Harringay Village: charming pub, village green and duck pond just out of frame
Excited about that well-presented studio flat in Abbeville Village? Visions of semi-rural bohemia? Well it's probably a dingy cupboard on a main road in Brixton. Estate agents are increasingly under scrutiny for the way they polish London's property turds, whether areas or dwellings. Here's a handy guide
Harringay Village: charming pub, village green and duck pond just out of frame
location, location, location | all mod cons?
Location, location, location
A survey by mortgage company The One Account last year found that a fifth of estate agents admitted to using an alternative name for an area to add value to a property they were trying to sell, and more than one in ten admitted exaggerating the geography of a location to make a property more desirable. We spoke to Miles Shipside, commercial director of RightMove and a London estate agent for 17 years, about agents’ obsession with turning London into a rural idyll.
| They call it… | Everyone else calls it… |
Hampstead Slopes | Archway |
Blackheath Borders | Lewisham |
Brackenbury Village | Hammersmith |
Abbeville Village | Clapham Park/Brixton |
Shorne West | Gravesend South |
West Kensington | Shepherd’s Bush |
Poet’s Corner | Acton |
Harringay Village | Harringay |
Highbury Borders | Finsbury Park |
South Chelsea | Battersea |
Bond Street East | Bow |
Time Out: Why make-up these names?
Miles Shipside: London can be faceless so people are attracted to the idea of a community, with local pubs and shops where everyone knows you. The key job of an estate agent is to get people engaged with what they are advertising and how we advertise areas is one way of doing it. But we are not allowed to lie about postal codes, that is illegal.
When did this phenomenon start?
MS: The rather imaginative descriptions you might have seen are a relatively recent phenomenon and are likely to date from one of the periods when London house prices fell marginally, such as in 2003, when estate agents would try and find any reason to make the property more attractive.
How much can having a rural-sounding location add to the value of a property?
MS: People will pay 10 per cent more for the village association. But it’s more about increasing the saleability rather than adding to the value. Saying that a property is in a village can be that added factor that gets people to view the property.
Is this trend going to continue?
MS: People are becoming ever more inventive, and there’s also an obsession with London buyers to spot the latest up-and-coming areas and as traditional areas become more expensive there is pressure to find new ones with catchy-sounding locations. Sometimes if an area is described as a village, it will eventually become one as it will attract the sort of people who are interested in living in that sort of community.
Isn’t it a bit of a scam?
MS:
It’s not something we should be ashamed of – after all, estate agents
are employed to get the best price for the property they are trying to
sell.
location, location, location | all mod cons?
All mod cons?
Now you've discovered the ghastly truth about your idyllic village haven, it's time to see just how elastic the language of bricks and mortar can be. One anonymous agent gives us the inside track…
What they say ‘Flexible living space’.
What they mean ‘Several rooms crammed into one – a kitchen-diner adjoining the lounge, for instance.’
What they say ‘Well presented’.
What they mean ‘This just means it’s not totally tatty. They’ve probably hoovered.’
What they say ‘Studio flat’.
What they mean ‘Unless it’s a high-price property, this is probably a bedsit.’
What they say ‘Trendy location’.
What
they mean ‘This will mean that it’s an area known to be trendy already
– as in it’s not up-and-coming. You’ll be paying a premium to live
there.’
What they say ‘In need of renovation.’
What they
mean ‘Take this seriously; an estate agent won’t say this unless the
property needs a lot of work, so much that this is more likely to be
attractive to a developer who can do the work and sell it on for a
profit.’
What they say 'Roof terrace'
What they mean 'You'll find out when you see it, but this could easily just be a balcony with a few pot plants.'
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9 comments
i mwish every roman catholic a very happy christmas in this village
It's an IKEA site. Quite good as it happens.
I found this website which basically lets estate agents that we arent going anywhere!!!
www.notgoinganywhere.co.uk
I really like the idea of the 'no estate agents' sign on the door - does that actaully work?
My 'no junk mail' one certainly doesn't... although you do get the occasional little gem through the junk mail... never met a gem of an estate agent though... :(
I recently bought a flat in east london and while yes, I recognise the potential increase in prices because of the olympics and stuff, at the end of the day, I bought the flat for myself, to make my home. I've spent several grand improving it, so I'm sure if I did give one of those dodgy estate agents the time of day they'd be quite excited, but my home aint for sale!
Estate agents are all about making money at your expense, they dont care about you as a person or your house as a home. They just want to make a quick buck. Not I'm not selling up!!!
Yeah I find it annoying. I have spent a good dose of time and money doing up my house for ME to live in and enjoy, not in the mood at all to sell, yet the letters and calls keep happening. Maybe I need to use their double speak...
LOL - I get about 3 a week in Streatham Common. They won't take no for an answer, even when I put a "no estate agents" sign in the window.
Let's turn it around. Me-speak for estate agents:
When I say "No, I don't want to sell my home" it means "Don't come back next week and try convincing me again"
Seriously, get stuffed the lot of you. I. AM. NOT. GOING. ANYWHERE.