fresh air. There seem to be more and more delis and cafes springing up too, making the area even more attractive."
Disclaimer: ActiveRain Corp. does not necessarily endorse the real estate agents, loan officers and brokers listed on this site. These real estate profiles, blogs and blog entries are provided here as a courtesy to our visitors to help them make an informed decision when buying or selling a house. ActiveRain Corp. takes no responsibility for the content in these profiles, that are written by the members of this community.
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