Tag Archives: Swansea

Dawsons' auction at the Marriott Hotel
Auctions, Dawsons

Going, going… all gone – Dawsons enjoy 100 per cent success at auction

To buy or sell at an auction is proving a popular choice among Swansea property owners as was proved at Dawsons Property’s latest event.

To mark the half year position with a bang, Dawsons’ recent auction was a complete sell out, with 100 per cent of the available stock being purchased, which included a Grade Two listed church and a large run down Manor House in Mayals.

A modern auction is great for people looking for unusual properties and they have become increasingly popular with buyers who want to avoid the traditional house buying chain.

One of the main lots at the auction was St Paul’s Church in Plasmarl.

Dawsons Sales Negotiator Corey Ashford said: “St Paul’s Church was quite an unusual and quirky lot – not a lot of Grade II churches come up in the area.  We set the guide price at £75,000 and were absolutely thrilled to see if reach £90,000 on the day”

Property auctions are in vogue and are becoming an increasingly popular avenue for buyers and sellers and are fast catching up with the more conventional ‘private treaty’ route for homeowners.

This was proved at their recent event when many of the lots under the hammer went for considerably more than their guide price “In fact, two of the auction lots – 2-3 Llewellyn Circle and 30 Parkway both went for twice their guide price.

Dawsons Senior Partner Chris Hope insists: “Nowadays it’s a successful way of selling properties and getting the full price the market will pay. It is not all about a property which is battered and bruised, which no-one wants to buy “a property auction provides a rich variety of property types.”

Dawsons’ auction department has sold 94 per cent of the properties they have marketed so far in 2017. With an ever growing team, the auction department is thriving. Having had three auctions under the hammer so far, 2017 looks to be Dawsons’ greatest year to date for the team.

Dawsons aquisition of SA1 & Marina Properties
Acquisition, Dawsons, Landlords, Lettings, Staff, Swansea Marina

Leading Swansea estate agent announces acquisition of marina property firm

Dawsons Property has announced a merger with Marina & SA1 Properties.

The takeover sees two well established, local and trusted companies combining in a bid to enhance customer experience and other professional services to clients in the Maritime quarter.

The merger has been a seamless transition which sees the Marina & SA1 Property clients benefit from the thorough planning and cooperation of both teams from the very outset, and as the summer months move forward.

“What a great acquisition this has already proven to be, and we are already looking to the future and building what will be a special team and presence in the Marina for the exciting times ahead,” said Ricky Purdy, Director of Residential Lettings.

“The transition has been a smooth one, with our new clients at the forefront of our objectives.

“We hope to continue this process during the weeks ahead at several open evenings and meet-the-team events that we are to hold over the summer months.

“We know how important continuity is, and agent/client rapport, so meeting in person makes for a great start to our long term working relationships.”

The Marina & SA1 Properties will now display the Dawsons brand.

The Marina and SA1 staff along with Dawsons’ Marina staff, who have been with us since the opening day at the Marina six years ago, have already formed a formidable team focusing on customer service.

Having already established a strong presence in the Marina, supported by their four other rental offices elsewhere within Swansea and Llanelli, the Dawsons brand looks to establish itself further within the Marina in readiness for the continued developments both independent and those related to the University.

With the merger, coming over to Dawsons are Irene Williams and Delyth Evans.

Irene has extensive customer service and lettings and sales negotiation experience. She is knowledgeable about the local area and property values in Swansea. She is motivated to help you sell or rent your property as quickly as possible by providing a knowledge-based valuation together with a friendly and informative service.

Delyth provides bookkeeping and accounts support. She is the “go to” lady for people who have queries about your statements or rent payments and is providing invaluable back office support to the busy front office team.

CAPTION: Tim Kostromin (Dawsons Partner) shaking hands with Roger Blakeborough-Pownall (Director of Marina and SA1 Properties) and behind left to right are Ricky Purdy (Director of Dawsons Residential Lettings), Leon Atolagbe (Dawsons Senior Negotiator and Valuer), Laura Carver (Negotiator and Senior Administrator), Naomi Webborn (Residential Lettings Department Coordinator), Michelle Ireland (Negotiator), Irene Williams (Negotiator and Administrator) and Pauline Blakeborough-Pownall (Director of Marina and SA1 Properties).

Auctions, Dawsons, Sales

Dawsons auction: your chance to own grade two listed church

The former St Paul’s church in Plasmarl, Swansea goes under the hammer at Dawsons Property Auction on Wednesday June 14 at 15:00 in Swansea Marriott Hotel.

The Grade II listed building is expected to ignite a lot of interest as it is such an unusual property.

Dawsons Sales Negotiator Corey Ashford said: “It’s quite an unusual and quirky lot – not a lot of churches come up in the area. There’s a guide price of around £75,000 on this so it’s a good price bracket for a lot of potential buyers.

“The church probably dates back to the end of the 19th to early 20th century, and retains quite a lot of original materials including the organ, stone walls, suspended wooden flooring and the original roof.

“It has D1 planning permission which would allow a number of uses such as a day nursery, education or training centre or medical centre. Its grade II listing means it is of historical importance, so there are restrictions as to what you can do with the building externally and internally.

“Overall it’s a great lot with plenty of potential, and it will be interesting to see who buys it and what it becomes.”

The church is one of a huge range of properties being auctioned on June 14.

Dawsons SA1 property
Dawsons, Lettings, Sales

Dawsons’ impressive housing stock within Wales’ most desirable postcodes

Swansea boasts some of the most desirable postcodes in Wales to live. In fact, three of those postcodes appear in a new list of the top 10 postcodes in Wales.

Dawsons is proud to be offering some very desirable properties from within those three postcodes – SA1, which ranks as the third top postcode in Wales; SA5, which is ranked as the fourth top postcode in Wales, and SA6, which is ranked as the 10th.

The survey, carried out by the Centre for Economics and Business Research (CEBR) on behalf of Royal Mail, found that those three postcodes scored well on such factors as quality of schools, access to green spaces, good employment prospects, working hours, affordable housing and average commuting times.

In particular, Dawsons has some much sought after sales and letting properties within the SA1 postcode, which comes third in the survey behind the Vale of Glamorgan and Cardiff Central.

“We have an impressive portfolio of both sales and rental property across the city but we do have some fine examples within those top-rated postcodes and specifically within SA1,” said Chris Hope, Senior Partner at Dawsons.

For example, Dawsons have a particularly impressive apartment in the Meridian Tower which is up for let at £1,500 per month and another apartment in St Christopher’s Court, for sale at £259,950.

Meridian Tower, Trawler Road, Swansea, SA1 1JW

(Under Offer £1,500 PCM)

This is a luxury two-bedroom apartment situated on the 17th floor with stunning views over Swansea Bay.

The apartment (pictured at the top) comprises of open plan lounge/diner, fitted kitchen, en-suite to master bedroom, walk-in wardrobe and family bathroom. It benefits from underground parking, lift access and being set close to the city centre.

St Christopher’s Court, Swansea, Swansea, West Glamorgan, SA1 1UA

(For Sale £259,950)

This is a two-bedroom property on the first floor offering views of Swansea Bay.

The apartment consists of a master bedroom with en-suite and Juliet balcony, an open plan living/dining room with a sit pout balcony. It also has a fitted kitchen with integrated appliances. It includes a family bathroom and allocated parking.

Here are the Top 10 postcodes in Wales:

  1. CF63, Barry, Vale of Glamorgan.
  2. CF24, Cardiff Central.
  3. SA1, Swansea.
  4. SA5, Swansea.
  5. SA72, Pembroke Dock.
  6. CF3, Cardiff South.
  7. CF62, Barry, Vale of Glamorgan
  8. CF5, Cardiff West.
  9. CF11, Cardiff Central.
  10. SA6, Morriston, Swansea.

 

Mia Rees, Public Affairs and Research Manager, The Wallich, Ricky Purdy, Director of Residential Lettings, Dawsons, Suzy Davies AM, Harry McKeown, South West Wales Regional Manager, The Wallich, and Joanne Summerfield Talbot, Director of Residential Sales, Dawsons.
Charitable Events, Dawsons

Suzy Davies AM praises Dawsons Property’s work to tackle homelessness

Dawsons Property has welcomed Suzy Davies AM to their branch at 11 Walter Road, Swansea to hear about their collaboration with homelessness charity The Wallich.

Dawsons has worked in partnership with The Wallich in Swansea for more than 10 years, helping to secure private rental accommodation for service users.

As part of Dawsons’ 25th Anniversary last year it selected The Wallich as its charity of the year, raising funds throughout the year and most notably during Clash of the Corporates in October 2016 – which it won by raising over £3,200 through events including a curry night with raffles, auctions and a series of games.

Other fundraising activities throughout the year, including a mud assault challenge, dress down day and collection tins, helped them raise a total of £4588.37 for The Wallich.

After hearing about the collaboration between Dawsons and The Wallich, Suzy Davies AM said:

“Huge congratulations to Dawsons for their amazing year of fundraising for the Wallich. It sounds like fun but it’s important we all see local businesses being part of solving local problems. It’s not all about the fundraising: it’s about working with the Wallich to prevent homelessness providing practical help, through these bonds, to someone who needs a stable home.”

Harry McKeown, Area Manager South West Wales at The Wallich, added: “It has been a pleasure to talk to Suzy Davies AM about our work with Dawsons and the challenges faced by homeless people in Swansea.

“Dawsons have been an excellent partner through their fundraising and support for homeless people to move into sustainable accommodation in the area with bonds.

“We run several services in Swansea from supporting rough sleepers to get off the streets in to accommodation to collaboration with the local authority to support people into the private rented sector.”

Joanne Summerfield-Talbot, Dawsons’ Director of Residential Sales, said: “Our 130 staff really bought into it from the outset. Everyone has thrown themselves into it and we are thrilled with the amount raised.

“It will go towards bonds to help clients access their first properties in the Swansea area.”

Caption: L-R  Mia Rees, Public Affairs and Research Manager, The Wallich, Ricky Purdy, Director of Residential Lettings, Dawsons, Suzy Davies AM, Harry McKeown, South West Wales Regional Manager, The Wallich, and Joanne Summerfield Talbot, Director of Residential Sales, Dawsons.

The Kingsway
Dawsons, Regeneration

Dawsons happy with more city redevelopment plans to regenerate Kingsway

A new vision for Swansea city centre has been welcomed by Dawsons Property’s Senior Partner Chris Hope.

And part of that redevelopment plan is a £10m scheme to give The Kingsway an exciting new facelift which will see a new road layout to help cater for a new urban park.

A public consultation has begun on the revamp, which will remove the existing two lanes of traffic on the northern side of The Kingsway.

The redevelopment of The Kingsway will also include the introduction of two-way traffic along surrounding roads including, Alexandra Road, Mansel Street, Orchard Street, De La Beche Street and Belle Vue Way.

“There is much to be admired about the way Swansea is going to be transformed over the next few years,” said Chris.

“And having a fully functioning road system that everyone understands is important for the well-being of the city.

“If all this comes to fruition, along with the £1.3b city deal, then Swansea is going to be a city on the up and a very much more attractive place for people to come and live.

“There is no doubting that Swansea and Gower is an attractive area it its own right but to have a fully functioning city infrastructure with plenty more to offer businesses, shoppers and tourists can only be a good thing.”

The regeneration plans for The Kingsway focus more heavily on pedestrians and making the route a destination for shoppers/visitors and city centre workers.

It’s proposed that disruption will be kept to a minimum, with night-time working likely with the public consultation process running until the end of March, with work, subject to agreement, starting in the middle of the year.

The proposed new layout will see the current bus lane removed to allow traffic to travel in both directions on the southern side of the carriageway. Work is expected to start along the route later this year, once full approval has been given.

Dawsons bathroom feature
Bathrooms, Dawsons

Feeling flushed with a quality bathroom

January’s edition of Swansea Life has included a special feature on spectacular bathrooms provided by Dawsons Property.

Here is the feature …

If you ever wondered how important a quality bathroom is to a home consider that the average person spends 18 months of their life in there.

A lovely kitchen is important and a comfortable living room may be crucial, but it is the bathroom where most of us actually start and finish the day.

And when it comes to investing in upgrading or renovating your bathroom it is money very well spent.

“Giving your bathroom a makeover can dramatically increase the value of your home,” insisted Dawsons’ Senior Partner Chris Hope.

“Because taking extra time to renovate the bathroom will allow you to recoup most, if not all of the money that you invest in the renovation once it comes to sell.

“It’s all about ending up with a room that is that much more attractive and functional as well as being that much more hygienic.”

Here we look at five different bathrooms that have put added value to each property.

Raglan, St Annes is for sale with Fine & Country for £1,595,000

A bespoke and lifestyle designed customised property situated on Gower coastline in Langland. This truly idyllic location with picturesque sea view provides tranquil living with the sound of the waves crashing onto the golden sandy beach.

Set over three floors with six double bedrooms and vast living space the property welcomes family living with the additional enjoyment of an indoor swimming pool. The master bedroom has an en suite bathroom with Teuco freestanding bath, walk in shower with waterfall shower provides a beautiful space to relax.

639 Gower Road, Upper Killay is for sale with Fine & Country for £680,000

The perfect, five-bedroom family home situated on the fringes of the Gower Peninsular is set behind a gated entrance with an excellent degree of privacy.

This beautifully presented traditional feel family home offers light, airy, spacious and versatile accommodation with a welcoming and family feel. Deceptively spacious the property sits within a generous plot providing ample parking, garage and drive through driveway with secure telecom entry system.

The spacious family bathroom includes stone tiled encased inset bath and walk in shower area with glass enclosure and waterfall shower. The room is finished with stone tiled walls and floor.

Hawthorn Cottage, Fairwood is for sale with Fine & Country for £589,950

This delightful four-bedroom cottage looks like it has been a part of the surrounding countryside for a hundred years, But Hawthorn Cottage was built approximately 14 years ago and has been cleverly renovated by the current vendor who has captured the essence of a traditional cottage with beamed ceilings and country kitchen melding beautifully with today’s modern luxuries.

And the family bathroom is particularly impressive. It contains a double glazed frosted window to the side, wood floor, panelled bath with shower attachment, towel radiator, pine vanity unit with two stand-alone oblong sinks and pillar taps. It also has half tiled walls, dado rail, low level WC extractor fan and beamed ceiling.

58 Hendrefoilan Road, Sketty is for sale with Dawsons for £475,000

This is an impressively spacious and traditional detached property which has been fully renovated and modernised to a high standard. Situated on a large plot in the desirable area of Sketty offering easy access to Singleton hospital, Swansea University and the sea front.

The family bathroom consists of a stylish white four piece suite comprising low level WC, wash hand basin with stainless steel mixer tap and vanity unit, step in sliding glass shower cubicle with stainless steel mixer shower over with hand held attachment, set in bath with stainless steel centre mixer tap and hand held shower attachment, inset ceiling spotlights, hardwood double glazed Velux window to rear, extractor fan, uPVC double glazed obscured glass window to rear, neutral ceramic wall tiles with stunning 3D feature border tiles, wall mounted chrome towel radiator, neutral ceramic multi ton floor tiles.

25 Hendre Mawr Close, Tycoch is for sale with Dawsons for £324,950

A spacious, detached bungalow, built in 2002, comprises to the ground floor lounge, dining room, study/bedroom, utility room, kitchen/breakfast room, large family bathroom, master bedroom with dressing area and en suite shower room. To the first floor are two further bedrooms and cloakroom.

The property benefits from galleried landing, gas central heating, double glazing, large single garage with electric door and block paved large parking area to the front. There is an enclosed rear garden with level, enclosed paved patio area and with one step down to further lawned area.

The family bathroom comprises of a bath, pedestal wash hand basin, low level WC and double shower, airing cupboard with radiator inside, half tiled walls with decorative border, two stainless steel radiators, coving to ceiling, spotlights, ceramic tiled floor, uPVC double glazed window to side, built in mirror with lights, extractor fan, panelled door.

Windsor Cafe
Commercial property, Dawsons, Lettings

Dawsons’ commercial deals give boost to city centre business

A leader of Swansea’s business community claims there is ‘robust growth’ within the city centre’s commercial property sector sparking optimism about the future.

Russell Greenslade, Chief Executive of Swansea Business Improvement District (BID), made his confident assessment after Dawsons Property revealed that eight vacant city centre units have all been snapped up by businesses in the past few weeks.

“Swansea city centre’s commercial activity is showing robust growth which is a positive sign,” said Mr Greenslade.

“Investors are looking to the city centre for opportunities as a result of the very real regeneration plans we have in place and committed to starting in 2017.

“These are exciting times for the city centre which is very much open for business so I truly encourage investors and businesses to continue looking at Swansea city centre as an area of growth and opportunity.”’

The commercial units which have been let include the former Windsor Café in Craddock Street (sale agreed) and two units in Union Street.

There is also one in Picton Arcade as well as two in Oxford Street and another two in Nelson Street.

The Dawsons deals are a big boost to the city according to the leading Swansea estate agents.

“The recent lettings we have secured in the city centre is a sure sign that local businesses feel that the city is developing in the right direction,” said Andrew Cox, Surveyor in Dawsons Commercial Department.

“With the draft bill for an alteration in business rates in place for 2017, this reaffirms that the local authority is doing their best to help keep the city a vibrant and diverse place for consumers to shop, and I’m hopeful that 2017 will be another strong year for local business.

“2016 has seen further development for student accommodation in the city centre, and with the redevelopment of the Oceana Nightclub, this will only attract more local business to the area.”

Dawsons’ recent commercial deals:

28 Union Street: recently let to a fully trained chef planning to offer hearty homemade food.

30 Union Street: ChurroShake – similar to the chocolate kebab house in Morriston. Offering sweet treats for children and adults alike.

Union Street
Union Street

2 Picton Arcade: Deluxe Vapours – Offering upper market vape fluids for evape pens.

Picton Arcade
Picton Arcade

First & Second Floor 225 Oxford Street: different tenants on each floor. First floor Tenant offers hair styling solutions. The second floor tenant offers bespoke makeup services.

Oxford Street
Oxford Street

Windsor Café, Craddock Street: expected to be turned into a restaurant.

Windsor Cafe
Windsor Cafe

6a Nelson Street: First Floor evape shop called Flavour Vapour.

8 Nelson Street: recently Let to Skin n Ink who are moving premises from Mansel Street.

Nelson Street
Nelson Street
Staff 12th July
Auctions, Lettings, Mortgages

New promotions, appointments and staff moves as leading estate agent just keeps on growing

After winning the title of Wales Lettings Agency of the Year at The Lettings Agency of the Year Awards 2016, independent estate agent Dawsons has gone from strength to strength.

In recent months the firm, which has eight sales branches throughout Swansea and south west Wales offering a wide range of property services, has made a number of new appointments. Dawsons is pleased to announce two new additions, Robyn Lewis and Dafydd Spear.

“Robyn joins our highly successful auction department bringing a wealth of experience, boundless energy and enthusiasm, three factors that mean Robyn can easily and confidently handle any residential or commercial property queries. With a very broad knowledge of the housing market and experience spanning a number of years in the industry we also welcome Dafydd to complement our very busy Morriston team,” said Joanne Summerfield-Talbot, Director of Residential Sales at Dawsons.

It’s not just new team members that Dawsons is celebrating, there has also been a variety of promotions and moves affecting current staff. Emma Bolton has transferred from the firm’s successful Marina branch, where she worked in sales and lettings, to their Mumbles branch to take on the role of Branch Manager. Emma’s drive, determination, energy, and vast knowledge and experience in the housing market makes her the perfect staff member for the job.

Joanne added, “Due to the continued growth of our business we have made a number of internal moves throughout our sales department for existing key staff to provide additional support with their vast knowledge and experience, and for some of our newer members these moves will help with their progression and advancement within Dawsons. We wish all of them the best of luck in their new roles.”

New Investment

My view on recent EU events – by leading estate agent Chris Hope

Whilst for months the question leading up to the EU referendum revolved around whether you were in or out, the query currently on everyone’s lips, no matter what their personal or professional standpoint, has to be – “what now?” Here Chris Hope, Partner at Dawsons Estate Agents, provides his view on the UK’s recent exit from the European Union and helps you figure out what’s next for you, your clients and the wider property market…

Business as usual

My view on our recent Brexit is simply business as usual, but for professionals everywhere, regardless of their niche or agency size, it is important to remain clear and positive when it comes to our immediate business future.

Following the momentous decision of the British people to leave the EU I have discussed the potential ‘fall out’ calmly and positively with many of my RAN business contacts across the UK to give both fellow industry insiders and our clients a local expert opinion to help maintain confidence and ensure that we have a clear message to offer to all of our audiences.

The market’s reaction

It would appear that the money markets had not anticipated the ‘out’ vote, however, the Governor of The Bank of England, Mark Carney, has addressed the press with a very calm and confident statement reassuring all that there are contingency plans in place to shore-up the banks and avoid any immediate turmoil.

Key points to takeaway in light of our recent exit from the EU include:

  • The Bank of England has huge reserves & plans to react positively to the vote
  • The stock market has not crashed and it has been lower this year!
  • Intent from ‘overseas money’ clients to buy property has been immediate
  • We still have a 500,000-person strong population growth and evidently they have to live somewhere
  • The majority of the Great British public are very positive about the result

All the points mentioned above offer some reassurance for what for many has been a shock result, but what’s next for our economy, our security, our relationships with the rest of the world and, more importantly, factors that affect us and our clients a little closer to home?

In short…

Well maybe not that short! There may well be a period of re-adjustment, but people will always need a home and will still need to get on with their lives. If prices do need to adjust, we need to remember that if you lose £10,000 on your own house, you will gain it on whatever you buy next. There continues to be strong demand to live in this area and that will never change because this is a nice place to live.

Are people really wanting to put their lives on hold? I doubt it very much. Clients need to be thinking about other factors rather than just the financial consequences of not moving, such as not getting into the right school area, living in a cramped environment etc., plus what goes down will come back up – it’s just a timing issue. Most purchasers don’t purchase with a short time period in mind.

Will property still remain an asset?

The fundamentals underpinning property as an asset are largely unaffected by the vote. In fact, the UK’s population will continue to rise even if EU immigration is curtailed. But the fact remains we are still not building anywhere near enough new homes to meet the rising demand. These supply-side failures continue to cushion property values from other negative influences.

Currently on offer is a 5-year fixed, interest only mortgage at 2.45%, and potentially rates might come down even further. These are once in a lifetime mortgage deals and considerably offset any price reduction.

What’s next for you and your clients?

If you or your clients are waiting for a market that allows them to buy cheaply, with prices then rising, with low interest rates and a huge selection to choose from then they’re dreamers. That market has never existed, and our job is to highlight the pros and cons of current market conditions and make sure that our clients make informed decisions.

Whatever does happen next, the market will find its equilibrium. People will still die, divorce and decide to move, and whether they choose to rent or buy, let or sell, we shall still be in a position to give them professional advice enabling them to make the right choice to suit their circumstances. A difficult marketplace will mean a successful marketplace for us, and those without the knowledge, confidence and experience are likely to fall by the wayside leaving only the strong agents to deal with the transactions.

The market is what it is and as always Dawsons will find a way to make the best of it. We are very good at that having successfully traded for 25 years!