Our normal office hours are 9.00am to 5.30pm (Monday to Friday) and 9.00am to 4.00pm (Saturday).

Early evening appointments can be arranged.

'Stamp Duty' (n) "a tax imposed on certain legal instruments to give them validity, the evidence of payment being a stamp on the document."

You pay stamp duty to swell Government coffers when you buy a property. The following rates apply: -

There are certain exceptions, but none is likely to apply in the East Berkshire area.

Please be careful! If you buy at, say, £200,000, then the 1% rate of duty is payable on the whole amount, i.e. £2,000. You should always take this into account when arranging financing for your purchase.

Many buyers and sellers do of course have a good existing relationship with a solicitor (who may or may not be from the area), which is to be encouraged. However, many do not and we are more than happy to make a recommendation.

(1) It allows time for your property to be fully marketed without pressure, hopefully ensuring that a solid buyer is found at the best possible price.

(2) Once a buyer is found and you have a complete 'chain' your own bargaining power is improved considerably. This may very well make the difference in having your offer accepted on a property when in competition against others.

NAEA refers to the National Association of Estate Agents, which has in the region of 10,000 members and is the leading - and by far the largest - professional body in estate agency and is represented through its members in more than 60% of estate agency offices in the UK.

The NAEA is dedicated to the goal of professionalism within High Street estate agency. They aim to reassure the general public that by appointing an NAEA member to represent them they will receive in return the highest level of integrity and service.

Leyton-Smith & Moseley is a member firm and we are bound by a vigorously enforced Code of Practice and adhere to Professional Rules of Conduct.

The NAEA has a helpful and informative website which can be accessed by clicking on www.naea.co.uk. Alternatively, the site can be accessed via our own Links page.

This site is particularly useful for identifying members of the Association in your particular area.

These areas all fall within a five mile radius of our office.

Local advertising is always at our cost.

Occasional a property may warrant advertising to a wider audience through other media. In these instances there will be a cost implication for a client which will always be fully agreed in advance of commitment.

Alternative publications might include:

Sunday Times
Sunday Telegraph
London Evening Standard
Country Life
Prestige Properties

In short, we are flexible and always endeavour to meet an individual client’s requirements.

If you have agreed to a 'For Sale' board being erected outside your property, our contractor will call within the next few days. However, we recognise that some people for varying reasons are 'anti' boards, and whilst we respect individual views, we would like you to consider the following points:

(1) A well designed 'For Sale' board brings immediate attention to a property that is for sale, and any enquiry received from a board will be from people who have already accepted the location of a property, for better or for worse.

(2) A 'For Sale' board is a useful marketing tool which helps to increase exposure of a property that is for sale. This has a part to play in ensuring that the property is sold at the best possible price.

(3) If a 'For Sale' board is displayed outside your own property, it can be surprising how much spin-off interest is received from people visiting other properties that are for sale in the locality.

(4) A 'For Sale' board can often prompt people to enquire about a specific house when otherwise they might not have even thought of moving!

(5) Although a minor point, a 'For Sale' board helps a viewer to actually locate the property with the minimum of fuss and inconvenience.

If 'For Sale' boards are to be at their most effective, they must be smart and in good condition. If you have a board outside your property that you feel has become unsightly, please let us know and we will arrange for it to be re-erected/replaced as appropriate.

We are fully aware of the remote, but possible risk of injury from our notice boards, and as a result carry Public Liability insurance providing cover up to the sum of £1million in the unlikely event that a claim should ever arise.

Town and Country Planning regulations impose strict control on Estate Agents boards primarily to prevent the unsightly proliferation, which at one time was commonplace. Amongst other matters, new rules now apply to the maximum size of boards, and ours comply with this provision.

More importantly, it is now stated that only one agent's board may be displayed (with the owner's consent) on any one individual property for sale. It is most important that you let us know should another agent erect a board outside your property where our own is displayed as it is entirely possible that both Estate Agents and the Owner may be prosecuted if the Local Authority decided to take action. This could lead to a hefty fine!

SOLE AGENCY

The Vendor will be liable to pay remuneration to the agent, in addition to any other costs or charges agreed, if at any time unconditional contracts for the sale of the property are exchanged:-

a) with a purchaser introduced by them during the period of their sole agency or with whom they had negotiations about the property during that period; or

b) with a purchaser introduced by another agent during that period.

MULTIPLE AGENCY

The Vendor will be liable to pay remuneration to the agent in addition to any other costs or charges agreed if at any time unconditional contracts for the sale of the property are exchanged with a purchaser introduced by them before the termination of the agreement, or with whom they had negotiations about the property during that period.

Most vendors prefer to appoint a Sole Agent having first perhaps invited two or three agents to provide valuations and explain their service. The advantages are that a discounted commission rate can be offered and it encourages a more personal relationship with a client.

Occasionally a vendor will want to instruct two agents to act as 'Joint Sole Agents' at a higher commission rate. In this instance the agents work together in the marketing of the property and the agreed fee is then split, normally on a 60% / 40% basis in favour of the agent successful in introducing the eventual buyer, thus ensuring a healthy element of competition.

A Multiple Agency is rare when a property is first introduced to the market. The most common usage is when a vendor wants to sell quickly. Each agent will negotiate their own commission rate which will invariably be higher than their sole agency rate. The reason for this is that Multiple Agency operates on the principle of 'the winner takes all' and there are no prizes for coming in second or third place!

It is advisable not to instruct all and sundry as this can send out the wrong messages to a buyer. Three agents is probably the ideal under a Multiple Agency arrangement.

We do however have a good working knowledge of lettings, not only on the legal side but also the likely yields that can be achieved and often deal with investors looking to ‘Buy to Let’.

There are a number of good letting agents in Windsor and we are happy to discuss recommendations with a client.

Many agents do have an 'in house' broker, but we find it impossible to reconcile the possible areas for conflict of interest. People come to see us wanting to buy and sell property, nothing else.

Many buyers do however (quite understandably) become confused at the vast array of sophisticated mortgage products available in this day and age. Expert help is at hand. We can confidently recommend the services of a fully independent broker in the form of James McDermott of Ascot Asset Management. James is a highly personable character with many years experience having disposed of his white socks decades ago! He may be contacted on 01344 305 588.

We can recall many instances where an established sale has fallen through for completely unexpected reasons which typically might include redundancy, an unfavourable survey, or simply a change of heart!

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On an individual basis, the LS&M league table is as follows:-

Marc Leyton-Smith - 29 years (but no gold watch yet!)
Guy Moseley - 27 years (and he doesn't look that old)
Terri Gozalvez - 27 years (no time off for good behaviour!)
Chris Moseley - a mere pup at 16 years.

We are not the most expensive, and neither the cheapest in town, but always strive to offer value for money. We are always happy to discuss commission rates on an individual basis.

The following are included in the service we provide:

· Unrivalled experience and local knowledge
· Town centre offices
· No sale - no fee
· Sales particulars with full colour photographs
· Detailed floor plans
· Regular telephone contact with buyers
· Prominent local advertising
· Accompanied viewings where required
· Regular feedback

The majority of purchasers need to arrange mortgage finance and the mortgagees (the generic name of the lender, be it a bank or building society) will usually require a "Valuation" to be carried out. However, it should be stressed that the prime function of a Valuation is to ensure that the property provides adequate security to the lender and will really only be concerned with issues such as whether the purchase price is reasonable and whether there are any serious defects.

The mortgage lender will normally be able to discuss other survey options available which would typically include a Home Buyers Report and a Full Structural Survey. The full Structural Survey is the most detailed and correspondingly, the most expensive. Many people find that a Home Buyers Report is perfectly adequate and cost savings can usually be achieved if the inspection is carried out at the same time as the basic Valuation.

If a survey does not reveal any serious defects, at least it will have given you peace of mind. On the other hand, a survey may reveal something of a serious nature which could affect your decision to proceed with the purchase, and in this case, it could possibly prove to be the best money you have ever spent.

Cash buyers purchasing without a mortgage do not even have the very basic protection of a Valuation survey and would be well advised to make their own private arrangements.

Here at Leyton-Smith & Moseley we have a good working relationship with many surveyors and valuers operating in the Windsor area and we would be happy to make a recommendation to you.