What people are saying in the property world

Thank goodness the thaw has arrived!

I’m not just talking about the weather although I began to think that I would never feel the sun on my face again as we endured week after week of freezing temperatures, rain, snow and windy days which all makes construction impossible. But persevere we did. We managed to move one lovely family all the way from South Africa into a fully finished and Christmas decorated home by December the 21st and another family by January. During this particular build we had to double the amount of muck away lorries because the clay was so wet, we worked shifts of men through nights and weekends to make up for countless days lost to snow and cold.

Moving on – has the thaw finally arrived? All of the data points in that direction. Today in the Daily Express experts point to a 30% rise in house prices, the Halifax are reporting an increase in mortgage approvals, Zoopla report a 30% increase in traffic to their site and many agents are saying it is only a lack of stock restricting the market.

At Aspire we have sold two houses off plan already this year, we have had a strong bid on our Wimbledon development, all flats in Fulham are now sold and of the fourteen developments currently in production only one remains either un-sold or un-offered because we are keeping it all wrapped up for a launch in June.

Hopefully we will see the reversal of the CIL payment on all client builds in the next quarter and the release of more contentious plots to the market to play our part in the current British recovery, after all, not everything can last forever – not even cheap flights to Abu Dhabi!!!

Gary Brine, Founder of Aspire

Happy New Year

As we come to the end of what feels like a very,very long week (I guess the first week back after Xmas always feels like this?) I thought it would be fun to look forward into 2013 and make a few predictions.

It goes without saying that my first prediction is that Aspire will continue to grow both in size but also in capability during 2013, we are now twenty people and have development on the slab of over 45m for 2013. Not only are we building six new houses in the traditional style totalling over 60,000 sq ft we are also embarking on two contemporary builds, one in Wimbledon



and one in the heart of Cobham which takes me nicely into prediction two.

I see a steady move away from the flash mansions of 2008 into homes built for real families. Floor plans will adapt to support real living, houses will be built to include practical spaces like airing cupboards and I believe the era of the shinny floor is over.

Prediction three is that people will move away from indoor pools to well designed and flexible space that will allow indoor/outdoor swimming – after all – if you are going to build a pool make sure you can get a good swim in it.

Prediction four comes from Savills – they say - Prime commuter hot spots around the capital are expected to feel the house price ripple during 2013, areas such as Sevenoaks, Guildford and Beaconsfield will see rises of just two per cent. The longer-term forecast shows a five-year growth of 21 per cent in the prime inner commuter zone which includes Oxshott and Cobham – 21% come on !!

Prediction five comes from RIBA – they predict a strong move toward sustainability and economic development but not at the cost of style. Todays modern architect must be able to design a house that uses 25% less energy than five years ago but with compromising on style space or practicality.

Short a sweet this month – If you are looking to build a new house start with a foot print that works for the whole family, don't ignore the need for storage and make sure your developer is using sustainable materials that can reduce your house hold bills without compromising on style – it's simple really.

Happy new year.

Gary Brine, Founder of Aspire

Strong Partnerships.

Business is built on strong partnerships and insight – we are fortunate to partner with one of the very best – Savills.

Each year the Savill's research team produce real market insight which helps me as a developer and ultimately my clients make the right decision when building, choosing and ultimately owning a property.

For me a property should be a home first and foremost but it is probably one of the biggest investments ever made by a family so what one buys needs to be right.

Please enjoy reading the comprehensive report by Savills and if you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact me or Trevor Kearney at Savills Cobham.

Gary Brine, Founder of Aspire

A proud day to be British

This is a day that I am proud to be British - we do pomp so well - people that don't get Britishness should just pause and behold because we are about to put on the very best games the world has ever seen.

I don't know what outside forces may yet try to disrupt the games but as a developer and a Brit I am incredibly proud of what we have achieved.

We have taken 100 Hectares of contaminated, useless ground and built one of the most elegant, green and useable parks ever.

Did you know that 98% of the material taken out of the 100 hectares has been recycled back into the park? Also did you know that with over 500,000 trees and plants planted we have just completed the biggest landscaping project ever carried out in Europe?

When you visit the park stop, and stare at the wonderful centres but also (please) take time to look at some of the gems like the pumping station,



the velodrome



the Aquatic centre



and my favourite - the ArcelorMittal Orbit or the helter-skelter as I see it - Man, what were Ushida Findlay Architects smoking when they created this 114m meter high landmark? I love it !!!!!



The ArcelorMittal Orbit was designed by Anish Kapoor and one of the world’s leading structural designers, Cecil Balmond, who trained and lives in London, and is known for his innovative work on some of the greatest contemporary buildings in the world, such as the CCTV building in Beijing, as well as many Serpentine Gallery Pavilion commissions.

Construction of the ArcelorMittal Orbit took 18 months and required 560 metres of tubular red steel to form the sculpture’s lattice superstructure. The result is a bold statement of public art that is both permanent and sustainable, with close to 60 per cent of the 2,000 tonnes of steel used in the sculpture being drawn from recycled sources, underlining steel’s status as the world’s most recyclable material. Steel was chosen for the ArcelorMittal Orbit because of its unique properties including strength, modular structure and advantages of weight and speed of construction.

Indeed Lord Richard Rogers has said: "The new Olympic Park will be a fantastic place and will help to regenerate east London. The designs show exciting sculptural form and will enhance the landscape" - no shit - the whole place is a testimony to our imagination and skill as a nation - if only our politicians could see this, stop bashing the bankers whose salaries proliferate down through the economy, keep spending on sport and not only get our social spending under control, get an initiative together to educate the families that are in a spiral of despair who then turn to drink and drugs that prevent them from working! It's not rocket science.

So what has this got to do with little old Aspire - this I say - never accept second best, anything is possible in design and construction but don't forget, the park took seven years to deliver at a cost of many billions of pounds - if you want the best you have to be prepared to pay for it and be patient - anyone can build a house that looks great from the outside but the money needs to be spent on the stuff you never see that is what sets great apart from rubbish - the same can be said for Great Britain - we have built a monument to an age that will never be rivalled in our lifetime - now let's fix all the stuff the tourists never see - after all if we can raise 20bn for the Olympics surely we can raise a billion to help our starving kids.

Have a great Olympics.

Gary

Gary Brine, Founder of Aspire

Happy new year to you and thank you for visiting our site.

Looking back it was another stunning year for Aspire winning five client contracts totalling 55,000 sq ft of construction and buying a clutch of valuable sites that will be completed in 2012.

Our flagship development on the Crown Estate Oxshott is now well under way; we have used 133 piles to sit the house upon, completed construction of the basement which will house the cinema and gymnasium, the infinity pool is completed and the main landscaping elements of the south facing one acre plot are complete - the house is due for completion in September and will be the finest house ever built on the estate.

In London we are close completing three stunning flats overlooking Bishops park in Fulham, each flat has two bedrooms, fully interior designed interiors and bespoke sound and information system for the young mobile worker.

In Mayfair Aspire are extending and fully refurbishing the London home of the late Alexander McQueen. The house will boast three bedrooms, cinema, gymnasium, split level garden and an address just off Park Lane close to Hyde Park.

Other exciting projects for 2012 include two town houses in Twickenham, a contemporary 6,000 sq ft house close to Wimbledon village and a great Family home in the much sought after Fairmile estate in Cobham.

If you would like to find out more about any of Aspire's exciting developments or talk to us about building your dream home simply press the contact us tab and we will be back to you as soon as we can.

May I wish you a happy and prosperous new year

Gary Brine, Founder of  Aspire

As part of our commitment to understand our customers we have recently conducted a survey amongst customers, prospective clients and Estate Agents to establish the top ten most desirable wish list for people who invest in a new property.

The results didn't surprise us and underline why we build the houses the way we do:

1 Large kitchens, with an island
"If you're going to spend money on a house - spend them where people want them — spend them in the kitchen," one client said. Granite worktops are a must and at aspire we favour induction hobs which are the safest way to cook with a glass on wine or two in your hand.

2 Energy-efficient appliances, high-efficiency insulation and high window efficiency
Among the "green" features touted in homes, these are the ones buyers value most, said one Agent. While large windows had been a major draw, energy concerns are giving customers pause on those, he said. The use of recycled or synthetic materials is only borderline desirable but we are seeing more customers ask for ground source heat pumps and air recovery systems say's Darren Knight at Aspire.

3 Home office/study
People would much rather have this space rather than, say, a formal dining room. People are feeling like they can dine out again, and so the dining room has become tradable. One client felt that the home theater may also be headed for the scrap heap, a casualty of the "shift from boom to correction," but most of our clients want them and we love to build them.

4 Main-floor master suite with separate living room
This is a must feature for everyone questioned and appears to be getting more popular in general, this together with upstairs laundries that enable 'clean washing' to always stay upstairs was popular amongst families with small children especially.

5 Outdoor living room
The popularity of outdoor spaces continues to grow and the idea of an outdoor room is even more popular than an outdoor cooking area, meaning people are willing to spend more time outside as the UK weather changes. Bringing your garden into your hose is easier than ever with wonderful products like bi-fold doors and in-out stone.

6 Sonos and Cat 7i
A must for every home along with Apple TV and any streamed music, film and internet gaming devices.

7 Master suite soaker tubs and walk in showers
Rain showers seem to be declining in popularity due to energy restrictions but hand held power showers and massage kets are as popular as ever.

8 Stone and brick exteriors

9 Intelligent lighting, security systems and home entertainment devices run from your smart phone
Forget about complicated all in home management systems, keep it separate, future-proofed and small!

10 Three -car garages
A given at all levels; three-car garages, in which the third bay is more often than not used for additional storage and not automobiles, is desirable in the move-up and custom build categories.

So there you have it - the top ten wants amongst the people we asked - why are these ten items so important - re-sale - don't personalise your build too much unless you want to stay for life - get funky with your removable design but stick to the norm for maximum financial return - happy house building.

Gary

Happy Birthday to us

Happy Birthday to us - Aspire is one year old this month and I would like to thank everybody who made it to our party in the rather swish Sanderson hotel, our clients, partners and most importantly backers - you know who you are - a big thank you.

What a year it was; we completed and sold 5 refurbishments, two new builds and also transacted on eight plots of land totalling some £25m; our current development list consists of 15 projects totalling over £45m of GDV - we're busy but loving every minute.

Our driver is simple - create great homes to the highest possible standard - but to create great homes you need great people and from a standing start we now have 10 people in the Aspire management team.

Gary Brine; Founder and CEO

Alyson Lumb; Director

Darren Knight; Managing Director Aspire Specialised Homes/Head of Construction

Richard Barnes; Head of Aspire Developments

Fran Lazenby; Senior QS

Lisa Rowledge; Construction administration

Stewart Wright; Head of Refurbishment

Deborah Pitt; Back office Manager

Anne Brown; MA

Andy Hawkes; Head of logistics

Our commitment is to continue deliver to our customers and investors using the very best care, attention and communication methodologies that makes dealing with Aspire a joy not a head ache.

If you would like to know more about Aspire I'd love to talk with you, we need talented people to join our growing team and above all else we need clients who want that little extra - If that's you please give me a call, we'll look after your build, tell you the truth and build you a home that is an investment and an investment that is a home.

Gary

2011

Happy new year to you all - as we move into a new year of property matters I thought I would take a look at the potential of the property rental market for 2011.

At Aspire we hold a large and quite diverse rental portfolio which on the whole has performed excellently for us over the past two years and has returned at least 4% over what our money could achieve in any bank.

As mortgages continue to be hard to come by and there is a continued air of caution in the wind I recommend purchases to enhance any portfolio which include properties in:

Affluent areas

Close to popular schools

Close to main line links to London

Family houses

One bed flats (which give the very best yields)

Savills have recently gone on record to say - Nationally, mainstream rents have risen by 5.8% since January to the end of September 2010 driven by the fall in the number of properties available to rent and rising tenant demand. The pick up in the residential market over the last year has meant owners have transferred rental property back into the sales market. In addition to a lacklustre investment market and a decrease in new build development activity, fewer new properties have entered the market while demand continues to grow.

This supply demand dynamic is driving rental growth and having a positive impact on landlords’ returns. Thus, the quarterly increase of 1.4% in UK rents was a result of stock falling by -14.5% over the last quarter. At a UK level the supply of flats available to rent fell sharply (-18.9%) and decreased much more rapidly than the supply of houses (-5.3%) during the summer months, although rental prices for flats increased by just 0.9% over the third quarter compared with stronger growth of 1.7% for houses. This lack of supply has in fact driven demand for flats at the bottom end of the prime London rental market. Demand continues to place pressure on rents in the middle and upper tiers of the mainstream markets and into the lower and middle tiers of the prime markets.

This demand will be strengthened by first time buyers who can not take advantage of renewed affordability in the sales market, as problems persist in raising deposit finance. Rents in London increased at the highest rate of any UK region, by 5.1% between June and September, with stock levels falling by -15% during the corresponding quarter.

In London, even areas with high levels of flatted development and rising unemployment has seen rents move upwards in the last two quarters. In particular, demand for larger three bed units in these locations has driven rental growth of over 5% this year.

So there you have it - spare cash? Buy, refurb, let –

that's my mantra for 2011.

All the best

Gary

Market hits rock bottom

Mark this date in your diary - August 2010. In the advertising world I was often asked to predict where we were in the current economic cycle pertaining to a product or service. This skill was taught to me by Tony Caplin - the business turnaround guru who led the Conservatives to the last election win and who helped me enormously early on in my career (Thank you Tony).

You simply draw a hockey stick on a white board, analyse a pile of data on that product, the competitive market, key market data and some insight, and bingo - you plant a cross on the board.

If I were being asked to do this for the residential property market I would place a cross slap bang at the bottom of the curve - yes the bottom, not on the way down or on the way up but at the bottom which means one thing - there is only one place for the market to go - up.

Why do I say this? Well - the Times (Aug 2010) reported that mortgage lending jumped by 20% in June - it's highest rate for two years. Lenders granted 51,000 loans, of which 19,400 were to first time buyers up from 3,300 this time last year.

Savills recently reported a 6% increase in values for the first half of this year in the prime south with towns located on mainline routes into London doing particularly well.

At Aspire we have seen a recent increase in interest of our properties with only a handful of badly constructed or overpriced new homes sticking in the Weybridge, Cobham, Oxshott and Esher areas.

Prime London is still rocking - Savills write - "the rebuilding of global wealth, and in particular the rise in the population of Ultra High Net Worth Individuals, played a vital part in the rebound in transaction levels, and prices paid for property in prime central London in 2009 and the first part of 2010."

European Union countries are reporting better than expected GDP figures, our own government have gotten most of the elephants out into the open, and the widely expected cuts haven't stagnated the economy as much as the doom mongers want them to.

Summer is coming to an end and I predict life will return to some sort of normality later in the autumn with house prices rising steadily and demand outstripping demand - Maslow is always right.

Hip Hip Hooray!

As a development company that refurbishes a large number of properties to sell I could never understand why Hips were introduced in the first place. Apparently they were introduced to speed up the process and prevent deals from dropping out of bed but it seemed to us here at Aspire to be just a waste of time and money – how on earth did we do deals before Hips – just fine thanks.

Well – they've gone as quickly as they were introduced and I'm really pleased to see some companies offering to reimburse money for packs started but not finished or indeed from a month ago so please check with your Hip supplier if this applies to you.

But isn't this just all about common sense - did we really need Hips? Of course not and today in the Queens speech we have another issue that could potentially cause developers, house builders and even end users a major headache – new planning regulations and an idea called localism.

So what is localism? Well, it's supposed to be where developers and house builders work in close harmony with the local community to help build better, more eco functional and aesthetic housing but my concern is whether it can really work.

Liz Peace CEO of the British Property Federation says:

"After years of failure, we welcome a fresh approach and are committed to working with the new government to make localism work. Offering incentives for new development and encouraging developers to be involved locals will lead to better development, but we need to ensure that democracy is followed and that vital decisions don't get lost amid the kind of infighting and political bickering we often see at local level. As we know, the silent majority are often happy with things and it's only those with the time on their hands to fill council meeting rooms who are heard."

"Bringing in a democratically accountable system for major infrastructure will be key to delivering large projects and it is absolutely essential that there are clear national guidelines for all areas of planning. We also need to be realistic about how much power we can devolve to councils. Many aspects of planning and regeneration are highly complex and will require resources which many councils will struggle with. Many planners are losing their jobs to help keep police and nurses in post, and there is a large amount of concern over how local authorities will be able to manage all these extra responsibilities with less staff."

Strong stuff indeed - I support Localism, I support getting closer to communities and building properties that we can be proud of and can stand the test of time - I vote for Localism but let's hope it doesn't turn into a fight between them and us - I'm quite sure Robert Adams had he's objectors but where would any of us be without his influence.

People often ask me how important City Bonuses are to the market in the South of England I reply simply and consistently that they are an imperative part of not only the luxury housing market but also the housing market period. This week the Times have noted that following the freeze on city bonuses in late 2008 the London prime market fell by 32% with many people fearing that bonuses had gone forever - However, if we compare the London market currently to this time last year prices have risen 51% showing a nett gain over a twelve month period of 19%. Why? Bonuses albeit in disguise are back and this has affected the market positively.

Also - If we look down at the 1m market houses are selling quickly and most estate agents will tell you there is a lack of stock with which to sell before the 5% threshold raises and below that first time buyers are filling their boots as Aspire's £200 - 550k refurbishment business will testify.

So what has all this all got to do with City Bonuses or high earning Premiership footballers - well I call it capital deployment. I would like to see the government look past the bonus subject and understand for the moment how our high earning executives tend to spend a large proportion of their wealth. They spend it on valuable and secure assets such as new houses which keep bricklayers, plasterers, gardeners, plumbers and many more in healthy employment which in turn enables them to buy new homes, new cars and much much more so - before we bash the bonus culture lets respect what it does for not only the macro economy in the South but the economy as a whole.

And finally I am delighted to announce that from next month our blog will be written by the experienced and hugely respected property Oracle Phil Spencer from Location, Location, Location. Phil will go where others fear to tread and really try to give an insight into market trends, design trends and market conditions which ultimately affect all of us - welcome to the team Phil.

Reality is biting for sellers in the UK property market according to the Sunday Times property experts. Despite a slight recovery in the value of most homes right across the country, the usual New Year bounce hasn't happened and the Spring market seems to be fizzling out before it has begun. The experts state that there is no real reason for the slow down but one must believe that the general election and the thought of tough times ahead must have something to do with it. Many owners rushed to get their homes on the market at the start of the year and in some places (but not all) there is a significant amount of stock on the market with many people still expecting 2007 prices for their homes. At Aspire we recognise this and the property analyst who advises us on buying plots and selling units has some simple advice which we tend to follow:

1. Don't take anything for granted when selling a home, showing a house at it's very best will maximise the possibility of getting the price you want.
2. Make sure you have spent money on the things people really want when they buy a new or reconditioned home e.g. taps, light switches, door handles, new kitchen appliances, storage and toys!
3. Todays homebuyer wants light and space downstairs and smart accommodation with lots of bathrooms upstairs. Don't knock down too many walls, but think en-suite when converting your home.
4. The average 1930's house was built with little or no storage because people didn't have many possessions - roll forward 60 years and even our kids have suitcases. Make sure conversions have storage and at Aspire we make sure our new build homes have ample storage on every floor, especially for suitcases!
5. Design is great but practical is where it's at - make sure you use the right materials for the right job and in the right place. At Aspire our pet hate is Travertine floors - Travertine is a grade three exterior marble, it has hundreds of imperfections and needs large amounts of filler to make it present well. The problem with filler is that it cracks when heated so DO NOT use Travertine floors on top of underfloor heating - it will end up costing you a lot of money in a few years.

With a little care and attention, and a relationship with an agent who understands exactly who should be buying a property and why, we believe that houses will still sell in 2010, for more information on Aspire's route to refurbishment and new build that guarantees success contact Gary Brine and he'd be glad to share our thoughts with you.