Frequently Asked Questions
Where are you on Google Earth?
Google Earth is very handy for seeing the lie of the land but please use our Longitude/Latitude of
51 55' 23.07"N, 1 43' 33.99"W to search for us rather than our postcode. GL54 1JU will take you to the centre of the post code which is about 200 yards away from us and on the other side of the road, a house called Bretton House. Bretton House is very nice but it doesn't belong to us.
The area bordered in red on the picture is the land belonging to the Bed & Breakfast business being sold. The land outlined in blue belongs to our holiday cottage which is not part of the package being sold (but we are open to offers for the whole property).
Please click on the picture to see a larger version.
Why are you selling your Bed & Breakfast?
We have been running this business for nearly 7 years now and are ready for a change. B&B is a nice lifestyle choice but it is hard work, we want to move on to new things before we become sick of doing Bed & Breakfast.
Can we make money running a B&B?
That depends largely on 2 factors.
- Borrowing costs: If you don't have a large mortgage to support then the business will support you quite nicely. You could even opt to drop the turnover below the VAT limit and take several months off per year.
- Staff costs: We pay nearly £19,000pa in staff costs. This is because (since we decided to sell the B&B) we are now doing quite a lot of work outside the Bed and Breakfast business. By doing a little more of the day to day work yourself you can make a lot more profit, that £19,000 is all potential profit.
Are you selling privately?
We are happy to sell either privately or through our agents Mallams of Burford.
We have created this website because when we looked in Google we had trouble finding our property for sale. We thought we could do better.
If you are happy to deal with us directly then please do so, if you prefer the more formal route then please contact Mallams Cotswold Office on (01993) 822 666.
The asking price is the same whichever route you take.
Where are you moving to?
South Hill Farmhouse has 2 buildings, the main house where we live and offer B&B and the old stables where we have a holiday cottage. Our plan is to split the property and move into the holiday cottage ourselves. Of course someone might prefer to buy the whole property including the Holiday cottage, we would be willing to consider this option.
We have a right of way to the cottage through our neighbours property and this will become our main entrance leaving the access through the B&B as a "back gate" for occasional use.
Would you sell the Holiday Cottage too?
Yes; our current plan is to move into the cottage ourselves but we will consider offers for the whole property, the price for the whole property would be £1,050,000.
Will you help out with the B&B business?
This depends entirely on the people who buy the Bed & Breakfast business. As mentioned above we plan to live next door so we will be handy to answer questions if required. Some purchasers may be keen to have someone nearby who can step in to help if required, others might not want the previous owners interfering, we will be happy to go along with either option.
If you are new to the B&B business you might consider a How to run a Bed and Breakfast course.
Where do your guests come from?
Most (about 75%) find us via the internet, either directly through our own website or one of the many B&B directories we are listed with. About 18% are people who have been before or who have come as a result of a recommendation from friends or family. We are also listed in a number of guide books but we use these less and less, listings are quite expensive and they are never as successful as internet advertising.
Most of the above are advance bookings, there are also people who book on the day or just turn up at the door. This percentage has dropped as we are more and more often fully booked during peak times, we often have the "No Vacancy" sign out. During the summer we could let rooms over and over again. We get the 3-4% who come to us via the local tourist information centre and about another 2% who just see our sign and come in off the road, these guests are very useful for filling gaps where we have had a cancellation or haven't entirely filled up with forward bookings.
You are on the A429 Fosse Way, is this a problem?
It would be nice to be further away from the road but road noise isn't really an issue in the house, there are lots of big trees masking the road. In the garden there is a background hum with the occasional noisy vehicle standing out. And of course being on the main road into Stow on the Wold we are in a good position to pick up passing trade, if we don't remember to put up the "No Vacancy" sign we have to turn away a stream of potential guests.