Let’s move to Whitstable, Kent: pockets of peace on the gentrified seaside

The town still manages to balance quite-posh delis with men’s outfitters from the age of Perry Como

What’s going for it? I’m an old hand at Whitstable. Not as old as some of the seadogs nursing pints in the Neptune. But I’ve been coming here since the days when, if fortune smiled, you might spy the elderly Peter Cushing – then the town’s starriest resident – pottering along the high street. What a difference 30 years makes. My latest trip confirms that Whitstable has reached stage four of gentrification. We’ve had the Shabby Artists stage, the Cute Vintage Shop stage, the Actually Quite Posh Delis Have Opened stage. Now some serious money has arrived: The Building Of Fancy New Houses That Look As If Their Owners Have Watched Too Many Episodes Of Grand Designs stage. This lot aren’t content with discreet renovations of weatherboarded fishermen’s cottages. They want swagger. They want bling. I hope it’s not the town’s downfall. The place still, just, manages to balance quite-posh delis with men’s outfitters from the age of Perry Como, and its community is still as strong as they come. Its working harbour, graced by a gravel processing plant, is still wonderfully unpretty. Long may it continue.

The case against… On the threshold of change. Already too cutesy for some. Holiday and weekend homes have brought hefty cultural change.

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The 10 best ceramic vases – in pictures

Show off spring blooms in green and white

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The 10 best ceramic vases – in pictures

Show off spring blooms in green and white

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House prices hold up better than forecast amid Brexit chaos

Drop in March from February but UK prices up in first quarter compared to 2018 – Halifax

British house prices held up more than expected in March as supply constraints outweighed uncertainty over the Brexit process, according to figures from Halifax.

The high street lender said house prices rose by 3.2% in the three months to March compared with the same period last year. The increase, the fastest since August, was above than the 2.3% annual rise predicted in a Reuters poll of economists.

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Homes for sale with a car charging point – in pictures

Plug in and get on the move to these properties, from Scotland to East Sussex

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Smartphones – making your listing stand out

Do you have a Smartphone?

The chances are, your buyer does!  Research just out shows that 28% of us now are using a mobile device as our primary internet connection.  The fact that your buyers may be conducting their property searches on their phone, means that your main photograph, or your ‘leading image’ is more important than ever.

This is what the newest version of Rightmove’s iPhone app looks like:

And here’s how the search results appear:

 

As you can see, the images are tiny, in fact, they measure just 1cm by 1.5 cm, unless the browser clicks on your listing to view further details, in which case the image even then only measures 3cm x 4cm.

What does this mean for you, the seller?  How do you ensure that your property can be seen effectively on today’s Smartphones?

Here’s what you need to take into account:

• Make sure your main image is the front of your house.  Your buyer may well want to drive past, and they need to be able to recognise your property from the main photo.

• Get close-up – there’s no point in having a photograph of your home taken from across the fields – no one is going to be able to make out your house on a phone.

• Make sure it’s well-lit and taken on a blue-sky day. It’s only tiny, so make sure your photo has real punch!

• Make the description count.  Unlike the property portals and estate agents’ websites, the Smartphone description is limited to only around 40 – 50 words, so they’ve got to be good!  Don’t let your agent use waffle or preamble, make every word count, and better still, lead with a dynamic headline.

• Test it out yourself. Don’t leave it to the agent to advise you; this is very new technology and the way in which buyers search for property changes constantly. Check on your own Smartphone (or borrow someone else’s!) and  judge for yourself if your house stands out above the competition.

If you’d like my help to sell your home more effectively, please answer a few short questions here and if I think I can help you, I’ll be in touch.

What to read next: What Sam did last weekend

What to do next: Sign up to my Selling Secrets http://www.home-truths.co.uk/selling-secrets

The post Smartphones – making your listing stand out appeared first on Home Truths.

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Smartphones – making your listing stand out

Do you have a Smartphone?

The chances are, your buyer does!  Research just out shows that 28% of us now are using a mobile device as our primary internet connection.  The fact that your buyers may be conducting their property searches on their phone, means that your main photograph, or your ‘leading image’ is more important than ever.

This is what the newest version of Rightmove’s iPhone app looks like:

And here’s how the search results appear:

 

As you can see, the images are tiny, in fact, they measure just 1cm by 1.5 cm, unless the browser clicks on your listing to view further details, in which case the image even then only measures 3cm x 4cm.

What does this mean for you, the seller?  How do you ensure that your property can be seen effectively on today’s Smartphones?

Here’s what you need to take into account:

• Make sure your main image is the front of your house.  Your buyer may well want to drive past, and they need to be able to recognise your property from the main photo.

• Get close-up – there’s no point in having a photograph of your home taken from across the fields – no one is going to be able to make out your house on a phone.

• Make sure it’s well-lit and taken on a blue-sky day. It’s only tiny, so make sure your photo has real punch!

• Make the description count.  Unlike the property portals and estate agents’ websites, the Smartphone description is limited to only around 40 – 50 words, so they’ve got to be good!  Don’t let your agent use waffle or preamble, make every word count, and better still, lead with a dynamic headline.

• Test it out yourself. Don’t leave it to the agent to advise you; this is very new technology and the way in which buyers search for property changes constantly. Check on your own Smartphone (or borrow someone else’s!) and  judge for yourself if your house stands out above the competition.

If you’d like my help to sell your home more effectively, please answer a few short questions here and if I think I can help you, I’ll be in touch.

What to read next: What Sam did last weekend

What to do next: Sign up to my Selling Secrets http://www.home-truths.co.uk/selling-secrets

The post Smartphones – making your listing stand out appeared first on Home Truths.

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