Size matters
Bouncing. It isn’t a word that we’ve come to associate with the property market since the slump of two years ago, but it is the very word Nick Simpson, of Simpsons Property, uses to sum up today’s market.
Nick has seen any number of market highs and lows as he has more years’ experience in the business than he cares to mention (well, OK then, if pushed he’ll admit to signing up to be an office boy in the late 1970s). He has just opened a second office in Sketty and, since the start of the year, his team has been busy.
What does he credit the upswing to? In essence it seems to be that we’ve made a collective decision that house prices have stopped falling. “At the start of the year we noticed that buyers who’d been in rented accommodation were no longer waiting for house prices to fall further,” Nick says. “Since then, prices have started to nudge upwards again.”
It could well be that if you are contemplating a move, now is the time. A recent Rightmove survey revealed that 50 per cent of us believe prices will be higher in 12 months’ time, despite the uncertainty the election generated.
Miles Shipside, commercial director of Rightmove, said that the newly formed coalition and the austerity packages starting to be introduced appear not to have dampened the prevailing sense of price optimism recorded over the past three quarters.
So if surveys and expert opinion are recording a renewed interest from buyers, what abut the issue of stock? Is there enough out there to tempt buyers?
With prices stabilising and even rising once more, it seems that vendors are now more confident of achieving a fair price for their homes and more properties are now on offer. There are some that should make buyers sit up and take notice, as with The Little House.
It is a lovely name, but somewhat deceptive as there is a wealth of space on the ground floor, particularly since the current owners extended it recently. They bought it 15 years ago with plans to retire there after careers in teaching but now, with their family based back in Somerset, they feel the time is right to relocate.
Not an easy decision to make, as you look out of the window. Not only views of Worm’s Head on the right but miles of open sea to the front and the beautiful stretches of Rhossili Down to the rear.
The views and, just as importantly, the light, roll in from all angles and frankly, it is hard not to just sit and stare. But for those of a more active disposition, some of the best spots in Gower are just outside the door, with Mewslade in easy reach, as well as Rhossili.
The garden is a delight; reaching out toward the down and complete with mature foliage, fruit cages, a vegetable plot and even a summer cabin. And if the weather doesn’t hold, you can sit in a snug in the kitchen and enjoy the views, even in the rain.
The house offers plenty of storage space, including an original pantry, but it is the new additions that allow you to imagine what a great house it would be to return to after a long day on the beach – strip off your wetsuit in the large utility room and step into the wet room. Perfect.
If you still have energy to burn, there is even room enough for a mini gym downstairs, but that could just as easily be transformed into a den, playroom, office, studio or anything else that might come to mind.
Upstairs you might be prepared for something of a squeeze as this is a dormer bungalow, but it is surprisingly roomy, too, as everything built in the 1920s came with a better sense of proportion when compared to new builds.
The one quirk is that bedroom three is accessed through bedroom two, but if that becomes too much of a bind, it would be possible to build on top to the existing extension to produce another bedroom, bathroom and an access point to that third bedroom.
And in essence, that is what The Little House is all about, it is big with possibilities. Whether you are retired and looking to soak up views and take your time as you stroll to lunch in the village and down to the beaches, or if you have a young family and need plenty of space with room to grow, it is the type of house that will suit most lifestyles.
Weighing up your needs over the long term has become a central part of any buying decision, even with a return to market buoyancy. The days of buying and selling and turning a quick profit are over for now. But if you are looking to the longer term, the time could be right.
As Miles Shipside sums up: “Confidence is holding up surprisingly well given the double whammy of economic and election uncertainty.” No matter the trouble ahead, many consumers feel that they have weathered enough of the storms and know that that life moves on regardless.
For the owners of The Little House, that means a long drive to the south west to be with family. But as they close the door for the last time, they will have to concede that they are leaving behind views that are unequalled.
But for whoever moves in, it will be the start of a new adventure and, after all, isn’t that just what every house move should mean?
What you need to know
Asking price: £499,950
Agent: Simpsons,
tel 01792 361144
Address: The Little House, Rhossili
Parking: Yes, at the front of
the house
Tenure: Freehold
Council Tax Band: G
