COMPUTER SAYS NO

Neil Maxwell

Up and down the country there is now a shortage of property coming to the market, with plenty of buyers desperately looking to buy their dream home, or even just something that vaguely meets their requirements. This is helping to keep house prices very buoyant of course, but I’d not want to give the impression house owners are in the midst of some sort of goldrush either, especially as experienced surveyors aren’t afraid to correct house values — which helps to keep prices in check. Getting the price of your property correct is not something an algorithm from an online portal can predict, particularly in our city where the legacy of World War Two left gaps in traditional streets of two and three bedroom houses that were subsequently filled by much larger homes or flats. A good example of this was a sale of a four bedroom 1980s townhouse with garage, plus parking, in a street where the rest of the properties tended to sell at around £220,000.00. The owner had booked four valuations and I was the last appointment. I provided a valuation of £290,000.00 and the owner was overcome with shock and instantly accused me of over valuing the property, just to gain the instruction, as he had received three other valuations of £250,000.00. On returning to the office, I discussed the valuation with my colleagues who all concurred with my recommendation. I started to look around for more comparables to justify my valuation to the owner and happened to find an online notice detailing the exact property and there, sure enough, was a predicted valuation for the property of £250,000.00. The algorithm had taken the average value for the street, added two bedrooms, and come up with a £250,000.00 valuation, which the other agents had relied upon. I popped back to the house and showed the owner my findings who subsequently agreed to allow me a short contract to try and sell the property. We ended up achieving in excess of the asking price, to both mine and the owner’s delight. Working with the customer to achieve the best possible price for a property isn’t just a moral obligation, it’s a legal obligation under the estate agents act, which we at Fry & Kent vehemently adhere to. It’s also a two-way street, because if the owner wishes to try for a higher price than our initial recommendation then we always respect their decision (within reason), because ultimately nobody knows the exact price a property might achieve. From then on, it’s in the hands of the surveyors to certify the price — and also protect buyers from making costly errors.

CAPTAINS ROW, OLD PORTSMOUTH - £970,000

• Outstanding Family home positioned on the edge of the Camber Dock • Four double bedrooms • Over 1,600 sq. ft of luxury accommodation and a terrace with views of the Harbour • EPC Rating D

BROAD STREET, OLD PORTSMOUTH - £775,000

• Beautifully presented three bedroom

Grade II listed end of terrace • Situated in the heart of Old Portsmouth • Stunning views of Portsmouth Harbour and the Camber Dock from the rooftop terrace • EPC Exempt

MALVERN ROAD, SOUTHSEA - £632,000

• Substantial five bedroom Victorian terrace situation in Central Southsea • Over 2,000 sq. ft of versatile accommodation • Enclosed rear garden with double gates to off-road parking • EPC Rating D

“Traditional values, Modern materials” The Carpet Cavern is a new carpet and flooring store run by JDS Carpets ltd.

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MARKET DATES

FOR YOUR DIARY • LOVE SOUTHSEA MARKET

Saturday 7 & Sunday 8 August Saturday 14 August Saturday 4 & Sunday 5 September Saturday 18 September 10am-4pm Palmerston Road precinct www.lovesouthseamarkets.co.uk

• HAMPSHIRE FARMERS MARKET

Sunday 15 August Sunday 19 September 10am-2pm Palmerston Road precinct www.hampshirefarmersmarkets.co.uk

BALLET CLASSES COME TO MILTON

Karen Forbes a well known and highly respected dance teacher has begun teaching ballet classes at Milton Village Hall. Dance and movement is important to the development of children and Karen is offering classes to children from as young as 18 months old upwards. Karen who has run a successful dance school in Wimbledon, and has done so, for thirty years loves teaching and her passion, kindness and enthusiasm for her subject is contagious. Some of Karen’s pupils who began coming to her classes from a young age have gone on to study at some of the most prestigious dance schools including Tring Park School for the Performing Arts and The Royal Ballet School, but what gives Karen the greatest pleasure is knowing that all her pupils are gaining a love and appreciation of not just dance, but art and music. “I like to make the classes really magical, with lovely music, something for my pupils to always enjoy and remember for the rest of their lives’ said Karen.

Plus if you are that little bit older there are ballet classes for adults with some experience on Thursday evenings, the perfect way to rid the body of the week’s stresses and strains and to get those endorphins flowing. Why not book a trial class with Karen in September?

Karen with some of her pupils