Property Advice

Tips to Ensure Cold Doesn't Affect Your Home

Meteorological winter may be over, but the cold is here to stay – for a little while longer anyway. With the weather not so great and having experienced so many storms in quick succession over the past few weeks, it can be challenging to keep your home warm.

Tips to Ensure Cold Doesn't Affect Your Home →

How to Banish Condensation - Top Tips from Expert

Damp, condensation and mould can be a nightmare for homeowners when the rain arrives, leaving walls wet and windows steamy. But what is condensation, what causes it, how does it affect a home and, most importantly, how do you get rid of it?

How to Banish Condensation - Top Tips from Expert →

Sectioning Out A Large Garden

Some of us have small gardens, some of us have a moderate amount of area out there, and some of us are blessed with the space of a large garden. It’s a plot of land out the back of your house that’s nothing to sneeze at, and when you first moved in, you were excited for how the garden would look once you were done with it!

Sectioning Out A Large Garden →

Improving Your Home Using Only Second Hand Items In 'Second Hand September'

With Oxfam’s Second Hand September taking over, you might have started thinking about how you can be less wasteful; not only with your clothes but with every element of your home life. The scheme challenges individuals to not buy brand new clothes for an entire month, posing the question, can you improve your home by choosing only second hand? Thankfully, the team at www.Hillary’s.co.uk are here to help and have come up with their favourite tips and tricks to freshen up your home for less...

Improving Your Home Using Only Second Hand Items In 'Second Hand September' →

Revealed: Which Parts Of The Home We Never Clean

Cleaning is essential for maintaining a safe and hygienic living environment. Despite this, many do not find the prospect of cleaning appealing. So much so that 30% of Brits would prefer a professional cleaner for a day then getting a day off work (9%), according to research by leading supermarket ‘Lidl’.

Revealed: Which Parts Of The Home We Never Clean →

Top Energy-saving Home Improvements

Replacing the roof, upgrading to a modern boiler, installing cavity wall insulation and getting a smart meter are among the ways Brits want to try to cut their energy bills, a study has found.

Top Energy-saving Home Improvements →

Brits Caught Unaware as Temperatures Plummet

Almost half (47 per cent) of people in the UK have been caught unaware by the recent plummeting temperatures, according to a new survey, with draughts and poor insulation leaving homeowners struggling to keep their houses warm.

Brits Caught Unaware as Temperatures Plummet →

The Rise of the ‘Jack of All Trades’, and Master of None

Skilled tradesmen are increasingly having to step in to repair botched jobs by ‘Jacks of all Trades’, as leaks and other common household issues are being signed off without being carried out correctly – according to pricing website Hamuch.com.

The Rise of the ‘Jack of All Trades’, and Master of None →

Estate Agent Secrets: What They Really Look for in Your Home

Have you ever wondered what the estate agent is thinking as they slowly, but surely, interrogate every cm of your home? You can learn a lot on how to improve your home for selling once you know what goes on inside an estate agent’s head.

Estate Agent Secrets: What They Really Look for in Your Home →

Design Tips To Help Your Home Through The Seasons

As the country emerges from the heatwave, many householders are coming to the conclusion that they may need to protect their homes more efficiently from the extremes of weather. Here are some top tips for getting your home more equipped to deal with the changing seasons.

Design Tips To Help Your Home Through The Seasons →

Five Ways to Keep Your Home Running Smoothly this Winter

We are still well in the throes of winter, and the weather isn’t getting warmer anytime soon. Many of us are choosing to stay at home a little more, and the mornings are as dark as the evenings. So with more time at home, it’s now more vital than ever that our homes remain running smoothly. So what precautions can we take to ensure that this happens? Here are five simple ways you can keep your home running smoothly this winter.

Five Ways to Keep Your Home Running Smoothly this Winter →

3 Steps Toward Off-Grid Living

Off grid living is gradually gaining popularity as people grow more aware of their impact on the environment and hope to live a greener lifestyle. While you certainly don't have to disconnect your house from utilities completely, there are a few things you can do to start producing your own electricity, water and heat. Solar panels, rainwater harvesting and wood burners are all simple to fit and over the course of their lifetime will prove excellent value for money. While there may be an upfront cost, your energy bills will decrease and you may even be paid for the surplus electricity you produce. In the long term, these investments will certainly pay for themselves.

3 Steps Toward Off-Grid Living →

Damp: Identifying And Dealing With This Deadly Hazard

If there’s one thing you need to avoid getting in your home like the plague, it’s damp. Damp can cause a number of issues with your home, not to mention your health. However, if you want to get rid of it for good, then you need to make sure you can identify it and deal with it properly.

Damp: Identifying And Dealing With This Deadly Hazard →

Staging Your Home For Sale: Tips & Tricks To Try

If you are looking to sell your home anytime soon, then you’ll know what a competitive market it can be right now...

Staging Your Home For Sale: Tips & Tricks To Try →

When Homes Go Bad - Fixing The Biggest Problems In Your House

Buying a home is enormously stressful. It takes months of worry, waiting for the surveys and legal documents to come back. Then there is the anxiety surrounding the mortgage. Will they money go through? Even when all this is done, and you’ve moved in, there can still be problems lurking that nobody knew about.

When Homes Go Bad - Fixing The Biggest Problems In Your House →

The Hidden Costs Of Your New Home

It’s an exciting time when you make the leap to buy or build a new house. For most, that first step on the property ladder feels as big of an achievement as sprinting over the finish line at the Olympics. The one huge pitfall of a property purchase is the cost. It can feel astronomical! You could have spent years saving for a deposit and penny pinching wherever you can to afford it, only to discover there are far more costs than you imagined!

The Hidden Costs Of Your New Home →

How To Traverse The Unexpectedly Bumpy Road To Home Ownership

Prices are always rising, and wages aren’t keeping up. One look at the news is enough to have us quaking in our boots. How are future generations supposed to live in a world where homeownership is no longer an option? Millennials are increasingly cost conscious, and none of us can blame them. Not since after the war has the future seemed so uncertain for a generation.

How To Traverse The Unexpectedly Bumpy Road To Home Ownership →

Ways To Make Moving Into Your New Home A Lot Smoother

Before you move into your home, there are several key considerations you need to think about in order to make the process of moving house a lot easier...

Ways To Make Moving Into Your New Home A Lot Smoother →

Could A Loft Conversion Be The Solution To Your Small Home?

Has your home begun to feel a little cramped? Has your family started to outgrow your property - are there just not enough rooms for everyone? When our homes begin to feel a little too cramped, most of us make the mistake of thinking that our only option is moving to somewhere new. However, instead of selling up and moving to a new property, often your best bet is to consider converting an unused are of your home into additional space, such as your loft or basement.

Could A Loft Conversion Be The Solution To Your Small Home? →

Have You Made These Classic Moving Mistakes?

Moving home is never easy. In fact, there's a pretty good reason why it's often ranked as one of the most stressful things that you can ever do alongside having a baby and starting a new job. Everything about it seems purposefully designed to be as difficult and unpleasant as possible. However, there are plenty of ways in which you can make life a lot easier for yourself.

Have You Made These Classic Moving Mistakes? →

Fuelling Rural Living

Living in the countryside has a number of pros, such as a sense of community and more relaxed way of life away from the hustle and bustle of the city. However, moving to a rural home can have disadvantages, including no access to mains gas.

Fuelling Rural Living →

House To Home: Settling In To a New Place After Moving

Moving house is a new chapter, the perfect opportunity to start fresh. There’s nothing more exciting than a blank canvas, a home waiting for you to add your own personal touches to. However, that’s not to say that moving is all sunshine and rainbows. In fact, it’s one of the most stressful experiences we can go through in our lives. Along with the legalities of buying, selling or renting a house, changing bills over and moving your life from A to B, you then have to sort everything out again at the other end. But regardless of the journey you have ahead of you, you’ll want to feel settled and comfortable in your new place as quickly as possible. Here’s what you can do to make yourself comfortable among the chaos and get settled as soon as possible.

House To Home: Settling In To a New Place After Moving →

Three Ways To Create Peace Of Mind At Home

Life is stressful enough without having to worry about things that may never happen. Whether you’re a homeowner or renting, there are lots of things that could go wrong with your home. But, by taking a few simple precautions, you can put those worries behind you and gain a little peace of mind.

Three Ways To Create Peace Of Mind At Home →

The Smart Home Of Today

Imagine waking up to the blinds opening at the sound of your alarm, revealing the morning sunrise in sync to your favourite song playing softly from the built-in ceiling speakers. You walk into a warm bathroom and your shower playlist starts - complete with the perfect lighting to shield those sleepy eyes. Stepping into the shower, the humidity sensor and extractor fan are set to run intelligently, for a perfectly ventilated the bathroom, while the radiator has heated your towel to optimum toastiness.

The Smart Home Of Today →

Top 50 Reasons Not to Move into an Old Property

Mice or rats running around, bats in the attic and squeaky floorboards are just some of the reasons Brits are refusing to move into old properties, according to new research.

Top 50 Reasons Not to Move into an Old Property →

What’s Being Done In The Battle Against Burglaries?

Unfortunately, we live in a day and age where protecting your home against intruders is an absolute necessity. The latest statistics from UK Crime Stats http://www.ukcrimestats.com reveal that more than 32,000 burglaries took place in July 2015, and again in August 2015. Here, we outline what can be done to make properties more secure, and what you can do to beef up your own home security.

What’s Being Done In The Battle Against Burglaries? →

Don't Let Stains Put A Strain On Festive Celebrations

Tis the season to be jolly…but the party season has the potential to leave a nasty stain on celebrations, so here are a few tips on how to mop up the mess this Christmas.

Don't Let Stains Put A Strain On Festive Celebrations →

Key Things To Consider When Renovating A Bathroom

I am often called in to fix bathroom make-overs that have gone wrong, so it's important that you remember some key points. By keeping these in mind you will ensure you have the bathroom of your dreams that you will enjoy for years to come.

Key Things To Consider When Renovating A Bathroom →

Location, location, location!

While property values are perennially subject to fluctuation, location, location, location is still the main factor in how much people are paying for a property - whether it’s their main residence or a holiday home.

Location, location, location! →

Rise in first-time buyers fueling neighbourhood disputes,' survey says

One month after the housing market saw its highest number of first time buyers in seven years, one in three Brits reported they have had more issues with neighbours than normal this year.

Rise in first-time buyers fueling neighbourhood disputes,' survey says →

Key rooms to help attract buyers

Whether you’re looking to sell or just fancy a revamp, it is important to keep your home in order, especially the most important rooms in the house as these are key to any prospective buyer or family member.

Key rooms to help attract buyers →

Britain's leading plumber offers advice on saving water

Britain’s best known plumber and Secret Millionaire, Charlie Mullins, has given his expert advice to home owners on how to save water around the home.

Britain's leading plumber offers advice on saving water →

Money-saving advice: Home decor tips

You may be saving up to decorate your home, but have you ever considered that the decorating decisions you make could save you money? Energy company E:ON shares its top tips for decorating that could save you pounds on your electricity bill.

Money-saving advice: Home decor tips →

The ticking time-bomb of the single person household

The home-owning landscape has certainly changed over the last 40 years from a time when the average household consisted of a couple with 2.4 children to a single-person home. New research reveals that increasing numbers of people are living alone and, worryingly, they do not have a financial back-up plan should things go wrong.

The ticking time-bomb of the single person household →

A new generation of silver landlords?

The pensions overhaul announced by the Chancellor in the last Budget could result in a whole new generation of older so-called ‘silver’ landlords. Savers aged 55 or over will be able to withdraw their entire pension pot as a cash lump sum from next April, which could potentially lead to a surge in the buy-to-let market.

A new generation of silver landlords? →

Do rectories represent the perfect country idyll?

Traditionally at the heart of a village, a rectory or vicarage conjures up a sublime image of a village idyll. Their enduring popularity as the property of choice for many aspirant couples and growing families in particular means that such homes are increasingly hot property. Their prime location at the very heart of a village, within a stone’s throw of the church, the local shop and the village pub, makes them increasingly popular.

Do rectories represent the perfect country idyll? →

The rise of the ‘granlord’

The number of over-65s renting out rooms to supplement their pensions is increasing, according to research from a leading home insurance company. Historically, many younger people at the start of their property owning journey have opted to rent out a room to supplement squeezed salaries. These days however the trend appears to be for people at the other end of the age scale to share their home with a ‘house or flat mate’ with 5.1million now in that situation.

The rise of the ‘granlord’ →

To move or make the most of where you live?

While house prices are now on a slow upward trajectory as the economy steadily improves, and the market is boosted by Help to Buy and similar schemes, many people are still choosing to stay put. There is much to be said for improving and adding value to an existing home rather than starting again with a new property at a time when the market is still uncertain. According to figures from the Nationwide Building Society, adding an extension or a loft conversion to a home could increase its value by almost a quarter.

To move or make the most of where you live? →

Disclosure responsibilities of those selling property

By Martin Williamson, Head of Residential Property, Latimer Hinks Solicitors www.latimerhinks.co.uk

Disclosure responsibilities of those selling property →

Concealed families' on the rise, according to ons

The number of young couples starting lives together lodging with their parents or in-laws has soared in the last decade due to rising property prices and a squeeze on earnings, according to figures from the Office of National Statistics (ONS). New analysis of returns from the 2011 census shows that the number of couples or single parents living under the same roof as another family has increased by 70 per cent over the last ten years. Overall, there are an estimated 289,000 families living in another family home in England and Wales – most of them under the age of 35, according to the statistics.

Concealed families' on the rise, according to ons →

Four-Square behind a rural housing agenda

Whatever your take on the idea of building on more swathes of our green and pleasant land, there is one irrefutable truth. Namely, that there is a chronic shortage of housing across large parts of the country, with rural areas in particular struggling to meet demand. A new report from the the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), an organisation of which I am an active member, called ‘Tackling the Housing Crisis in England’ outlines measures on what needs to be done to address the estimated shortfall in housing supply of some 230,000 homes a year.

Four-Square behind a rural housing agenda →

Why renting could really break the bank

While many people are struggling to get on the vital first rung of the housing ladder, new research shows that renting could be even more financially draining than envisaged. UK homeowners spend an average of £41,900 on rental payments before buying their first property, according to a study by Santander Mortgages. On average, homeowners who rent prior to buying spend seven years as a tenant before getting onto the property ladder, rising to 11 years or more for 15 per cent of these homeowners.

Why renting could really break the bank →