Now, however, there seem to be more properties for sale than people interested in buying them. It seems that banks are being more cautious these days and more selective regarding first time buyers. Potential first time buyers themselves are being more cautious as the fear of unemployment still looms.

Although nationally the average house price has dropped, the area worst hit is Northern Ireland with a decrease of 8%. London, on the other had, has seen an increase of 15%.

The result is that buyers will be able to negotiate a better deal as there is less up-take in the market and landlords who were considering selling will probably continue to let.

The Amber Moves Difference

What makes one removal company differ from another?  Essentially we all have removal men and vans and charge for our service to move your home.

The difference is in the level of service and the staff we employ.  We pride ourselves on not using casual labour – all our staff have been with the company for an average of 5 years.  They are highly skilled, personable gentlemen who understand family life and the stresses and strains of moving.  Nothing is ever a problem, and they have a totally different work ethic to the average removal man.

A client recently found an article on a removal company and sent it to us, saying “I saw this and thought it described your company perfectly!”  Here are a few extracts from the article:

They discovered the local furniture removals industry seemed to only hire tattoo adorned, singlet wearing, sweat-laden workers with ‘experience’ in removals.  Frankly, not the sort of people a lady alone at home might feel comfortable with. 

So Adam and Karlee decided to hire their removalists WITHOUT this industry experience.  They looked for applicants they’d feel comfortable having in their home, even when they’re not there.  Family men usually.  Karlee said she could pick them in seconds.  Something she was sure, every other women would be feeling too.  BIG difference.

 “Take the insurance policies on removals.  What does the industry do?  They give you a long document with heaps of fine print and loads of exclusions and YOU have to wear a $500 excess if you claim on THEIR damage!  Our insurance policy is simple.  If we break it or damage it, we’ll replace it.  No argument.  It’s not the client’s problem.  Damaging their furniture is OUR problem.”

The other area where we differ to the standard removal company is the quoting process.  We believe in a charging system, similar to other professionals such as accountants and solicitors.  Quoting an hourly rate offers the client greater flexibility as so much can change between booking the move and moving day.  The totally transparent charging system allows the client to change their requirements, rewarding them with a lower bill on the day if in fact there is less to be packed or moved.  There are no exclusions or hidden small print in our quotes.  Look out for phrases such as “basic removal service “ – this implies that the move is blanket wrap only.  We use export bubblewrap for glass and special pieces, plastic mattress covers and purpose made covers for all furniture.  Carpets and stairwells are protected as a matter of course.

The main difference is not what the removal company promises; it is what the removal company delivers.  On every occasion, we exceed all expectations.

The Charity relies on stock for their shops.  They estimate that one sack is worth £30 to them.

The benefit to the home mover is that they can have a good sort out before the move, and the hassle of getting it to the charity shop is taken away by the removal company.  We all mean to drop things off but never quite get round to it and moving home is the perfect opportunity.

We are currently looking for any feedback and your views on this service, so please post your comments or get in touch if you’d like to be involved in our very exciting project.

The run up to the year end and xmas is always stressful and of course do you put up the decorations or pack them?  Family life has to carry on and with the time between exchange and completion so short, it’s hard to know how to plan for your move.

Our advice is always to start clearing and sorting.  Have an advance delivery of packing cartons, as you may as well box up those things that aren’t essential thus making the packing up of your house much easier once you get that phone call that says it’s all on.

How do you clear and sort and where should it all go?  Good old Ebay is always the first place to start as the extra cash will come in handy.  The alternative is to try the website Freecyle – post up your unwanted items, and give them away in return for having them collected. 

The charities are always looking for stock as this is the lifeblood of their shops.  Remember that they don’t want items they can’t sell – good quality clothing that you never wear, books, kids toys and bric a brac are always appreciated.

As a reputable removal company with strong ethics, we are happy to drop your donations off the local charity shop.

A removal company in Vancouver has produced videos on:

How to pack books

How to pack lampshades

How to pack clothing

How to pack glass

How to pack pictures and mirrors

Follow this link,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3NBmUxX58_w

Post your feedback, we’d love to hear what you think of them.  Even better, if you’d like to star in our videos, we’re always on the look out for budding stars!

The truth is that it is the run-up to the move that is stressful, not the actual removal day.  The key, like everything else in life, is to surround yourself with good people.  Make sure you have the best solicitors doing the conveyancing so there are no snags on the day with money going through and collecting the keys to your new property.

Ask and delegate.  Your removal company can organise the parking suspensions for you so let them.  You can have a packing service the day before your move – so treat yourself.  You can book a cleaning company to clean both the old and new house – you will have more than enough to do without trying to do a full spring clean.

There are a number of websites now that offer a change of address service, such as Iammoving.com – use it, it’s free!

Have a good clear out and ask your removal company to drop these items off at the charity shop.

Book an online grocery delivery service to your new home for the first evening in your house.

Above all choose a reputable, preferably recommended, removal company and make sure you have a contract and fully agreed what is required on your move.  Choose a company that offers a flexible service as moving is never straight forward and your requirements may change many times between the initial booking and the actual removal day.

Perhaps not the most organised move!

We recommend Evaclean, a company who has the same values and high level of service we have.  They have kindly provided their details to assist you in your choice of cleaning company.

Evaclean Ltd is a commercial company which provide excellent  commercial industrial and domestic cleaning services for:

• Private properties;
• Office buildings;
• Schools;
• Nurseries;
• Churches;
• Hospitals;
• Surgeries;
• Shops;
• Factories; and
• Homes

We also clean carpets and upholstery professionally either on a regular contract basis or as a one-off cleaning service.

We understand our clients’ needs, and can ensure you receive a high quality and reliable service. Our high standards are helping us to grow rapidly.

Evaclean believes that the services we provide for you ought to be of a high standard in cleaning and ironing with a friendly professional service by highly trained and motivated staff. 

What Makes Evaclean Outstanding?

We have a strict vetting process when we employ new cleaners so that our clients can be confident in using Evaclean. We don’t take everyone who is looking for a job to work for us.

 What Are the Benefits of Using Our Service?

• Your cleaner will be fully vetted;
• You receive full support from a professional cleaning agency;
• Your cleaner and you premises will be monitored by our inspector to ensure your satisfaction; and
• You will have the comfort of knowing that your home is being cleaned using your chosen cleaning materials;
•  You get temporary cover if your cleaner is unavailable for any reason;
• You will have the continuity of the same regular cleaner;

To find more about our services please visit

 www.evaclean.co.uk or call 02088290811.

All the profits will be donated to Save the Children, and it certainly is a first for a removal company.  This is just one of our many exciting projects we have coming up.  This is all part of our bid to change the face of the removals industry and raise the perceptions and profile.

This weekend is proving to be particularly busy with Saturday, Sunday, Monday and Tuesday all fully booked and the last minute enquiries keep coming in.

Andrew collects everything up and once  a month does a charity boot fair.  Mainly because it’s his hobby and he actually enjoys car boot sales but also because it’s a crying shame to take these items to the tip.  These days its all about recyling and not land fill.

Our boot fairs are a great success and the Amber Moves van is eagerly awaited for by the regulars!  On average we manage to raise between £300 and £500 at each event, and all for a good cause.

Go ahead, Donate don’t dump!

The build up to moving home can be so fraught that most people are actually surprised when the removal day goes so smoothly.  It is our aim in life to raise client’s expectations of a move and they should be absolutely sure, that having chosen the right removal company, of course the day should run like clockwork.

We’ve done it again and are proud to show off our award for the period January to June 2009.  This award recognised the hard work put in by our removal crews and hopefully is raising expectations of how a good removal should be conducted.

Drop us a line at enquiries@ambermoves.com

Don’t forget to enter our on-line competition.  The prize is £50 of Marks & Spencer vouchers.

Go ahead, it’s easy!

http://www.ambermoves.com/_includes/downloads/AmberNews-July-WEB.pdf

How quickly the tide turns only 4-5 months ago, they were saying the market would take at least a year to recover. This was the worst recession in history, negative equity would exceed the peeks reached in the early 90’s and so on.

Let’s focus on the positive though, and enjoy the upsurge.  This is mainly because there will alwasy be a shortage of properties which will drive prices up.  We will soon be approaching Autumn which is a quieter time for home sales but equally there is such  a backlog of people who put their moves on hold over the last 18 months, hopefully one will counteract the other. 

The bonus of course, is that we are a London-based removal company, so are best place to enjoy any economic upsurge.  Further North demand is less robust.

Use this area of the blog to post your suggestions for our survey.

These clients want us to collect keys, pack up everything (right from screwing back the cap on the toothpaste!), move, unpack and a spot of interior decoration thrown in.  Fortunately the men we employ all have the common sense, resourcefulness and experience to carry these requests out. Having moved so many homes and seen the inside of all types of properties, they have the knack of just know ing where to place the furniture and how to make it all fit in.

The initial request is always made quite tentatively but when we say yes, we will do whatever is required, the relief and appreciation is always quite incredulous.  So spread the word, we wiill do whatever  is required to take away the hassle of moving home.

The newsletter has been mailed out to 1500 clients and will continue to go out to all our new contacts.  The competition is an on-line one, to incentivise people to visit our website but we felt that a lovely, shiny piece of paper filled with news is far better read leisurely over a coffee than as an email.  We will watch and monitor and welcome your feedback to see whether you prefer on-line or paper.

We are already working on the autumn issue so please get in touch with us if you would like to be featured in our newsletter.

This is just the beginning of our marketing campaigns and the re-branding of Amber Moves, so watch this space!

Prime rents in London will fall by a quarter this year, faster than anywhere else in Western Europe, if the latest forecasts prove correct.

The Investment Property Forum’s European Consensus Forecast anticipates a fall of 26.6 per cent in West End rents and 22.7 per cent in the City of London. The IPF Consensus Forecast collates predictions from a number of different property analysts to provide aggregate forecasts for the current year and the next four years.

All 29 European centres covered are expected to decline in 2009, but only Moscow (-30.8 per cent) is expected to see a steeper decline than London. A number of other centres have forecast falls in single figures including Vienna (-7.0 per cent), Berlin (-7.9 per cent) and Amsterdam (-8.8 per cent).

The long-term picture is also bleak. All 29 centres are expected to decline again in 2010, with London continuing to show some of the sharpest falls. Prime City of London rents are expected to drop by 12.1 per cent and West End rents by 10.4 per cent. The report states: “Six months ago London, Madrid, Barcelona and Dublin were forecast the poorest performance for 2010.  These centres have retained this ranking six months on and have suffered more severe further reductions in rental forecasts than the other cities reported.  Prime office markets in these locations are clearly under severe pressure.”

The survey did show, however, that analysts expect 2009 to mark the bottom of the market. Although rents are forecast to fall further in 2010, the pace of decline is expected to slow.

Recovery is predicted to begin in 2011 with West End rents strengthening by 1.3 per cent and City of London rents static. However the IPF data also suggests a long-term dislocation with rents in 2013 around 4 per cent lower than at the start of 2009.

This certainly bodes well if you are moving office and wish to upgrade your location.  Just as the plummet in house prices has allowed many people to move up the ladder, the same applies to office moves.

Clients who had planned to move last year have resurrected their sales  and are now moving in the next month.  Particularly in London there has always been a shortage of good size family homes, and supply and demand will always drive prices up.

Another factor brought about by the recession is the falling number of children attending private schools.  Parents who are cutting back on school fees will now look to move to areas with good state schooling as an alternative.

Amber Moves, London’s premier removal company, are well placed and ready for the upturn.  We’ve survived the recession and are in fact bigger and stronger as a result.

We look forward to moving homes across London throughout the summer and beyond.

This proves the power of “word of mouth”. The only time people will talk about a service they received is if the work was exceptional or exceceptionally bad.  In our case, it’s all good!

Moving home can be an awful experience, and the majority of customers came to us having experienced the cowboy style of removals and were happy to pay the extra for the enhanced service.  Once they realised what an easy stress-free experience it could be, they couldn’t stop raving.

We value and reward our recommendations and will always send a card and a thank you.

If you would like to be involved, please feel free to contact me via phone or email.

Kieran
Kieran.clubb@fevermedia.co.uk
0207 428 5741

 Kieran Clubb            

Junior Researcher
Fever Media
2nd Level, Clearwater Yard
35 Inverness Street
London NW1 7HB
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7428 5741
Fax: +44 (0) 20 7267 3730
kieran.clubb@fevermedia.co.uk
www.fevermedia.co.uk

The general trend seems to be that people have got “bored” with the recession and decided to move.  One of our clients told me yesterday that he and his wife decided to buy a house to “cheer themselves up!”  Good for them, I say.

The housing market was the first to be hit before the phrase credit crunch had even been invented and we felt the effects a good year before the rest of the economy, so hopefully the trend will be that as we move out of this economic gloom, the rest of the country is not too far behind.

Our thinking is that there is now a huge backlog of people who need to move.  We have clients ringing in to book their moves, that were planned for, and ready to go ahead a year ago.  I think we’re in for a busy summer….

Now with 2 million unemployed, can we find some new staff?  If you know of any good removal men please send them our way.

This is very positive news for removals and may it be the start of the upturn.  The general consensus seems to be that the housing market has reached rock bottom and the only way things can then move is up.  Traditionally the summer has always been the busiest period for removals and with the backlog of people wanting to move, could it be we’re in for a bumper summer?

It is fair to say, we are London based, and London will always be best placed to recover first and there is certainly more money flowirng through the system.  Housing in London will always be at a premium and it follows good removal companies will always have moving customers.

As always, even before the credit crunch, price is important and our rates reflect the state of the economy but we haven’t reduced our rates to a level where the job is done at a loss or breakeven, unlike some competitors, and we haven’t reduced the high level of service we offer including all the standards one would expect from a professional removal company.  We still have all our insurances, an up to date fleet of removal vehicles, a crew of full time salaried employees and state of the art equipment.

Here’s hoping that these really are “green shoots” we are seeing in the removals industry and that the good companies that survived the recession are well placed to reap the rewards and get moving again.

The West End of London has seen the steepest fall in rents, with almost half wiped of its rental values.  This is good news in all for London.  London office rents had been viewed as pretty pricey but they are now much more competitive and the collapse in Sterling versus the Euro has helped the process along.  As confidence comes back offices will need to make decisions on where to locate new operations and account for corporate team building facilities, meaning London’s cheaper real estate costs should now work in London businesses favour.

What does all this mean for Amber Moves?  The time and investment we have put in to increasing our share of the corporate relocation market should pay off.  Our membership of the British Institute of Facilities Managers also raises our standing within the industry and it is safe to assume, that there may be a bumper crop of London office moves to look forward to in the coming months.

Customer satisfaction is the key to our business and ongoing success and we are very proud of our staff because without them, we wouldn’t keep getting excellent ratings.  So much of our removal work comes from recommendations and referrals and we hope to continue moving homes across London throughout 2009 and beyond.

The main reasons people move are:

• change in family circumstances – new baby on the way, older children leaving home, divorce
• work – especially in these times, you may need to move for your job
• building works – renovating your existing property is often far better than hunting for the house of your dreams
• first home – there comes a time in everyone’s life when living with the parents or house sharing is no longer an option or there are those couples who are beginning wedded bliss
• quality of life – giving up city life and moving to the country
• greed – the days of moving to realise the value in your property are probably over now

So, bar greed, all the above are still reasons to move and the recession shouldn’t play a major factor in the decision to move.  Of course, these are cautious times, so decisions may not be made in haste.

Also, many thanks for all your teams help, they did a great job and very flexible on the move.  Would certainly use or recommend you again, and I think the landlord would recommend you as they guys looked after the building so well.

I may be in touch again in a few months and see if some of the guys are available to help us rebuild and move furniture around.

The move involved moving approximately 5000 cubic feet of office furniture from newly refurbished premises in Mayfair to another London address.  The Landlord of the building was most particular that no damage be caused to the building.  He had obviously had bad experiences with previous companies and insisted on vetting all our insurance documentation in advance.  We were delighted at the end of the job that he was delighted.

The client was a pleasure to work with and we both understood the need for flexibility on the move, especially given the short notice.  Ultimately all the credit goes to our staff who did the job and exceeded expectations all round.

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