95% Mortgages Available for First Time Buyers

Buy for a lower monthly Cost than renting without having to have tens of thousands of pounds of deposit saved.

In an exclusive deal with a leading Building Society, Manchester Estate Agents Thornley Groves have access to a substantial fund set aside specifically for First Time Buyers aged 25 years and older to be used on purchases of between £125,000 and £250,000.

Jason Watkin, Operations Director of Thornley Groves Estate Agents which has 8 offices across Manchester City Centre and South Manchester, including prime First Time Buyer territories such as Sale, Urmston, Salford, Altrincham and Manchester’s trendy Northern Quarter, confirmed that for the last few years First Time Buyers have been prevented from getting on to the housing ladder by the strict criteria adopted by most lenders where buyers need to have circa 25% saved as a deposit before lenders will even look at their application.

Jason commented that Sales volumes  in Manchester City Centre and the suburbs have picked up noticeably year on year, sales in the city centre are running at twice the level of this time last year, mainly due to a reduction in prices and the fact that the market has clearly stabilised, another factor is that the cost of renting has increased dramatically during the last year as fewer new build properties have been built and sold to investors and many tenants are choosing to renew their existing lease as they’ve been unable to buy, this creates a shortage of supply and has fuelled huge rises in rental values. Buying now, even after factoring in the prospect of interest rate rises is substantially cheaper than renting.

It’s easily possible to buy a property and pay less in mortgage payments than you would if you were renting the same property, the barrier until now was that most buyers didn’t have access to a £30k plus deposit, but now with this particular mortgage deal first time buyers with a deposit of just six or seven thousand pounds buyers can get on the ladder.

Anybody interested in learning more about this amazing opportunity to fund a property purchase for a lower monthly cost than renting  should in the first instance contact Chris Collins at Thornley Groves Chris.collins@thornleygroves.co.uk or 0161 905 0207

Thornley Groves Voted Winner at the ‘Oscars’ of the Estate Agency Industry

The 2010 Estate Agency of the Year Awards

Thornley Groves received the ultimate industry accolade on Friday 3^rd December by being crowned as the Gold Winner of Best Medium Northern Category at the 2010 Estate Agency of the Year Awards in association with The Sunday Times and The Times, held at the Lancaster London Hotel.

The event, now in its eighth year, is recognised as the most important event in the industry calendar and attracted agents from across the country representing over 4,000 branches. It was once again supported by The Sunday Times and The Times and for the first time, property website Zoopla.co.uk with the winners presented with their awards by one of Britain’s most successful athletes, James Cracknell.

Following their initial submissions, all the entrants were subjected to rigorous scrutiny by a panel of independent industry experts and the whole judging process was once more overseen and supported by the Property Ombudsman Christopher Hamer with Peter Bolton King,  Chief Executive of NFOPP acting as Arbiter.

Ten of the firm’s Branch Managers and Directors attended the glittering awards dinner in London. Matthew Smith, Sales Manager of the firm’s four city centre Manchester offices, along with Carolyn Nichol, Sales Manager at the Sale office, stepped up to receive the award on behalf of Thornley Groves. Carolyn commented “Having worked for Thornley Groves for 11 years I’m extremely proud that industry experts  have concluded that we are the best Estate Agent in the North of England. We have a fantastic team spirit and whilst we know we’re good at what we do, for others to recognise us in this way is amazing.”  Matthew added “I think that what influenced the judges here is that, despite a tough market place, Thornley Groves has been able to identify real buyers who are able to proceed where other agents so often fail and I’m proud that I’ll be able to use this accolade to persuade more vendors to let us handle their property sale.”

The Judges’ Report highlighted the particular qualities of Thornley Groves stating, “By expanding their business in a contracting market, this agency has increased its market share through making sure their business is as reactive and diverse as possible. Using new technology such as iPads and an updated website to provide immediate action and feedback for customers, they are a well balanced, well-run business offering a strong service across the board, from urban city centre flats to top end homes in the leafy suburbs and countryside. Once again demonstrating an impressive dedication to their customers at every point of contact, the team at Thornley Groves is to be congratulated on their jump from the silver in 2009 to this year’s gold. Well done.”

Jason Watkin and Michael Groves, the owners of Thornley Groves, attended the awards with their senior managers. Operations Director Jason commented “This award has put the icing on the cake of an incredible year; despite the distraction of opening two new offices this year we’ve increased our market share and worked hard to innovate and find buyers more quickly and the message of all of that in our submission obviously impressed the judges.”

Michael Groves added “The business was established 20 years ago this year and as we’ve grown we’ve become more adept at understanding the market, what vendors want and what buyers are looking for. We have a great brand and an amazing team; we won silver in the best Northern Category last year which we were very proud of, and to be named as one of the best five firms with between 5 and 25 offices in the whole of the country this year and the very best in the Northern Region, is something that we are all extremely proud of.”

Peter Knight, Chairman of the event organisers Estate Agency Events comments, “I would like to congratulate all those who have won awards at this year’s event. There is no doubt that the market is still very tough, with record lows in the number of mortgages being lent, but these awards clearly demonstrate the absolute commitment to excellence within our industry. This will be vital to help the industry return to growth and thrive in the future. 

“I would also like to add my grateful thanks particularly to the team at The Sunday Times and The Times whose continued support has helped make the 2010 Awards the biggest and best event yet.”

A particularly poignant moment came when the 2010 EAE Outstanding Contribution Estate Agency Award was presented to Sean Newman of Newman Property Services, not only for his contribution to improving the reputation and public opinion of the estate agency industry but also for his personal courage in overcoming an horrific and near-fatal accident in July this year during a fundraising cycle ride. Having started in the industry over 25 years ago, he started Newmans Property Services aged just 21 and has done much for the industry in terms of raising standards and through his personal fundraising philosophy which has seen him raise hundreds of thousands of pounds for charity.

 The chosen charity for the 2010 Awards was The Estate Agency Foundation which exists to unite the estate agency industry and their customers to work together to combat the causes of homelessness in the UK and help thousands of people at risk of losing their homes through poverty, mental illness, abuse, dependency issues and many other factors.  Donations on the day raised £6,574 which will be donated to The Estate Agency Foundation to distribute to those in need via existing channels.

For a full list of all the award winners please visit: www.estateagencyoftheyear.com

Sale Estate Agent, Thornley Groves, is pleased to present this modern semi-detached residence which sits in the much sought-after South Manchester suburb of Sale, and has been much improved to provide superb accommodation throughout.

The Windmill Road property in Sale, Cheshire, is a spacious semi-detached home boasting front and rear laid to lawn gardens, and is on the market for offers in excess of £200,000.

Well presented throughout, the property is warmed by gas central heating and comprises entrance porchway, large lounge, dining room, kitchen, three good-sized bedrooms, a bathroom, and separate WC.

As recently highlighted by Jason Watkin, Operations Manager for Thornley Groves, on the BBC Breakfast show, houses for sale in Sale Cheshire are currently in high demand, and this property is a fantastic example of a modernised home of high specification.

The properties exterior design offers the prefect compliment to its desirable interior, with off road parking for at least one car leading to a single garage.

To the rear of the property is a spacious private garden mainly laid to lawn with a good size patio area. This also includes utility shed with water supply and space for fridge freezer and washer-dryer, and outdoor lighting to the rear of the garden.

With an excellent open aspect to the side looking over playing fields, this is an excellent space for summer entertaining.

As the leading Trafford Estate Agent Thornley Groves have a range of 3 bedroom homes in Sale available for you to explore in search of your perfect family home.

We realise that it can be difficult to schedule viewings around a busy work schedule and that is why we are open 7 days a week including all day Sunday to ensure that we are available to assist in your search at a time that is right for you.

For an information sheet on the Windmill Road property in Sale, Cheshire, please click: http://www.homesonview.co.uk/Scripts/FullDetails.aspx?CID=THGRSALE&AID=THGRSALE&PID=TSP03128.

Want to know how much your home is worth? Book a Free no obligation valuation and marketing consultation with the leading Sale Estate Agents today at: http://www.thornleygroves.co.uk/valuation-request/.

We work hard to provide unrivalled customer satisfaction and it’s our clients and customers we want to impress with service that exceeds their expectations, yesterday our hard work was rewarded when we were honoured with a National award as a direct result of customer satisfaction.

Thornley Groves Estate Agents won the Prestigious Silver award for best UK small Letting Agent Chain.

The ESTAs 2010 were presented yesterday at the Marriott Hotel Park Lane London as the industry honoured the best estate agents in the UK.

The awards were presented by Phil Spencer of Location Location Location at a lavish lunch and ceremony attended by 450 of the UK’s top estate and letting agents.

The agents were recognised for their excellent customer service, as voted for by their clients during 2009. 

Phil Spencer said: “the great thing about the ESTAs is that the judges are the customers, they are not about impressing a panel of industry experts or how well you write your submission or answer questions in a telephone interview, but about the things agents do every day for their clients and customers”

The Letting agent results were determined by research carried out amongst both Landlords and Tenants both of which are a tricky group of people to impress, and these people were asked a series of questions about the service they have received from their letting agent.

Michael Groves  who attended the event is delighted for his team “A very large part of our business is lettings, we are Manchester City Centres and indeed Trafford’s busiest letting agent, our Property Management Department is trusted by thousands of landlords, when dealing with such volumes of flats to let and property rentals it’s important that our people and our systems are the best, this award proves that Thornley Groves have superb people delivering effective and reliable solutions for both Landlords and Tenants, achieved by having some of the best Letting and Management procedures in the whole of the UK”

Over 19,000 votes were received, making the ESTAS the largest survey as well as the most meaningful award scheme in the industry. Spencer also pointed out that there were no categories for the likes of best marketing campaign or lifetime achievement in the industry – “These don’t mean anything to the consumer, these awards are purely about the consumer experience,” he said.

Jason Watkin Operations Director of  Thornley Groves confirmed “an award that recognises customer service is very satisfying, every business strives to give good customer service but it can only be delivered if the employees at every level understand and respond to the needs of their customers every day.  I want to say a huge thank you to our Lettings Managers and our Property Management Department Managers along with members of their respective teams. Our Landlords and Tenants have received a service that motivated them respond to this competition so positively and has put Thornley Groves up there with the best the UK has to offer”

Below are the Results

Best Estate Agent in the UK

Porter Glenny, Barking & Dagenham – Gold
House-Hut – Silver
Sparks Ellison – Bronze

Best Small Estate Agent Chain
Porter Glenny, Essex – Gold
Dale Eddison, Yorkshire – Silver
Bassets – Bronze

Best Large Estate Agent Chain
Countrywide – Gold
Webbers – Silver
Your Move – Bronze

Best Letting Agent in the UK
Martin & Co Glasgow – Gold
Palmer Snell, Wells – Silver
Kerrigans – Bronze

Best Small Letting Agent Chain
Linley & Simpson – Gold
Thornley Groves – Silver
Homes4u – Bronze

Best Large Letting Agent Chain
Countrywide Residential Lettings – Gold
Martin & Co – Silver
Your Move – Bronze

Thornley Groves Estate Agents was awarded Silver in Best Medium sized Northern Estate Agency in a glittering award ceremony in London yesterday.

The Independent judging panel included some of the industry’s biggest wigs including The Property Ombudsman Peter Hamer along with media heavy weights from The Sunday Times, Globrix, Rightmove in addition to other well respected and well informed Estate Agents who were winners from previous years.

The Northern Category is one of the most competitive regions with Agents entering from one of the largest geographical areas including Cheshire, Cumbria, Durham, East Riding of Yorkshire, Greater Manchester, Isle of Man, Lancashire, Leeds, Merseyside, North and North East, Northumberland, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, Teesside, Tyne & Wear and West Yorkshire.

Each firm entering from these areas with between 4 and 25 Branches takes part in the competition for Best Medium Sized Agency.

Thornley Groves Managing Director Michael Groves who was there to collect the Silver award for Best Medium Sized Agency – Northern Region commented

“I am extremely proud of the entire team at every branch and would like to thank them for their continued hard work and commitment. I also want to thank the firms inspirational Operations Director Jason Watkin who has been responsible for so many of our innovative and progressive marketing strategies, I am certain these along with our strong brand and reputation for high quality customer service were the reason we were able to pick up this award in the face of such stiff competition  in such a large geographical area”

In this case we went to the other side of the Globe to Australia!

A recently completed sale on Brooklands Road in Sale just wouldn’t have been possible if it weren’t for the persistence and determination of our Senior negotiator Carolyne Nicol and Operations Director Jason Watkin.

The sale was extremely protracted for a myriad of reasons and certain, shall we say professionals involved, were less than helpful when extra effort was required. However, numerous calls and emails made by our colleagues at eleven and twelve o’clock at night to Australia, followed by similar communication at six o’clock in the morning eventually led to a successful exchange of contracts and completion!

The market maybe the toughest we’ve seen but with the grit and determination of the Thornley Groves team we can and do make things happen!

Allow us to make things happen for your property sale – for some advice on how to find a buyer for your home and a FREE valuation click here http://www.thornleygroves.co.uk/valuation-request/