Partial Update of St Mawes list

Over 6 months since I reviewed the list... and that's despite having visited St Mawes during the spring... I've heard / read lots of estate agents attempting to say that St Mawes is surviving the housing recession well... so lets have a look at what's currently available.

On rightmove there are 49 properties listed (though that may include some duplications), and on primelocation there are 52 (using "st mawes" as a search word as well as area to (partially) get around their over generous allocation of location).

Lots more to check on here - publishing as I may not finish it...

1. New to list - Leasehold shop - £32,000
   
2. No Longer Listed - Freehold shop - £200,000 (TR2 5DW)
3. New to list - FF Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 rec, 1 bathroom, garage - communal gardens - £220,000
   
4. No Longer Listed? - FF Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - £235,000 & £230,000, £225,000, £225,000 (TR2 5BN)
   
   But looks a lot like this one - £225,000 - on with a different agent
5. New to list and SOLD STC - £275,000
   
6. No Longer Listed - Conversion Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £325,000, £275,000 (TR2 5BN)
   
7. No Longer Listed - House - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - £299,950 (TR2 5DL)
   
8. (My link missing whoops!) Detached Bungalow - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - OIEO £300,000 (TR2 5UN) looks like a change of agents as this one is Newly No longer listed - Detached Bungalow - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - OIEO £300,000 - (TR2 5UN)
   
9. Price dropped - now on at OIRO £279,950 - Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - OIRO £300,000 (TR2 5DN)
10. No Longer Listed - price last given as £295,000 - Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - OIEO £305,000 (TR2 5AG)
11. No Longer Listed - price last given as £299,950 - Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom - £315,000 (TR2 5AG)
12. No longer listed - Detached Bungalow - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - Asking price of £319,950
    
13. Price dropped - now on at £280,000 - Mid Terrace? - 3 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £330,000 (TR2 5DR)
14. No Longer Listed - Sold STC - Detached Bungalow - 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms - £355,000 (TR2 5BX)
    
15. No Longer Listed - Under Offer - Terraced Cottage - 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms - £355,000 - Still listed but price now marked as £375,000 - did I really get this wrong before? Sorry if I did! (TR2 5DJ)
    
16. No Longer Listed - Under Offer - Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 2 bathroom - Asking price of £395,000 (TR2 5DN)
17. !!! Still being advertised as Sold STCM - Detached Bungalow - 3 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 2 bathrooms - Asking price of £395,000 (TR2 5BU)
    
18. No Longer Listed - Semi-detached Cottage - 3 bedrooms OIEO £395,000 (TR2 5BH)
19. No Longer Listed - Detached Barn - 1 bedroom, 1 reception rooms, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £399,950 (TR2 5BY)
20. No Longer Listed - Still Under Offer! - Bungalow - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £420,000 (TR2 5BU)
21. No Longer Listed - End of Terrace - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception rooms, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £425,000 (TR2 5DN)
22. Now Under Offer - Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 2 bathroom - Guide price of £440,000 (TR2 5DW)
23. No longer listed - Sold STC - Semi - 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms - OIEO £450,000
    
24. Price dropped - now £450,000 - Detached Cottage (+ 1 bed Annexe) - 4 bedrooms - Guide price of £495,000 - no postcode (TR2 5AD)
25. No longer listed - Under Offer - Detached Bungalow - 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom - £500,000
26. No Longer Listed - Still Under Offer! - FF apartment - 4 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 2 bathrooms - Asking price of £525,000 (TR2 5AY)
27. No Longer Listed - last price listed as £535,000 - Detached Bungalow - 2 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - £549,950 (TR2 5BD)
28. No Longer Listed - End of Terrace - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception rooms, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £550,000 - Gibraltar Terrace - no postcode
    
29. No Longer Listed - GF Apartment - 3 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £650,000 clearly the other half of this one £525,000 (TR2 5AY)
30. No Longer Listed - Detached House (+ 2/3 bed Annexe) - 4/5 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 3 bathrooms - £659,000 - no postcode Newton Road / Upper Castle Road?
    
31. No Longer Listed - Mid-terrace? - 3 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - OIEO £695,000 (TR2 5DR)
32. Whoops no link - Detached House - 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms - £695,000 (TR2 5AY)
33. Still on - no price change - Detached Bungalow - 4 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - Guide price £695,000 (TR2 5AY)
34. No Longer Listed - Detached House - 4 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms, 4 bathrooms - Asking price of OIRO £745,000 (TR2 5AY)
35. Still on - Price dropped to £775,000 - Detached House - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - Asking price of £795,000 (TR2 5BJ) or (TR2 5BL)
36. No longer on with first two of these agents but still available and on at same price here and here and here - Detached House* - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 3 bathrooms - Asking price of £925,000 (b,c,d,e) (TR2 5BZ)
37. No Longer Listed - Detached House - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 3 bathrooms - Asking price of £1,250,000 (TR2 5BB)
    
38. Still on - price dropped to £1,100,000 - Detached House - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - Guide Price of £1,500,000, £1,250,000 (TR2 5AR)
39. Now SOLD STC - Detached Bungalow - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 3 bathrooms - POA Back to Asking price of £1,450,000 (TR2 5AR)
40. No Longer Listed - Under Offer - Detached House - 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms - £1,750,000 - (TR2 5AR)
41. No Longer Listed - Sold STC - Detached House - 6 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms - £1,750,000 (TR2 5AR)

Sold prices
I've listed the postcodes in their order of appearance in the for sale list.

• TR2 5BN
• 3, Sea View Road, Freehold (Semi), £448,000 on 3 Oct, 2006
• 3, Sea View Road, Freehold (Semi), £238,000 on 2 May, 2003
• TR2 5UJ
• Beach Hall, Flat 2, Leasehold (Flat), £174,000 on 26 June, 2006
• Beach Hall, Flat 15, Leasehold (Flat), £247,150 on 7 Feb, 2006
• Beach Hall, Flat 9, Leasehold (Flat), £250,000 on 13 Dec, 2005
• Beach Hall, Flat 16, Leasehold (Flat), £249,500 on 30 Nov, 2005
• Beach Hall, Flat 3, Leasehold (Flat), £150,000 on 26 June, 2004
• Beach Hall, Flat 16, Leasehold (Flat), £205,000 on 26 June, 2004
• Beach Hall, Flat 2, Leasehold (Flat), £152,000 on 23 Apr, 2004
• TR2 5DN
  • 12 Commercial Road, Freehold (Terraced), £420,000 on 26 Oct, 2007
  • Flat 3, Helm, Wentworth House, Commercial Road, Leasehold (Flat), £235,000 on 19 Jun, 2007
  • 7 Commercial Road, Freehold (Terraced), Sold for £225,000 on 17 Apr, 2007
  • Flat 2 Bank House, Commercial Road, Leasehold (Flat), £120,000 on 23 Jan, 2007
  • Flat 4 Compass Wentworth House, Commercial Road, Leasehold (Flat), £250,000 on 05 Jan, 2007
• TR2 5UN - most recent sale was in 2001
  
• TR2 5AG
  • Flat 3 Manor Court, The Square, Leasehold (Flat), £285,000 on 28 Sep, 2007
  • Flat 2 Manor Court, The Square, Leasehold (Flat), £245,000 on 26 Jan, 2006
• TR2 5DR
  • Upper Warren Lower Castle Road, Freehold (Terraced), £610,000 on 21 Dec, 2006
  • 21 Lower Castle Road, Freehold (Semi-Detached), £912,500 on 21 Jul, 2006
  • 12 Lower Castle Road, Freehold (Semi-Detached), £785,000 on 10 Oct, 2005
  • The Studio Lower Castle Road, Freehold (Semi-Detached), £357,500 on 29 Sep, 2005
• TR2 5BX
  • 9, Newton Park, Freehold (Detached), £335,000 on 24 Aug, 2007
  • 8, Newton Park, Freehold (Detached), £315,000 on 8 Aug, 2007
• TR2 5DJ
  • Cove Cottage The Square, Freehold (Detached), £359,950 on 05 Jul, 2007
  • 3 Apartment The Watch House, The Square, Leasehold (Flat), £229,950 on 30 Oct, 2006
  • 2 Apartment 2, The Square, Leasehold (Flat), £370,000 on 07 Sep, 2006
• TR2 5BU
  • Cairn Ryan Trelawney Road, Freehold (Detached), £495,000 on 19 Oct, 2007
  • Summers View Trelawney Road, Freehold (Detached), £395,000 on 14 Oct, 2005
• TR2 5BH
  • 9 Chapel Terrace, Freehold (Detached), £570,000 on 15 Dec, 2006
  • 1 Chapel Terrace, Freehold (Semi-Detached), £307,500 on 26 May, 2006
• TR2 5BY
  • Newton Cottage, Upper Castle Road, Freehold (Detached), £250,000 on 19 May, 2004
    
• TR2 5DW
  • Upper Boyne, Marine Parade, Freehold (Terraced), £205,000 on 19 Oct, 2007
  • 12 Marine Parade, Freehold (Terraced), £580,000 on 19 Oct, 2007
    
  • 15 Lower Fountain House, Marine Parade, Leasehold (Flat), £295,000 on 29 Sep, 2006
    
  • 21 Marine Parade, Freehold (Terraced), £85,000 on 06 Apr, 2006
    
  • Roseland House, Marine Parade, Freehold (Semi-Detached), £435,000 on 24 Feb, 2006
• TR2 5AD - no results
  
• TR2 5AY
  • Trelowen Polvarth Road, Freehold (Detached), £495,000 on 24 May, 2007
    
  • Middle Botreaux Polvarth Road, Leasehold (Detached), £575,000 on 14 Nov, 2006
  • The Croft Polvarth Road, Freehold (Detached), £485,000 on 26 Apr, 2006
• TR2 5BD
  • 4 Waterloo Close, Freehold (Detached), £615,000 on 28 Sep, 2006
  • 12 Waterloo Close, Freehold (Detached), £340,000 on 31 Mar, 2005
• TR2 5BJ
  • Trevennen West Grove Hill, Freehold (Semi-Detached), £550,000 on 31 Jan, 2007
• TR2 5BL
  • 4 The Rope Walk, Freehold (Detached), £325,000 on 15 Aug, 2005
• TR2 5BZ
  • Clover Hill Upper Castle Road, Freehold (Detached), £1,330,000 on 23 Aug, 2007
    Merry Mead Upper Castle Road, Freehold (Detached), £1,476,000 on 29 Jun, 2007
• TR2 5BB
  • 6 Nilgiris Carrick Way, Freehold (Semi-Detached), £785,000 on 18 Sep, 2007
  • 6 Nilgiris Carrick Way, Freehold (Semi-Detached), £700,000 on 19 Jan, 2007
• TR2 5AR
  • Woodpeckers Freshwater Lane, Freehold (Detached), £740,000 on 31 Oct, 2007
  • Roscarrick House Freshwater Lane, Freehold (Detached), £1,115,000 on 01 Aug, 2007

Its getting a bit boring here..

Royal Cornwall Show 2006_Z16547 by Ennor

What a great photo! Its certainly not boring... but this blog has got a bit tired... Sorry not to have updated for a month... the problem is that house prices are not dropping, houses are not selling either... more are coming onto the market but all at ridiculously high prices as everyone attempts to sell "before its too late"... the problem is that it is already too late...

I've just reviewed the numbers of properties for sale at various places in Cornwall using the same list that I used on Dec 31st 2007. Again all numbers of properties available at specific locations, on rightmove, using "this area only", no minimums or maximum, all types:

Bodmin - 220 now up to 235
Boscastle - 23 now up to 30
Bude - 132 now down to 115
Cadgwith - 66 now up to 74
Coverack - 4 now up to 8
Falmouth - 344 now up to 375
Fowey - 58 now down to 54
Hayle - 142 now down to 124
Helford - 3 now down to 2
Lamorna - 3 now up to 5
Lamorna Valley - 71 now up to 82
Liskeard - 184 now up to 190
Lizard - 66 now up to 74
Marazion - 32 now up to 38
Newquay - 486 now up to 560
Padstow - 62 now up to 81
Penzance - 328 now up to 331
Perranporth - 78 now up to 83
Polperro - 30 now up to 39
Porthcurno - 71 now up to 82
Rock - 11 now down to 8
Saltash - 160 now up to 191
Sennen - 13 now down to 12
Sennen Cove - 0 now up to 4
St Agnes - 41 now up to 46
St Austell - 387 now up to 477
St Ives - 221 now up to 246
St Just - 50 now up to 63
St Mawes - 30 still 30
Tintagel - 34 now up to 45
Truro - 297 now up to 346
Wadebridge - 98 now up to 113

Up for Auction in Cornwall

From an auction of properties in Cornwall and Devon. The quotes are from fulfords website. All are for sale on 4th March 2008 at Penventon Hotel, Redruth.

Here are three of the lots of interest:

1. LOT 7 - NORTH DOWNS COTTAGE BODREAN TRURO - GUIDE PRICE £115,000+
   

   A two bedroomed detached cottage for modernisation/refurbishment with gardens of circa 1/3rd of an acre lying predominantly to the front currently in an overgrown state but worthy of attention to create a pleasant garden area, being conveniently located for the amenities of Truro and access to the A30. The property offers tremendous potential to extend or even for further development of the site subject to any requisite consents.
   
   Viewing: By block appointment with the Auctioneers, Stratton Creber on 01872 275376
   
   Bedrooms: 2
   Reception: 1
   Bathroom: 1

2. LOT 11 - MENHEER TRELIGHTS PORT ISAAC CORNWALL GUIDE PRICE £245,000+ (PL29 3TG)
   

   An opportunity to acquire a nicely appointed new three bedroomed (master en suite) detached property enjoying a largely level plot, gardens, garage and additional parking in the delightful rural village of Trelights which is situated circa three miles inland from the historic fishing village of Port Isaac. Menheer will no doubt be of interest to those looking for a generously proportioned family home or lettings opportunity being within close proximity of the stunning North Cornwall coastline, enjoying a rural location yet within the amenities of both Rock and Port Isaac nearby.
   
   Viewing: By block appointment with the Auctioneers, Miller Countrywide on 01208 812117
   
   Bedrooms: 3
   Reception: 1
   Bathroom: 1
   

3. Lot 12 - GIEW HOUSE CRIPPLESEASE NANCLEDRA - GUIDE PRICE £600,000+
   

   An incredibly rare opportunity to acquire the makings of a magnificent manorhouse/small mansion set in gardens and grounds c.2acres/0.81ha enjoying an elevated position with quite stunning and far reaching views over open countryside southwesterly to the South coast along with glimpses in a northeasterly direction to the North coast. The property which is of natural stone and slate hung construction has had ostensibly the principal structural works carried out already with the accommodation formatted so as to provide one enormous and unusual house (in part annexe-able) or in fact capable of virtually being lived in as two "separate" but related dwellings. Whilst the finishing off works are of some scale there is absolutely no question that Giew House represents a wonderful opportunity to create a Grand Designs" home in a "to die for" location the like of which is seldom, if ever seen.
   
   Viewing: By block appointment with the Auctioneers, Miller Countrywide on 01736 797331
   
   Bedrooms: 6
   

Check here for the results afterwards.

Update:

7

North Down Farm Cottage Bodrean Truro

£115,000+

Still available

11

Menheer Trelights Port Isaac

£245,000+

Still available

12

Giew House Cripplesease Nancledra

£600,000+

£630,000

You don't see many of those around here!

I'm amazed to see someone asking for sealed bids - from rightmove, sandwiched between other properties on at £750,000:

Wheal Frances, Goonhavern

3 bedroom detached POA

A rare opportunity to purchase a detached farmhouse set in approx 7 acres of land with stone holiday cottage & large 2 storey barn ideal for conversion set in idyllic rural location Max offers by sealed bid by noon Friday 14th March 2008

Looking on primelocation using their keyword search its the only one coming up asking for sealed bids in the whole of Cornwall and they also have an explicit guide price of £750,000

Its postcode looks to be around TR4 9NS with no recent sales in the vicinity.

Update - 25 March - no change on this one - so has it sold?

St Mawes Index

I realised it was over 10 days since I did this as a provisional list... time to do the checking! A few new to list, one newly under offer, some no longer listed.

1. New to List - Freehold shop - £200,000 (TR2 5DW)
   
2. FF Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - £235,000 & £230,000, £225,000, £225,000 (TR2 5BN)
   
3. Conversion Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £325,000, £275,000 (TR2 5BN)
   
4. New to List - House - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - £299,950 (TR2 5DL)
   
5. New to List - Detached Bungalow - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - OIEO £300,000 (TR2 5UN) looks like a change of agents as this one is Newly No longer listed - Detached Bungalow - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - OIEO £300,000 - (TR2 5UN)
   
6. Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - OIRO £300,000 (TR2 5DN)
7. Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - OIEO £305,000 (TR2 5AG)
8. Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom - £315,000 (TR2 5AG)
9. No longer listed - Detached Bungalow - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - Asking price of £319,950
   
10. Mid Terrace? - 3 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £330,000 (TR2 5DR)
11. Sold STC - Detached Bungalow - 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms - £355,000 (TR2 5BX)
    
12. Under Offer - Terraced Cottage - 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms - £355,000 - Still listed but price now marked as £375,000 - did I really get this wrong before? Sorry if I did! (TR2 5DJ)
    
13. Under Offer - Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 2 bathroom - Asking price of £395,000 (TR2 5DN)
14. Newly Sold STCM - Detached Bungalow - 3 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 2 bathrooms - Asking price of £395,000 (TR2 5BU)
    
15. Semi-detached Cottage - 3 bedrooms OIEO £395,000 (TR2 5BH)
16. Detached Barn - 1 bedroom, 1 reception rooms, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £399,950 (TR2 5BY)
17. Still Under Offer! - Bungalow - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £420,000 (TR2 5BU)
18. End of Terrace - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception rooms, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £425,000 (TR2 5DN)
19. Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 2 bathroom - Guide price of £440,000 (TR2 5DW)
20. No longer listed - Sold STC - Semi - 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms - OIEO £450,000
    
21. Detached Cottage (+ 1 bed Annexe) - 4 bedrooms - Guide price of £495,000 - no postcode (TR2 5AD)
22. No longer listed - Under Offer - Detached Bungalow - 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom - £500,000
23. Still Under Offer! - FF apartment - 4 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 2 bathrooms - Asking price of £525,000 (TR2 5AY)
24. Detached Bungalow - 2 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - £549,950 (TR2 5BD)
25. End of Terrace - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception rooms, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £550,000 - Gibraltar Terrace - no postcode
    
26. GF Apartment - 3 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £650,000 clearly the other half of this one £525,000 (TR2 5AY)
27. Newly No Longer Listed - Detached House (+ 2/3 bed Annexe) - 4/5 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 3 bathrooms - £659,000 - no postcode Newton Road / Upper Castle Road?
    
28. New to list - Mid-terrace? - 3 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - OIEO £695,000 (TR2 5DR)
29. Detached House - 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms - £695,000 (TR2 5AY)
30. Detached Bungalow - 4 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - Guide price £695,000 (TR2 5AY)
31. Detached House - 4 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms, 4 bathrooms - Asking price of OIRO £745,000 (TR2 5AY)
32. Detached House - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - Asking price of £795,000 (TR2 5BJ) or (TR2 5BL)
33. Detached House* - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 3 bathrooms - Asking price of £925,000 (b,c,d,e) (TR2 5BZ)
34. Detached House - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 3 bathrooms - Asking price of £1,250,000 (TR2 5BB)
    
35. Detached House - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - Guide Price of £1,500,000, £1,250,000 (TR2 5AR)
36. Detached Bungalow - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 3 bathrooms - POA Back to Asking price of £1,450,000 (TR2 5AR)
37. Under Offer - Detached House - 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms - £1,750,000 - (TR2 5AR)
38. Sold STC - Detached House - 6 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms - £1,750,000 (TR2 5AR)

Sold prices
I've listed the postcodes in their order of appearance in the for sale list.

• TR2 5BN
• 3, Sea View Road, Freehold (Semi), £448,000 on 3 Oct, 2006
• 3, Sea View Road, Freehold (Semi), £238,000 on 2 May, 2003
• TR2 5UJ
• Beach Hall, Flat 2, Leasehold (Flat), £174,000 on 26 June, 2006
• Beach Hall, Flat 15, Leasehold (Flat), £247,150 on 7 Feb, 2006
• Beach Hall, Flat 9, Leasehold (Flat), £250,000 on 13 Dec, 2005
• Beach Hall, Flat 16, Leasehold (Flat), £249,500 on 30 Nov, 2005
• Beach Hall, Flat 3, Leasehold (Flat), £150,000 on 26 June, 2004
• Beach Hall, Flat 16, Leasehold (Flat), £205,000 on 26 June, 2004
• Beach Hall, Flat 2, Leasehold (Flat), £152,000 on 23 Apr, 2004
• TR2 5DN
  • 12 Commercial Road, Freehold (Terraced), £420,000 on 26 Oct, 2007
  • Flat 3, Helm, Wentworth House, Commercial Road, Leasehold (Flat), £235,000 on 19 Jun, 2007
  • 7 Commercial Road, Freehold (Terraced), Sold for £225,000 on 17 Apr, 2007
  • Flat 2 Bank House, Commercial Road, Leasehold (Flat), £120,000 on 23 Jan, 2007
  • Flat 4 Compass Wentworth House, Commercial Road, Leasehold (Flat), £250,000 on 05 Jan, 2007
• TR2 5UN - most recent sale was in 2001
  
• TR2 5AG
  • Flat 3 Manor Court, The Square, Leasehold (Flat), £285,000 on 28 Sep, 2007
  • Flat 2 Manor Court, The Square, Leasehold (Flat), £245,000 on 26 Jan, 2006
• TR2 5DR
  • Upper Warren Lower Castle Road, Freehold (Terraced), £610,000 on 21 Dec, 2006
  • 21 Lower Castle Road, Freehold (Semi-Detached), £912,500 on 21 Jul, 2006
  • 12 Lower Castle Road, Freehold (Semi-Detached), £785,000 on 10 Oct, 2005
  • The Studio Lower Castle Road, Freehold (Semi-Detached), £357,500 on 29 Sep, 2005
• TR2 5BX
  • 9, Newton Park, Freehold (Detached), £335,000 on 24 Aug, 2007
  • 8, Newton Park, Freehold (Detached), £315,000 on 8 Aug, 2007
• TR2 5DJ
  • Cove Cottage The Square, Freehold (Detached), £359,950 on 05 Jul, 2007
  • 3 Apartment The Watch House, The Square, Leasehold (Flat), £229,950 on 30 Oct, 2006
  • 2 Apartment 2, The Square, Leasehold (Flat), £370,000 on 07 Sep, 2006
• TR2 5BU
  • Cairn Ryan Trelawney Road, Freehold (Detached), £495,000 on 19 Oct, 2007
  • Summers View Trelawney Road, Freehold (Detached), £395,000 on 14 Oct, 2005
• TR2 5BH
  • 9 Chapel Terrace, Freehold (Detached), £570,000 on 15 Dec, 2006
  • 1 Chapel Terrace, Freehold (Semi-Detached), £307,500 on 26 May, 2006
• TR2 5BY
  • Newton Cottage, Upper Castle Road, Freehold (Detached), £250,000 on 19 May, 2004
    
• TR2 5DW
  • Upper Boyne, Marine Parade, Freehold (Terraced), £205,000 on 19 Oct, 2007
  • 12 Marine Parade, Freehold (Terraced), £580,000 on 19 Oct, 2007
    
  • 15 Lower Fountain House, Marine Parade, Leasehold (Flat), £295,000 on 29 Sep, 2006
    
  • 21 Marine Parade, Freehold (Terraced), £85,000 on 06 Apr, 2006
    
  • Roseland House, Marine Parade, Freehold (Semi-Detached), £435,000 on 24 Feb, 2006
• TR2 5AD - no results
  
• TR2 5AY
  • Trelowen Polvarth Road, Freehold (Detached), £495,000 on 24 May, 2007
    
  • Middle Botreaux Polvarth Road, Leasehold (Detached), £575,000 on 14 Nov, 2006
  • The Croft Polvarth Road, Freehold (Detached), £485,000 on 26 Apr, 2006
• TR2 5BD
  • 4 Waterloo Close, Freehold (Detached), £615,000 on 28 Sep, 2006
  • 12 Waterloo Close, Freehold (Detached), £340,000 on 31 Mar, 2005
• TR2 5BJ
  • Trevennen West Grove Hill, Freehold (Semi-Detached), £550,000 on 31 Jan, 2007
• TR2 5BL
  • 4 The Rope Walk, Freehold (Detached), £325,000 on 15 Aug, 2005
• TR2 5BZ
  • Clover Hill Upper Castle Road, Freehold (Detached), £1,330,000 on 23 Aug, 2007
    Merry Mead Upper Castle Road, Freehold (Detached), £1,476,000 on 29 Jun, 2007
• TR2 5BB
  • 6 Nilgiris Carrick Way, Freehold (Semi-Detached), £785,000 on 18 Sep, 2007
  • 6 Nilgiris Carrick Way, Freehold (Semi-Detached), £700,000 on 19 Jan, 2007
• TR2 5AR
  • Woodpeckers Freshwater Lane, Freehold (Detached), £740,000 on 31 Oct, 2007
  • Roscarrick House Freshwater Lane, Freehold (Detached), £1,115,000 on 01 Aug, 2007

Houses whose prices have changed since 2007

banding by xmark.

From: Snapshot of property - St.Ives Houses
23 Nov 07

1. Detached House, Lelant - 4 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 2 bathrooms - Asking price of £399,950 (noticed that it was marked SSTC - 31 dec 07) but is now on at £385,000
2. 3 New Eco-Semi-Detached House, Tom's Yard, Consols, St. Ives - 3 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms, 3 bathrooms - Asking price of £400,000 - now £375,000, £400,000 - now £385,000, £400,000 - now £375,000, £400,000 - no longer on with this agent
   

From: Looking in the Papers - The Cornishman 24 Nov 07

1. Porkellis, Helston - Detached Farmhouse - 3 bedrooms, 2 receptions, 1 bathroom, 4 granite barns, 15 acres - £550,000 Guide price of £499,950 - this one looks rather attractive at this price... shame we haven't sold our house yet!
   

From: Acres 6 Dec 07

1. Callestick, Truro 5.75 acres (+ 7 bed house) - OIEO £795,000 OIEO £772,500
   
(I'm convinced that anything saying OIEO is asking for trouble at the moment... far better to go for "guide price"...

St Mawes Index Provisional

Still tracking the fate of properties for sale in St. Mawes. I thought I'd add in recent sold prices from the land registry too (well actually from a variety of other sources that reference them) so I've added in postcodes to the original list and follow with a list of recent prices at those postcodes. I'm estimating the postcodes from the maps.

This is my provisional version - I'll need to recheck it yet.

1. FF Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - £235,000 & £230,000, £225,000, £225,000 (TR2 5BN)
   
2. Conversion Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £325,000, £275,000 (TR2 5BN)
   
3. Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - OIRO £300,000 (TR2 5DN)
   
4. New to list- Detached Bungalow - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - OIEO £300,000 - (TR2 5UN)
5. Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - OIEO £305,000 (TR2 5AG)
6. Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom - £315,000 (TR2 5AG)
7. No longer listed - Detached Bungalow - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - Asking price of £319,950
   
8. Mid Terrace? - 3 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £330,000 (TR2 5DR)
9. Sold STC - Detached Bungalow - 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms - £355,000 (TR2 5BX)
   
10. Under Offer - Terraced Cottage - 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms - £355,000 - Still listed but price now marked as £375,000 - did I really get this wrong before? Sorry if I did! (TR2 5DJ)
    
11. Under Offer - Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 2 bathroom - Asking price of £395,000 (TR2 5DN)
12. Detached Bungalow - 3 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 2 bathrooms - Asking price of £395,000 (TR2 5BU)
    
13. Semi-detached Cottage - 3 bedrooms OIEO £395,000 (TR2 5BH)
14. Detached Barn - 1 bedroom, 1 reception rooms, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £399,950 (TR2 5BY)
15. Newly Under Offer! - Bungalow - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £420,000 (TR2 5BU)
16. End of Terrace - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception rooms, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £425,000 (TR2 5DN)
17. Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 2 bathroom - Guide price of £440,000 (TR2 5DW)
18. No longer listed - Sold STC - Semi - 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms - OIEO £450,000
    
19. Detached Cottage (+ 1 bed Annexe) - 4 bedrooms - Guide price of £495,000 - no postcode (TR2 5AD)
20. No longer listed - Under Offer - Detached Bungalow - 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom - £500,000
21. Newly Under Offer! - FF apartment - 4 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 2 bathrooms - Asking price of £525,000 (TR2 5AY)
22. Detached Bungalow - 2 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - £549,950 (TR2 5BD)
23. End of Terrace - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception rooms, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £550,000 - Gibraltar Terrace - no postcode
    
24. GF Apartment - 3 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £650,000 clearly the other half of this one £525,000 (TR2 5AY)
25. Detached House (+ 2/3 bed Annexe) - 4/5 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 3 bathrooms - £659,000 - no postcode Newton Road / Upper Castle Road?
    
26. New to list - Mid-terrace? - 3 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - OIEO £695,000 (TR2 5DR)
27. Detached House - 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms - £695,000 (TR2 5AY)
28. Detached Bungalow - 4 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - Guide price £695,000 (TR2 5AY)
29. Detached House - 4 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms, 4 bathrooms - Asking price of OIRO £745,000 (TR2 5AY)
30. Detached House - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - Asking price of £795,000 (TR2 5BJ) or (TR2 5BL)
31. Detached House* - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 3 bathrooms - Asking price of £925,000 (b,c,d,e (this last one, e, I had previously listed separately but now realise is the same house as the rest at this price) (TR2 5BZ)
32. Detached House - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 3 bathrooms - Asking price of £1,250,000 (TR2 5BB)
    
33. Detached House - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - Guide Price of £1,500,000, £1,250,000 (TR2 5AR)
34. Detached Bungalow - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 3 bathrooms - POA Back to Asking price of £1,450,000 (TR2 5AR)
35. Under Offer - Detached House - 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms - £1,750,000 - (TR2 5AR)
36. Sold STC - Detached House - 6 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms - £1,750,000 (TR2 5AR)

Sold prices
I've listed the postcodes in their order of appearance in the for sale list.

• TR2 5DN
  • 12 Commercial Road, Freehold (Terraced), £420,000 on 26 Oct, 2007
  • Flat 3, Helm, Wentworth House, Commercial Road, Leasehold (Flat), £235,000 on 19 Jun, 2007
  • 7 Commercial Road, Freehold (Terraced), Sold for £225,000 on 17 Apr, 2007
  • Flat 2 Bank House, Commercial Road, Leasehold (Flat), £120,000 on 23 Jan, 2007
  • Flat 4 Compass Wentworth House, Commercial Road, Leasehold (Flat), £250,000 on 05 Jan, 2007
• TR2 5UN - most recent sale was in 2001
  
• TR2 5AG
  • Flat 3 Manor Court, The Square, Leasehold (Flat), £285,000 on 28 Sep, 2007
  • Flat 2 Manor Court, The Square, Leasehold (Flat), £245,000 on 26 Jan, 2006
• TR2 5DR
  • Upper Warren Lower Castle Road, Freehold (Terraced), £610,000 on 21 Dec, 2006
  • 21 Lower Castle Road, Freehold (Semi-Detached), £912,500 on 21 Jul, 2006
  • 12 Lower Castle Road, Freehold (Semi-Detached), £785,000 on 10 Oct, 2005
  • The Studio Lower Castle Road, Freehold (Semi-Detached), £357,500 on 29 Sep, 2005
• TR2 5BX
  • 9, Newton Park, Freehold (Detached), £335,000 on 24 Aug, 2007
  • 8, Newton Park, Freehold (Detached), £315,000 on 8 Aug, 2007
• TR2 5DJ
  • Cove Cottage The Square, Freehold (Detached), £359,950 on 05 Jul, 2007
  • 3 Apartment The Watch House, The Square, Leasehold (Flat), £229,950 on 30 Oct, 2006
  • 2 Apartment 2, The Square, Leasehold (Flat), £370,000 on 07 Sep, 2006
• TR2 5BU
  • Cairn Ryan Trelawney Road, Freehold (Detached), £495,000 on 19 Oct, 2007
  • Summers View Trelawney Road, Freehold (Detached), £395,000 on 14 Oct, 2005
• TR2 5BH
  • 9 Chapel Terrace, Freehold (Detached), £570,000 on 15 Dec, 2006
  • 1 Chapel Terrace, Freehold (Semi-Detached), £307,500 on 26 May, 2006
• TR2 5BY
  • Newton Cottage, Upper Castle Road, Freehold (Detached), £250,000 on 19 May, 2004
    
• TR2 5DW
  • Upper Boyne, Marine Parade, Freehold (Terraced), £205,000 on 19 Oct, 2007
  • 12 Marine Parade, Freehold (Terraced), £580,000 on 19 Oct, 2007
    
  • 15 Lower Fountain House, Marine Parade, Leasehold (Flat), £295,000 on 29 Sep, 2006
    
  • 21 Marine Parade, Freehold (Terraced), £85,000 on 06 Apr, 2006
    
  • Roseland House, Marine Parade, Freehold (Semi-Detached), £435,000 on 24 Feb, 2006
• TR2 5AD - no results
  
• TR2 5AY
  • Trelowen Polvarth Road, Freehold (Detached), £495,000 on 24 May, 2007
    
  • Middle Botreaux Polvarth Road, Leasehold (Detached), £575,000 on 14 Nov, 2006
  • The Croft Polvarth Road, Freehold (Detached), £485,000 on 26 Apr, 2006
• TR2 5BD
  • 4 Waterloo Close, Freehold (Detached), £615,000 on 28 Sep, 2006
  • 12 Waterloo Close, Freehold (Detached), £340,000 on 31 Mar, 2005
• TR2 5BJ
  • Trevennen West Grove Hill, Freehold (Semi-Detached), £550,000 on 31 Jan, 2007
• TR2 5BL
  • 4 The Rope Walk, Freehold (Detached), £325,000 on 15 Aug, 2005
• TR2 5BZ
  • Clover Hill Upper Castle Road, Freehold (Detached), £1,330,000 on 23 Aug, 2007
    Merry Mead Upper Castle Road, Freehold (Detached), £1,476,000 on 29 Jun, 2007
• TR2 5BB
  • 6 Nilgiris Carrick Way, Freehold (Semi-Detached), £785,000 on 18 Sep, 2007
  • 6 Nilgiris Carrick Way, Freehold (Semi-Detached), £700,000 on 19 Jan, 2007
• TR2 5AR
  • Woodpeckers Freshwater Lane, Freehold (Detached), £740,000 on 31 Oct, 2007
  • Roscarrick House Freshwater Lane, Freehold (Detached), £1,115,000 on 01 Aug, 2007

Property Snake

"Cornish Coast" taken in 1993

I've just read that in the UK only two English counties are in the "top 10" list of those with the highest house price inflation between 1997 and 2007 - and the top one is Cornwall. In the last 10 years prices have risen by 266%. To return to 1997 levels house prices would need to fall by about 65% (assuming 30% "real" inflation) - and assuming that the current price hasn't been hugely optimistic in the first place, of course, which in some cases it clearly has - there are stories of people adding on 10% to what would have been a "fair" market price just to give themselves "room for manoeuvre" - very dangerous in such price sensitive times! Houses go stale and that makes them even harder to sell.

There is a house price tracker called propertysnake which attempts to chart houses that are having to reduce their prices. I like this site as it shows me which houses are beginning to be priced more realistically. Its just a shame that some websites have complained about it using photos and linking to them. The biggest drops on there are of the order of 30%. However even there this site tells the lie to the idea that houses were selling easily in the first 6 months of 2007 - loads have been on the market for 9 months or more - and these are just the ones that haven't either directly or indirectly "reset" their count - for instance by changing agent.

Average time to sell?

Negative by Caro's Lines

I wonder how long it really does take to sell a house at the moment. In Monday's Guardian it says 8.5 weeks but that is averaged out over the whole country and doesn't take into account any of the houses that have been languishing unsold for months on end. Or the ones that come off the market without having been sold. At least I assume that's true - I'd like to know how its calculated.

Guardian - Saturday 26th January 2008

And talking of the Guardian in their Snooping around section they featured one of the round houses in Veryan near St Mawes. Its not in my St. Mawes list as to make it manageable the list only contains properties actually in St Mawes. But I did mention it in my South Coast Villages post a couple of weeks ago. I was disappointed to find that the Guardian did not include any more details than I'd already gleaned from the particulars on the website. The Guardian had it priced at £495,000 whereas the agent specifically lists it as offers in excess of £495,000.

(I think that anyone currently listing as "offers in excess of" is very brave! From what I've seen hardly anyone is selling and it looks like no-one is achieving their asking price. Its all very well having a lower limit beyond which you won't drop but this is now a buyers market...)

When I started this blog I was expecting there to be a lot more change in the houses on the market than there has been. However I'm glad I did start it as its giving me a way of tracking what's happening in the area I'd like to be living...

Would you buy a flat?

One of the things I've been struck with is just how expensive flats are now that they are called "apartments". I've never owned one, though I have rented a couple, and thinking about it now I doubt I ever will buy one. There are so many problems with them:

• Maintenance costs - one of my friends in a flat has recently been landed with her share (a quarter) of the roofing bill of £60,000 (£15,000 for her share) - seemed a little extortionate and entirely unexpected but she had no choice but to pay up!
  
• Self-run Management Companies - what a pain they are - especially if any of the people who own the flats are letting them out to tenants - next door has this problem...
  
• Lack of security - communal front doors get left open or are opened without due care via buzzers...
• Noise - I don't like people walking around in rooms over my head or playing music that vibrates my floor from below (I had enough of that at university!)
• Stairs - I don't want to have to drag my shopping up loads of stairs (both flats I rented were top floor and too many stairs up!)
  
• Parking - Even if there is parking its going to take luck to be are the one who gets to park by the door (I won't seriously consider any house without parking - I've never yet bought one without its own off-street parking though I have rented them and regretted it)
• Smells - especially cooking smells and cigarettes - these often seem to pervade the insides of flats - maybe the communal stairwells aren't well ventilated?
• Leasehold - if I'm forking out hundreds of thousands I want to actually own my own place - and if its not a very long lease when one comes to sell it may not be viable any more.
  
• Lack of a private garden space or worse still a garden that is down loads of stairs and not even visible from the flat. This seems to "add value" to the flat but in practice the garden becomes neglected and is just a pain - where do you keep gardening tools when your little patch of garden would be totally consumed by a shed?
• And currently they seem to be rather poor bets as investments...

So that said, apart from the ones that happen to be in my St Mawes list, I won't be looking at any more apartments here.

Statistics

Just a reminder to myself about the difference in percentages on the way up and on the way down.

If a house starts out at £200,000 and rises to £400,000 then that is a 100% gain. the reverse, from £400,000 down to £200,000 is only a 50% loss.

Cornishman Property Pages

Despite seeing almost none of the properties I've been watching for the last 2 months sell there are still new ones being added. This encourages me to take even more time in looking - there is no rush to buy whatsoever, there is ever increasing choice and unfortunately very little in the way of price reductions despite the static market. I wonder how many of the sellers really believe they'll get their asking price? Or even within 10%?

Cornwall has a really difficult housing market. Its prices are dictated by fickle outside investors whilst locals have really low wages and are all but priced out. Anyone who already owns a house in Cornwall (whether they are local or not) when they come to sell it naturally wants as much for it as they can get... however those fickle outsiders are currently much more wary since although it is lovely to be able to spend the odd week by the sea luxuriating in one's "investment" its not a very good value investment if its "losing money". But the property market is a strange one, a house doesn't actually have a value until its sold. The idea that its "worth" some specific value is based on what someone else has paid for somewhere else and rather assumes other people will have the money and want to spend it similarly.

This is currently not true.

People with cash know they can wait and get much better returns for it right now in savings accounts. And people who need mortgages are much less likely to get them after the credit crunch whether or not they are themselves "sub-prime" or not. And of course people with houses to sell before they can buy are all stuck in the same tangled web.

Of course if a property is a business then its value should be easier to judge. I've been checking out holiday cottages and what one might hope to make from letting them out and its currently not good. The returns tend to be far less than 6% (before income tax). And no-one in their right mind would currently buy at full price in the expectation that their investment will then continue to go up to cover any short-fall in returns from holiday lets.

As the owner of a house I'm all too well aware that houses cost real money to keep going, they need maintenance to stay watertight, updating to stay attractive (important if you want to let it out) and cost real money in council tax (or business tax), electricity etc. If one is not nearby oneself there is also the need to hire people to do the gardening and housekeeping. Money in the bank doesn't cost this much to maintain!

I'm also interested to see which houses start to come on the market in the next few months as people with second homes hope to sell them just after April's change in CGT makes any profits far less heavily taxed.

Of the houses in the photo above slashed with red "NEW" banners I'm sure I've seen some of them before, making them rather less new...

Here are the one's marked new:

St Erth, 3/4 bed, detached reverse house in cul-de-sac - £375,000 - this one does not have any energy charts to show for itself which makes it seem, as a 4 bed house, to have been quite a long time on the market...

St. Ives, detached tea shop + 3 bed apartment - £675,000 - this one specifically says the date of instruction was December 2007 so not really very new...

Angarrack - 3 bed semi - £269,950 - doesn't seem to be on rightmove so may indeed be new...

Penzance - pub - £185,000 leasehold (22 years remaining) - plus £53,000 rent per year (not mentioned in the paper but in the details on the web) with a rent review coming up in September - seems like quite a lot of money to be finding every year! Luckily running a pub has never been one of my dreams...

Angarrack - 2 bed, reverse - £197,500 - no energy chart...

Incidentally, I wish estate agent details would give ceiling heights as well as room sizes.

St Mawes again...

The main change is that a few which are no longer advertised on primelocation are now on rightmove, they may have been there before but I'd linked to their primelocation entries. I'm not keeping enough details to tell whether these really are the same one ones but it seems likely as all are with the same agent and match in prices etc.

1. FF Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - £235,000 & £230,000, £225,000, £225,000
2. Conversion Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £325,000, £275,000
   
3. Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - OIRO £300,000
   
4. Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - OIEO £305,000
5. New to list - Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom - £315,000
   
6. No longer listed - Detached Bungalow - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - Asking price of £319,950
   
7. Mid Terrace? - 3 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £330,000
8. Sold STC - Detached Bungalow - 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms - £355,000
9. Under Offer - Terraced Cottage - 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms - £355,000 - Still listed but price now marked as £375,000 - did I really get this wrong before? Sorry if I did!
   
10. Under Offer - Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 2 bathroom - Asking price of £395,000
11. Detached Bungalow - 3 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 2 bathrooms - Asking price of £395,000
12. Semi-detached Cottage - 3 bedrooms OIEO £395,000
    
13. Detached Barn - 1 bedroom, 1 reception rooms, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £399,950
14. Bungalow - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £420,000
    
15. End of Terrace - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception rooms, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £425,000
    
16. Apartment - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 2 bathroom - Guide price of £440,000
    
17. Sold STC - Semi - 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms - OIEO £450,000 (I didn't notice it being "OIEO" before...)
    
18. Detached Cottage (+ 1 bed Annexe) - 4 bedrooms - Guide price of £495,000
19. No longer listed - Under Offer - Detached Bungalow - 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom - £500,000
20. No longer listed - FF apartment - 4 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 2 bathrooms - Asking price of £525,000 Unless its this one, now on rightmove: FF apartment - 4 bedrooms, 1 reception room, 2 bathrooms - Asking price of £525,000
21. Detached Bungalow - 2 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - £549,950
    
22. End of Terrace - 2 bedrooms, 1 reception rooms, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £550,000
    
23. No longer listed - GF Apartment - 3 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £650,000 Unless its this one, now on rightmove: GF Apartment - 3 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms, 1 bathroom - Asking price of £650,000 clearly the other half of this one £525,000
24. No longer listed - Detached House (+ Annexe) - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 3 bathrooms - Asking price of £659,000 Unless its this one, now on rightmove: Detached House (+ 2/3 bed Annexe) - 4/5 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 3 bathrooms - £659,000
    
25. Detached House - 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms - £695,000
26. Detached House - 4 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - Guide price £695,000
    
27. Detached House - 4 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms, 4 bathrooms - Asking price of £745,000
28. Detached House - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - Asking price of £795,000
29. Detached House* - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 3 bathrooms - Asking price of £925,000 (b,c,d)
30. Detached House - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 4 bathrooms - Asking price of £925,000
    
31. Detached House - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 3 bathrooms - Asking price of £1,250,000
32. Detached House - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 2 bathrooms - Guide Price of £1,500,000, £1,250,000
33. Detached Bungalow - 4 bedrooms, 2 reception rooms, 3 bathrooms - POA Asking price of £1,450,000
34. Under Offer - Detached House - 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms - £1,750,000
35. Sold STC - Detached House - 6 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms - £1,750,000

Review of houses from November 15th's Cornishman

I thought I'd check out some of the properties that were on the market 2 months ago to see how many of them have sold.

Featured on the front cover were:

• Penzance £695,000 Miller Countrywide - still on - no change in price or agent
• St Ives £450,000 Miller and Son - still on - no change in price or agent
• Hayle £550,000 Lillicrap Chilcott - still on - no change in price or agent
• St Just £475,000 Savills - still on - no change in price or agent

These may also be on with other agents but they are all still on with the ones advertising them back in November.

Page 2's featured property:

• Penzance £330,000 NCT - still on - no change in price or agent

Now I'll look at a few from each advertiser that week.

Bradleys

• Carbis Bay - £545,000 - still on - no change in price
• New build "eco-houses" St. Ives - £400,000 - now £375,000

Stratton Creber

• Goldsithney - £192,500 - under offer - PZ/30/10/2007
• Carnyorth, St Just - £249,950 - still on - no change in price - PZ/06/07/07
• Brittons Hill, Penzance - OIEO £269,950 - still on - no change in price - PZ/17/11/07 (this one may disprove my theory that these are date references as the paper is 15/11/07)
• Higher Sheffield, Paul, Penzance - £374,950 - still on - no change in price - PZ/23/07/07

Miller & Son - several of these were marked as reduced so I'll check all of them:

• Ludgvan - £220,000 - ?
• Rosudeon - £239,950 - SOLD
• Germoe - £292,500 - still on - no change in price
• Penzance - £225,000 - now £220,000
• Marazion - £297,950 - maybe the same one
• Praa Sands - £199,995 - ?
• Penzance - £157,500 - ?

I find it extremely hard to find houses on the Miller & Son site so the ones marked "?" may still be there.

Your Move

Marked reduced in November:

• Ayr Lane, St Ives - £375,000 - now £360,000
• Wheal Speed, Carbis Bay - £249,950 - still on - no change in price

Not marked reduced:

• Trewellard, Nr Pendeen - £310,000 - still on - no change in price
• Godolphin Mill - £345,000 - still on - no change in price despite "Our client is keen to start another project, therefore we have priced for an immediate sale..." Looking on rightmove its on with three agents: Your Move, P A Wilkins, Stratton Creber - all the photos show it as a house in the middle of an unmade garden - it would be more attractive with at least some turf!

P.A. Wilkins (their own website seems very limited so I've gone via rightmove)

• Newlyn - £299,500 - still on - no change in price
• Trewellard - £225,000 - still on - no change in price
• Nr. Penzance = Buryas Bridge - £450,000 - still on - no change in price

Miller Countrywide

Three shown large:

• Porthcurno - £525,000 - down to £495,000
• Tehidy Park - £299,950 - down to £289,950
• West Penwith - £550,000 - ?

Marshall's

• Paul - £750,000 - still on - no change in price
• Mousehole - £625,000 - ?
• Trevaylor - £375,000 - Sold STC
• Mousehole - £285,000 - still on - no change in price

Whitlocks

• Penzance - £269,950 - in paper described as substantially reduced for quick sale - still on - no change in price
• Rosudgeon - £430,000 - ?

PRH

• Crowlas - £389,950 - still on - no change in price

These were amongst those advertised as offering to pay £500 per month towards the mortgage costs for the 1st 12 months (NB that's just offering £6,000 off and not even all at once or in a way that reduces stamp duty...)

• Kelynack, St Just - £450,000 - still on - no change in price
• Morwah - £225,00 - still on - no change in price
• Newlyn - £249,950 - down to £229,000
• Paul - £230,000 - still on - no change in price

Berwick & Berwick

• Carbis Bay - £285,000 - still on - no change in price
• Ventonleague - £299,950 - ?

Cross Estates

• Lelant - £450,000 - still on - no change in price
• Carbis Bay - £369,950 - still on - no change in price

NCT

• St Buryan - £199,950 - still on - no change in price
• Outskirts of Marazion - £295,000 - still on - no change in price

Several that I decided to look for I couldn't find, its unlikely these were sold as most agents would still have them marked as sold to encourage people to put their properties on with them. But some of them may. Some may still be there but not have turned up when I looked for them. Others may have changed agent.

Only 2 that I found were marked as sold. 36 were to be found and not yet sold. I've no idea how many would be expected to have sold over the two months that include Christmas.

South Coast Villages

"Sea and Gate" by baralbion

Time to explore some new places. I thought I'd look at some houses in some of the villages on or relatively near the South Coast. I also thought I might consider more modern houses... and what may be more reasonable costs. Though, like everyone, I'm concerned about the possibility of a house price crash and as we have yet to put our house on the market let alone attempt to sell it these may still be in the dream category...

Gorran Churchtown

The agent H Tiddy describes this as:

Gorran Churchtown is one of three habitations in the parish of St Goran (the parish name being spelt with only one 'r'), the others being Gorran Haven, a fishing village now much expanded, and Gorran High Lanes, a small hamlet. Gorran Churchtown is very peaceful and attractive with a village shop/post office, a church, pub, garage/shop and primary school. About one mile away is the harbour and sandy beach at Gorran Haven, and access to miles of stunning cliff walks. Gorran Haven also has further facilities including a doctor's surgery, public house/hotel and more shops. The famous 'Lost Gardens of Heligan' are approximately 2 miles away and the working fishing village of Mevagissey is approximately 4 miles. St Austell is approximately 9 miles away, The Eden Project is approximately 12 miles distant and the Cathedral City of Truro is approximately 16 miles. There is a regular bus service to and from the village, and it also has its own community bus service.

I like the idea of being near the lost gardens and the Eden project. I imagine myself taking photographs all year round in these most photogenic of places.

Modern 4 bedroom house in Church Gorran for £369,950. From the details this looks like a wonderfully straightforward house with two bathrooms upstairs (1 of them ensuite). The kitchen is described as a "breakfast kitchen" and is next to the separate dining room. If I were to view this house I'd be considering knocking those together to make a much larger room. It also has a garage and maybe countryside views. The description on rightmove doesn't mention them but there are two different photos of views included. Rather annoyingly this house doesn't tell you where it is on a map. Also the agent has a domain name - www.htiddy.co.uk - but this just goes to rightmove so no more information is available.

Also on with this agent is a new build in Veryan. Which they describe as:

Veryan and Veryan Green comprise a most pleasant village famous for its 'Round Houses' in the beautiful Roseland Peninsula of South Cornwall, and is a true village community with a post office/mini-market, primary school, Church, an excellent pub and a Sports and Social club (including indoor bowls). It is also a conservation area and is approximately 2 miles from the unspoiled Pendower and Carne beaches. There are many lovely country walks in and around the village, and the Cornish Coastal Path is also within easy reach. The Cathedral City of Truro and administrative centre for Cornwall is 12 miles away with excellent shopping facilities. The King Harry Ferry, approximately 4 miles, provides a short cut to Falmouth and leads to the far west. The sailing centre of St Mawes is within 8 miles.

The house is 4 bedroomed and on at £450,000. This one does have a map and looks to be 1-2 miles from the coast. One feature of the property is "no water bills" so it must have its own supply. Although its advertised as 4 bedrooms it only has 2 upstairs which means the other two are more flexible - on the floorplans the smallest is labeled as a study. There is a shower room downstairs so these 2 bedrooms would be fine as guest rooms. From the photos its has a rather strange looking conservatory and a depressingly small garden.

One of the "round houses" mentioned above is currently for sale - OIEO £495,000. It looks quaint.

Tregony is described by agent Alastair Shaw as:

The village of Tregony offers a range of facilities including Post Office, general stores, Pub, Primary and Secondary Schools, Doctors surgery, Church, bus service and is central to the surrounding town and city.

They have their own website which seems to be mostly concerned with the mess that dog owners aren't clearing up.

On at £349,950 is a four bedroom house with 4 bedrooms upstairs, 2 of them look a reasonable size. Downstairs is what looks like a very decent sized kitchen/dining room thus allowing the room marked as "dining room" to be a study as it has frenchwindows out onto the garden I think we might both want that one! It has also a garage and something described as an "outhouse" - maybe a shed?

H Tiddy also have a place on in Tregony and they describe the village as:

Tregony is known as the gateway to the Roseland Peninsula. This is an area of outstanding natural beauty with much National Trust property, and a wealth of beaches, coastal features, fishing villages, lovely countryside and sailing facilities. Tregony was once a thriving port on the River Fal before it was silted up. To-day it is flourishing again with many interesting old buildings, Church, good senior and junior schools, doctor's surgery, Public House and a range of shops and facilities along its wide main street, including a mini-market, post office, restaurant and dentist. The Cathedral City of Truro provides all major amenities some 8 miles to the west, while 9 miles to the east is the town of St Austell, and 10 miles to the south is the sailing centre of St Mawes.

The house is a split level detached house with 4 bedrooms and is on at £345,000
- it has views and a better sized garden than some. Its tremendous disadvantage, if the floorplans are correct, is that the bathroom is on a different level from the bedrooms although it does look as though there is a loo on their same floor.

I like their descriptions of villages but I find it odd that an estate agent can possible consider this to be a Full Description:

The accommodation comprises: Entrance Area • Upper Hallway • Living Room • Dining Room • Bathroom • Kitchen / Breakfast Room • Lower Hallway • 4 Bedrooms • Cloakroom • Utility Room.
Outside: Garage • Parking • Colourful well-stocked Gardens to the front and rear.

At least there is a floorplan with dimensions... but there is no mention of materials or plumbing for dishwashers etc. H Tiddy if you are reading this please put a bit more info on!

Still in Tregony in the beguilingly named Froglane, is a 3 bedroom house on at £288,000. The house has a rather pleasing layout though the rooms look a little small. There is no garage but there is parking via "an unmade lane".

And for £285,000 a three bedroom detached with a garage, The Old Blacksmith Shop. This one has full written details and no floorplans!

Desperation in The Cornishman's Property Supplement?

Last Thursday's Cornishman's Property section included two rather odd offers.

This one involves a house in Crowlas on at £389,950 where they are offering to pay the stamp duty. Which means the buyer, if paying top whack, would get the £11,698 paid for them. Someone has clearly noticed that there is something magical going on around this price.

If a buyer takes up this offer at the asking price then the vendor will get:

£389,950 - £11,698 = £378,251

whereas if the buyer puts in an offer of £378,251 and pays the stamp duty then due of £11,347 this brings their total bill up to £389,599 which is very similar, (though note it is in fact less).

The obvious moral of this to me is that one ought to offer very much less than the asking price and maybe press for them to maintain their offer of paying the stamp duty on top of this! I've read that most buyers are currently offering between 5-10% less than the asking price not just 3%. And with thoughts of a really significant crash in the offing starting even lower must be sensible.

Then there is this one:


These properties on at a variety of prices are all offering £6,000 holidays! On the cheapest of them, £125,000 that's 4.8% whilst on the most expensive £475,000 that's a very poor 1.26%. So eyecatching but not good deals. And frankly smacks of desperation.

There are some adverts on other pages which are advertised as "reduced" or "new price" but as there is no mention in the paper of what they were previously asking that could mean a very minor adjustment or a major one. Luckily I've saved my old copies so I can tell that:

Botallack, 3 bed terraced which in November was on for £199,000 is now down to £184,950 a reduction of 7%

Nancledra, 2 bed FF apartment was in November advertised then as on at a "new price" of £149,950 and is now down to £125,000 which would be, if true, a whacking reduciton of over 16%. Though on rightmove the price looks likes its really - £129,950 which is a reduction of 13%. The photos look as though it could do with a visit from a "house stager"

Nancledra, 1 bed GF apartment was in November advertised then as on at a "new price" of £140,000 and is now down to £129,950 which is a reduciton of 7% - the photos also look as though it could do with a visit from a "house stager" and on rightmove this one's price is now £125,000 which is a reduction of over 10%

I do feel sorry for people who have been hoping for more and reasonably expected it since their houses were valued at more before they put them on the market. I just hope they do actually manage to sell. In the last house price crash my mother was unable to sell at all.

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Samson Got Top Billing Jan 10 2007


This is a house that I've been following the fortunes of since before I started this blog.

The first time I saw it, it was on with Lillicrap Chilcott. Their description mentioned that it had previously been a holiday cottage on with Classic Cottages.

I wondered what sort of investment it was as a holiday let so I contacted Classic Cottages to find out. They said it would be in price band M. Which I reckoned meant one might get £13-£15k a year from it after their advertising costs but before all other costs (electricity, housekeeping, council tax or business rates etc. etc. and income tax) and allowing for vacancies. So not a very good return for £349,500. In fact at less than 4% before running costs and tax, a great deal worse than a building society account.

Looking it up in the land registry is seems to have last been bought for £290,000 in July 2003. And it looks as though they may well have spent quite a lot of money doing it up since. Unfortunately from an investment point of view I think it is actually worth less than what they paid for it then. (At that price the return is around 5% before costs and tax).

And from a living there point of view, the garden seems very small. Also there is the question of whether it has, or at least has plumbing for a washing machine and / or a dishwasher.

The details when on with Lillicrap Chilcott didn't mention plumbing for a washing machine or dishwasher so I emailed them asking about this. I got no reply.

It then went on with Whitlocks and still no mention of washing machine or dishwasher. I emailled them the same question and again got no reply.

Incidentally in the December 13 2007 issue was this:


I wonder whether there was a sale that fell through or whether this was a mistake as it was being taken off Lillicrap Chilcott's books and the agency being transfered to Whitlocks.

If I was the current owner of this place and it has got the plumbing that appears to be missing I'd hassle my estate agent to put it in. I'd also drop my price considerably. And I'd put it back on with Classic Cottages since its most likely use is as a holiday cottage and one with forward bookings would be much more attractive, especially if they could prove a better return than I've estimated.