Friday, August 30, 2013

Homes for Sale in Ipswich: Clear the air


http://www.jonathanwaters.co.uk/ipswich/index.cfm

We wrote in a previous article about the importance of clearing the clutter and giving your home a good scrub in readiness for placing it onto the market and receiving potential viewers.
There are also plenty of other ways you can spruce up your home to make it look and feel more desirable.
We have also written about the importance of not spending big money on your home before selling it.
Areas to concentrate on that cost little, if nothing, include odours, lighting, ventilation and warmth.
Having dealt with buyers of homes for sale in Ipswich for over 25 years I can tell you now that stale cigarette smoke has put more buyers off than any other single odour.  Have you thought about how your house smells?  Ask a friend to be brutally honest – and this is a very tricky area – and ask them to tell you what reaction they have.
If you have pets you probably don’t even notice that your house smells of them or that their hair is everywhere, but buyers certainly will.
The oldest cliché in the book is the smell of freshly baked bread, or real coffee brewing as this will give your house a homely aroma that will appeal to buyers.

I haven’t got a clue how to bake bread and many sellers won’t have the time to do that.  One thing you can do is purchase part baked bread from supermarkets and put this in the oven on a low heat about 5 minutes before the arrival of your buyers.
So if you haven’t got time for the bread and coffee approach what else can you do?

Fresh air

 I can’t over state the importance of fresh air to a property.
When we show buyers of houses in Ipswich around the properties we have for sale I always instruct our sales staff to arrive at the property at least five to ten minutes early and open windows and doors to let a good through draught of fresh air through the property.

This relates to both ground floor and first floor, obviously being careful to wedge doors open to avoid doors slamming and glass breaking.

Other options that I would thoroughly recommend are scented candles (although have these in moderation – we don’t want to make the property look like a church or a massage palour!), plus plug in air fresheners are always a good bet.  Again,, too many of them or a too over the top smell will make buyers more suspicious than nothing at all.

For first floor rooms and above, a skylight window open during the viewing will also help and for the longest period of time prior to the viewing that you can, taking security and safety into account.

There are also other things that sometimes sellers forget, particularly if someone lives on their own.  The kitchen bin can take several days to fill up.  However, by the end of the week the food or other food stuffs that were put in at the start of the week will probably now be positively humming, so empty the bins and put bin bags in the wheely bins.

Damp smells are also another thing to be aware of and where ventilation is paramount to eliminate.

We once had a very nice bungalow in a nice location that wasn’t selling in Ipswich.

Normally, people looking for bungalows for sale in Ipswich flocked to this particular cul-de-sac.  It had an east Ipswich location and estate agents were often putting notes through the doors of properties in that specific road.

Ours wasn’t selling, however, and we couldn’t understand it.  Viewers kept referring to damp problems yet this was a modern bungalow.

As it turns out, one of the bedrooms was used as a drying room for the vendors washing.  They were continually putting wet washing in this room and were never opening a window so the room had started to develop a considerable damp problem and smelt awful.

The opening of a window and an hour’s work with a scrubbing brush solved the problem within a few days and the bungalow sold close to the asking price shortly after.

So remember, a clean, fresh smelling house will maximise your chances of selling at the best possible price in the shortest period of time – and that’s what nearly every client wants from their estate agent.
Homes for Sale Ipswich – contact Jonathan Waters Estate Agents

625 Foxhall Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP3 8ND
01473 721133
jonathan@waters-ips.co.uk

35 Buttermarket, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 1BH
01473 281188
jonathanwaters@jonathanwaters.co.uk

Bristol Court, Betts Avenue, Martlesham Heath Business Park, Martlesham IP5 3RY
01473 620222
jonathan@waters-ips.co.uk

or visit www.jonathanwaters.co.uk


Why do you need a for sale board?


For sale boards are often the least popular aspect of bringing a property onto the market in Ipswich and Suffolk.
Many people don’t want their neighbours to know their house is for sale.  Some object on security grounds because, for instance, their road may be on the direct route from Ipswich town centre.  Drunken pranks of some teenagers on their way home from a night on the town have included removing orrepositioning for sale and sold boards.I’ve only ever worked one New Year’s Day and I remember it well.  It was so quiet that I vowed never to open on New Year’s Day again,  despite the fact I took over a dozen phone calls.
On New Year’s Eve or early in the morning of New Year’s Day some pranksters had moved one of our for sale boards from a front garden and repositioned it outside a well-known toilet block in the Ipswich area.
Each and every one of the phone calls was a joker ringing up to find out how much the toilet block was for sale for!
Others don’t like a for sale board for security reasons, particularly if the property for sale is empty or is occupied by elderly people etc.
Some people simply think that it’s free publicity for the estate agent, and estate agents already charge enough as it is.
Another old favourite is that someone lives at the end of a cul-de-sac and no one ever comes down here anyway, apart from the postman and others who live there.
However, there are a few things to bear in mind.
Even in today’s hi-tech world of internet searches, websites, and portals such as Rightmove and Zoopla, the good old for sale board is still one of the best methods of attracting  potential purchasers that a property can have.
There are many advantages to having a for sale board.
The first thing is that a board can attract somebody who wasn’t previously thinking of buying a house right now.  If someone isn’t thinking of buying a house currently they are unlikely to be going on Rightmove, Zoopla or any of the other property websites searching of properties to buy in Ipswich.
Neither are they likely to be registered on the mailing lists of the estate agents in Ipswich or Suffolk generally, nor are they likely to be looking in the windows of estate agency windows in Ipswich.
Over the many combined years that my highly experienced team and I have been in the business, we have sold many a property to somebody who wasn’t currently thinking of buying a house there and then.
I have a very good recent example of one of my friends who had absolutely no intention of moving and was quite happy living in their current house.
They had frequently driven past a particular property and had often commented how nice it was. My friend stated that this was one his favourite houses of all time.
One morning they were driving into town, only to see that a for sale board had been erected outside the house.  They got straight onto the estate agent about the property (in the north of Ipswich just near Christchurch Park), to get more details and to arrange a viewing.
The long and short of it is that their property has now come onto the market  and they are now in the process of buying that house. So two house sales in the Ipswich area have come about from absolutely nothing, bar the for sale board.
A similar situation happened to my niece and her husband earlier on this year.
I was chatting to them about buying homes in Ipswich and the houses and bungalows that are for sale in the Ipswich area.
They actually stated that they were looking for another house in the same village they are currently in, in north of Ipswich.
They were very happy in their current home and would only move if one of four other properties in the village that they had identified were for sale as these were in the position that they were looking for.
Low and behold, the arrival of a for sale board on one of those four properties resulted in them moving in May, having quickly put their own property onto the market and sold (needless to say via Jonathan Waters Estate Agents!)
I am currently looking for a property to buy in the Ipswich area myself.
I am ideally looking in the villages to the north or east of Ipswich.  When you look at a property on Rightmove or Zoopla you get a map with the location marked from the postcode.  In most cases this postcode covers a variety of properties.  In Falkenham, between Ipswich and Felixstowe where I used to live, our postcode covered the entire village of over 20 houses.  Therefore the icon on the map is not necessarily exactly where the property for sale is.
When driving out to have a look at the outside of properties as most buyers of houses do, being able to quickly locate the property that is for sale from a for sale board saves a lot of time and trouble.  For instance, in Falkenham, properties with the same postcode could have been over a mile apart.
Furthermore a board is an advertisement 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for your house.
It keeps buyers on their toes knowing that other people are aware the house is for sale in Ipswich as well.  It’s a sign to serious buyers that you are also a serious seller.
I know once again from my own personal experience as a buyer that you tend to have slight reservations about a seller without a for sale board – are they really serious?  Do they really want to sell?  Is it likely that I may view this house and like it, but then never be able to get it, or have to wait for ages because they are not in any rush or particularly serious about selling?
With regard to one of the arguments about the fact that “no one will see a for sale board” I have never ceased to be surprised by this one.
It is amazing, even the most quietest of cul-de-sacs or remotest of locations that you genuinely believe no one will see brings forth multiple enquiries.
I once sold a house to a postman who was delivering letters to a house where a for sale board had gone up – he may have been the only visitor to that house in a week apart from the owners!
Friends of friends and friends of neighbours are also another good source of potential buyers being created out of nothing that can come from a for sale board being erected.
Remember, a for sale board outside a property is one of the oldest and most traditional forms of letting potential buyers know your house is for sale and, in my opinion, it is still by far the best.
Jonathan Waters at Jonathan Waters Estate Agents use a professional board contractor who will ensure that the for sale board will be smartly presented and enhance the appearance of any home.  The board will be securely fastened and certainly not easy to remove.  I know this only too well when my board man went on holiday one week and I tried to manually remove a for sale board that he had erected – I couldn’t do it!
If you would like a valuation on your property, or are thinking of selling either now or in the near future, why not contact one of our valuation staff at Jonathan Waters Estate Agents?  We deal with the sale of properties in Ipswich, Martlesham and surrounding villages and would be only too happy to visit your property without obligation to provide you with a complete, free market appraisal and unlimited pre market advice. To find out more about houses for sale, Ipswich, contact Jonathan Waters Estate Agents today.

625 Foxhall Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP3 8ND
01473 721133
jonathan@waters-ips.co.uk

35 Buttermarket, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 1BH
01473 281188
jonathanwaters@jonathanwaters.co.uk

Bristol Court, Betts Avenue, Martlesham Heath Business Park, Martlesham IP5 3RY
01473 620222
jonathan@waters-ips.co.uk


or visit www.jonathanwaters.co.uk

Luxury Properties for Sale Ipswich - Launch of Premier Property Service Suffolk

Jonathan Waters of Jonathan Waters Estate Agents was delighted to announce the launch of the company’s specialist section for luxury properties for sale Ipswich.  The Silver Collection, as it is known, was launched this week with the intention of becoming the premium property service from one of Suffolk’s leading independent estate agents.


Jonathan and his expert team of professionals offer the specialist knowledge and strategic marketing approach that premium country and village town homes require in the Ipswich and Suffolk areas.


The Silver Collection is designed specifically for discerning vendors who demand and deserve to achieve the very best from the sale of their superior home.


The company will have an in-house specialist to advise on interior dressing and presentation to reveal the true character and individuality of the home for sale.


There will be great emphasis placed on unlimited and free pre-market advice from property professionals with regard to presenting the luxury property for sale.  Jonathan Waters, author of 101 Ways to Present your Property, and Carolyn Barwick, an interior design, dressing and appearance expert, will work with clients to bring their properties onto the market in the best possible light.


Jonathan Waters and his team are renownd for their years of experience and their property expertise.  Their in-depth knowledge of client’s properties together with the active monitoring of qualified buyers gives them platform to provide clients with the best possible advice.


There will be no limit to the time that these specialists will spend with a client to make sure that the decision to bring the property to market is the correct one and that the timing is spot on.  This will purely be an advice service and there will be no pushy, hard selling tactics used.


Once someone makes the decision to place their luxury  property on the market the senior valuation team at Jonathan Waters Estate Agents will spring into action.


Jonathan Waters’ valuers can offer sound judgement, detailed research and thorough analysis.  Having a highly experienced valuer involved at this stage is critical to the accurate valuation and provides a sound foundation on which to build the marketing campaign for these clients’ superior homes.


What’s most important is that the senior team appreciate the intangible values associated with the feature, character and “feel” of a particular home and subsequently can identify those characteristics in the minds of the highly demanding prospective purchasers.  This consequently bolsters the eventual sale price achieved both in amount and speed.


Jonathan and his team will use the most up to date market intelligence with unparalleled local knowledge and the broadest experience available, knowing the Suffolk area inside and out.  Equally important, the sales team know exactly what buyers who are looking right now really want and will insist upon.


Jonathan Waters, who started Jonathan Waters Estate Agents 21 years ago, previously worked in professional photography prior to entering the estate agency industry in 1988.


For the Silver Collection properties Jonathan will either be taking the photographs himself, or will be personally editing all images taken by other members of his senior team, all of whom have been extensively trained by him.


The professionally produced, bespoke brochure of the client’s property will be of the highest quality, and the valuers are experts in describing the properties in the best possible light to grab the attention of the reader.


Discreet Marketing

A tailor-made package sensitive to the clients’ own requirements for those who prefer to keep their private lives, private, is also available.  This low key, direct marketing approach will be strictly to invite the candidates who have been carefully selected with the client’s home in mind.


Once the property comes onto the market, the sales team will initiate the extensive marketing strategies  on the both the local, regional, national, and international stage.


Aimed to attract those buyers looking to buy properties at the upper end of the price bracket in Ipswich and Suffolk generally, the high profile press advertising will be both on line and off line to ensure the property is seen by the actual demographic looking for something special and extraordinary.


The profiles that Jonathan Waters Estate Agents’ Silver Collection will create for their clients’ properties will ensure exposure on the largest and most relevant property websites.  These will include enhanced listings on Rightmove, Prime Location and Zoopla.


High profile press advertising will include full page and double page spreads in the East Anglian Daily Times and Suffolk Magazine.  Also, we will be able to achieve editorial coverage through our contacts with those publications.


Selling a lifestyle from the inside out

Above all, however, the experience of the Jonathan Waters team throughout the Suffolk area is immense.  Between them, the sales staff have been selling houses in the Ipswich and surrounding areas for over 300 years.  It gives the company a unique ability to sell a lifestyle rather than just the property itself on each and every occasion, and that’s the Jonathan Waters Silver Collection difference.


For more information luxury properties for sale Ipswich and the Jonathan Waters Estate Agents Silver Collection contact:


Jonathan Waters Silver Collection
35 Buttermarket
Ipswich
Suffolk
IP1 1BH

jonathan@waters-ips.co.uk

Hervey Street – Has this become the most popular road in Ipswich?

We don’t know quite what’s happened but we have been inundated with people looking for houses for sale in Hervey Street in Ipswich.

Situated just north of Ipswich town centre and within five minutes walk of both the town and Christchurch Park, the road is ideally placed for the needs of house buyers - and has the added benefit of being within the Northgate School catchment area.

Comprised mainly of character Victorian homes, Hervey Street has always been a popular location in Ipswich for buyers for as long as we can remember.

The two and three bedroom Victorian terraced houses also have the benefit of permit, on street car parking, and many still have the original separate lounge and dining room.

We have achieved sales on four properties in Hervey Street in the space of just a few weeks.

In fact, we currently only have one property left available which is a completely different type of property.
Situated at the top of the hill, this three/four bedroom extended detached family home is located in an elevated position and has been totally updated.

It has a modern fitted kitchen with integrated appliances and comes with the benefit of a ground floor cloakroom and utility room.

Downstairs, you have the traditional style entrance hall from an entrance porchway with a lounge and separate dining room.  There’s also a ground floor study/bedroom four off the hallway, and a delightful south westerly facing enclosed rear garden, which is not overlooked from the rear.

The valuer who has brought the property onto the market for Jonathan Waters Estate Agents said that the property: “has been updated to a high standard and early viewing is recommended”.

The appliances in the refurbished kitchen/breakfast room include a fitted oven, a fitted electric hob, extractor hood, integrated dishwasher, fridge and freezer.

The property also comes complete with gas heating via radiators and double glazed windows.
For more information on this or other houses for sale in Hervey Street, Ipswich please contact us.

625 Foxhall Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP3 8ND
01473 721133
jonathan@waters-ips.co.uk

35 Buttermarket, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 1BH

01473 281188




Thursday, August 22, 2013

Should I sell my property with more than one estate agent?

When you are using an estate agent to sell your home there are three different ways you can do it.

A sole agency basis means that you just use one estate agent to sell your home and sign a contract with that estate agent for a set period of time, normally somewhere between 8 and 16 weeks.

Incidentally, if you get an estate agent, particularly in the Ipswich area, trying to sign you up for more than 16 weeks that means only one thing – they are not confident of selling your house.

Dual agency means that you instruct two estate agents simultaneously to try and sell your house.  Estate agents generally charge a higher commission for operating on a dual agency basis rather than a sole agency basis.

The third method is to use multiple agency which is three or more estate agents acting for you at the same time, all trying to sell your house.

Multiple agency is the most expensive and complicated way to sell your house and has the most potential for confusion, stress and complications.

You only really need to use dual or multiple agency basis to sell your home if one of two circumstances are present.  Either if, for some reason, you need to sell your house very quickly or you have a very difficult house to sell.

This could include properties with structural problems or difficult to sell for other reasons.

Selling your house on a sole agency basis is the one I would recommend.  By all means have more than one estate agent to come and visit your home for a valuation and pre-market appraisal but choose just one agent to start off with.

The reason I recommend this is that it gives you a number of benefits.

First and foremost is cost.  You get a sole agency discount selling a house with an estate agent.  They discount the fee to their lowest level if you sign a contract to confirm they are the only estate agent that you will be using for the agreed period of time.

Secondly you are only dealing with one company on the sale of your house.  Only one company will be ringing you to arrange the viewings or to organise them for you.  Having been involved in the sale of properties on a dual and particularly multiple agency basis, the confusion that can reign as to which estate agent the buyer is actually coming from can be highly stressful and add unnecessary complications to an already complicated process.

Thirdly, buyers are without doubt more attracted to a property that is sole agency only.  They only have one choice as to where to see it, and buyers are much happier on agreeing to purchase a property through an estate agents on a sole agency basis as they feel more commitment from both the seller and the estate agent.

Buyers of property will make two assumptions on seeing a property for sale that isn’t sole agency.  When a property is for sale, for instance, in Ipswich, is seen to be for sale with two agents or more they will make the natural assumption that you are desperate and be more inclined to make a lower offer than if you were sole agency.

They will make the assumption that the property has been on a long while, that you couldn’t sell it and have therefore had to go multiple agency to secure a sale.

It is also not unknown for buyers to play one estate agent off against another leading to disputes between the estate agents and the seller as to who has actually introduced these buyers to a property.

The worse case scenario of all, of course, is where a seller of a property is caught in a wrangle between estate agents all claiming a fee for the introduction of a buyer.  None of this will happen if you are on the market on a sole agency basis.

For more information on selling your Ipswich property, contact us today for a free market appraisal.

625 Foxhall Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP3 8ND
01473 721133
jonathan@waters-ips.co.uk

35 Buttermarket, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 1BH
01473 281188
jonathanwaters@jonathanwaters.co.uk

Bristol Court, Betts Avenue, Martlesham Heath Business Park, Martlesham IP5 3RY
01473 620222
jonathan@waters-ips.co.uk

or visit www.jonathanwaters.co.uk

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Britannia Primary School Memories

On a Saturday morning recently in lovely warm sunshine, I visited the summer fayre at ABC childcare, next to the flats in Roper Court, on Foxhall Road in east Ipswich.

My daughter was performing in a dance show, she is a member of the Empire 19 Dance Team, and the display was on the school field of Britannia Road Primary School.

I went to Britannia Primary School and I actually believe this was the first time I have been back on the school playing field since leaving the school in 1975.  Goodness me, that makes me feel old!

Britannia Primary School is a highly sought after school and we have many people moving home to ensure they get in the catchment of the school; although these days, of course, there doesn’t equate to a guarantee.

We have many people buying a house in Ipswich with the specific target of getting into the school catchment and moves such as this are big business for us estate agents in Ipswich.

I’m pretty sure there are no teachers left from the time I was at the school but I noticed with a wry smile that the playing field looked identical to all those years ago when I was there.  In fact, the running track is still in exactly the same place and I remember many a sports day involved in races there.

I have never been inside any of the school buildings since leaving either, and would love to see how they have changed in that time.

I remember we had a swimming pool at Britannia School that used to be open air to start off with, and was then covered half way through my time at the school.

The water was always freezing cold.  That put me off swimming for years and I am utterly convinced that I remember a situation where Mr Woodward, our teacher in the fourth year (now of course called year 6) having to break the ice on the surface of the pool with a broom handle to enable our swimming lesson to go ahead.

Other pupils at the school that I have spoken to about this incident have no recollection of it at all and some have dismissed it as complete rubbish.

Either way, the water was still very cold!

Another incident I remember was when my friend Roger and I were walking to school up the alleyway that runs between the school playing field on the left hand side, and Copleston School on the right, only to see a lot of smoke and commotion.  Earlier that morning our portakabin classroom had gone up in flames – how exciting was that for a seven year old?

We currently have a number of properties for sale in the Britannia Road Primary School catchment, which is the specialist area that we cover from our estate agency office at 625 Foxhall Road, Ipswich.

Britannia Road - 2 Bedroom Terraced House - £128,000

Dover Road - 3 Bedroom Extended Semi Detached House - £152,500

Camden Road - 3 Bedroom End Terrace House - £145,000

Camden Road - 2 Bedroom Terrace House - £129,500


Pleasesee our website for full details of these properties.  If you are thinking of buying houses in this area of Ipswich or, indeed, selling one, then either way we’d be very happy to help you.

School catchments continue to be a driving force for the whole of the east and north east area of Ipswich and will, as far as I’m concerned, continued to be so for many years to come.

625 Foxhall Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP3 8ND
01473 721133

35 Buttermarket, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 1BH
01473 281188

Bristol Court, Betts Avenue, Martlesham Heath Business Park, Martlesham IP5 3RY
01473 620222


Thursday, August 1, 2013

Clear the clutter and clean

“The freer your home is of clutter, the more attractive it will appear to potential buyers,” says Jonathan Waters, owner and Managing Director of Jonathan Waters Estate Agents in Ipswich.



“I am frequently seeing property for sale in Ipswich with internal photographs full of personal clutter and I am surprised that other estate agents do not appear to take the same amount of time and trouble we do advising our clients on just how to present their properties for sale.

“If your home is absolutely up to the ceiling with personal belongings and stuff from day to day living, it is not going to achieve its full market value and may even make the difference between whether the property sells or not.

“The presentation of your home for potential buyers who are coming round hopefully to buy your house, is serious business and should be taken as such.

“No buyer is expecting a show home, but even the cleanest, tidiest family in town are probably going to need to do a few things to spruce up their home.”

“The most effective action of all is to clear away the clutter.  Teenagers’ bedrooms are one of the worst potential disaster areas, and having two teenage daughters myself I know that only too well.  If necessary, bribe your teens to keep them tidy during the viewing period.

“Make some space, move unnecessary furniture into the attic, basement or garage – better still get it off the property all together.

“There are self storage depots which are invaluable tools for the house mover.  They are inexpensive and convenient and you can temporarily store all the junk you don’t want to throw out.

“Friends or relatives who may have spare rooms, garages etc. are also an absolute god-send when it comes to these sorts of things.

“Once the main clutter is out of the way, think about getting your carpets professionally cleaned, and what about putting in brighter light bulbs?  Removing net curtains to make rooms brighter is always a good one, particularly in north facing rooms.  Note, however that  once the net curtains are removed, it may highlight the fact that the windows need a clean.

“If you are in a block of flats with communal areas, consider clearing post and junk mail from the communal hallway.  Kitchen sinks, bathrooms and toilets should be spotless for viewers.

“Our highly experienced valuation staff can advise you as part of their valuation visit and their subsequent return to take your property on the market of any things that you can do to improve the appeal and presentation of your home to potential buyers.

“Between us, the staff at Jonathan Waters Estate Agents, have seen many a house sale scuppered by a cluttered and poorly presented family home.  At the same time, we have seen on the flip side to this, many sales created out of nothing because of how nice, tidy and clean the property was presented.

“If you would like one of my experienced valuers to visit your home and give you free advice, without any obligation on bringing your property to the market please contact us at Jonathan Waters Estate Agents.”

Propertyfor sale in Ipswich –  click here to find out more.

625 Foxhall Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP3 8ND
01473 721133

35 Buttermarket, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 1BH
01473 281188

Bristol Court, Betts Avenue, Martlesham Heath Business Park, Martlesham IP5 3RY
01473 620222


A little bit of local history in the making




Blog 33

A little bit of local history in the making

A few months ago I was driving down Kings Avenue, just east of Ipswich town centre, and noticed that the property my mum had lived in when she was born in Kings Avenue in Ipswich was up for sale with an estate agent.

She had lived in the property from 1930 to when she was evacuated at the onset of the Second World War and her parents continued to live there until the late 50’s early 60’s.



The property stayed in the family after that date and I remember visiting it as a small child.

I’d always kept an eye on the property, but had never seen it up for sale before.  I was delighted when the owners of the property contacted us here at Jonathan Waters Estate Agents wanting to view some of our properties.

They hadn’t sold Kings Avenue yet so I took the rather cheeky option of asking if there was any possibility my mum could re-visit the property to see what it looked like today.

They were delighted to be able to help and very accommodating, and it was with a slight degree of nervousness one Sunday afternoon that we turned up at the property.

The owner was very interested in local history, like myself, and it was great for my mum to be able to see the house that she had lived in all those years ago and for the current owners to hear more about what the house would have looked like in the 30’s.

It had changed considerably.  The hallway had been removed to enlarge what was the former front room and the front room and rear room had been knocked into one.

The owners and previous owners had been careful to maintain the character of the property and improvement work had been done with a sympathetic slant.

I was absolutely amazed to see the bedroom which was my mother’s back when she lived there at the time, almost unchanged and  the original Victorian fireplace was still a feature of the room.

As many of you know, I am a massive fan of the Victorian/Edwardian era of architecture and firmly believe that some of the finest features of properties date from that period.

The current owner was intrigued by a chain attached to the back wall near the kitchen window stating that he had no idea what this was, it had just always been there since he had lived there.

My mother was able to tell him that this was the original washing line going back to the property from the 1930s and possibly even before that and he was amazed.

A couple of the features of the property was a lovely balcony off the first floor master bedroom which had views over Alexandra Park.

In all my years in estate agency I have not seen many properties so close to the town centre which offered you uninterrupted views like that.

I was intrigued to know why the property hadn’t sold – it seemed reasonably priced and we eventually got involved with the marketing of the property and soon found a successful buyer.  The home is now in the hands of the new owners and I hope they enjoy it as much as the outgoing owners and long before them my mother and her family did.

We are currently marketing a property just east of the town centre at Back Hamlet in Ipswich.  A two bedroom terraced house at £115,000.  This property is equally close to the waterfront, Alexandra Park and the university and, like my mother’s former property in Kings Avenue, has had the lounge and dining room knocked into one with open plan stairs going up.


If you would like to view this or any other similar properties in the Ipswich area then contact myself or one of my staff at Jonathan Waters Estate Agents Ipswich office at either Foxhall Road or in the town centre at 35 Buttermarket.

Ipswichestate agent - We are currently experiencing a lot of demand for property in this area so if you are thinking of selling then why not also contact us.  We can arrange a completely free and without obligation visit to your home to discuss current market prices and what the price of houses in Ipswich are actually doing at the moment.

625 Foxhall Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP3 8ND
01473 721133

35 Buttermarket, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 1BH
01473 281188

Bristol Court, Betts Avenue, Martlesham Heath Business Park, Martlesham IP5 3RY
01473 620222


Hot air balloons over Tuddenham St Martin

“One of my interests is hot air ballooning” says Jonathan Waters, of Jonathan Waters Estate Agents, Ipswich.

“Ever since I was little I have always been fascinated by hot air balloons and if ever I have seen one, I have always attempted to follow them to find out where they’re going and where they’re landing.

“Despite my intense fear of heights, I was very lucky to be treated to a 30th birthday treat of a trip in a hot air balloon back in 1993.  An exhilarating experience if ever there was one, something quite unlike anything I have ever done before and I would certainly jump at the chance to do it again.

“I first spotted the balloons as I drove from Martlesham Heath on a Sunday evening a couple of weeks ago and by the time I had got to my home just off Bucklesham Road in Ipswich, the balloons were just going northwards over Ipswich Golf Course, heading out towards Rushmere-St-Andrew.

“I grabbed my camera and sped off up Bixley Road and Heath Road in east Ipswich with the intent of following the two highly colourful balloons.



“If anyone has tried to follow balloons either by car, bike or foot you will now it’s not easy.

“The art is trying to predict which direction they will go and the speed they are going.

“This was a fairly still night, but the balloons were still going at a surprising rate.

“I was certainly envious of the occupants of the balloons, this early summer evening was an absolute delight, and quite literally you could not get a better evening for a hot air balloon ride.

“I ended up in one of my favourite spots at Holly Lane in Rushmere-St-Andrew where I parked the car and decided to run on foot.

“I proceeded down the footpath from Holly Lane towards and went underneath the railway track and wasn’t sure whether they’d be going toward Playford or Tuddenham.

“They appeared to be landing in the Tuddenham area but then rapidly gained height and, despite my best efforts as a jogger, I was no match for the speed those balloons were going.  As the sun started to set on this beautiful evening I think they were coming down in the area north of Tuddenham towards Witnesham or possibly just west of Grundisburgh.

“There was also a fantastic sunset that evening so, despite the fact I had lost sight of the balloons, I was able to get some excellent sunset photographs”.

Did you see those hot air balloons?  Did you see where they eventually landed?  Or perhaps were you one of the lucky passengers in one of the balloons?

We’d be interested to hear from you – contact me at Jonathan Waters Estate Agents, Ipswich,  or call into one of our three offices.

625 Foxhall Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP3 8ND
01473 721133

35 Buttermarket, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 1BH
01473 281188

Bristol Court, Betts Avenue, Martlesham Heath Business Park, Martlesham IP5 3RY
01473 620222







We had a famous lawn - it had appeared in front of 100's of people

No, your eyes were not deceiving you and that heading does not contain typing errors.  We really did have a lawn that had appeared on stage.

It was at our first house in Cowell Street, a tiny little cul-de-sac off Wherstead Road, just near the railway bridge in south Ipswich.

I had only recently started in estate agency in Ipswich and we purchased this property as first time buyers in the spring of 1988 (see separate article).

The property had a tiny garden, probably no bigger than about 8’ square and when we moved in there was just a tiny shed and the rest was just a patch of dirt.

My girlfriend at the time, prior to becoming my wife, worked at the Wolsey Theatre in Ipswich as did her mother.

A production was underway at the Wolsey which was sold out and as part of the set they had turfed the stage.  Sadly, I cannot remember what the production was.

When the run finished, having been viewed by 100’s of people, the set started to be dismantled and there was discussion with what to do with the now very dry and very brown turf.

My future mother-in-law happened to mention that she had heard that we were going to shortly be turfing the garden and we said yes,  we were very interested.  They piled up the rolls of turf at the back of the Wolsey and I distinctly remember driving up in the car to collect it with my girlfriend, only to draw up and see what I can only describe as rolls of beige carpet.

The lawn, in the absence of any water or sunlight, and under the heat of the spotlights for the two week show. It was completely parched and bore no resemblance in appearance or feel to real grass.

Our hearts sunk.

I had only just started in estate agency and, as a new first time buyer, funds were understandably tight and this was a way we could have saved a few pounds.

We were about to turn round and drive away empty handed but we went to a phone box and I rang my mother, who is a gardening expert.

She told us not to worry, that there was every chance that if we laid that turf and watered it sufficiently that the grass would recover.

I laid the turf/carpet tiles having prepared the patch of ground with masses of watering but minimal elements of enthusiasm and totally no optimism for the future prospects of this lawn.



I believe it was also the summer, so the heat and dryness was not helping either.  I followed my mother’s instructions with copious amounts of watering and remember celebrating on returning home from one busy day at the estate agents to see the first tiny signs of green appearing in the grass.

Over the period of the next few weeks the brown, dry turf transformed into nice, green, lush grass.

I don’t know where the Wolsey Theatre got the turf from but it clearly hadn’t cut any corners – this was top quality grass.  The only problem now was that the grass was going so green and growing so quickly we then discovered we hadn’t got a lawn mower!

More funds had to be diverted for the purchase of a second hand push along lawnmower (it didn’t need an electric one and it certainly didn’t need a petrol one!!!)

So with all the dry, hot weather we are enjoying at the moment, keep your lawns watered and never give up hope.  However brown they have become, if my lawn at Cowell Street could recover then anyone’s can!!

That property off Wherstead Road was in an area known as south Ipswich and had the benefit of a short walk to the town centre.

Estate Agencyin Ipswich –  - To view  details visit our offices or our website.
625 Foxhall Road, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP3 8ND



01473 721133

35 Buttermarket, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP1 1BH
01473 281188

Bristol Court, Betts Avenue, Martlesham Heath Business Park, Martlesham IP5 3RY
01473 620222