I would imagine that many of us of a certain age have either seen the film or read the book Oliver Twist, written by Charles Dickens, and we remember the famous workhouse scene where Oliver, having had his bowl of gruel, causes a deathly silence by having the innocent audacity to approach the unapproachable Mr Bumble and utter the immortal words, “Please sir, I want some more.”
When you hear the word ‘Olivers’, you don’t naturally think about selling houses but the word on the street is literally that: the twist is that Olivers is a name you will soon see emblazoned above the door at 2 Cinque Ports Street in Rye. Olivers of Rye has arrived: an estate agency “ formed by local people who wish to provide a first-class service to both buyers and sellers whilst being involved in one of the biggest purchases of their lives.”
The business is run by three equal partners: Mark Hart, Mark Tozer and Carolyn Gould (who I interviewed this week). Many of you will remember Carolyn when she ran her clothing business on Rye High Street but the property business, as with the two Marks, has been her career for many years.
There will undoubtedly be a mixed reaction to a new agent opening in the town. I can hear the sceptics now muttering, “Not another estate agent in Rye” but thinking positively, my take on this would read, “Thank goodness, another empty shop in Rye has been occupied by a local business which will help to promote the town and attract more visitors.”
Whatever your viewpoint, Olivers of Rye is now open for business; their refurbished and prominantly positioned offices are inviting and on trend and although, at the time of writing this article, their distinctive facia was yet to arrive, you are assured a warm welcome from the team. But don’t just take my word for it, pop in and see them, contact them on 01797 740017 or check out their website: www.oliversrye.co.uk.
Image Credits: Nick Forman , Olivers .
Please sir, we don’t want any more! Another estate agent to add to the plethora of them in the town plus another opening in the High Street soon. The price of property has rocketed since the Tories decided to get rid of Stamp Duty during the pandemic to invigorate the property market and it certainly did with prices going even higher.
There’s something disturbing about an industry that makes profit from a basic need to live somewhere and buy a home. Estate Agents are party to the easy pickings and why they continually push prices up.
Who is ‘we’ in this context? Not just the people of Rye surely, as there will always be others from all over the country, and from further afield, who want to move to the town. If there is no demand for another Estate Agent (or for any other retail outlet) then the new one will fail. If not, it has an opportunity to meet a demand and will flourish. So long as people want to buy and sell properties there will be a need for them, unless someone can come up with a proposal for a workable alternative mechanism. Rye is not exempt from the working of the market, however much we might wish for a fairer system.
The only reason is they’re so many Estate Agents is because it’s highly lucrative and feeds on a necessity. It won’t fail because people need to buy homes as you’ve said but for most young people will never be a reality.
Prices are inflated by Estate Agents and ‘talk’ the market up, we don’t need another two.
And yet you offer no alternative to the current system, although I understand that any person or organisation earning income as a result of ‘middleman’ activities is always seen as suspect and open to criticism.
There are of course some bad Estate Agents around, especially some (not all) of the national chains, but some years ago I had to handle a probate sale in the town. I used the Rye office of Messrs Rush, Witt & Wilson and I cannot praise them too highly. Every aspect of their service exemplified their professional efficiency and courtesy and I cannot see how else the transaction could have been competently handled, as I was living in another town, many miles from Rye. I am sure other Rye agents would similarly have risen to the challenge and this new firm should be given the opportunity to match, or surpass, their already well established competitors. If not, then tough, you are not welcome any more.
The alternative is to have a government controlled agency that does not rely on profit and a system that favours first time buyers and families not people looking to buy and sell or purchase second homes. Unlikely concept as buying and selling property for profit is the bedrock of capitalism denying people of buying a home just to live in.
Margaret Thatcher gave the people of this country the right to buy their council houses at good discounts, and quite rightly so, but the promise to replenish the stock never materialised, and seeing ex council homes up for sale at 300k plus, in Rye, is not just obscene, its an insult to the young people of this town,who will never be able to afford to get on the housing ladder.
Having just seen the latest 2 bedroom terrace house for sale at South undercliffe at 350k, these the houses that were once first time buyers for Rye families, one wonders when this madness will stop.Sadly it’s all about supply and demand in Rye, and with little stock available, it may be good for the seller, but does nothing to help first time locals to the market, nowonder estate agents are relocating to Rye,to jump on the bandwagon and push up prices even further.
There’s plenty of stock, look at the Estate Agents database all sold SSTC (sold subject to contract) And like you’ve stated, £350k for a house in South Undercliff. Who’s buying theses houses? First time buyers? Hardly, just more Air B&B’s and second homes.
I wish I had bought a house in South Undercliff twenty-five years ago; I had the opportunity. It would have made a good rental property plus a nice home for a tenant. In my opinion everyone would have been a winner.
Sorry buy to rent does nothing to the tenants stability or long term future in this town,many of these properties are mortgaged up to the hilt, and other cash buyers do so because of low interest rates, and are cashing in on the boom, so where will these tenants be in a decades time, especially if prices crash, or landlords wish to sell on,for whatever reason.More land needs to be released in Rye for social housing,at least then tenants can sleep easy,instead of worrying when they may be asked to leave,as the landlord sells up.