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Cross-channel moves

February 8, 2012 By

If you’ve decided to buy yourself a holiday home in France – either as a place to escape to or as an investment – then you’ll probably need to move some of your belongings there at some point. Of course, it’s a bit more complicated than moving within the same country, but it needn’t be too difficult to organise.

There are many people making a move either to or from France at any one time. And a lot of removals companies give you the option of booking in a flexible one way move date. For example, if they have someone moving back to the UK, they can time the Channel crossing so they take one lot of furniture to the UK for one family and use the return trip to move another family’s stuff out to France. If the date doesn’t tie in with your exact travel plans, the removals company can store your belongings for a day or two before meeting you at your new property and you can help them to unload.

If you don’t have much to take with you, you can even opt for a part-load – where you work out how much of the van space you will need and pay accordingly. The more flexible you can be on dates, the better a price you will get.

As your rate will depend on how much stuff you want to move, you may decide that it’s better to replace some furniture rather than take it all from one country to another. For example, sofas can take up a lot of space and with so many sofa sales on you may find it’s cheaper to buy a new one in France. Of course, another reason for buying new is that you might not have enough furniture to furnish two homes from your existing possessions.

It’s possible to buy cheap furniture in most of the mainstream shops in France these days and you can also get things delivered or a many shops have vans you can hire to take the goods home in yourself.

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Ways to Sell Your Home Now

January 30, 2012 By

Struggling to sell your property? Can’t understand why? Maybe you need to make some changes… here is a list of top things that can sell a home:

  1. The right estate agent. Choose wisely, get positive recommendations and if you need to pay higher fees then it may just be worth it.

  2. The right marketing. Don’t be shy about telling the world your house is for sale! Some estate agents even put the price on their ‘for sale’ boards and this could help immensely.

  3. The effort you make with your agent. Be available when they need to get hold of you via phone or email, check in regularly and be polite and respectful about their expertise.

  4. The viewings. Your behaviour at viewings may be having a negative effect. Do you feel the need to point out the lack of space around double beds or just gush desperately about how wonderful the place is? Do yourself a favour and go out! Let the estate agent do their job and manage viewings for you.

  5. The neighbours. Potential buyers envisage themselves living in your house so a friendly nod from your delightful neighbours is going to do wonders. Gloss over the details of any less than desirable residents in your street.

  6. Presentation is key. Dress the house to suit your most likely buyers. Sleepmasters have a great range of beds if you need extras and always have fresh bedding neatly on display.

  7. Keep it calm. A quiet, relaxed viewing is the most conducive to a sale. Turn off the television and any loud music, send those noisy kids out with the dog which barks incessantly and give potential buyers all the time they need.
  8. Care and cleanliness. Show how much you value your home by looking after it properly. Clear up clutter and mend any damage. A much loved house is much quicker to sell.
Filed Under: Selling Property Tagged With: , , , ,

Easy Mistakes to Avoid when Selling your House

January 30, 2012 By

If your property is on the market and has been sat there for some time with little or no interest then check this list and make sure you are not making one of the biggest mistakes frequently made by people selling a house:

  1. Being unrealistic about the price. If you are in negative equity and need to sell high it just might not happen. Marketing a property too high will lead to nothing so make sure you get a professional opinion on what is possible in the current market or decide to wait a while.

  2. Surviving the drive-by viewing. Many potential buyers will research properties on the internet and then drive around their desired neighbourhood to whittle down the list further. If your front garden and front door are looking shabby and uncared for you may not get past this stage: remember, first impressions really do count.

  3. Living in a mess. It’s not just outside either! Once a viewing is arranged you need to make sure the house is as clean and tidy as possible to show it in its best light. You might not mind a mess but your viewer could be a neat freak! Plus tidy equals looks bigger which also adds to appeal so stash unnecessary bed accessories and put all those clothes away.
  4. Talking too much. Believe it or not you may actually be destroying possible interest by saying the wrong thing without even realising. Viewings are best left to the estate agent so clear off out to Sleep Masters for some retail therapy and let them do their job.

  5. Creating the wrong impression. Try and use rooms for their intended purpose as many people imagine themselves living in a house as they view it. Star Wars might be your passion but a spare bedroom dedicated to the theme as a shrine to all your memorabilia may just come across as odd! Pack it away for now and dress the room to show off its best features.

  6. Keeping it a secret. Marketing and advertising are really important. OK so you don’t want the neighbours to know your private business, but how do you expect to get any interest without letting people know the place is available?! Swallow your pride and tell everyone!

Filed Under: Selling Property Tagged With: , , ,

Bathrooms Sell Houses

January 30, 2012 By

When I was growing up nobody had a second bathroom, and an en suite was unheard of – even in some hotels! I actually think my Grandparents toilet was still an out house when I was very small, though that was unusual even way back then (no, I am not that old…) These days however expectations have changed and every new build seems to have at least one en suite as well as the family bathroom and some larger properties are starting to have shower rooms off the boot room too. Most posh me thinks!

If you are looking to sell your family home and it is an older model with only one bathroom then making improvements to this situation could very well help to sell your house. In this climate of a sluggish property market anything you can do to give your house the edge over neighbouring homes for sale is a good thing and whether it’s walk in baths, power showers or wet rooms there is always something which can be added to catch potential buyer’s eyes.

If a lack of bathrooms is not the problem but rather the need to spruce up the ones you have then make sure you do that too. It is not difficult to make sure that grouting between the tiles looks fresh, everywhere is sparkly clean and the facilities function properly. A lick of paint is easy to do and some cosmetic improvements won’t go amiss either. How about new towels – which you can of course take with you when you move – and some ornaments or house plants? If you have special needs and have installed recommended equipment by www.mobility-plus.co.uk then make sure you advise anyone viewing your house on how to convert the room back to its original state. Bathrooms are big news for buyers so get it right and cross your fingers for an early offer.

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Making a rental home your own

January 23, 2012 By

If you’re in a rental house or flat and the place is looking a bit tired, it may be worth sussing the landlord out on whether they’ll let you make it a bit more like your own place. The trick is to go around this so that the landlord gets some benefit, too.

For most landlords, decorating is not a task they relish – and they either have to set money aside for it or roll their sleeves up. There’s little joy in the work if it’s for someone else’s benefit, so if you offer to do this for them, most reasonable landlords would be pleased.  You can either offer to pay for the paint yourself or perhaps negotiate a bit off the rent for a month or two in return for your labour.

The easiest way to get a landlord to agree to this, is if you ask them what colour schemes are acceptable. Neutrals are a safe bet – for you to live with, and for the landlord to have left when you move on.

The other way you can make a rental feel like your own is to have your own furniture in there. If the place is already furnished, you could either add a few pieces of your own furniture to the mix, or ask permission to store the landlord’s furniture in the garage while you’re living there.

There’s a great deal of cheap furniture available online. It’s easy to find something that suits your taste – and you’ll probably want to keep it for the next place you live in. Sometimes it can be a practical purchase – like putting in a sofa bed to a one bedroom flat so that you can have overnight guests now and then. Check out any sofa bed sale and you’re sure to find one at a bargain price.  Sofa beds sometimes concern landlords, as they think you might try to sublet the living room, so be prepared to explain why you’ve bought it if questioned.

Filed Under: Renting Property Tagged With: , , ,

Time to Sell Your House

December 26, 2011 By

In springtime as the housing market picks up it is really important to make sure that your home stands out from the crowd if you want to sell it. With a few months to go until peak sales time it is now more than ever that you want to spend a bit of time and effort to make your property more appealing on the house market. When I look down my, albeit quite long, street the number of ‘for sale’ boards which have been there for quite some time is rather worrying so I am going to make sure my house leaps out from the rest.

First of all I went to stand on the opposite side of the road and made an honest assessment of what needed doing to give the house instant appeal. It is well known that many homes which stay unsold for a length of time might be being overlooked for viewing as they don’t pack any punch from the outside. My list includes hiding the bins from view, tidying the garden and hedge, replacing broken paving stones in the driveway and painting the front door. What about you?

On the inside I want to appeal to my target market directly and so need to turn the home office back into a proper bedroom. With money tight at this time of year I am researching beds on finance and have found that the range and deals on offer at Bensons for Beds is fantastic. I have also moved unwanted items into the loft and garage, including over-sized furniture which make the rooms look smaller than they really are. With a lick of paint around the place and a really thorough clean and tidy I think we are just about good to go. Cross your fingers for me!

Filed Under: Selling Property Tagged With: , , ,

Smarten Up to Sell Up

December 17, 2011 By

 

In the current financial climate house prices are still not quite at their best. House sales are moving slowly, and whilst estate agents predict the usual uplift in the market come the spring it is up to the home owners themselves to do everything they can to make sure their house is looking at its best for potential buyers. If you are wondering how to go about selling your house in the shortest possible time then the following tips might just help:

  1. Get the right estate agent on your side. Take a recommendation from a successful neighbour and make sure all available advertising channels are being exploited on your behalf. Try to get the fee to an acceptable level too!

  2. Stay in touch. Make sure you are easily contactable and flexible about being around for viewings as this will make the estate agents life much easier.

  3. First impressions count. Many house hunters will do a drive-by of any properties they have seen online or in the newspaper which they like the look of. Make sure your home passes this test by keeping the front garden tidy and the front door looking inviting.

  4. Freshen up your paintwork. Don’t spend a fortune re-decorating somewhere which you are about to move out of, but a lick of paint to cover up marks will not go a miss. It will show you care about the property too.

  5. Tidy up all the time. It’s a tough one this but keeping on top of household mess will help when it comes to viewings. Get the family to lend a hand and enjoy the results everyday.

  6. Present rooms in the right way. If you have an empty bedroom then consider beds on finance to dress it for the sale; many people are not able to visualise how big a room is without some scale clues to tell them whether a double bed will fit in or not.

  7. Smarten up the appearance of your rooms. Get some nice new bedding from http://www.bensonsforbeds.co.uk so that potential buyers aren’t put off by washed out old linens

  8. Be nice! Smile and be as welcoming as possible when people come round, but give them enough space to look everywhere too.

In the current financial climate house prices are still not quite at their best. House sales are moving slowly, and whilst estate agents predict the usual uplift in the market come the spring it is up to the home owners themselves to do everything they can to make sure their house is looking at its best for potential buyers. If you are wondering how to go about selling your house in the shortest possible time then the following tips might just help:

  1. Get the right estate agent on your side. Take a recommendation from a successful neighbour and make sure all available advertising channels are being exploited on your behalf. Try to get the fee to an acceptable level too!

  2. Stay in touch. Make sure you are easily contactable and flexible about being around for viewings as this will make the estate agents life much easier.

  3. First impressions count. Many house hunters will do a drive-by of any properties they have seen online or in the newspaper which they like the look of. Make sure your home passes this test by keeping the front garden tidy and the front door looking inviting.

  4. Freshen up your paintwork. Don’t spend a fortune re-decorating somewhere which you are about to move out of, but a lick of paint to cover up marks will not go a miss. It will show you care about the property too.

  5. Tidy up all the time. It’s a tough one this but keeping on top of household mess will help when it comes to viewings. Get the family to lend a hand and enjoy the results everyday.

  6. Present rooms in the right way. If you have an empty bedroom then consider beds on finance to dress it for the sale; many people are not able to visualise how big a room is without some scale clues to tell them whether a double bed will fit in or not.

  7. Smarten up the appearance of your rooms. Get some nice new bedding from http://www.bensonsforbeds.co.uk so that potential buyers aren’t put off by washed out old linens

  8. Be nice! Smile and be as welcoming as possible when people come round, but give them enough space to look everywhere too.

Filed Under: Selling Property Tagged With: , , ,

How to make your home sell

December 13, 2011 By

Selling your house can be an exhausting process, especially in today’s market where there are so many properties for buyers to choose from.  A lot of whether your house sells is down to luck, of course. You need the right person to come and see it at the right time.

But there’s plenty of stuff that you can do yourself to make sure that when a viewer comes to see your house it stands out in their mind as a beautiful home, somewhere they could imagine themselves living.

Be manically tidy

A house can be totally transformed by having everything neatly tidied away and just a few ornaments left out on display. Viewers will be able to imagine their own possessions in a house that looks clean, clear and spacious. If you have piles of paperwork everywhere and piles of ironing on the spare bed, it doesn’t create a good look. You’ll find that it’s a much nicer place for you to be in until you sell as well!

Spring clean

Have a really good clean up around your home.  Do the things that sometimes get neglected –skirting boards and woodwork around windows and doors.  A bowl of hot soapy water will get most sticky marks off, and if necessary, you can paint over anything really stubborn.

Be an illusionist

If your sofa has seen better days, it could drag the look of the living room down enough to put buyers off.  While it might not be sensible to rush down to a sofas sale for a new one – that might not fit in your new home – you can put a throw or cover on it to ‘lift’ the room’s appearance.

You might think about getting new furniture if it makes a significant difference to a room. For instance, you can easily pick up a cheap dining table and chairs – and they come in standard sizes, so you can pretty much guarantee these will fit in your new house when you make that sale!

Filed Under: Selling Property Tagged With: , , , ,

Your home is not capital

December 6, 2011 By

You’ll often hear people talking about having a lot of their capital tied up in their home.

Now you know what they mean, but the terminology is incorrect. Let me explain; your home is not capital in the economic sense of the word.

In economics, capital refers to existing and durable goods that are used in the production of other goods and/or services; a hammer, for instance, used by a carpenter is capital.

Capital goods in themselves aren’t “consumed” – but they can wear out and depreciate in the production process. So a greengrocer buying apples isn’t investing in capital, but his/her new fruit stand is a capital investment.

When extrapolated for housing, the situation is clear. Your own home is not your capital, but a home bought specifically to rent out (presumably at a profit) is capital – as is any investment you make in the structure.

Going to the sofas sale, for example, isn’t a capital investment for your own home, but is if you’re buying the furniture for a fully-furnished flat you’re renting out.

Now all this may seem obvious and unimportant, but it’s very important for your own finances to understand the difference. Anyone under the age of around 35 could be forgiven for thinking that a house was an investment in capital – up until 2007 anyway. That’s because houses were seen as investments because they generally rose in value. But that still doesn’t make them capital.

A house you rent rooms out in is partially capital, a hotel or guest house is an investment in capital, but your own house isn’t. And as we buy and sell in the same market, it’s best to ignore the value of the house you’ve bought to live in, and to simply enjoy it – unless you plan to turn it into capital by letting it out of course. And in that case it’s the return on the investment you should focus on; namely, the rent rather than the house’s vale (though the latter may be important in borrowing more to invest in further capital). 

Filed Under: Renting Property Tagged With: , , ,

How does your flat beat the others?

December 5, 2011 By

The property boom that lasted roughly a decade from 1997-2007 saw thousands of purpose-built apartment blocks thrown up all around the western world. Some areas have since become synonymous with wasted pointless building resulting from the property boom’s giddy zenith. In parts of Ireland and Florida, whole new developments stand idle, whilst in the UK city centres like Manchester and Leeds, for example, have a huge surfeit of trendy city centre apartments where supply exceeds demand.

If you’re one of the unlucky landlords who find themselves trapped with such an apartment sitting in negative equity with a competitive rental market to make matters worse – then fear not; help is at hand!

First off, work out how much income you’re actually going to need to make it through the financial mess with your rental property. If the rental income matches up to this figure, then at least it’s realistic. If not, you may have to sell at any price.

On the presumption that you can hold your head above water if the apartment rents out for a reasonable income, then here’s what to do: Put yourself in the position of the renter. There are sometimes hundreds of similar apartments for renters to choose from. So you have to make sure yours stands out from the crowd in terms of:

  1. Quality, and,
  2. Price

That’s basically it. The only other real variable is communication; how the renters get to learn about the availability of your apartment in the first place.

So try and avoid going through a property agency (unless the agency can derive an income of around 12% or more than you can get directly with tenants). This will help you be as competitive as possible on price (for which you may have to do a little hands-on research; posing as a potential tenant may even be necessary).

Then it’s down to quality. So decorate and clean the place from top to bottom and if it’s going as fully furnished, make yours better than the rest. The sofas sale ads seem to run round the clock these days – so buy a decent one.

And get down to the nearest furniture sale and decide what a prospective tenant is really after – cleanliness and comfort.

It’s not rocket science – you just have to beat the rest on quality and price.

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