news
New chairman elected
We are pleased to announce that Peter Farnsworth FRICS FAAV has been elected to become the new Chairman of the Western Counties Agricultural Valuers Association.
Peter has long been a member of the
organisation and all of us at Rendells wish
him well in his twelve months in office.
What is the Central Association of
Agricultural Valuers?
The Central Association of Agricultural
Valuers (CAAV) is a specialist professional
body, representing, qualifying, and briefing
almost 3000 members practising in a
diverse range of agricultural and rural
work throughout England, Wales, Scotland,
and Northern Ireland.
CAAV members are agricultural and rural valuers who provide professional advice and valuation expertise on issues affecting the countryside. These can cover many topics, such as tenancy matters, sales and purchase of farms and land, taxation, compulsory purchase of land and property, auctioneering, conservation issues and farming business advice.
Cob houses having a renaissance
Cob is basically a variation of the ancient method of building with mud and straw that has been used throughout the world for thousands of years.
In the UK, this type of construction was used in several parts of the country including Hampshire, Wales, Dorset and Cornwall, but was particularly popular in Devon. Traditionally, English cob was made by mixing clay-based subsoil with straw and water, which was then built up in layers (normally on a stone foundation), with each layer being given time to dry out first. Finally, the walls would be rendered with a mix of quicklime putty and coarse sand, followed by a lime wash. Unlike most modern coatings such as cement render, gypsum plaster and vinyl paints, this traditional finish is breathable, allowing any moisture to evaporate quickly - a fairly important consideration when your house is basically made out of mud.
But if all this sounds like stepping back into some historical time-warp, don’t worry. Thousands of cob houses still survive today.
Yes, many of them may date back hundreds of years, but living in them is really no different from most other types of older rural property.
What’s particularly interesting about cob, however, is the fact that it is currently undergoing something of a renaissance. The traditional skills, almost lost in the second half of the 20th century, are being revived, and there are specialist suppliers and builders to handle any necessary repairs or renovation work.
Perhaps even more remarkable is the fact that growing numbers of brand new and often strikingly-designed cob homes are now being built. Why? Well, for one thing, architects are increasingly being drawn to cob construction because, being basically moulded out of gloop, it lends itself to exciting new flowing shapes. More importantly in today’s world, it is very environmentally friendly. Cob homes are cool in summer and warm in winter. The construction process consumes virtually no energy and produces no pollution. Finally, the raw material of cob is not only infinitely recyclable but can generally be excavated from the building site itself, thereby reducing transportation.
Mike Pedrick
Russell Thomas
Peter Farnsworth
Welcome to the resumé of our activities for the last 12 months. At the time of preparing this magazine, Rishi Sunak had just announced a General Election would be held on the 4th July and time will tell who we will be governed by.
Uncertainty for any market can be unsettling and the property market is not unaffected but in what way only the future will tell. Whichever party is elected to form the next government the economy has, unquestionably recovered strongly from the pandemic and the 49 days of the last Prime Minister’s reign.
The residential property market has, at the moment undeniably, come off the boil, but realistically priced properties are still sought after. We are now receiving more instructions to market interesting properties including George Teign Barton, Ashton, situated in an attractive location in the Teign Valley, forming a secluded residential farm with 135 acres and is being sold off a 3.5 million guide. A high level of enquiries is expected from London, the Home Counties and also from the strong local market centred on Exeter.
Our Sale Room at Ashburton has had one of its busiest years for some time with sales now attracting nearly 2,000 lots. With all the problems in the world, gold which has always been a safe haven, has achieved some record prices. Other metals and jewellery are also rising sharply.
The agricultural and livestock department has seen expanding business with farmers and landowners coming forward for advice regarding the changes to the subsidy and support systems. Options are varied and need careful consideration as no one situation suits all. In the livestock sector, prices have increased dramatically but costs have also risen sharply, taking away most of the gain which probably resulted in the grass keep prices being reduced on recent years.
The Residential Lettings department has seen increasing rents and an unsatiated demand for any property that comes onto the market caused by the increasing population and overall shortage of dwellings. There are just too few available and life for many tenants can be a struggle. Whether the next government will introduce the no fault eviction, only time will tell but the viewpoints of landlords needs to be considered. Without flexibility we can see many landlords leave this sector.
With our 208 years in business and the wide range of ages of our partners and staff, we have a wealth of wide experience and new ideas to bring to the ever changing property world.
Prefer a downloadable version?
Click the button to open and download this SmartMag as a PDF