Former estate agent Andrea Deas has joined Rollitts LLP in York as a Paralegal after switching to law.
Amber lives in Stillington near York and attended Easingwold Secondary School before starting out in personnel and training and then moving into property as a sales progressor with Hunters Estate Agents in 2019.
She then took up a role as a legal secretary with Cowling Swift & Kitchen in York. As her career progressed, Amber moved into a fee earning role as a conveyancer, dealing with a variety of matters including sales and purchases, transfer of equity and remortgages as well as a mixture of freehold and leasehold sale and purchases.
At Rollits, Amber is working with property colleagues across the firm’s client base dealing primarily with residential sales and purchases as well as providing support to the wider property team.
Amber said: “I am delighted to be continuing my legal career at Rollits. I’m excited about the opportunity to develop my expertise in conveyancing and be part of a growing residential property team.”
Partner and Head of Property Neil Franklin said: “We are delighted to welcome Amber to the Property department and I look forward to helping her progress as she continues to develop in her new role.”
- Juan Soto, Oswaldo Cabrera and Anthony Volpe hit homers for the Yankees
- It is the first time since 2003 that the Yankees have won the first three games
- DailyMail.com provides all the latest international sports news
Oswaldo Cabrera hit a tying two-run homer in the seventh, Juan Soto had a go-ahead drive for his first Yankees homer and New York rallied for the third straight game in a 5-3 win over the Houston Astros on Saturday night.
Anthony Volpe gave the Yankees some insurance with a home run with two outs in the eighth as they improved to 3-0 for the first time since opening the 2003 season with four wins.
Houston, which reached its seventh straight AL Championship Series last season, dropped to 0-3 for the first time since losing five straight to start the 2011 season.
Marcus Stroman (1-0) allowed four hits and three unearned runs in six innings to get the win in his Yankees´ debut. Stroman, who was born and raised on Long Island, signed a $37 million, two-year contract to join the Yankees this offseason after spending the previous two seasons with the Cubs.
Clay Holmes pitched a scoreless ninth for his second save. New York’s bullpen has allowed no runs while Houston’s has given up 13.
The Astros led 3-1 when Bryan Abreu made his season debut in the seventh inning after serving a two-game suspension for intentionally throwing at Texas star Adolis García in last year´s AL Championship Series.
He walked Austin Wells and Cabrera sent a fastball into the second row of the seats in right field for his second homer this season.
Trent Grisham walked but was picked off. Soto drove a slider on the outside corner to left field for a 4-3 lead.
Abreu (0-1) blew four saves last season and had 24 holds
Soto, the Yankees’ big offseason acquisition, is off to a great start and has six hits and three RBIs in three games and has also dazzled defensively. But overshadowing him at the plate so far early is Cabrera, who´s opened the season with seven hits and six RBIs.
Houston went ahead in the second inning when Yainer Diaz reached on a throwing error by Cabrera at third, Stroman plunked José Abreu on a hand and Mauricio Dubón lined a two-run double just over Soto in right field.
Soto and Aaron Judge hit back-to-back singles with one out in the third. Soto scored on an error by first baseman José Abreu that allowed Anthony Rizzo to reach and cut the lead to 2-1.
The Astros boosted their lead to 3-1 in the fifth when the Yankees committed two errors on one play to make it 3-1.
Houston starter Hunter Brown allowed four hits and a run with five strikeouts in four innings.
North Yorkshire is home to some beautiful towns, and Harrogate is certainly one of them.
This affluent location is full of independent shops, cafes and restaurants while also being within easy reach of Leeds and York. It’s considered a safe town, which makes it great for securing cheap home insurance, raising children, and encouraging investment that leads to employment opportunities.
Nidderdale Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors are all just a short drive away too, so it’s easy to see why property in Harrogate is so highly sought after.
Demand dynamics
The population of Harrogate grew by 3% between 2011 and 2021, which was less than the overall population of England in the same period (6.6%). The median age of the town’s residents is higher than average at 47, with around 46% of the population being aged 50 or above.
Homeownership was down in the previous census while there were increases in social and private renting. And with a nominal average property price (£394,000) that was £44,000 higher than the rest of the country in 2023, it seems unlikely that demand from existing residents will spike.
Economic indicators
Harrogate has experienced a boom in its tourism industry, with visitors contributing £31 million more to the local economy in 2022 than they did in 2019. This can help keep employment and income levels high, with the latter showing signs of a recovery after a minor dip during the pandemic.
This should eventually reinforce purchasing power and send demand upwards, but this is unlikely to happen in a short space of time.
External influences
One of the main reasons for housing prices falling over the past year has been the increase in interest rates and rising inflation. These made it far less affordable to buy a home.
However, house prices in January were at their highest in a year. And with inflation having come down and the expectation that interest rates will be cut, demand is bound to see an uptick.
Housing market activity
According to Plumplot, only 2% of properties purchased in Harrogate last year were new builds. If supply fails to keep up with demand, this could lead to an increase in house prices.
One in five properties sold in Harrogate in 2023 went for £500,000 or more, and the proportion of houses selling for £250,000 or less has significantly reduced over the past 20 years.
In conclusion
There’s every chance that house prices in Harrogate could rise in 2024 due to a lack of new builds and the potential for interest rates to be cut, making mortgages more affordable.