TAYLORS estate agency has been named the best estate agent in Leicestershire at the 2007 Daily Mail UK Property Awards.

The company, which has eight branches across the county, was awarded the highest possible score of five stars by a panel of judges in order toto achieve the prestigious accolade.

More than 700 property professionals from across the UK met at the gala presentation dinner, recently held in London. Nominated agents were judged by a panel of professionals, including chairman Eric Pickles MP,BritishShadow Secretary of State,Imtiaz Farookhi, chief executive of the National House Building Council, Peter Bolton King, chief executive of the National Association of Estate Agents, and Phil Spencer, of Channel 4’s Location, Location, Location.

Brian Taylor , managing director, said: “To gain recognition on a national level for the services we offer locally, is justification for both our agency, and the people in Leicestershire. We didn’t know what we had won when we attended the ceremony, and were delighted to be voted the best Estate Agent in Leicestershire, our third national accolade in a row.”

Taylors Estate Agents has been officially informed that the company is to receive an award in the prestigious Daily Mail UK Property Awards 2007. The full extent of this success will be revealed at a glittering gala dinner at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London on Friday, 5th October.

The fact that Taylors Estate Agents has earned one of these coveted awards is sure proof that the company can not only compete but also triumph within the highly competitive UK property arena. Having been given this high recommendation by its peers, the company will be entitled to display the Daily Mail UK Property Awards’ logo with pride. This symbol of excellence will be recognised and appreciated by the public who are becoming increasingly well informed and discerning about the properties they seek to buy.

Entries were judged by a panel of professionals whose collective knowledge of the property industry is second to none and unsurpassed by any other property awards. Chaired by Eric Pickles, British Shadow Secretary of State, this year’s judges included Imtiaz Farookhi, chief executive of the National House Building Council; Peter Bolton King, chief executive of the National Association of Estate Agents; and Phil Spencer, property expert and presenter of Channel 4’s Location, Location, Location and Relocation, Relocation TV shows.

Brian Taylor, Managing Director of Taylors Estate Agents, said of the forthcoming award, “This is great news for the company and for everyone who works with us. It’s especially good news for our clients because they can rest assured and be safe in the knowledge that they are dealing with a professional, reputable organisation. Our efforts have been recognised nationally and this shows us to be a top-performing company in all aspects of how we deal with our clients. We are very pleased to have won a third national award in a row and we are looking forward to the gala in October.”

Following the spectacular headlines over recent times the housing market in Leicester, like much of England and Wales has steadied to a much slower rate of growth.

The headline grabbing growth seen in some of the national papers is very much driven by London, which is still seeing strong growth in most areas.

Locally though the picture seems much calmer with only moderate growth so far in 2007, in figures published by the Land Registry.

In Leicester City the average house price has increased from £124,505 to £126,729 during 2007, most notable is that the figure barely altered between April and May 2007.

The annual growth year to date is a sensible 6.0%. In the county the picture is very much the same with moderate growth year to date of 5.5%, with the average price of a property increasing by £3727 to £167,502 at the end of May 2007.

The figures so far this year show a healthy picture for 2007 with house prices better reflecting the current market. Levels of sales remain steady, with those vendors who are sensibly priced attracting good numbers of potential purchasers. While vendors need to be aware of the changing market and adapt a more flexible approach to accepting offers, purchasers are still being registered in good numbers and showing good interest in purchasing property, realising that good quality well priced houses still sell quickly.

The information was provided by landregistry.gov.uk and the report was compiled by Brian Taylor, Managing Director of Taylors Estate Agents.

The National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA) has released the latest figures from its housing market survey revealing a steady market over the Easter period. As expected the number of sales agreed per agent dropped slightly over the holiday period, reflecting figures seen at the same time last year.

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The original plan was that sellers would provide prospective buyers with a collection of documents to prove what they say about the house is true. The seller would collate the pack before the property went on the market.

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