Welcome to the Autumn edition of our newsletter keeping you up to date with all things Fisher German.  Since our Summer newsletter our Office Partner, Stephen Rutledge, has cycled the length of the country raising money for children charities, he might have been a little saddle sore but the trip was a huge success.  Meanwhile, Will Taylor has been competing with Thame Town Cricket Club, see below for a report on their cow shot successes along the crease.  We are thrilled to be welcoming our newest recruit, Isabel Bingham, who joins our team as a graduate surveyor.  To find out more about Isabel and her adventures in Kenya during the summer read her article Shamba Shake Up.  Virginia O'Sullivan, our Residential Sales Negotiator is going to take prospective house sellers through a checklist to help prepare a house for sale and, on a more sober note, Josie Palmer provides you with a reminder about the new rules and regulations relating to Carbon Monoxide alarms and Smoke detectors in let properties.

We have had a fantastic summer, attending the Thame Sheep Fair and The Bucks County Show, where Stephen was proud to be able to present the Rothschild Challenge Trophy to the Limousin Breed Champion.

An Autumn chill is certainly in the air so, with wood fires burning and the prospect  of darker nights our thoughts are turning to our Fisher German Thame Christmas Drinks party.  The date is now set for Wednesday 9th December, so do put it in your diaries, and we look forward to welcoming you to our office at 17 High Street, Thame, for festive refreshments from 5pm until 7pm.

‘Cow Corner’

Will Taylor from our Thame office has been representing Thame Town Cricket Club and has helped secure the promotion into the Home Counties Division. Thame brought an end to their perfect season a few weeks ago when they thrashed Long Marston at Church Meadow to finish the season unbeaten: 13 wins, 4 winning draws and 1 abandoned game is the full tally. On the day, Thame won the toss and elected to bowl. Five quick wickets from Thame’s leading wicket taker meant that Long Marston never really got going, as they were bowled out for 159 in 49 overs. A quick fire 81 from Will quickly killed off the game, with the team reaching the target for the loss of only three wickets within 24 overs; a memorable season finished off in style.

Will was vice-captain this year and is looking forward to another great season with the local team and hopefully back to back promotion!

Click here to email Will Taylor.

We are pleased to announce the return of Izzy Bingham to the Thame Office. Izzy first worked in the Thame Office last year as a summer placement student undertaking a variety of tasks with the rest of the Thame team, particularly assisting with valuations. Izzy has just graduated with honours from Harper Adams University with a degree in Land Management.

"It's great to be back in Oxfordshire. The company has grown and expanded so much, even since last summer. I can't wait to get my teeth stuck in."

Izzy was fortunate enough to spend 2 months in Laikipia, northern Kenya over the summer before joining the Fisher German team. During her time there she was involved in managing a guest lodge, Mukima House, situated on a 360 acre farm in the shadow of Mount Kenya. By chance, she was also lucky enough to get involved with the East African equivalent of Countryfile, Shamba Shape Up.  Shamba Shape Up is a 60 minute make over for your farm (shamba).  She joined the film crew visiting a number of different farms in Meru County, the programme format is to inspect the farm and interview the farmer, invite 3 experts to visit the farm and advise the farmer on different aspects of the business concluding by interviewing the farmer as to how the experts have improved their business. A key objective of the programme is to show local farmers that their farms can be treated as a business and not only a resource for their families. Farms tend to grow maize, bananas and sugar cane and keep a few head of cattle, goats and chickens.

The programme aims to reach the masses rather than being highly academic as the target audience only has basic knowledge. It is broadcast in both English and Swahili. It aims to get the most information to the most people and it works. Viewing figures over East African countries exceed 9 million, a huge achievement considering how few people have access to televisions.

Izzy is now working in the rural sector for Fisher German producing valuations, advising on sales and other aspects of rural practice. So, if you need a member of the Thame team to Shape Up your Shamba please get in contact!

Click here to contact Isabel Bingham

The Fisher German Thame team has had a very busy summer attending both Thame Sheep Fairs and the Bucks County Show.

The 1st Thame Summer Sheep Fair, held in early August when the weather was scorching hot, was very successful. Farmers were drawn from far and wide with the promise of 29,253 sheep available over 2 days. Once again we manned a stand and got to see some familiar faces from Thame and the surrounding areas as well as a few from further afield. The stand was popular, offering a welcome respite from the heat and dust with a cold drink and a sausage roll. Similar to the year before, high prices were achieved with 3,000 prospective purchasers attending the sale with over 93% of the sheep sold in the ring. The top prices included MV accredited rams from Gloucestershire, sold for &1,010. Other highlights of the sale days included seeing a smart square set and sturdy non-accredited Beltex X ram sell for &905, Cheviot mules selling to &148 and mule shearlings at &220. The mule average was a healthy &118.20.

The Bucks County Show, a long held tradition in rural Buckinghamshire, is an annual date not to be missed, and despite initially inclement weather in the morning it attracted an astounding 25,000 visitors. There were some sixty cattle, eighty equine and over thirty sheep classes with some of the best livestock in the country including the Wiltshire Horn Sheep Society holding their first national show at the event.

The team on the Fisher German stand were kept on their toes from bright and early onwards.  We had the opportunity to meet clients, fellow professionals and friends old and new, providing some welcome refreshments and entertainment. One of our colleagues, the proud owner of an American WW2 Jeep, brought it along for the day which naturally attracted a lot of interest.

Simon Patrick who works in Fisher German's commercial property sector dusted off his bowler hat and had the important role of stewarding to make the day run as smoothly as possibly, and to ensure that visitors, competitors and indeed livestock alike enjoyed their day out. The firm sponsored the Limousin class and Stephen Rutledge, the Thame Office Partner, had the privilege of presenting the trophy and prize money to the handsome winner and his stockman. 

Lest we forget to mention, a long held Fisher German tradition, the Linesearch Larry competition. We are delighted to announce that Mr Holland from Scotsgrove guessed 49 Larrys - Not too shabby Mr Holland, as there were in fact 48!  All in all, a good day had by all.

Click here to contact Josie Palmer.

With effect from 1st October 2015, all let residential properties must be fitted with a smoke alarm, on every floor where there is living accommodation. If landlords do not comply with legislation the fines for non-compliance are within the region of &5,000 (or could lead to a gaol sentence, if the worst happens).

The smoke detectors must comply with British Standards, must be installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations, and must be kept in working order and tested at the beginning of each tenancy. In practice you can pass on the responsibility for replacing any smoke alarm batteries to your tenants, which is already normal practice.

As from 1st October it will also become mandatory to fit carbon monoxide detectors in all rooms within a property where a gas or solid fuel appliance is fitted. Again, detectors must comply with current British Standards and be installed in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations. Alarms must be tested at the start of all new tenancies.

I believe that combined carbon monoxide and smoke alarms are available and that the wired-in versus battery-powered systems work best, but I would suggest that you discuss product options with an electrician.

I do hope that you find the above advice helpful, and if you need any additional information on this or any other matter then do please me know.

Please click here to contact Josie Palmer

In the competitive housing market it is not just the agents who need to pull the stops out to sell a property but the vendor has a big role of their own to play to ensure the house is looking at its tip top best.   Presentation is key to selling your home and maximising its value.

The current housing market where the purchaser has an eclectic mix of property to choose from, and in the main, the majority will be juggling a busy lifestyle and not looking for a ‘project’ but something cosmetically pleasing that’s easy to move into until time and money allows for improvements and redecoration.

Before embarking on your house sale it is critical to set an action plan in place. It may seem tedious but you need to approach the sale with a degree of military precision to ensure you are presenting your home at its best and thus maximising its value. The following ten top tips are a prescription for success:

1. Declutter – an absolute must!
2. DIY – finish all the jobs on your ‘to-do’ list.
3. Clean, clean and clean again, everywhere and everything.
4. Pets – are best kept out of the way for viewings with lots of air freshener to remove smells if needed!
5. Outside space – must be clean and tidy, be conscious of the ‘drive-past’ viewer who may not make it to the front door.
6. The Market – check out your competition and make sure you look ‘best in class’.
7. Presentation – Make sure your home looks fantastic so great photographs can be taken.
8. Be your buyer – take time to notice what your viewers will notice.
9. Get out of the way – let your viewers look. On a first viewing they may not be interested in a full plotted history of the property and the work you have done.

And most importantly your Estate Agent.  Work with your chosen agent and listen to their advice as they are the experts and will hopefully help you achieve the best result.

Hopefully, the above points aren’t too daunting but that extra effort could be worth thousands of pounds extra in your pocket!

Please click here to contact Virginia O'Sullivan

In our last newsletter we reported on Partner in charge of Fisher German’s Thame office, Stephen Rutledge being in training to cycle the length of the UK on the iconic Land’s End to John O’Groats’ cycle ride.

Over 900 miles, 46,000 feet of climbing, and three nations later, we are pleased to say that Stephen and every one of his fellow cyclists from his Oxfordshire village completed the challenge and raised over &9,000 for local charities.

Stephen comments, "The experience was amazing - to see the length of the country unroll before you on a bicycle, through a multitude of terrains and landscapes, over nearly 1000 miles and with a fantastic group of people who pulled together and supported each other is great. I saw parts of the country that I am unlikely to see again and parts that I will definitely revisit. I was very pleased that my bike and body held out, with only two pairs of damaged cleats and some obvious sore areas being the only casualty! Would I do it again?  No. It was a great one off, there are so many other things to do”.

Please click here to contact Stephen Rutledge