Home and Living
Do you really ‘Love thy neighbour’?
You either love them or loathe them; they can either be a good friend, look after your pets when you’re away or they can be your worst nightmare. And for many of us a problem with our neighbour can make our lives a misery. But for every bad neighbour you have, you will have a…
Families are transforming their homes to make room for their boomerang kids
Growing numbers of families are turning their downstairs rooms into living accommodation for their grown-up children. A record 3.3million people aged 20 to 34 still live with their parents and worryingly, this is increasing. But this isn’t just new bedrooms for the grown-up children; many people are opting to create these rooms for their elderly…
Qualities to Look for in Estate Agents.
There are many reasons why you would want to work with a professional estate agent, specifically for tasks you will not be able to handle on your lonesome. Before you can deal with the purchase and sales of any given property you will need to have a fine understanding of the market in a way…
Home Selling Hacks.
TOP 10 Home Selling Hacks… Remove Big Furniture Big furniture can make your home feel pokey and small… no secret there! Your buyers want their new home to feel light, airy & spacious, so remember the simple things and dress your home to suit what the buyers want to see… Remember: you can always put…
First Time Buyers will need to save an extra 4.22% of their wages
According to Nationwide’s latest House Price Index, the UK average house price is now £200,251. Average annual salary in the UK is £26,500 which equates to a First Time Buyer needing to save up 76% of their annual salary just to cover the 10% deposit. The Hays Group reports that wages will rise 2.5% this…
Japanese Knotweed – What are the dangers?
Japanese Knotweed might not be something which you have heard of before. For the people that don’t know, it is a pretty, red stemmed plant which has deep green leaves. It may look pretty but unfortunately it can cause you a lot of trouble. The reason it can cause a threat is because it grows…
Tips On Adding Value To Your House Before Selling.
Are you selling your house and want to make it as valuable as possible before putting it on the market? We would all love to get a little more for our homes when it comes to selling up but what can you actually do to add to its value? Freshen Up It goes without saying…
How long will it take to sell my house? One property firm has the answer:
Research has revealed that North Easterners looking to sell their properties should be prepared to wait eight months to find a buyer. Analysis of 15 North East areas by sales and lettings firm KIS shows homeowners in the region wait an average 238 days to sell their property – two months faster than this time…
Bedroom Refresh – Pared-Down Skandi Styling.
The trend for the perfect ‘unmade’ bed continues to be strong in 2016. This pared down style is born out of the fashion for Scandinavian and industrial style interiors, where a more manicured bed would seem out of place. Achieving the look involves swapping your crisp cotton sheets for relaxed washed linens which will crumple…
Sofa Revival – Home Staging Tip of the Week.
For simple restyling – scatter cushions rule! I was asked to upgrade the Kensington rental flat featured here. The property had good quality but tired furniture, especially the sofa which was looking so out of shape the owner felt they would have to replace it, but I love a challenge and I knew that with…
Kitchens – How to upgrade on a budget.
Deciding to install a new kitchen is always a big investment, and although I love the opportunity to start from scratch there is no reason why with a little creativity you can’t either upgrade existing or go for one of the less expensive suppliers. As with some careful ‘hacking’ you can create something unique. The…
Top Tips on Smelling your home!
Top Tips on Smelling your home! No no, it’s not a typo… we meant to write ‘smell’. Everyone’s heard the old tricks of brewing coffee and baking bread to sell a home – but did you know that 75% of emotions that we generate on a daily basis are associated with scent? With this is…
A Guide To Interior Design For Buy To Lets
Buying up properties, fixing them up and then renting them out can be a great moneymaker and an enjoyable process when you plan and execute it well. If you are a first timer to buying to let though it can be tricky as there are many pitfalls, which can turn your investment into a nightmare…
Japanese Knotweed – Difference between a Building Survey & a Knotweed Survey
RICS building surveyors are not expected to be fully trained in the management and treatment of Japanese Knotweed, however many RICS building surveyors do receive training often under CPD so that they have the ability to identify Japanese Knotweed at any time of the year. The RICS building surveyors also have the RICS information paper…
‘Yes it’s moving day!’ or ‘help it’s moving day’ – which one do you want to be?
Moving house is not something the vast majority of us do very often, so the learning from your mistakes mantra, unlike with most things in life, is actually very difficult to apply here. It is also not a prescriptive process, it is very individual and can have many different nuances. There is however one very…