Local Surveyors Direct Issues State of the Market Summary

Local Surveyors Direct, the property services price comparison site, has issued a state of the market summary to its members. The site, which has recently added a mortgage broker search to its selection of property professionals around the UK, noted a number of interesting trends in its report this week.

With thousands of property professions ranging from conveyancers and architects to mortgage brokers and domestic energy assessors providing instant estimates via the Local Surveyors Direct website, the market report provides vital intelligence for building services. Compiled by managing director, JJ Heath Caldwell, the Local Surveyors Direct market summary included a recognition that the number of properties changing hands has declined since 2007. This isn’t all bad news though as the lack of movement in the property market has led to more home owners opting to improve their existing residence. With the number of sales in 2008 almost half of the figure being reported in 2006 and the first half of 2007, there has been a growing demand for services such as architectural design, structural engineers and electricians. Although only 55,000 houses changed hands on average in the last five months of 2010, some property professionals have seen a boom in business. Domestic energy assessors are one such profession seemingly not affected by the state of the housing market, with Local Surveyors Direct reporting an average of 123,000 Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) registered per month over the last 12 months. This figure leaped to 140,00 in March 2011, with EPCs split between owners trying to sell their homes and landlords attempting to let out a property – many for the first time. With new property professionals joining each month and a series of new sections launched in the last 12 months (including quotation searches for estate agents, conveyancing and mortgage brokers), the Local Surveyors Direct website has seen a 30% growth in leads generated for members so far this year. Although figures have fluctuated form month to month, the site did see a noticeable increase in traffic during both January and February, suggesting that the cold, snowy snap was actually good news for some property professionals as clients were able to use the period of very cold weather to arrange jobs that may previously have been put off. To find out more about joining Local Surveyors Direct and providing instant estimates to residential and commercial clients in the local area seeking a specific property service, log on to http://www.localsurveyorsdirect.co.uk

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