Signing in for a second successful year

“It’s no secret that the market was particularly lethargic in 2012,” says Partner and Signature Head Jonathan Perry. “What with the Olympics and the Diamond Jubilee, people seemed reluctant to think about moving house. The increase in Stamp Duty to 7% for properties over the £2m mark has taken a long time for the market to make a readjustment to account for this with very little sold over £1.5m during the last 12 months.

“Our Signature brand was rolled out 12 months ago and we have been making some adjustments of our own here to strengthen the marketing and service that we provide and we have made really good progress. We have brought in a new negotiator, John Twitchett, who joined from a well-established quality agency, and is particularly skilled at dealing with applicants.

“I am very much more upbeat about the market in 2013. There are very, very encouraging signs at the moment that people are generally more motivated about moving and there is a building confidence, noticeable with the number of London buyers who are returning to the scene. Hopefully, this will spread and have the desired domino effect – because it takes more than just a couple of people moving to build a successful market.”

Jonathan Perry, Partner (Colchester Signature team)
January 2013