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A Step-by-Step Guide to Buying

Zanet — Sat, 19 May 2012 11:35:59 +0000

The Buying Process: A Step-by-Step Guide

Now I’m about to reveal my normal process for buying a property. Years ago a walk along the local high street and a visit to each estate agent was my only option while taking a day off work. Today its all changed. Far from my priority to visit shops and talk to estate agents, I can now search for my ideal property at any time a like from the comfort of my current home.

Until recently I only really bothered with Rightmove. More than 90% of all UK Estate Agents choose to be members of Rightmove. It’s the largest and most established site with a boasts of 4 times more property than any other house buying site. Though it would be ignorant to think that that is where your search should finish. Findaproperty, Fish4homes and Zoopla are well established and worth a search. The new kid on the block is Sarah Beeny’s Tepilo. This has only a few properties, but it looks likely to grow and is worth keeping an eye on as I’m a believer that this might just succeed far beyond its predecessors as its entirely free for sellers and it uses Google maps to the full.

So what do you need before searching to buy a property?

buying your house online

Below are a list of what you need in effect if you entered these site with the basic four details you would probably get some good ideas of what you can buy for your money.

Where you want to live eg. place name or post code
The Minimum number of bedrooms required
Your Minimum price
Your Maximum price

Other details may be useful but for our favorite 5 you’ll find it will get you started

www.Rightmove.co.uk

Rightmove.co.uk is the UK’s number one property website. We are not estate agents but we aim to be the place for UK home movers to find details of all properties available to buy or rent.

postcode
radius of postcode up to 40 miles
Type of property eg. flat or house
Minimum number of bedrooms
Maximum number of bedrooms
How recent it was added to the site (anytime, 24 hours or last 2 weeks)

www.findaproperty.com

FindaProperty.com claims to be one of the leading property web-site with a comprehensive search facility for house-hunters to find a home – both sales and rentals.
It now publishes the details of over 626,614 properties to buy

place name or post code
Minimum number of bedrooms
Minimum price
Maximum price

www.zoopla.co.uk

Zoopla recently announced that it has acquired UpMyStreet.com, one of the UK’s leading and longest standing property information websites, for an undisclosed sum. You can’t ignore Zoopla and its claim of being the UK’s leading market resource for a property finder to search property for sale, find houses and flats to rent, see house prices paid and current property values all in one place.

place name or post code
Minimum price
Maximum price
Type of property eg. flat or house
Minimum number of bedrooms

www.tepilo.co.uk

Tepilo is an alternative way to buy, sell or let your property and it’s free. You maintain 100% control and pay 0% commission! Search across the UK and get advice from me along the way

place name or post code
refine with price
refine with distance

Advanced Details
property type
bedrooms
Bathrooms
Receptions
Outside Space
Parking
Tenure

www.fish4homes.co.uk

Claims to be the leading property website, fish4homes, celebrates a decade helping agents generate enquiries.
claims 276,653 houses and flats for sale
it looks a little run down the site with its latest news almost a year old!

The ten steps below cover the main stages you will go through when buying a home.

Work out how much you can afford
Get a mortgage agreement in principle
Choose your home from the list above.
View the properties as soon as possible.
Hire a solicitor or conveyancer
Make an offer
Have a survey and valuation
Finalise your mortgage
Exchange contracts
Organise your move

Over the coming weeks we are running some simple tests on the online sites we use to help our visitors buy a property.

The tests will include :

Which property site is the most usable?
Which site has the greatest number of properties?
Which property site provides the easiest search?
Which site provides the best support?
Which property site is best value for money for a buyer and seller?

5 Simple Ways to Add Value To Your Property

Zanet — Tue, 10 Apr 2012 13:57:00 +0000

Sometimes its easy to think that adding the most beautiful home improvement that you’ve always dreamed of will be valued by every buyer walking through your property and therefore clinch the deal. How wrong that thinking would be! So what genuine suggestions would add value to your property and by how much?

You can ask local estate agents as an initial starting point. There often well informed and offer free advice, it’s likely they will be able to see for themselves when valuing the property obvious areas that can add value to your property.

The 5 Simple Ways to Add Value To Your Property

1 Identify your largest Market – Major value
you need to be aware of what is selling well locally. This tells you the type of people moving into the area and this should dictate who you market to as it increases the chances of a sale dramatically, even a potential price bid and we all love those when we are the benefactor. Are Two bedroomed or Three bedroomed houses selling well? What market will you be aiming at and what are these people’s needs? This may well lead to a decsion to keep a bedroom and not make it into an en-suite. Or not to knock down the garage. So in effect sometimes doing nothing and keeping the things the same can be a value knowing the market beforehand.

2. Expand the Kitchen add upto 15% value
If any area of the house has changed in the minds of buyers in the last decade or two, its the kitchen area. Kitchens are seen as the hub of the home, so enlarging to create a multi-functional room will add value to your property.

Extending The Kitchen by working out the most cost-effective solutions. Either taking space from adjacent areas within the home, adding an extension by taking from the garden or just linking to a dining room to make one combined space are the most common solutions.

Once you have maximised the size of the kitchen then make the most of the layout of the kitchen. There are many free kitchen planning services out on the high street and this will provide a great basis for maximising your space with ideas drom there kitchen range. An open plan dining area and possibly living area overlooking the garden with double doors is the most preferred setup.

3. Loft Conversions or An En Suite Bathroom add upto 10% value
If bedrooms are needed to sell property, then a loft conversion can be a simple and effective way to acheive this, alot easier than extensions in many ways as planning permission and application can be quite minimal.

There are loft companies that will do the complete works from planning right through to the final paintwork. This is a great way to increase your market value and yet have little worries. If your more hands on it will probably be slightly cheaper, but make sure your builder has experience and ask to see his work beforehand.

With the adding of an ensuite to a master bedroom it’s worth bearing in mind it doesn’t need to be large, but it should be clean and well lit.

4. Curb appeal works add upto 5% value
Often overlooked, but how your property looks before walking through the door has a massive impact. So much so, that some won’t even walk through the door after a drive by.Easy wins are consistent window design, a well-proportioned entrance. Avoid peeling paintwork or cracked windows.

Familiarity of your own property doesn’t always help and almost makes the obvious areas of improvement invisible, so ask someone passing by, it may be embarrassing but listen as what they say is probably a good direction to consider.

5. Adding An Extra Bedroom or Conservatory add upto 20% value
It may cost a sum, but it will put your property into a new league of buyers with a larger budget.Take into account the road your living in and the largest market in your area before making this decision, in fact its step 1 above that should dictate this as a clear way forward.

With all the above additions, good advice before any decisions are made is vital. If the property’s volume is increased by 15% you will need planning permission. If its within the property then the chances are it fine. In all cases consider each option with care.

If you want to add value to your property you may find this article useful - A great free guide on this web site: How to Value your property

Would you buy a house without a bath

Zanet — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:47:13 +0000

Q. Would you buy a house without a bath?
A. No I always wash before viewing houses with an estate agent!

Well that’s not quite what the question means….Have you noticed how more properties are moving for showers and en-suites in favor of a bath. Is this really a move in the right direction. Have you viewed a house without a bath on your last viewing session? Even recently a friend of mine decided that he would remove his bath to make way for an extra bedroom and survive on a walk-in shower. Drastic or genius?

I found myself asking the same question, should i reduce my bathroom into a smaller but practical shower to enable one of the walls to make way for an en-suite on the master bedroom? For me it would make sense as I rarely bath and always shower, but would it effect my house price and its selling appeal?

A house without a bath - Good idea?

A recent survey claimed 11 per cent of people said they had removed their family bath in the last few years. Also the Telegraph earlier this week reported on how times has change. As a bath was once considered the true sign of being middle class and the height of fashion, with fewer than half of all households in the 1951 census having one. But they now being left unused, or even ripped out by families keen to build large walk-in showers. The study of 3,000 households found that the average number of baths taken by each adult had fallen from nine times a month a decade ago, to just five times this year.

Additionally with the increased charges on water and water meters, people are far more concerned about the amount of water used in the house. Bricks in toilet cisterns is another trend catching on in recent years.

It appears that the majority of people today prefer a shower to a bath. But there are still times in life when a good soak in a radox bath is needed.

My conclusion on house without a bath debate:

Although showers are practical and popular for day to day living, the bath provides a place to relax and unwind in a busy world, and a place to have a radox bubble bath with a bright yellow duck. Baths still have a place, therefore I decided to keep my bath, just in case.

What about toy though? Does a house without a bath make sense?

No related posts.

Home Ownership down – Cost of Buying Up

Zanet — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 13:45:12 +0000

The big news after the Bank Holiday weekend is based on the recent report from the National Housing Federation regarding Home Ownership going down, while the cost of renting and Buying continues to spiral out of control.

They predict the number of home owners will drop to just 64% as house prices soar, compared to 73% in 2001.

David Orr, Chief Executive, National Housing Federation told reporters, “Home ownership is increasingly becoming the preserve of the wealthy”.

Home Ownership down - Cost of Buying and rental going Up

Due mto rising costs of renting and buying added to the huge deposits and a tightening of lending criteria are causing the property market to head back to the eighties. In addition to the confidence being low, there is also a shortage of properties as lees than predicted number are being built.

Rental market

The report also predicts prices in the rental market will increase sharply as people struggle to own their own home.
The group, which represents housing associations in England, says a shortage of homes in the UK is also to blame.

House Prices set to rise

Across the UK, home ownership is expected is presently 67% of the UK population are owner-occupiers.

Oxford Economics which produced the forecasts for NHF, predicts the average house price in England will rise by over a fifth in the next five years from £214,647 in 2011 to £260,304 in 2016.

Rightmove.co.uk blog claim – smells sells

Zanet — Tue, 23 Aug 2011 07:40:57 +0000

Rightmove.co.uk blog claims its best to sell property with the nose in mind. It’s been a long known fact that if you walk into a property holding your nose for the wrong reasons, its going to have a negative effect no matter how amazing the property is. So is there any truth in the psychology of letting the coffee brew in the background on each viewing, or start baking your loaf of bread or cakes for the kids.

It’s true to say that as we discussed a few days back that the first 11 seconds makes or brakes a property viewing, then it make sense that smell has a heavy impact on you within those 11 seconds, in effect it provides a homely atmosphere especially if associated with pleasant smells of childhood like cakes.

Rightmove.co.uk claim - bread and coffee smells - help sell property

Flowers are an interesting smell as they can work both ways, fresh and smelling good -great, but some flowers can smell awful or look droopy and work the wrong way so they make both lists. Fresh flowers in the entrance hall can make a real difference to a buyers first impression of your house.

So what are the attractive smells that can make a positive impression on your viewings, and what are the unattractive smells

Rightmove.co.uk list of positive smells

Baked bread
Fresh flowers
Crisp clean sheets
Cake in the oven
Fresh coffee brewing
Vanilla
Lemon
Lavender
Chocolate
Roast dinner

Rightmove.co.uk smells to avoid

Cats and dogs - believe me if your not a pet owner it is there!
Any tobacco smells
Cheap air fresheners
Spilling dirty bins
Damp washing on a radiator

Why does coffee fill the house with its smell?

That amazing aroma of brewing coffee moves rather quickly once its on the brew. The volatile oils in the coffee bean has been one of it singular major attractants. Scientists say it is only a small group of components that are responsible for the aromas but it is their high level of concentration that makes it so distinct. Steam from the brewing process help distribute the aroma in the relative confines of your property.

I see bacon isn’t on the list of smells that sell, would you have the smell of bacon, or do you have another smell you use when selling your property?

Rightmove founder sells

Fences – Affect House price

Zanet — Mon, 15 Aug 2011 08:26:19 +0000

Do fences affect house prices? Clearly fences and disputes over boundaries have long been a subject of heated discussion over the past. In 1978 The Fencing Act was passed whereby it clearly set out the rights and responsibilities relating to fences between neighbouring properties. This is an area that can cause huge friction between neighbours and may spoil your enjoyment of your new house. The height of the fence cannot be higher than two metres unless you get a building consent and, normally, planning consent from your local council.

We were recently asked on Your Right Move, “We are hoping to place our house on the market next year, coming home from work today we have discovered that our neighbours have put up a seven foot fence (not very well,the height of the panels are uneven.) they spoke to us a couple of months about putting a small fence up. Will it affect the price and the selling of my house?

Well its worth noting that if it is actually 7foot then its slightly above the 2 meter restriction. I know many neighbours choose shrubery or bamboo to overide the fence restriction, but in this case it sounds like its just slightly over the 2 meters or 6.5 foot.

Do Fences Affect House Prices

The question asks will it affect the price? In most cases it would only really affect the price if the fence either caused an obvious eye sore, or caused an issue with your light. If in any doubt you could speak to the council. They will normally send a council member to drive by and then serve notice to your neighbours if its over the suggested height.

Personally I wish common sense and good communication ruled, rather than all these laws.

Living in a Green House

Zanet — Wed, 29 Jun 2011 10:43:27 +0000

Is it possible to live in a Green House?

Italian Architects Carlo Santambrogio and Ennio Arosio know it is.

Think of the benefits. Your tomatoes would ripen quicker than your neighbours. Your heating bills would be a lot cheaper when the sun was out. The views would be 360 degrees, and you would never need to hang up a picture. On the other hand you would be a target for Peeping Toms and Big Brother fans.

Santambrogiomilano is an Italian design company that specialise in exactly this way of living. With the desire for glass and unbroken vision and simplicity, these designers have produced some quite unbelievable architecture.

Yes you can live in a Green House

The unusual glass house concept from the designers, achieve their design intention using glass as the unquestioned protagonist. Nearly all the furniture is also made from glass. In fact it is the closes you will come to a Green House.

Green House – Top 10 areas

5 ways to let everyone know you’ve moved

Zanet — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 08:40:03 +0000

When it comes to moving, there is enough to think about. We have already looked at articles on who needs to know you’ve moved, you know the type, post office, DVLA, tax office, local council and so on, but what about ways to let your friends and family know your new address?

Here are 5 tips to help everyone you care for know how to keep in touch and with the dramatic change in social technology, this list is quite different to one a decade back!

1 Business cards

It may sound a bit off topic, but you can use the facility to customise business cards on-line as a great way to make a non business moving card. For example at Vista Print, you can upload any image and lettering, then print 250 business cards for around £5. They look great and are a very professional way to let everyone know your new address. The chances are they won’t even realise it was a business card.

2 Social networking

Chances are you are connected to all your friends and family by one form or another of social networking, either Facebook, My space, Twitter, or LinkedIn. Nothing could be simpler than firing off a tweet to all those who know you that you have recently moved and to email you for your address. Caution is required as if you make your address too public, you could end up with some internet party being arranged with the world and his wife turning up!

5 ways to let everyone know you've moved house

3 Letter writing

It’s very old fashioned, but everyone loves a letter in the post. It’s known as Snail Mail, but it still has a real charm. So if you do have the time, a personal letter in the post will always be appreciatted, letting friends know how the move went and arranging a time to have them over in the future.

4 Email

This is probably the easiest option and most universal, send a group email to everyone in your contacts list. If you have already corresponded with them by email then it shouldn’t go into their junk mail but beware of that, especially if you are sending a template email from a card hosting website, which is the other online option.

5 Make your own cards

Similar to letter writing, in a sense its a lot more personal and time consuming. A craft shop can provide the card and then set to work designing a “move house” card . You

Do solar panels add property value

Zanet — Mon, 02 May 2011 08:51:29 +0000

Are solar panels the right move to add property value – a debate for many UK residents to consider. With so many green additions to the home these days, do solar panels add property value and should you consider the consequences before install?

This week the news is all about the recent government reduction of its feed-in tariffs, this in turn threatens the industry just as it becomes efficient. Upto recent months many have looked at Solar Panels as a stable income stream, the feed in tariff has attracted investors, both commercial and private, who can see that a 9-10% return is possible. But with the reduction the question of value on property is ever more important.

We asked Dorset Renewables for an article on whether they felt how they felt solar panels add value to a property?

So naturally home owners are asking, do I rush into Solar panels while there is government incentive, or is it too late? Depending on your enviromental view as that was one of the main reasons behind the incentive, to push the market towards renewable energy and not primarily the financial incentive.

Are Solar Panels a Good Investment If I’m Looking to Sell Soon? Recent figures suggest you are unlikely to recover your investment if you sell immediately after installation as things stand at the moment.

Do solar panels add property value

Will my solar panel installation add value to my property when it comes to selling in the future?

Well you can’t ignore Gas and Electricity prices are rising and will continue to do so according to all forecasts. The feed in tariff payment per kWh will probably be revised downward in April 2013 for new installations meaning that existing installations will be more valuable and there are suggestions in some quarters that in future the size of a home’s carbon footprint could affect its council tax liability.

The debate comes down to the fact that some estate agents aren’t recognising the value while others are. What is true is that solar pv panels defnitely do not lower the property value.

As with other installations eg central heating, double glazing, a new boiler and so on if two properties were for sale at the same asking price, you are liekely to offer on the property with the additional installations.

If your property is properly marketed and focus on the fuel savings and tariff payments available as a result of solar panels is clear to potential buyers then it should result in a higher chance of competitive offer near to the asking price

Conclusion on the question – Do solar panels add property value?

What is true is that solar pv panels defnitely do not lower value and they save money for the homeowner – Solar PV will definitely give you an edge in a buyers market.

With the edge on other properties the price will certainly have a stronger chance of increasing. Probably best not to add solar panels just before selling though!

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Sarah Beeny : Rise Hall

Zanet — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 12:51:37 +0000

As a venue for a wedding, Rise Hall is a perfect venue. But that wasn’t always the case as we recentyl saw in the recent Beeny’s Restoration Nightmare.

Rise Hall was a convent for many of its years along with a girls boarding school. But after 50 years funds ran out, thereby the home was abandoned and dormant for 10 years. The owners of the Grade 2* listed Rise Hall desperately searched for something to do with it. No body wanted to rent it – flats didn’t stack up – and eventually they decided to sell it before the roof caved in completely. Who other than Sarah could pick up such a challenge!

We recently spoke to Sarah Beeny to find out a little more detail on how things turned out from the very first wedding and also what other projects Sarah has in her coming 2011 calendar.

Sarah Beeny Interview on Rise Hall

Yourrightmove :
It looked like it was never going to come together on the programme, and clearly there will be a lot more work before the complete building is fully restored. Have you had a lot of enquiries for events and weddings since the initial wedding?

Sarah Beeny :
“We’ve been delighted at the response to the restoration of Rise Hall. It’s an ongoing project and there will always be a lot of work to do – but we are now open and well prepared for weddings and most other celebrations”

Sarah Beeny at Rise Hall Restoration

Yourrightmove :
So how bad was Rise Hall when you purchased it, was it really a restoration nightmare?

Sarah Beeny :
“The house was literally falling down, and was riddled with dry rot, wet rot and there was hardly a problem we didn’t have to start with. Great experience if you like coming up with solutions to these sorts of things.”

Rise Hall Restoration

Yourrightmove :
Tell us a little more about Rise Hall and how its now used as a business and events venue?

Sarah Beeny :
“It’s a magical setting, with plenty of space and quite a unique chance to get married in a huge stately home The advantage is that it’s your own home for your wedding day – it is very much NOT a hotel – and it’s beautiful. The building itself is a 97 room, Grade II* listed Georgian stately home, it really is a great location and there’s 30 acres of beautiful land around you too. We can accommodate most requests and will do everything we can to make your special day perfect.”

Amazing entrance way and staircase at Rise Hall

Yourrightmove :
Out of interest as I write this article on Rise Hall has it now been revalued since the work? I guess its not fully renovated but has it been valued in its new state? Also, am I right in remembering from the show it cost £400,000 and you had a budget of £500,000

Sarah Beeny :
We bought the Hall for around £420,000 and have put much less than the National Trust would have spent – but we haven’t worked out the exact numbers. We haven’t valued the property yet either – but there would be a considerable increase in value now.

Graham Swift and Sarah Beeny outside Rise Hall

I think we all remember the famous words from Sarah when she was on Property Ladder asking whether they had remembered to allow contingency money in case unforeseen problems stretch their schedule. But how could anyone (including Sarah) ever know what this project would end up costing. This is what made the project so unique as rather than finish Rise Hall, the plan was to make it into a business profitable enough to provide income to poor back into a continued restoration.

As I see it, Graham Swift and Sarah Beeny along with there family have risked everything on an mammoth project and have really turned this around into a great success story.

A visit to there weddings and events web site shows charges currently ranging from around £2,000 to £7,000 for the exclusive use of their home, catering costs vary depending on your requirements.

I have to say it would be a real treat to have a wedding at such a venue. Rise Hall really is the perfect venue for photo shoots, film shoots, larger or more intimate conferences, parties and of course weddings.

For bookings contact Sarah on 0845 450 4545 or visit her web site http://www.risehall.com/