News

Firsthips Review 2 - April 2008 - For Agents


Agents' Review Welcome to the April 2008 issue of the Firsthips Review. Each month we will include news, advice and articles from the HIP industry front-line. We welcome comments and suggestions for additional content.

 

Market Slowdown

Just about all estate agents across the country are reporting an overall slowdown in the market. Recent surveys have indicated that the level of sales agreed is down by more than thirty per cent and Nationwide has just announced that property prices have fallen again for another consecutive month. Tougher conditions in the mortgage market are forcing lenders to tighten their lending policies with indications that borrowers who might pose a risk to lenders will be forced out of the market.

HIPs for New Homes

Newbuild Homes on the market from the 6th April onwards will require a HIP. It is understood that the provisions of the Consumer Estate Agent and Redress bill will not now take effect until sometime in June at the earliest.

1st June is coming, are you prepared?

Last year the government extended the exemption on first day marketing to ensure smooth implementation due to a delay to the commencement of Home Information Packs.

This date is the 1st June and is soon upon us, so what do you need to know?

From the 1st June certain documents in the HIP will be mandatory before a property can be marketed. The documents that will be required are as follows:

Before marketing:

Within 28 days of order:

If you are unsure as to how long the turnaround of these components take with your current supplier now is the time to act. Having a reliable, responsible HIP solution with account management devoted to clients' needs is more important than ever.

If you would like to find out how Firsthips can help speed up the marketing process to be ready for June please call one of the team on 0845 257 1930.

Getting the most from Hips
Did you know?

You can now easily alert a Firsthips supervisor with reference to a specific property. In the property's message centre simply tick "Firsthips Supervisor" and enter your message. The supervisor receiving your message will know which property your message refers to.

Did you know?

Improved payment monitoring for fast tracking of unpaid and deferred payment cases. This is particularly useful to track deferred payment cases.


Legal Questions?

Please remember that we have a free legal helpline available to our clients through legal@firsthips.com

Any Feedback?

If you have any feedback regarding this newsletter, the firsthips system, HIPs in general or any stories you think are relevant and would like us to publish in the next newsletter, then please contact us.

Help and Advice?

We regularly update our FAQ section with useful and relevant information for our clients. Recent entries include some of the latest government clarifications regarding market concerns such as:

Go to firsthips FAQ


Success stories

Key Features