Property Blog
7th March 2024
Principally, Tuesday’s budget affects three areas of the Cotswold residential property market, Multiple Dwellings Relief, Capital Gains Tax and Furnished Holiday lettings.
SDLT Multiple Dwellings Relief has provided a tax benefit for purchasers of properties that align with HMRC requirements. Whilst the abolition of this Relief, affecting completions from 1st June 2024, will result in the loss of a tax advantage, it does not affect a large percentage of property transactions. Ancillary accommodation should continue to be viewed as both a good investment and source of income generation.
Mixed Use Relief remains unchanged.
The reduction in the... more
7th March 2024
Born in Coln St Dennis, I spent my childhood in Upper Slaughter and attended The Cotswold School, Bourton-on-the-Water. As Head of Agency Sales in the Butler Sherborn Burford office, I have extensive contacts across the Cotswolds, and a comprehensive knowledge of the local area.
Favourite Pub/Restaurant : The Bell at Langford
Favourite Cotswold Shop: Cotswold Cheese Company in Burford is an absolute must!
Favourite Walk: Sherborne Woods
Favourite Place to visit/Garden/historic building/or similar: Chastleton House has the most amazing feel with beautiful gardens.
Favourite Activity: eg Hobby - Wild swimming, horse racing, hockey and rugby
Best Kept Secret in the Cotswolds: A good village fete in the summer is the place to be and... more
5th March 2024
Three new-on-the market country homes from £695,000 - £1.25million and 10 top Cotswold farm shops and farmers’ markets
Pinks Cottage, London Road, Fairford, Gloucestershire, GL7 4AR - £895,000
Appropriately held in Fairford’s Marketplace every Wednesday morning, traders at the weekly market include bakers, cheese makers and fruit & veg sellers, while throughout the summer events such as French, German and Italian food & drink festivals are often staged.
An easy walk into the heart of Fairford, Pinks Cottage dates from the 17th century and is a great family home from where... more
4th March 2024
I am delighted and proud to announce that we will be working alongside locally renowned estate agent, Butler Sherborn, The Cotswolds Property Specialist. Claire Halstead Interiors will be offering sellers and prospective buyers alike, a personal and individualised ‘House Moving Service’.
This service is designed to help clients present their property to the market in the best possible way, or to help clients make difficult decisions in respect of the interiors of a property, which may require a great deal of work, but with the right help and advice your dreams could become reality. These are just a couple of the ways we hope to be able to help. All advice will be offered with an affordable, sustainable and realistic approach.
Who is Butler Sherborn?
Butler... more
27th February 2024
The Cotswolds have the most trainers in one area of the United Kingdom outside Newmarket, and with Cheltenham as the home of jump racing, it is the best place to look for your top tips.
Jonjo O’Neill, Nigel Twiston-Davies, Ben Pauling and Fergal O’Brien to name but a handful, all live a stone’s throw from each other near Stow-on-the -Wold.
As Festival fever begins to build in the run up to meeting, locals together with punters from the Emerald Isle, begin to gather. Binoculars seem to fill the hills with those looking for a glimpse of their favourite bankers of Festival week in work, before the meeting opens on Tuesday 12th March, and the crowd roars.
On the... more
27th February 2024
Reflection On Light; Vigour and Skills Celebrates the Spring Equinox in the Heart of the Cotswolds With An Exhibition At The Gothic House Charlbury
Charlbury, — Vigour and Skills (V+S) Makers Collection, in partnership with Branch Arts, is set to unveil a captivating exhibition that brings to life the boundless talent, creativity, and artistry that define the Cotswolds. This event marks Charlbury as an idyllic location for celebrating the synchronicity of art and craft, capturing the essence of the Spring Equinox.
Event Details - Exhibition dates:
Date: 20 March – 24 April 2024
Location: Gothic House, Charlbury,... more
20th February 2024
Do come and join the Butler Sherborn team for Drinks and Refreshments in our usual two spaces in the Sponsors Car Park, right by the Bar, with stunning views of the course.
You don’t need to move more than a few paces to get to the paddock, the bar and the bookies, and can eat and drink with us! In addition, this year Cotswold Lakes Brew Co. are joining us and will be giving out their great local craft lagers.
Cash/card entry at the gate £15 per person.
We look forward to seeing you…
15th February 2024
With Cheltenham Festival just over a month away, The Porch House at Stow-on-the-Wold, is hosting a pre-festival exclusive ‘Mark the Card’ event on Thursday 7th March from 7pm. £15pp.
With only limited places available, book now via the website here, porch-house.co.uk
Find out more ahead of the UK racing calendar’s premier week from 12th-15th March with these inimitable group of racing professionals. On the panel and for a Q&A session following the talks are;
Alex Steedman - Head of Racing Operations at Racing & Sports and known internationally for his knowledge of racing, journalism and relations with owners, trainers and jockeys, Alex heads up local... more13th February 2024
Royal Agricultural University offers first ever degree course in residential estate agency
A new course offering would-be estate agents the chance to obtain a foundation degree in residential estate agency – the first degree course of its kind in the UK – is being launched by the Royal Agricultural University (RAU) at its Swindon campus.
The unique course – which is now recruiting its first entrants to start their studies in September 2024 – will be taught two days a week, enabling students to work while studying for the qualification. Areas covered will include valuations... more
9th February 2024
Elevate your home with Interiors By Chloe, a boutique interior design studio based in the Cotswolds. Chloe’s team is dedicated to transforming your home into a sanctuary that reflects your style and personality.
From concept to installation, Interiors By Chloe collaborate closely with you, the client, to create beautifully functional interiors that seamlessly blend comfort and sophistication.
Within the service, they will consider furniture (both fitted and free standing) and its placement, architectural elements including wall and floor finishes, lighting and window treatments. Clients benefit from an extensive supplier database, which includes trusted trade accounts and craftsmen, as well... more
5th February 2024
The quintessential English cottage makes the perfect entry into the county living lifestyle for many, while also offering good investment potential. Invariably packed with period features for the all important charm factor, the difficulty can often be finding one!
Butler Sherborn is currently launching three lovely cottages in the Cotswolds as detailed below:
Cross Tree Cottage, Cross Tree Lane, Filkins, Gloucestershire GL7 3JL - £500,000
Four bedrooms, two reception rooms and a bathroom, this semi-detached period cottage sits in around 0.19 acres, and would make a great renovation project for a young couple looking to create a beautiful village home. There are period features throughout, a large garden to the rear and it is well... more
30th January 2024
The start of the 2024 eventing season is now just around the corner, with our first event, Poplar Park in Suffolk, on 2nd March. The ground over on the east coast is very sandy and well drained, so holds up well to the rain in March.
The majority of our horses have been back in work since just before Christmas, and so we are well under way with our pre-season fitness work. We will have plenty of trips out schooling to blow the cobwebs away before March.
Sarah and I, at Team Way Eventing, have got a really good string of talented horses for the coming season, with five horses running at 4* level and above, followed up by an exciting bunch of young horses.
As Head of Butler Sherborn Equestrian, if you require... more
26th January 2024
Traditional village dining pub with rooms, The Sun Inn at Hook Norton in west Oxfordshire, is perfect for a cosy get together with friends, family or for a romantic escape. The building dates from 1849 and is built of local ironstone and lies at the heart of this picturesque village surrounded by gorgeous, unspoilt countryside.
Expect toasty fires, flagstone floors, quirky design touches and a spacious bar popular with locals supping local and guest beers, including Hook Norton ales (this historic brewery is a five minute walk away and is open for tastings and tours!. The Sun's unpretentious, well-priced and regularly-changing menus include seriously delicious and hearty, modern British dishes alongside elevated and comforting pub classics, a renowned Sunday roast and a children’s menu.
Head chef,... more
25th January 2024
The year 2023 was a mixed bag when it came to property market trends. The fallout from the mini budget extended into the start of the year.
However, as inflation began to steadily fall, mortgage products improved and the year ended in a positive fashion.
In the last quarter of 2023, there was a significant uplift in the volume of clients wishing to launch their property to the market in the spring /summer of 2024. This increased level of stock should improve transaction levels, with a large number of buyers, some in rentals, still looking for a home following the pandemic.
Already at the start of 2024, we are... more
18th January 2024
Having been born in the Cotswolds, educated at Charlton Park before graduating from The Royal Agricultural College in Cirencester, and working in the Butler Sherborn Stow-on-the-Wold office, I am the complete Cotswold product!
The Cotswolds is a beautiful area of the country in which to live and work - and I really do know it very well.
Favourite Pub/Restaurant: The Old Butchers, Stow-on- the-Wold
Favourite Cotswold Shop: Landmark, Broadway.
Favourite Walk: A network of wonderful footpaths and bridleways Snowshill, some with great views.
Favourite Place to visit/Garden/historic building/or similar: Hidcote Gardens, seasonal visits for gardening ideas
Favourite Activity: Planting... more
2nd January 2024
Four new-on-the market country homes from £850,000 - £3.5million - Cirencester voted 5th happiest place to live* - 10 top Cotswold spas, fitness & wellness centres - Market comment from Sam Butler
The new year is always the time to look forward, and whether it is to get fit, start a new business or move home, the Cotswolds is a great place to do it.
“With interest rates starting to show signs of softening, people will be thinking about what they can achieve in the year ahead,” says Sam Butler - full comment below.
Tollgate, Park Street, Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire, GL54 1AJ - £1million
Tollgate is a Grade II Listed family townhouse named after the... more
2nd January 2024
As we enter a new year, we reflect on the rural land market in 2023 and look ahead to what is in store for land sales in 2024.
There was very little land on the market in the first half of 2023, but that then improved as the year progressed with the overall amount being the highest since 2018, but still below levels from earlier in that decade. Demand outstripped supply with a growing diversity of buyers resulting in prices increasing. Motives to buy go beyond food production and include energy production, carbon capture, biodiversity net gain, development and investment. In areas where there were CGT roll over... more
2nd January 2024
Kick start 2024 with Life Coach - Cressida Landless
I started The Art of Happiness in 2016 after I had completed a post graduate course in Psychosynthesis Leadership Coaching. Rather than entering the corporate world as a leadership coach, I was drawn to working with individuals who were keen to reach their full potential, and achieve success and happiness, without having to struggle with the difficulties that are accepted as an inevitable part of life.
The areas in which I specialise are relationships; a lack of confidence socially or... more
18th December 2023
Butler Sherborn, together with Steppes Travel, is delighted to be sponsoring this Golfing Day on Thursday 23rd May 2024 in aid of the Help Appeal County Air Ambulance Trust.
It is a wonderful opportunity for golfers to get a team of three to play with a PGA Professional at Minchinhampton Golf Course. The day includes lunch, an auction, and terrific prizes for longest drive and nearest the pin. A new BMW will be awarded to anybody able to achieve a hole in one!
Do contact Hannah Pollard at events@helpappeal.org.uk or Michael Henriques at mrhenriques@gmail.com to reserve your team, or Sam Butler sam@butlersherborn.co.uk 01285 883740
18th December 2023
2023 was a mixed bag when it came to property market trends. The fallout from the mini budget extended into the start of the year. However, as inflation began to steadily fall, mortgage products improved and the year ended in a positive fashion.
In the last quarter of 2023, there was a significant uplift in the volume of requests from clients wishing to launch their property to the market in the spring of 2024. This increased level of stock should improve transactions levels, together with a large number of buyers still in rental properties following the surge of sales during the pandemic.
We anticipate that sale prices will strengthen as the market reactivates. There will be a pause at some point in the year when the date... more