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Property slump gives house hunters new opportunities |
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THE OLD adage is rearing its head again. Just when a recession comes round to bring prices tumbling, nobody has the money to take advantage.
Well, almost nobody. There are still some plucky souls |
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that are in the game as far as the property market is concerned - and whether they are looking to bag a cracking investment, or simply looking to secure the perfect home, this Gamston property fits the bill.
The four-bedroom property is in a highly desirable location and is under new instruction for offers over £250,000.
Those with a financial incentive won’t need reminding what a property like would have been worth a mere 12 months ago, and could be worth in the future. However, this is more than bricks and mortar. There are plenty of reasons why this makes an ideal family home.
The detached property sits on a much sought after peaceful cul-de-sac and has enough room to give you and yours the run of the house.
The four bedrooms are all reasonably sized and the upstairs is finished off with a family bathroom complete with bath and shower.
Downstairs, the breakfast kitchen houses all the standard mod cons with an integrated dishwasher, fridge and freezer. The lounge features a barefaced brick chimney breast with inset gas fire and leads through to a delightful dining room and conservatory.
There is also a delightful lawn garden that lets you make the most of the summer season - complete with ornamental pond, vegetable plot and tarmacadam double width driveway providing access to a double garage.
For more information or to make viewing arrangements call Frank Innes Estate Agents on 0115 945 5211. |
Create an eco-friendly home |
MANY of us worry about making our homes more eco-friendly and doing our bit to make sure our kids have a greener future - letting us save money in the meantime.
“Making your home more eco-friendly doesn’t necessarily mean investing in a back garden wind turbine”, says Ken Pike of Architect Your Home - Notts.
“There are lots of innovative ways you can help reduce your carbon footprint, while also bringing your fuel bills down.”
Solar panels:
Consider using solar panels to heat your water. There is usually a bit of roof or other part of the building where they can be placed and positioned to catch the sun. Solar panels can be installed for around £3,000, but you would save a lot over the years on your heating bills.
Insulation:
Pack high levels of insulation in cavity walls, lofts and under timber floors – but don’t forget that timber floors may need ventilation maintaining. It cuts out draughts and means less heat is needed to warm the building. You will be able to turn your radiators down and have them on less.
Opting for natural insulation, such as sheep’s wool or recycled cotton or newspapers, rather than a manufactured material, is far better for the environment. They also create a healthier atmosphere in your home as they allow the building to ‘breathe’ by letting excess internal moisture travel through them.
Under floor heating:
Consider installing an under floor heating system, which works as normal with a boiler. With under floor heating, the whole of the floor acts as a radiator so you don’t have to heat the water to as high a temperature. A lot of people say it is a more comfortable type of heat to live with – and you don’t have radiators taking up valuable wall space!
Avoid PVCu windows and doors:
I always try to persuade people not to use PVCu windows and doors. They may be very cheap but they are manufactured from toxic components and are very difficult to dispose of. I am not convinced that they are ‘low maintenance’.
If a corner of a uPVC window frame gets damaged or the glass breaks, you may have to replace the whole unit, whereas you would be able to repair a wooden window. Timber is definitely a more environmentally friendly and a more beautiful material. |
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THE PROPERTY market has been thrown into disarray.
With house prices and interest rates losing stability with each passing week, fewer people are looking at making a long-term investment - and who can blame them? |
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Estate agents across the county are struggling to get houses off their boards and those who twelve months ago may have been in the market for a new home are now keeping what money they have firmly in their pocket.
But the property market has a habit of a silver lining to every doom and gloom story, and landlords across the East Midlands are confident that the lettings market will survive unscathed.
A recent survey released by the RICS goes even further, suggesting that the rental market in the region has boomed as housing sales dropped.
Figures showed that becoming a landlord is a better option than selling in the current climate. In the East Midlands 53 percent more Chartered Surveyors reported a rise than a fall in landlord instructions, a huge rise on last quarter’s figure of 28 percent reporting a rise.
David Potter, RICS East operation’s director, said: “The lettings market is booming with many vendors opting to rent their property while sales in the housing market continue to dry up. Many are willing to “hold” and await the return of capital appreciation.”
“Becoming a landlord is now an increasingly profitable option with rising rents and yields offering good returns.”
Estate Agent James Mather said: “The lettings market is being flooded by vendors who cannot sell their houses with a view to getting a return for them.”
“Houses letting for £1,850 pcm or less are generating a high level of demand in terms of number or viewings and transactions taking place. However, demand is dramatically lower for properties marketed above and beyond £1,850 pcm.” |
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Putting pleasure before profit |
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MORE than three quarters of homeowners are looking for lifestyle benefits rather than short-term profits when they embark on major renovation projects.
Research carried out by Architect Your Home, reveals |
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that as the credit crunch bites there is a move away from renovating for short-term profit and a return to investing in your house as a home.
The results of their survey of more than 450 homeowners revealed that only 11 per cent of those questioned were carrying out home improvements in order to add value in the short-term, compared to 79 per cent who were renovating their properties to build a home in the long-term.
Architect Your Home’s Ken Pike believes the results signal the end of a mini boom in renovating for profit when homeowners looked to increase the value of their properties by adding bedrooms or splitting living rooms in order to make a quick killing.
He says: “Rising property prices combined with countless TV shows and newspaper articles offering advice on how to renovate for profit had simply fuelled a trend but the survey clearly shows that pattern may have come to an end.”
“While renovations will go on — the motivating factors appear to have changed.”
“The findings clearly show that people are once again thinking of their houses as the place they want to live, to bring up their family and to entertain friends – in short, their home. They are looking beyond short term ‘Sarah Beeny-ism’ and investment potential.”
“Overall, people are re-evaluating. They are now renovating their homes increasingly for themselves - rather than focusing on ticking all the estate agents boxes.” |
Win an top apartment for £25! |
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LEICESTER housebuilder Cadeby Homes is offering people across the country the chance to win their very own luxury two bedroomed apartment with ensuite for just £25.
For this price, people can buy |
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themselves a ticket to enter into Cadeby’s prize competition and be in with a chance of winning the two bedroomed Bonnington style apartment outright at its renowned development, Brook Court in Shepshed.
The housebuilder has released 5,500 tickets, and the number of tickets that people can buy is limitless.
Tickets are available to pick up onsite at Brook Court or people can register online at www.cadebyhomes.co.uk or collect a ticket at William H Brown Estate Agent’s branches in Leicester or Loughborough.
Then all ticket owners have to do is to answer one simple, multiple-choice question for their chance to win the home.
Once completed, entrants should post their tickets back to the Cadeby Homes’ address listed - along with their cheque for £25.00 (per ticket). When registering online, entrants will also make their payment online and receive a confirmation email.
“We’re tired of talk of the slow market, and we thought that we’d put some passion and drive back into things and get people excited and optimistic about new homes again,” explains Cadeby Homes’ director, Louis Masserella.
“Whether this is won by a first time buyer or a retired couple – this could genuinely change someone’s life and all for the price of a night in the pub!”
15 Watts Drive Shepshed is a two bedroomed apartment comprising a spacious living area, kitchen/diner and bathroom, with the master bedroom boasting an en-suite and fitted wardrobes.
Brook Court in Shepshed is an exclusively private development of three and four bedroomed detached homes and one and two bedroomed apartments. Situated on the edge of the picturesque Charnwood countryside, Shepshed is a traditional town with modern links, having easy access to the M1 motorway.
The draw takes place on 21 November. For more information on tickets or the competition itself, call the Cadeby Homes head office on (01530) 835 588.
The prize competition will also have five runner up prizes of 32” Sony LCD Flat Screen Televisions. |
How's your moving manners? |
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A NEW survey released this week shows that forming a relationship with neighbours is as complex as ever.
The findings show that when moving into a new home, almost two fifths of people |
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(37%) believe that the existing residents should make the first move and pop round to say hello.
Almost a quarter (23%) would think their neighbours rude if they did not introduce themselves, whereas three quarters (76%) would not be offended at all.
It also seems that the closer we live to our neighbours, the longer we leave the introduction.
For example, around half of those who live in a detached (49%) or semi-detached house (51%) would introduce themselves within the first two to seven days, yet a third of those in flats (34%) and almost a quarter of residents in terraced houses (22%) would leave it one to two weeks.
As for gifts, although it seems we are fairly keen to meet those living next door, two fifths of new residents (42%) did not receive a welcome gift from their new neighbours.
The most popular gifts given were greetings cards, a bottle of wine, plants and flowers or home made cakes and biscuits.
Gordon Edwards, managing director of Halifax Estate Agents who conducted the survey, said: "Moving home is one of the most significant events in your life, and, having made the move integrating into the local community is so important.”
"It is reassuring that many people do take the time to introduce themselves to their new neighbours. Receiving a warm welcome can really help you settle into a new home and it is always useful to know a friendly face if you can't find the tea bags when you are unpacking." |
Is this the ideal family home? |
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IN this day and age of people struggling to make even the first rung of the property ladder, many families are giving up on the dream family home.
However, those in Mansfield should not lose sight of their |
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goal as one local house builder is continuing to deliver this dream with an affordable price tag.
Rippon Homes pride themselves on providing the style of homes that are in most demand in the local vicinity. Ongoing research has indicated that a detached family home is still at the top of the wish list, which is why the housebuilder continues to find sites suitable for this sort of development.
At the company’s Heathside Gardens development on Jubilee Way, Mansfield, purchasers can even get their hands on a four-bedroom detached home around £200,000, which Sales Manager Tracey Nicholls says is attracting quite a deal of interest.
She said: “We believe that the ultimate goal for young families is still to own their own spacious detached home.”
“At Heathside Gardens we have incorporated 13 four-bedroom detached homes in seven different designs into the development along with three different styles of three-bedroom home. These family homes have created a lot of interest in the local community and already six of the four-bedroom homes have been reserved.”
Many of the four-bedroom homes at Heathside Gardens come with integral garages and all with en-suite facilities to the master bedroom.
Prices start from £132,950 for the three-bedroom styles and the smallest of the four-bedroom designs available, the Arlington, is available from £202,950.
Tracey added: “There are not many places around the Mansfield area where purchasers can find this size home at such a reasonable price so if it’s a traditional family home they’re after, they need to be talking to us.”
The show home and sales office at Heathside Gardens are open Thursday to Monday, 10.30am to 5.30pm and can be contacted on 01623 424 487.
For more information visit www.ripponhomes.co.uk.
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