Stone lettings agency

The local Martin & Co business is currently expanding its portfolio throughout Stone and surronding areas. The company are letting agents and property management specialists.

 

  The owner, Paul Taft has built a strong portfolio of properties in the Stafford area since opening the branch in Eastgate Street, Stafford and now services customers from all over the Stafford, Stone & Cannock areas along with properties in Eccleshall, Yarnfield, Barlaston & Swynnerton.  Paul & his team have achieved this by offering the highest level of service to both landlords & tenants.  Paul is joined in his team by Helen Cartwright & Tracey Rogers who between them have over 20 years of lettings experience, meaning any landlord or tenant is dealt with in both a professional & knowledgeable way.   

 

Paul explains “Our first two years of trading has been extremely busy. We are noticing a growing trend towards lettings in the current climate and the service we offer both landlords and tenants has proven to be just what Stafford and the surrounding areas need."  Paul continued “Many estate agents opened a lettings side to their business in the property boom, but we have found over the last year that landlords prefer to deal with a dedicated letting agent & having the Martin & Co name means they can trust their property with us. 

 

Paul is very established member of the business community with many connections both commercially and socially. As a member of the National Landlords Association Martin & Co has access to many landlords which is important if we are to understand their concerns and issues. We are also registered with the Deposit Protection Scheme (DPS) and the Property Ombudsman. Paul is also a member of the local BNI which helps Stone businesses work together to provide first class service for his customers.

The Stone team

Lettings franchise scoops national award

Martin and Co has been awarded “Franchisor of the Year” at the Negotiator Awards. This national recognition confirms this UK wide lettings brand as a key player in both the property industry and the franchise arena.

Martin & Co are no strangers to winning awards having entered this award category twice and winning on both occasions.

Martin & Co has 170 plus offices UK-wide and the UK leading lettings brand has developed particularly over the last three years – with a dedicated brand for London and student homes being rolled out successfully alongside an new on-line agent franchise proposition with 6 new on-line launches completing before the end of 2011.

Scott Burgess, Franchise Director commented: “It is a tribute to the hard work, dedication, and passion of all staff, but more than that it is a reflection of the proven systems and process already in place, after all that’s what franchising is all about to enable our letting businesses to prosper even in these competitive times”.

The franchise network have let 8,000 properties this year that we have never let before, combined with our strong web presence and investment in on-line technologies is really paying dividends.

Most recently an already successful independent letting agent in Gainsborough, North Lincolnshire trading under the Sargents brand and established for 20 years identified their need for additional operational, business and marketing support for their ambitious growth plans and turned to a Martin & Co franchise as the right solution for their business.”This franchise brand has set new records this year with over £3 million in group fee income in October and delving deeper into the figures Martin & Co is on track to achieve £36 million in group fee income in 2012.

In a highly competitive market the strength of a brand is key, and the challenges of the downturn in the economic climate and keeping a business afloat can be a tall order, but achieving growth and a money-spinning business demands a strong business model.

With over 15 years as a franchise Martin & Co are on the right road to continue their development with launches scheduled already in 2012 for new on-line agents, new franchises and company shops. Helen has a wealth of experience, having worked for another letting agent in Stone for over 12 years. Helen joined Paul at the start of the Martin & Co journey in Stafford and has recently been promoted to office manager.  Helen is very well known to landlords in the Stone area and offers the highest level to every customer, along with a wealth of knowledge and a smile every day. 

 

 

With an every increasing portfolio and to ensure every customer receives the same level of service, Paul recruited a new member of the team in January 2011 to join him & Helen.

Tracey is our newest member of the team and works as a Lettings Negotiator. Along with Helen she is well known by landlords & tenants alike in the Stone area, having previously worked for an agent therefore over 10 years.

 

Testimonials.

 

I have been delighted with the service Martin and co Stafford offer. I have not had a void period between tenants and any maintenance has been done quickly and cost effectively. They also deal with things like my gas safety certificate each year, which means I don't have to worry about tasks like that and can just reap the rewards of owning and renting my property.

Paul, Helen and Tracey are all really helpful and I would highly recommend them to any landlord, particularly one looking for a fully managed service as this has been excellent.

Regards

Jodi

 

To All at Martin & Co,

After receiving poor service from our letting agent we decided to switch our property to yourself and give you full management of the property. After finding us new tenants who we were kept fully informed of through the process as we went along you made the move in effortless on our part. Whilst you have been managing the property your service has been outstanding with regular property inspections carried out on the premises.

All maintenance issues have been dealt with quickly and fairly by the staff in the office and we now have had the same tenants for the last 18 months which is something we never had before and wanted.

We have recently handed over a second property to Martin & Co to Let & to do the Property Management of, and yet again the process was effortless. I have no hesitation in recommending the advice, service and property management I receive from MARTIN & CO...

Mr & Mrs C - Stafford 

 

 

Martin & Co have been fully managing my property for over 18 months and the service received is excellent. I’m always kept up to date with everything to do with the property and the property is inspected on a regular basis, I would recommend anyone new to lettings to use Martin &Co Stafford. – Mrs Danks.

 

 

We have a portfolio of properties that Martin & Co fully manage we recently received notice from one of our tenants and within one day the property was let and new tenants were sourced, Martin & Co have been very professional and would fully recommend there services – Mr Bass ( Landlord)

 

Outlook looking rosy for Landlords

Tenant demand continued to spiral according to research by specialist buy-to-let lender Paragon. The private rented sector trends report for the third quarter gives a summary of current landlord views on rental performance. Almost half of landlords believed that tenant demand had increased during the third quarter and only 4% thought it had declined.

When asked on the outlook of the market over the next 12 months, almost half said they expected it to continue.

This is positive news for landlords who are looking to expand their portfolio or accidental landlords who have yet to conquer the rental market.

In addition to the above, rental income remained healthy with 34% of landlords reporting an increase. Those landlords experiencing an increase believed it was to be between 2% and 4%.

The report also reveals the shift in property types that landlords are looking to purchase. It went on to say terrace houses were the most popular choice at 41%. Coming in second were flats and finally bungalows.

Nigel Terrington, chief executive of Paragon, said: “Tenant demand has continued to increase for a third quarter, which is perhaps not surprising considering the current squeeze on the UK housing market as a whole.”

With the existing downturn in the sales market, more and more people are relying on the private rented sector. This provides an optimistic view for landlords and is reassuring for new landlords who have made the transition from a homeowner to the ‘accidental landlord’. It has provided a financial solution for many homeowners that needed to move but could not sell.

With this positive outlook and whether you are looking to expand your current portfolio or are a first time landlord, talk to Martin & Co Stone. We are a dedicated letting agent and can provide you with expert advice on renting out your property. 

Live and rent in Stone

Stone is an old market town in Staffordshire, England, situated about seven miles north of Stafford, and around seven miles south of the city of Stoke-on-Trent. It is the second town, after Stafford itself, in the Borough of Stafford, and has long been of importance from the point of view of communications. Stone gave its name to both an urban district council and a rural district council before becoming part of the borough in 1974. In 2001 it had a population of 14,555

 

Stone is close to Tittensor, Trentham, Eccleshall, Barlaston, Swynnerton & Stafford.

 

Following several years during which the town was not serviced by train services following the West Coast Mainline speed upgrade, an hourly semi-fast direct service operated by London Midland south to London Euston via Stafford and the Trent Valley line and north to Crewe via Stoke-on-Trent (8 minutes) restarted in December 2008. Virgin Trains and Cross Country trains between Manchester Piccadilly and London and southern England via Birmingham New Street pass through the town.  It is also situated just off the M6, Junction 14 which makes commuting to Manchester & Birmingham feasible, whilst remaining in a semi rural location.  Stone is also located near to the A500 & A50 meaning routes via the M1 are within easy reach.

 

The canal still dominates the town. Many canal side sites have in recent times been taken over for modern day use including ‘The Moorings’ a development of apartments based on the old Stubbs warehouse and also apartments and housing surround the old Trent Hospital, once the Workhouse. Housing developments also border the canal. Commercial traffic has now been replaced by the leisure craft that pass through Stone each year. The Canal Cruising Company today operates from the historic site of the canal maintenance and boat building operations of the Trent and Mersey Canal Company. This restored docks complex with its workshops, by Yard Lock, continues to be used for the maintenance of pleasure craft and historic boats. In 2009, a new marina was developed just south of the town, below Aston Lock with moorings for pleasure craft, a farm shop and a cafe.

 

We have a vast variety of properties in the Stone area ranging from 1 bedroom apartments to 5 bedroom houses.  The demand for rental of all types of properties is set to continue and all types of tenants from single people to large families are welcomed by Martin & Co Stafford.

 

Britain to become 'nation of renters'?

 

Owners of buy-to-let properties could see demand from tenants continue to increase over the coming years, according to new research from Halifax.

A poll by the building society suggests that the UK housing market is undergoing a shift away from home ownership and towards renting.

Although 77 per cent of those surveyed said they still aspire to one day buy their own home, nearly half of 20 to 45-year-olds say Britain is becoming more like Europe where renting is seen as the norm, and predict Britain will become a nation of renters within the next generation.

Furthermore, nearly two-thirds (64 per cent), of non-homeowners currently believe they have no prospect whatsoever of buying a home.

It appears that, as well as high house prices and squeezed finances, a major barrier to home ownership is a perceived lack of access to lending for first-time buyers.

Some 92 per cent of those polled said they see it as hard for first-time buyers to get a mortgage, with 60 per cent seeing it as very hard or virtually impossible.

Meanwhile, 84 per cent say first time buyers are put off by a belief that banks do not want to lend to them and find excuses to turn them down.

This situation is likely to mean owners of buy-to-let properties see further increases in demand from tenants.

According to a recent report from mortgage provider Paragon Group, demand is already on the up, with its research showing that almost half of landlords saw a rise in demand during the first quarter of the year.

 

Strong tenant demand and increasing availability of lending has seen optimism among owners of buy-to-let property soar to a four-year high.

The latest Landlord Optimism Index from the National Landlords Association (NLA) reveals that, during the second quarter of 2011, 65 per cent of landlords rated prospects for their own lettings business over the next three months as either 'good' or ' very good' - the highest proportion since 2007.

Furthermore, buy-to-let property owners are also increasingly positive about the overall state of the private rented sector, with 54 per cent rating the industry's prospects as good or very good, a rise of eight per cent compared with the same period last year.

The increase could be a result of the rapidly rising demand for rented accommodation seen in recent months, which in turn has pushed up rental yields.

This has also had the effect of prompting more lenders to enter the buy-to-let mortgage market, meaning more competitive borrowing rates for landlords.

"After a challenging few years, it is encouraging to hear that the majority of landlords are feeling positive about their lettings business and the overall state of the private-rented sector," said David Salusbury, chairman of the NLA.

"The increasing availability of buy-to-let mortgages and strong demand for rental accommodation is further stimulating positive sentiments, with rent arrears appearing to stabilise and void periods decreasing in recent months. "

However, the survey also revealed deepening concern among landlords regarding the state of the wider UK economy.

The NLA's poll found that only six per cent of landlords rate the outlook for the UK financial market as positive, a decrease of three per cent compared with the same time last year.

"Like other business people, it is clear that landlords are not immune from the effects of financial uncertainty. The fragile state of the economy is a concern for landlords, many of whom have mortgages to pay or rely on their property portfolios to earn a living," said Mr Salusbury. 

 

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