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Claytons Residential Lettings have announced their most successful month since they started trading in 1992. January 2009 showed an increase of let and managed property by 62 percent on the previous year’s figures.

Coral Simpson, ARLA, Claytons Residential Lettings Operation Manager said “These statistics prove that in the current climate more people are taking the decision to let their property whether it be through choice or being unwilling or unable to accept the true current market value of their property”

“In some cases clients are letting out their own property and moving on to rent another one as currently this is their only option. It is not only the lack of home buying and selling activity that has helped us achieve these records.”

“Claytons focused heavily on the lettings side of the business last year”

“We altered our business model to ensure that we are able to expand our areas of operation and offer the best possible service and best possible service and professionalism to the lettings market in the areas we trade, especially with an increasing number of letting agents opening up and not all of them being properly qualified.”

This obviously paid off and we have had our most successful year ever.

Claytons are part of the Homelink Network with over 900 associated offices.

THE MARKET IS SPRINGING INTO ACTION

It appears that the first signs of recovery may be starting to show themselves says, Claytons Managing Director, Valerie Fraser, who has been an estate agent for 35 years and is a Member of the National Association of Estate Agents.

Valerie says: “We are all aware that both the property market and the economy took a serious knock during 2008. The property market was, as it has been in previous slowdowns, the first victim with the levels of transactions and indeed prices having fallen for over a year now.

However, while most people’s lives are affected by the economy, they are rarely dominated by it. Babies will still be born, couples will marry or live together, divorce or break-up, retire and some sadly die.

“People will need to move with their jobs, or move to find jobs and a luck y few may even win the lottery. People still need homes, and after a year or so of stagnation we are now starting to see a build up in momentum with a sharp rise in viewing levels slowly but surely turning into more and more homes being sold.

“Prices may still have to drop a little further before a full recovery, but with the lowest interest rates on record and a wide choice of property, even the media’s attitude seems to be changing and encouraging the shrewd buyer to get in now before the cycle begins to bottom out.

“The truth of the matter is that now really is a superb time to buy, prices are back to 2005 levels when there was huge activity in the property market. While some of us genuinely have concerns about employment, many are in stable occupations and they have seen their mortgage repayment come down substantially. The differential in prices as you move up the market is at its lowest level for years. As a result while you may not achieve the heady prices for your own home that may have been achieved a couple of years ago, you will be very pleasantly surprised how much house you get for your money on your next home.

“In addition, there are literally hundreds of people waiting for the opportunity to move out of either rented accommodation or their parent’s homes and now could be the perfect moment. The last time interest rates were this low was 1694 when William III was on the throne and Handel and Bach were young musicians.

“Slowly but surely there is liquidity coming back into the mortgage market and it is a well known fact that there is a shortage of homes in the south east of England. The simple laws of supply and demand indicate that now prices have become more realistic and there is a shortage of supply that this should be the right time for homes to start selling again.”

“So what is likely to happen over the next few months? Well we are not expecting the housing market to boom. However, we believe the prices will stabilise and there will be a significant rise in the volume of transactions. With spring fast approaching we are already carrying out significantly more valuations and are confident that there will be more and more properties coming to the market during the next few months.

“As many experts agree the one place that has consistently performed as a sound investment despite several ups and downs over the past 50 years, is the UK property market. The banks currency and stock markets are hardly attractive places to deposit hard earned money at the moment, more and more canny investors seem to be turning back to bricks and mortar. Numerous property and industry professionals predict that in the longer term house prices could rise in excess of 25 per cent during the next five years.

“While this might seem like wishful thinking in the current climate, previous boom and bust cycles prove such a rise could well be a distinct possibility.