News

Making Your Home Staging Successful

Added on May 26th 2022

Home staging is styling and presenting your home in a way that will appeal to buyers. A successful home staging campaign can bump your selling price and also help you to find that buyer more quickly.  Here are the top 11 ways to successfully stage your home. Unleash your kerb appeal Your kerb appeal is important because the outside of your house is the first thing viewers see. Mow the lawn, pull up weeds, jet wash the path, paint the front door and hide your bins and children’s garden toys away.  Appeal to all senses Your viewers have seen all the photos and the 360-tour so when they step into your home you need to play on other senses to... Read more

Read this Before Dropping Your Asking Price

Added on May 26th 2022

Pricing a property can be seen as something of an arcane art and sometimes your initial asking price just doesn’t seem to work, even after a few months on the market. The go-to solution for many is to reduce the price, but before you take this step, stop and ask yourself (and your estate agent) if there’s anything you should do first. If you’ve had no viewings, find the reason Sometimes, a lack of viewings is down to either poor promotion and marketing of your property rather than the wrong asking price. Talk to your estate agent to see if there’s any extra marketing that could do the trick and get people through the door. If you’ve... Read more

Understanding School Catchment Areas

Added on May 26th 2022

School catchment areas have an oft-ignored but close relationship with the UK’s property market, with the nation’s parents clamouring to buy a home within the glow of a good or outstanding Ofsted report. Do school catchment areas actually affect UK property prices? In a word, yes. House prices are influences by the schools in their area as parents are prepared to pay a premium to get their children into good or outstanding schools. Some reports have found that properties in the catchment of an outstanding school can fetch as much as 13% more than similar properties outside the area. In London, the average price of a property in the catchm... Read more

How to Find the Perfect Family Home

Added on May 26th 2022

Settling down and starting a family – or expanding your existing family – is one of the most exciting and stressful times of your life. One of the most exciting and stressful events of this time is finding the perfect family home for you and your offspring to live and grow in.  Here’s what you need to be considering when you’re searching for your ideal family home. The size  The first thing you need to think about is the size of the property. You all have to fit into it comfortably, possibly with room for another addition down the line. Three bedrooms is fairly standard for a smaller family, but you can also make a two-bedro... Read more

Your Mortgage in Principle 101

Added on May 26th 2022

What is a mortgage in principle? A mortgage in principle is an estimate from your bank or potential mortgage lender – in writing – that indicates how much you can borrow. You can show it to estate agents and vendors to assure them that any offer you make (as long as it’s within the estimate) is reliable. Sometimes a mortgage in principle is referred to as a decision in principle or a mortgage promise. Getting a mortgage in principle Obtaining a mortgage in principle is one of your first steps to working out how much you can borrow and your price range for properties. It doesn’t take long for your lender to compile your mortgag... Read more

Do You Actually Need a Letting Agent?

Added on May 26th 2022

While you can manage your rental property yourself, your legal responsibilities as a landlord are constantly changing – and growing! At present, you have to be aware of and adhere to upwards of 400 rules when you rent out a property, with the risk of huge fines if you fall foul.  You might enjoy this challenge, but the chances are you’re already too busy to keep up with all the admin and legislation changes, which is where a letting agent comes in to save the day.  Your letting agent can take the strain for you Opting for a fully-managed service takes care of everything, from finding suitable tenants to dealing with maintenance issu... Read more

Cheltenham’s Best Pubs

Added on May 26th 2022

A big priority for many people when they move into a new area is to find a decent local pub so they can relax after a hard week at work, watch live sports or enjoy a Sunday roast with the family. With more than 110 pubs and bars in Cheltenham, you might feel spoiled for choice or overwhelmed by the sheer number of watering holes on offer. We’ve made life a bit easier for you by picking our five favourite Cheltenham pubs so that you can find what you’re looking for. Best pub for children and families The Whittle Taps at 1, Regent Street in Cheltenham (so you don’t get much more central) is well known for its friendly attitude towards chi... Read more

Getting Ready for Interest Rate Rises

Added on May 25th 2022

You’ll almost certainly be aware that the Bank of England has raised interest rates recently and you might be wondering (or worrying) how this will affect your finances, especially your mortgage.  Worry no longer because we’ve got seven tips to help you to prepare for any potential increases in your monthly mortgage payments. Find out if you’re on a fixed or variable rate mortgage This is very important, because if you’re on a variable rate, then you’ll see the effects of the rate rise pretty soon. If you’re on a fixed rate, you’ll have some breathing space, but you need to find out how much longer your current deal lasts, as a... Read more

Does Your Rental Property Need Fire Doors?

Added on April 22nd 2022

At present, only Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) are legally required to have fire doors. All doors that lead to escape routes must be fire resistant and must close automatically. Fire doors are especially recommended for high-risk rooms such as kitchens. You can fit fire doors in single-let properties as well if you want to be particularly fire safe. However because it’s not always convenient for doors to have automatic closers, you can fit for retainers. These retainers hold doors open but release the door if a fire alarm sounds. Properly-installed fire doors should: Be made from solid timber – you should see a label confirming... Read more

What You Need to Know About the EPC

Added on April 22nd 2022

If you’re planning to let out or sell your property, you’ve probably heard of the EPC. You might also be wondering what it is, how you get one and what’s in it. What is an EPC? Your EPC is your Energy Performance Certificate. EPCs were brought in back in 2007 and they show how energy efficient your property is and give an indication as to what the energy bill are likely to be. What’s on your EPC The main part of your EPC shows your property’s performance rating. A is the highest (most efficient) and G is the lowest. Your EPC will show your current rating and what you could achieve if you follow some recommendations. The EPC also sho... Read more