News

How Much Value Will a Loft Conversion Add to Your Home?

Added on March 22nd 2021

A well-crafted and safe loft conversion can add up to £100,000 to your home, although the exact amount will vary according to your location within the UK. In Central London, for example, a loft conversion, with en-suite, of 24 square metres could increase the value of the property by almost £200,000. In the North East of England, however, where the average property price is lower, a similar conversion will be worth just under £40,000. The average for the South West of the UK is £72,000, with Cheltenham achieving more than this because of its links to London, Oxford and Bristol. More about loft conversions You’ll need to make sure you ha... Read more

Your Garden Can Help You to Sell

Added on March 22nd 2021

Spring is well and truly here and so we’re into the best season for moving house. It’s also the best time to get out into your garden to make the most of the newly-bright evenings and milder weather and to improve your outdoor space. Even better, having an amazing garden can help you to sell sooner and for a good price. Here’s how to spruce up your front and back gardens so you appeal to buyers. Get rid of any rubbish If you’ve accumulated a lot of rubbish, including gardening rubbish, old appliances and grubby old furniture, then it’s time to consign it all to the dump. Clean up paths and patios Jet-wash any paved areas and make su... Read more

Stamp Duty Holiday Extended Until the End of June

Added on March 22nd 2021

Earlier this month Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced that the government’s stamp duty holiday (England and Northern Ireland) will last until the end of June 2021; its previous end-date was March 31. This is great news for buyers and sellers who were in a rush to compete their property transactions before the old deadline and save up to £15,000. More about the stamp duty holiday The government introduced the holiday last July in a bid to keep the property market moving along despite the covid-19 pandemic. The holiday meant that buyers paid no stamp duty on transactions up to £500,000. This initiative worked very well, with buying and sellin... Read more

Ways to Increase the Value of Your Rental Property

Added on March 22nd 2021

If you’re renting out a property then you’ll want to make as much profit as possible. Your yield will depend partly on the going rates for your area and also by how much tenants are willing to pay to rent your property. You can increase your rental value and make your tenants happy by making the right changes to and investments into your rental property. Make sure your basics are anything but So many landlords cut corners when it comes to decoration and fittings, so aim a bit higher and use better paints, wallpapers, carpets and furniture than most. Including a modern, efficient and cheap boiler will make a lot of difference too, as will ... Read more

How to Successfully Convert Your Garage

Added on March 22nd 2021

If your garage doesn’t see much car-related action then the space could be put to better use. Converting your garage into a bedroom, an office or more living space doesn’t just make your home bigger and more comfortable, it can also increase its value. Here’s some useful tips to set you on the right path. Think about it first You need to think about what you need the extra space for. Is it for a home office or for a guest room? Is it to extend the room the garage is connected to, or a playroom? The most common reason for extending a garage is to create more living space, although if you’re planning to increase the value of your home i... Read more

Saving the Planet While Moving Home

Added on March 22nd 2021

When you’re planning a house move, the last thing on your mind is the future of the planet! However, this place is our only home and we should all take as many opportunities as possible to do our bit. You can even move house in an environmentally-friendly manner if you follow these tips. Use up as much of your food stocks as possible The more of your dried goods you eat up, the less you’ll be carrying to your new home. Take a quick look through your cupboards to see what sorts of dried herbs, dried pulses, unopened jars of sauces, olives and so on you have and try some experimental recipes. You’ll be saving at least one box worth of car... Read more

What Should You Do if Your Property Isn’t Selling?

Added on March 22nd 2021

We all know it takes three or four months, on average, for a house sale to complete in the UK. However, some seem to zoom through the process and other properties linger on the market for a while before getting any offers. If you’re in the latter group, you can get more and more stressed as the weeks pass by without so much as a nibble. Here’s what you should do to speed things up a bit. Reassess your valuation and asking price The biggest factor in a successful house sale is getting the price right. You could have great transport links, green parks and outstanding schools right on your doorstep, but if you’re asking for too much money,... Read more

Government to Bring Back 95% Mortgages with Guarantee Scheme

Added on March 22nd 2021

First-time buyers are to receive a helping hand from the government as it offers to underwrite 95% mortgages as part of the 2021 Budget. This new initiative means that some lenders will be able to offer first-time buyers mortgages of up to 95% of the property’s value. Homebuyers, whether first-timers or not, will also be pleased to find out that lots of lenders are relaxing their lending criteria to accommodate people with irregular income or less-than-stellar credit scores. Generation Rent to become Generation Buy Prime Minister Boris Johnson said last October that he had plans to help Generation Rent to become Generation Buy, but he provi... Read more

Why Spring is the Best Time to Sell

Added on February 12th 2021

It does go without saying that a great estate agent will be able to sell your house at any time of the year, but it does seem that once spring is in the air, people’s thoughts turn to moving. Spring has traditionally been the best time to put your house on the market. Is it astrological? Is it hormonal? Is it because people have paid off their Christmas credit card bills and feel ready to face the commission?  As with most things human, it’s a complex combination of reasons, whims and practicalities. Here’s just a few as well as a tip or two on how to make the most of them. Your garden is looking great After yet another miserable cold ... Read more

Don’t Worry About the Stamp Duty Holiday Ending

Added on February 12th 2021

Although there’s discussion in Parliament about extending the stamp duty holiday beyond the end of March or implementing a tapering-off of the tax savings initiative, the existing March 31 deadline is drawing nigh. Some buyers could save up to £15,000 with the holiday in place so it’s a big incentive to complete before time runs out. On the other hand, the fear of time running out and that purchase suddenly costing thousands more might make some buyers think about pulling out altogether. This may be a rash move, however, as there’s more to consider than just the stamp duty when it comes to moving house. You could lose more than just th... Read more