Thimbleby & Shorland

Reading Auctioneers and Valuers Thimbleby & Shorland had a busy and successful 2011 selling a wide variety of rural property.

Former sailing clubhouse, Burghfield

On the instructions of CEMEX, 2 former sailing clubhouses on the edge of a lake at Burghfield, nearReading, were offered for sale by tender in June.  With guide prices of £40,000 and £50,000, and due to their unusual nature, they attracted a great deal of interest and a number of tenders were received.  Both properties sold for well above their guide prices.

May saw the launch of the biggest sale of the year when Uplands Stables atCompton, near Newbury, came to the market.  A prestigious Racehorse training stables and farm, with 2 houses, 61 stables, copious equestrian and farm buildings, an all-weather gallop and post and railed paddocks, it had 173 acres in all and the guide price was £4 million.  The property was successfully sold for a sum close to the guide price, with the sale completing at the beginning of October.

Uplands Stables at Compton, near Newbury

Again on the instructions of CEMEX, a small portfolio of property in Send, nearWoking, including a pair of Cottages, was offered for sale by formal tender in the autumn.  All the Lots attracted a good deal of interest, the Cottages in particular in spite of one of the pair being let on a protected tenancy and the other being in poor condition.  Some of the land was planted with vines, and it was all located on the edge of the village, albeit in designated green belt.  All the properties were successfully sold, the land at well above the guide prices and the Cottages at slightly below.

Cottages in Send, near Woking

Thimbleby & Shorland currently have the following blocks of land on the market:

Quarley, nearAndover– in all about 21 acres of accommodation land close to the A303, for sale in up to 4 Lots, just under half of which is now Under Offer;

Maidenhatch, Tidmarsh, nearReading– about 59 acres of pasture land for sale by private treaty as a whole;

About 56 acres of arable land, woodland and pasture at Christmas Common, near Watlington is about to come to the market, and other rural properties are being inspected with a view to marketing in the Spring.  Details of all properties for sale can always be found on the website tsauction.co.uk as well as the property portals primelocation and findaproperty.

Partner Chris Boreham, who deals with property sales, comments: “We were delighted with the results of sales in 2011, as were our clients.  There is no doubt however that there is a two tier market in all property, with the best finding ready buyers whilst that which is not the best for whatever reason is proving more difficult to sell.  Effective marketing and sensible pricing are the key, and we believe that our results over the last 12 months show that we are giving the right advice.  We are always pleased to give free market appraisals so do contact us if you have any property that you are thinking of selling.”