The last year has seen an upsurge in interest in Open Market properties in Guernsey and Swoffers has had one of its busiest periods for many years with a significant increase in sales in the last quarter of 2018 and early part of 2019. A substantial number of sales involve people relocating to the island for the first time.
‘There are many reasons why people are choosing to come and live in Guernsey,’ says Craig Whitman, Managing Director of Swoffers.
‘In general terms, it tends to be a combination of things. Some clients have told us that the uncertainty in the UK over Brexit is what is driving them, whereas others are attracted by the Island’s quality of life and security.
‘Guernsey’s position on the doorstep of Europe with good connections to the UK makes us particularly attractive, as does the island’s reputation as a well-regulated, stable jurisdiction,’ says Craig.
‘It’s also easy to make the move to Guernsey; we have simple entry requirements for new residents and offer a number of incentives for those relocating.
‘It is impossible to say whether Brexit will be good for Guernsey in the long run but right now our message to anyone thinking of relocating, for whatever reason, is take a close look at what Guernsey offers. The experienced team at Swoffers is ready to help you find your perfect island home.’
It was a very merry Christmas for the team at Swoffers as we celebrated a bumper last quarter for sales – especially of high value and Open Market properties.
In December alone Swoffers completed 14 of the 15 Open Market sales and 17 of the 20 property transactions over £1million for that month.
‘We pride ourselves on finding our clients their perfect home and are delighted we were able to complete so many sales during the last few weeks of 2018,’ says Andre Austin, Swoffers Director.
The Guernsey Press recently highlighted that these sales would have attracted lower document duty as the rate increased on January 1st.
‘I’m sure that the majority of buyers are more motivated by finding themselves the right home rather than saving money on document duty, however the savings probably came as a nice Christmas present,’ says Andre.
‘We’re looking forward to another busy year and the signs so far are good with both our local and open market teams with full diaries and new instructions coming to the market.’
