Author: Jim Parker

As the temperatures begin to sink and the days begin to shrink one thing is for certain – winter is upon us. Along with the shorter days and colder temperatures come the wintery pleasures of warming up alongside a roaring fire, long walks in the country and crisp, frosty mornings. However, it’s also important to remember that the winter months can have a harsh effect on our homes, causing problems for heating systems and external fixings alike. Follow this list of tips to prepare your home for the chillier months, and to ensure that your main concern this winter is the choice between a cup of tea or a warming hot chocolate.

Pipe dreams

As the temperatures drop, the water in your pipes can freeze causing them to burst and for major damage to be caused to your home. In order to avoid this, keep an eye out for any gaps in external walls as the cold air could reach the pipes and encourage them to freeze over. Sealing over any gaps in external walls, as well as adding insulation around vulnerable pipes in areas such as the loft and garage could mitigate this problem. Further to staying vigilant to external wall gaps, keeping your heating on a low-level (around 4 degrees) – even when you’re away from your home – will maintain a consistent temperature around pipes, thereby avoiding the problem of pipes freezing over.

Boiler spoiler

When was the last time that you had your boiler checked? A poorly maintained boiler wastes energy and costs more to run, as well as running the risk of leaking carbon monoxide into your home. Having your boiler serviced will reap rewards in the long run, as well as giving you peace of mind in terms of safety and efficiency. Naturally, one of the key components of your boiler system are your radiators – a handy hint to maximise their efficiency is to put kitchen foil behind them for the heat to be reflected back into the room they are in.

Fill the gaps

Around a quarter of the heat lost from your home escapes through the loft, and therefore having good loft insulation is key to staying warm this winter. As well as the loft space, cavity wall insulation can make a real difference to keeping your home warm and energy bills low – with a typical saving of £145 per year saved on energy bills simply through having insulation installed. In terms of cost, there are a number of government grants and subsidy schemes available to help you with the initial outlay of insulating your home and staying warm this winter – so do your research and stay warm for less.

The big switch

If you feel that your winter energy bills are high despite your best efforts to prepare your home for the cold months then give your energy supplier a call and have a chat about being allocated a more cost-effective tariff. Remember that you will never experience a disruption in service if you decide to change suppliers, so feel free to shop around and find the best deal that works for you. You can use online comparison tools as well as literature direct from suppliers to find the most competitive energy rates and offers, so turn up that thermostat and get extra cosy!

Down the drain

As the leaves fall from the trees, drains and gutters can easily become blocked with debris, causing build-ups of water which could make its way into your home in the form of damp. As the temperature drops, these leaves are prone to freezing which can weigh down your guttering and damage external structures. Ensure that your drains and gutters are debris free by checking lower-level guttering on your property and clearing these out by hand as safely as possible – if the lower-levels are blocked then higher levels may also require a closer inspection.

Fife Properties Managing Director, Jim Parker commented: “Winter is a time of year that’s sometimes unpredictable. We have seen 4 seasons in one day on occasion, but the key is to be prepared. Our property management division often takes increasing calls over this season for boiler breakdowns etc. The key is to make sure we can respond quickly and often we do, which is why we have won letting agent of the year 8 times.”

If you’re thinking of letting your property you can book a FREE initial consultation today at the following link https://www.fifeproperties.co.uk/property-valuation/

There are a few changes that you can make around the house that could save you hundreds of pounds a month! Some of them are as simple as clicking a button or turning a dial.

 

Switch your utility supplier

Your first port of call should be your utility bills. A recent study by Energyhelpline found that the average household can save over £600 a year by switching suppliers. You should consider changing the supplier of your television package, broadband and energy to a competitor who might offer you a better deal.

 

Consider your energy set-up and habits

Switching supplier is a good start, but your next job is to take a closer look at your energy habits. This can be as basic as turning your thermostat down by a few degrees or making use of the timer control on your boiler. Clothes horses can be utilised to dry your laundry, meaning you don’t need to have the heating on for longer than required.

 

If you want to make more of an impact on your energy bill, you could also consider your property’s energy efficiency. To combat wasting energy, you could deploy draught excluders around the house to trap heat or hire a professional to examine the insulation in your walls and roof.

 

Turn electrical appliances off when not in use

The Energy Saving Trust recently revealed that across the UK, households were spending between £50-86 a year on gadgets in a ‘non-active’ or standby state, equivalent to 9-16% of the average electricity bill.

 

Set your washing machine to a lower temperature

Washing at 15 or 30 degrees rather than 40 degrees can save you a third of the cost to run the cycle. Think about how much that could be saving you on the day you decide to tackle the overflowing laundry basket!

 

Switch to a cheaper mortgage deal

Mortgage repayments are often the biggest monthly expense a household will have, so it could be worth checking if switching to a new deal can help you save.

For example, if you have a £180,000 20-year mortgage, a deal that charges 4% would cost your household £1,091 a month. Remortgaging to a 2% rate could save you £180 a month (£2,160 a year)

 

Fife Properties Managing Director, Jim Parker commented, “It is amazing how just a little bit here and a little bit there can add up to a substantial saving per month.”

If you want to take advantage of our FREE initial consultation to see what you can save contact us today by clicking on the link:  https://www.fifeproperties.co.uk/contact/

YOU HAVE NOTHING TOO LOSE AND EVERYTHING TO GAIN

Most parents will tell you that you never stop worrying about your children, even after they’ve long flown the nest. Given how difficult it can be to get started on the property ladder for most people in their 20s or 30s, the Bank of Mum and Dad are increasingly getting involved to give their children the best possible chance of buying that important first home. But with the average deposit for a house in Britain currently standing at a dizzying £51,000, parents need to simultaneously make sure that they protect themselves financially before committing their own futures for the sake of their offspring. With that in mind, here are our top tips for helping your kids to get onto the property ladder:

 

Bring your children back home (briefly!)

It can be very difficult to save up enough cash for that first home when living in a rented property, purely because the cost of living in Britain can be difficult to manage even if you’re a couple who are both in full-time work. One easy way to help your child and their partner to save some money is to welcome them home for a period. Of course, we can’t help you draw up a washing-up rota, but taking away big costs such as rent, bills and even food expenditure will instantly help them start putting away the money required to get them started.

 

Gifting our lending them the money

If you’re able to, the benefits of gifting or lending your children money can be huge, as a large sum of money could mean the difference between being able to secure deals with lower interest rates.

However, this option can be potentially difficult to navigate on a personal level, and comes with a strong recommendation of confirming your agreement with your children and their partner prior to any money changing hands. Make sure you confirm that you’re either gifting or lending them the money beforehand, and if it’s the latter, then set up a repayment plan for your own piece of mind.

A Declaration of Trust document is a good way of confirming this, and it can clearly state who owns what part of the property in the event that your child separates from their partner and the home is sold.

 

Buy the home with your child

If you’re concerned about the long-term implications of giving your child a lump sum, or are unable to make that sort of financial commitment, then a joint mortgage is a good way of sharing the responsibility. In this case, you and your child are both liable for paying for the loan made to purchase your home, and you can come up with a financial plan for repayment that suits you.

 

Remortgage your own home

This is another option open to you in order to provide you with a lump sum of cash, which can be a huge help when it comes to putting down that all-important deposit. Again, it’s one that comes with strings attached, given that you will have an increased number of payments to consider, including arrangement fees and interest on a higher mortgage rate.

 

Fife Properties Managing Director, Jim Parker commented, “Whichever route you choose when trying to help your children get onto the property ladder, gaining independent financial advice is strongly advised to make sure that you’re making the correct decision for everyone. Helping your children to buy their first home is an important, personal experience, and one that deserves to be as stress-free as possible.”

We have can provide an initial consultation and point you in the right direction. To book you FREE initial consultation click on the link and contact us today: https://www.fifeproperties.co.uk/contact/

Across the last few years, there have been many predictions and forecasts as to how house prices will fair amidst all of the Brexit uncertainty.

Some experts believed that property prices could see a fall as a result of a hesitant market and low activity, however, it appears that British homes have remained defiant and as a whole, the UK has seen an annual rise.

According to the latest official figures from the Land Registry, homes in the UK have risen in value by 3.1% in the 12 months to July 2018.

Not only have prices increased across the year, but figures also saw a jump of 1.2% month on month, meaning the average price of a home in the UK stands at £231,422.

When looking at these new figures in greater detail it was found that all countries within the UK recorded a rise in value, with the largest growth seen in Wales at 4.2% year on year. The 2nd largest growth in property prices was recorded in Scotland at 3.2 and in England, homes increased in price by 3% over the same period. Northern Ireland saw substantial growth also, especially in the year to Q2 of 2018, with house prices rising by 4.4%.

In terms of individual regions, the North West of England recorded the highest price growth at 5.6% and not too far behind were the regions of the South West and the West Midlands, both showing increases of 4.4% year on year.

Another interesting statistic from this report, was the rise in activity from both first-time buyers and former owner-occupiers, with sales up by 2.6% and 3.4% respectively in the year to July 2018.

Whether or not this trend will continue is still up for debate as the country’s future is yet to be decided, nevertheless, the property market continues to show its resilience to external factors as homes throughout the UK are still in high demand.

Fife Properties Managing Director, Jim Parker commented, “Scotland has always been a steady market with consistent growth over the long term and is more hedged against the huge swings in prices that England experience. Time will tell how Brexit could impact on us, but the most important point is not to let this distract you from selling or buying as over the longer term it is all relative. The key as always is to get the right professional advice before doing anything and that is where we excel.”

Fife Properties can do an initial pre-marketing home assessment to ascertain and advise of any issues that might affect your properties saleability. You can book a FREE initial consultation today at the following link https://www.fifeproperties.co.uk/property-valuation/

It didn’t take long for Autumn to take hold, did it? It seems like only a few weeks ago, we were enjoying the blazing sunshine and moaning about the heat, but with October in full swing, it’s time to start wondering if it’s time to stir the heating into life and get those jumpers out of hibernation.

Autumn can be a great time to sell your home; the colours and relatively early sunsets can certainly help to offset your property, but there are several things that you can do to help show your home in the best light when you’re trying to find a buyer. Here are our top tips:

 

Have a tidy, inside and out

It might seem obvious, but de-cluttering and tidying your property before you start viewings, both inside and out can have a huge effect. Remember, you’re trying to show your home off, and attempting to get visitors to envisage themselves living there; making sure the entrance to your home, your living area and any garden space that you might have looks organised and tidy can have a huge effect on that. That means toys, shoes, papers and the like need to be put away.

Bulky items that take up space need to be temporarily removed, too. Remember, buyers want to see how they would fit in your home, and a lack of available space can make that difficult whilst simultaneously making the property seem smaller than it is.

 

Conduct viewings before it gets dark

It might not always be possible due to your schedule, but when possible, make sure to schedule viewings before it gets dark. With the sun going down earlier and earlier as the year draws to a close, it’s important to take advantage of natural daylight so that your property looks brighter and cleaner. Even if you are busy working during the day, it’s possible to organise a viewing agent who can show your property off for you.

 

Air your home

With no sunshine in the day to dry your clothes during the day, many of us dry our wet washing indoors at this time of year, meaning more moisture gets into the air around your home. Make sure to open your windows to alleviate this, and get some fresh air around your home.

 

Don’t be afraid to turn the heating on

You may be hesitant to turn on the heating before the real cold sets in, but making your property nice and warm before each viewing can be a great advantage when trying to get people interested in your home. It’s always nice to return to a warm house, and small touches like that, aswell as lighting a scented candle can help to make people feel relaxed.

 

Fife Properties Managing Director, Jim Parker commented, “It all sounds so simple to do and just common sense but the problem about common sense is that it is not that common so you need the experts to walk you through everything and provide a professional opinion.”

Fife Properties can do an initial pre-marketing home assessment to ascertain and advise of any issues that might affect your properties saleability. You can book a FREE initial consultation today at the following link https://www.fifeproperties.co.uk/property-valuation/

For a lot of older homeowners today, downsizing can be a great way not only to have a good clear out after your kids have left home, but also a fantastic way to create some equity. This financial boost will also most likely come with the added bonus of a reduction in running costs as you move to a smaller home. While there are plenty of benefits of downsizing, moving home can still be a complex and stressful experience, so we’ve put together a quick guide on what to consider to make the transition a much smoother process.

Decide what you REALLY need

The most important step to a successful downsize – and it’s one that you’ll want to take as early as possible – is taking a good look at all of your possessions and shedding as much as possible. This is the part where you have to consider your day to day life and think about how much you use all of these items. You should ask yourself, do you still need all of that seating in the living room, or do you need such a large dining table? If the answer is ‘no’ to questions like these, then it’s time to start dividing item into piles marked ‘keep’ or ‘give away’.

It’s not an easy process; letting go of a life’s worth of possessions, many of which will have sentimental value is tough to do, but the benefits on moving day will be worth it. For one thing, you won’t have as many things to move, and there will be less worry about how to fit all of your possessions into your new home as a result.

Don’t throw anything away

Once you’ve decided which items don’t belong in the ‘keep’ pile, it’s time to see if you can get some extra cash from your unwanted possessions. Most likely, there will be some items that may not be fit for use anymore and could be recycled, but those that are in good condition can be used to help purchase new items that are more suitable for your smaller home.

As we said earlier, separating your items early is the best strategy, as you will now have plenty of time to use websites such as Gumtree and eBay in order to facilitate selling the things that you don’t wish to keep. You might even be surprised by the how much interest they generate, and how much money they bring in.

Assess your new space

At this point, you should have divided your items and possibly sold a few, too. Even though you’ve probably gotten rid of a lot of possessions, it may still be a challenge fitting everything that remains into your smaller space.

If you’re already part of the way through the moving process and have agreed on which house you’re going to buy, start looking at measurements of each room and compare them against the furniture you currently have. For example, your king size bed may fit into your new bedroom, but will it leave room for much else? Start planning how everything is going to fit in and figure out how to get the absolute most out of each space. You may need to invest in smaller and more suitable items for your home such as a dining table that seats 4 instead of 8.

Prepare for moving day

Your last move was likely to a home of similar size if not bigger. However, this time you must consider that you’ll have less space to work with, meaning it won’t be just as simple as getting everything in and unpacking it later.

Whether you want to label all your boxes with ‘living room’ or ‘bedroom’ or use a colour coded system, it’s best to know what goes where before you begin to move things. As with any move, it’s wise to focus on the bigger items such as beds and chairs first, as this will give you a better idea of where to place all the small things.

Normally when a family moves into a bigger space, they initially use the extra room to store things that they’re too tired to unpack right away. If you’re downsizing then you probably won’t have room for a bunch of items to be out of sight and out of mind, so you should begin unpacking and organising all of your items as soon as you can. Moving into a smaller place and being surrounded by boxes for the first couple weeks will only ruin the experience for you by making it feel even smaller. Get organised early and get the full use out of your new home.

Fife Properties Managing Director, Jim Parker commented, “Downsizing is often one of the most stressful points in your life. Getting expert advice is the key to making it as easy as possible and that’s where we come in. Our expert agents can arrange everything from selling to moving making the whole process STRESS FREE.”

All you need to do is tap the link, fill in your details and arrange your FREE initial consultation today: https://www.fifeproperties.co.uk/property-valuation/