So, percentages

You will know that Bluedoor is all about fixed fees. Same work = same price. Rent of house is irrelevant.

Our local competitors are trying to make their proposition look better by advertising low percentage rates. Andrew's most recent one is full management for 8%. Tempting until you get the old calculator out and do the maths.

On a £1200 rent that's £96.00 and that's before VAT. Even on a relatively modest rent of £850 its still more than our fixed £65+VAT.

We have just let a lovely house in Abingdon for £1600 pcm and the fee the landlord will pay us equates to a percentage of 4%.

So we've been a bit naughty and got a banner ad on the front of the Property Weekly with words to that effect. Keep a look out for it. You can collect the paper from your local agent or register free to read it online.

And remember, don't do a deal with anyone who talks percentages without checking your calculator first!

Oh nooooo pass me a bowl

For anyone who tried to contact us by phone on Wednesday we sincerely apologise for our inability to raise our heads for long enough to find out where the ringing was coming from.

We were all struck down by the horrendous vomiting bug which is apparently skulking the streets of Abingdon infecting those who are usually hard as nails and of cast iron consitutions.

Thank you to those who left us get well messages and I am pleased to say that bar slight queasiness Blue Door is back 'on' now and back to normal. Well, things are as normal as they can be when a tenant rings at 7.00 in the evening to tell you he has had a fire in his kitchen.

Please, whether you are a tenant or an ordinary householder, get up from your 'puter NOW and check the BATTERY in your smoke alarm. Check that it is connected and press the 'test' button or get someone else to do it while you put your fingers in your ears.

Thankfully, the tenant is ok if a little embarrassed and this should all look fine once it's been cleaned and repainted.

If you ever want any advice on fire safety we are good friends with Abingdon's Fire Reduction Officer and we can get him to visit you and tell you how to protect yourself and your home.
Our number is 01235 524800 so give us a call and we'll put you in touch.

Every now and then we get a property to let that is beautifully preserved in original1980s style and hasn't been touched since. This one falls in to the category of places I wouldn't have liked to take a girlfriend back to, back in the days when I did that kind of thing.

I am so tempted to advertise it in the style of Ralph Bending: something like "It's not pretty, it's not in a cool position and frankly its drab but it will do for a place to sleep (alone) and keep your stuff dry."

If you are looking for a house with an upstairs and a garden in Kidders under £650pcm this is all there is so if you need a large holdall and aren't too fussed about its lack of beauty or funky features give me a ring on 01235 524800 and I'll show you round.

Location Location Location

Do you watch it? We do and we love it!

There are several reasons: one is Kirsty - half woman, half sweater and the other is Phil - half man...(can you tell we also love Dead Ringers?) Oh and they have a real honest streak which we like to think that Bluedoor shares.

Here's a great quote from Phil 'Mate, it's the mutt's nuts, what are you waiting for?'

We have a property in Headington which is the mutts nuts. Click here to see it and decide for yourself. If I could get this landlord to re-do my house like this I'd be laughing.

Where did July go?

Yikes its August! How did that happen?

We have met so many new landlords, let so many rand moved in so many tenants over the last month that we haven't had time to sit still other than to do more paperwork and eat!

Of course the biggest news has been the torrential rain followed by flooding in Abingdon and other places around the county. This is Ock Street in Abingdon on that wet Friday.

This is a picture taken on Sunday of the river rising under the bridge a few yards away from my office. The boat is one the river but it it supposed to be next to the footpath! You can usually walk under the bridge through the narrow arch but it was well underwater and impassable for a couple of days.

Sky news parked up there for a couple of days and talked up the threat of flood inch by inch which had all our landlords ringing to find out if their properties were safe and if we were ok in the office. We had dry feet but we did have some leaking through the ceiling which set of the fire alarm and I collected a bowlful of rainwater which came throught the top of my window.

The council brought us sandbags just in case but thankfully we didn't need them.

Our door is looking terrible but with number 25, the Police Station and the Old Gaol up for sale no-one but me and my neighbours Peter and Deane seem to care about it at all. We have become quite attached to our little offices and will be sad to be moved - if and when someone makes a decision about its future. Apparently this is the only building along Bridge Street which isn't at least Grade II listed so it can be knocked down without many people shedding a tear or getting agitated about it which is a real shame.

Here you can see my window in the middle of the top floor, the Old Gaol boarded up behind to the left and the Police Station to the right. We'll see how it all looks in a couple of years' time.

I had my five minutes of fame being interviewed by BBC Radio Oxford becuase I was doing a viewing for an Abingdon lady and her family who needed to rent somewhere to live as they ahd had to leave their house due to the flooding. I don't know how many people heard me becuase it was broadcast early on the breakfast show - I certainly didn't catch it live!

We also had a new banner ad on the front page of the Property Weekly yet again announcing our fixed price of £65+VAT. Thanks to Seb and Tony for that!

One of our landords has been in the Oxford Mail too as coach of ice dance champions Katie and Josh.

Much to my wife's shock and my children's delight, I found an albino rat roaming Audlett Drive one day on my way to work and managed stop it biting my shoe and bring it home. We called the RSPCA to come and collect it but they dsay they called at about 6am the next day and it would have to be the house falling down to wake anyone up in our house at that time of themorning! They said they would not call again so we rang a few petshops to see if they would have him; none would but one told us not to ring **** Pet Shop as they would have it and feed it to their snakes! We made some Lost Rat notices and put them up round and about but no-one called.

So we kept it in our recycling box to feed it up a bit...... with my wife still protesting that we absolutely didn't need a rodent as a pet - not after our experience with Snowy the hamster who we inherited from a childminder years ago, (don't ask) - then it escaped...only to be found hiding under the wendy house in the garden.

By this time we had been informed by a friend that we shouldn't call it an 'it', we should find out if it was a he or a she. None of us wanted to pick it up and see but we are reliably informed that if it was a male there would be plenty between the back legs to distinguish it without needing to pick it up sooo it is a 'she'.

Here she is on the day I found her. I can assure you that she is much more chubby and smiley now but we haven't been able to see her for long enough to get the camera out!
We carried on putting food out for her and now she has made herself a little entrance under the shed from the back garden and a little exit from the other side of the shed out to the front garden. She seems happy to live in the garden and has escaped the jaws of the neighbourhood cats for 4 weeks now so we do have a semi-pet rodent now and it is my wife who feeds her. She is kind- hearted really!

I think we're all caught up now but if it carries on like this I'll be ready to retire soon and after watching the Red Bull Air Race I think I might just retrain and become a pilot :)