A PLOY to shake off the housing market blues by giving away £50,000 executive cars with every apartment sold has been a success, a Newquay estate agent has claimed.

As part of a one-day extravaganza on Friday, Bradleys estate agents was offering top-of-the-range Mercedes Benz and Range Rovers as well as jet skis and furniture packages in a bid to stimulate a struggling market.

In the first hour alone, Bradleys staff say they sold three apartments, complete with luxury motors – but final figures on what was sold on the day have not yet been revealed.

Stuart Shield, from Bradleys, said they were “fed up” with the downbeat media coverage of the housing market and decided to do something about it.

“We wanted a real headline grabber and something to show everyone that we are positive about the housing market in Newquay,” he said.

“Yes, the housing market has slowed down but we are still selling and we still feel that the market is buoyant.

“There are a lot of people who have invested an awful lot of money in Newquay and there are many positive aspects of this town. We wanted to give them and the people something to shout about.”

Executive motors were being offered on a wide selection of apartments, ranging in value from £150,000 to £1.25 million. Nearly every apartment at the Ocean 1 development, on Pentire Avenue, was offered with a free car.

But give-away motors were not the only order of the day at Bradleys, as a host of other companies were on hand to offer advice to new buyers.

Many of the luxury apartments at Bradleys are aimed at the second home owners market, and companies like Blue Chip Vacations – a holiday letting company – were available to offer advice to customers on how to turn their new investment into a money-spinner.

Simon Whittam, public relations manager for Blue Chip Vacations, said: “People perhaps feel they haven't got the money they once had to be able to dip their toe into the second home owners market.

“But by showing people just how much money they can make, either by letting out their apartment through the summer or for 30 weeks of the year, they can see just how affordable it is and what a great business opportunity there is available.

“The buy to let market is a great option for people to not only cover their mortgage but also make money.”

Blue Chip Vacations recently carried out a survey which revealed nearly 90% of Brits plan to holiday in the UK this year, either instead of or as well as going abroad.

And Mr Whittam said these statistics show what business opportunities are available to homeowners.

“So long as they don't push out the local population, business in Newquay is set up for this kind of market and it supports the economy well,” he added.