Commercial team helps bring micro pub to town

The Needle & Pin, one of a new wave of micro pubs, will be opening in a converted electric shop.

It may not be the biggest commercial property transaction we have ever undertaken but it has been exciting to work with pub owner Sean O’Neil as he introduces the first micro pub to Loughborough.
As a member of the Campaign for Real Ale (CAMRA), our Head of Commercial, Kevin Skipworth, is looking forward to being one of the Needle & Pin’s first customers.

We are not the only ones excited by the new venture. Cask ale enthusiasts are eager to patronise the new establishment in The Rushes. So too are vinyl veterans, as the pub will feature a retro music playlist.

Created in what used to be the H & R Electronics shop, the space is warm and intimate with a cosy DIY vibe. A centrepiece will be an Avometer 7, a vintage electrical measuring instrument donated by Peter Harris, the shop’s former owner.

Sean is dedicated to supporting local breweries and runs his own establishment, the Wicked Hathern brewery. You can expect to see a fantastic range of handpicked cask beers and ales that will be changing on a regular basis to suit the tastes of customers.

The tiny tavern will feature a 1960s Bush record player with patrons encouraged to bring their vinyl records to augment the pub’s own record collection. Sean also plans to run themed music nights, including country, ska, 70s disco and even an Abba tribute.

The team are working extremely hard and at a push, we can hope to see the project completed by Christmas. We look forward to sharing a pint there very soon.

BUY TO LET BOOM

House prices are still on the increase but it's doing nothing to deter first time investors and existing landlords from buying property to let. 

We've found that first-time investors and existing landlords are still buying properties to let across the whole of the East Midlands despite the ever-increasing house prices.

We caught up with Residential Lettings Director, Jill Griffiths and Director David Woodfield to find out their thoughts on it all.

"Soaring property values mean lower returns but that hasn’t seemed to put off investors.

Investors are still hungry for properties in and around the town despite above average house price inflation stoked by the direct train line to London.

It’s possible for landlords to get yields of up to 1.5 per cent down the road in Northampton but people see properties in Market Harborough as safer assets because of the station and the advantages of living in a popular market town.

The Market Harborough area has seen big price jumps in the last few years, and not all properties with hefty price tags are selling but investors are still buying. Existing investors have done well and want to expand their portfolios, and we are seeing first time landlords coming into the market.

The Pensions reform is attracting new entrants to the market, allowing retirees to put their nest egg into property instead of an annuity, and the market has also been buoyed by the pro-property ownership and investment stance of the new government."

"Landlords are responding to housing need with a dwindling number of young people able to afford to buy their own home.

At the Loughborough office which I'm based, we are celebrating our 20th anniversary this year, and if you look back to when we first opened for business, young couples could afford to be first time buyers with a terraced house in the town centre at less than £40,000. Today, that same property would be closer to £140,000, which is obviously way out of reach for most youngsters.

The result has been a boom in the tenancy market in Loughborough over the past five to 15 years. This has encouraged people to enter the buy to let market for the first time and to build up property portfolios.

One common way this happens is for the parents of a student at the university to buy a house for their child to live in while he or she is studying. After the child graduates and moves on, the parents retain ownership and rent it out to a new generation of students or youngsters.

We're also seeing more landlords choosing to buy new properties to keep down maintenance costs and improve their return on investment"

If you need some advice on buying or renting, why not get in touch with our team who will gladly talk you through the process.

Call us at your nearest office on:

Leicester Office - 0116 242 9922

Loughborough Office - 01509 235534

Market Harborough Office - 01858 431315