Nottingham Letting Agent Property Blog

Research by Rightmove has found sellers are reluctant to spend money on their homes before putting them on the market, even though doing so could pay dividends. A lot of people are still struggling to sell their homes, and this trend looks set to continue well into this year. One option for making a home more sale worthy is to spend a few thousand pounds on preparing the property so prospective buyers would be able to move in without having the need to do any repairs or upgrades. The appeal of this lies in the fact that many buyers need to...

Around 25% of homeowners aged over fifty regard their home as being at least part of their pension pot, and plan to use the equity to fund their retirement. This is in spite of the continued uncertainty in the housing market; around 39% of working homeowners have low confidence in the housing market, and think their home is probably not worth as much as it was three years ago. They estimate their home is worth an average of nearly twenty thousand pounds less than it was three years, which equates to £58 billion overall.The survey was carried out by retirement specialists...

The government recently announced that planning laws are set to be relaxed so homeowners will now be able to add a conservatory or single-storey extension without going through the planning system, a process which is often lengthy and time-consuming. The aim is to try to kick start the building industry, and although the rules which come into effect next month are only in place temporarily, they are expected to last until 2015. The net effect should be to encourage homeowners to bring forward any plans they have for extending their homes.At the moment the current limit for a single-storey extension is...

Apparently most of us rate noise levels very highly when looking for a home to purchase or rent, with 43% saying noise levels are very important, and 87% say they are important. As the trend is towards building or modernising homes to include open plan living and wooden floors, internal noise is likely to become more prevalent. The research was carried out by an insulation specialist firm, Rockwool who recently discussed methods of reducing internal noise with the Noise Abatement Society and a number of property professionals.The study found wooden flooring and open plan living could make a real difference. More...

This bank holiday many of us will be doing DIY, and some of us will be doing it in preparation for selling a property, but what really counts? Traditionally homeowners have always cleaned the windows, put on fresh coffee and decorated a house with fresh flowers before sticking it on the market, but according to research by HSBC these aren’t the important factors to concentrate on.Valuation experts think property owners should be concentrating on de-cluttering the home, tidying up the garden, and repairing chips and dents to paint and wallpaper.  Although the experts and homeowners both agreed on de-cluttering before selling,...

New rules currently under consultation could mean home improvements trigger an extra charge, as anyone wanting to install new windows, build a conservatory or even just replace a boiler could be forced to spend hundreds of pounds on ‘green’ improvements. Unless they agree to carry out improvements designed to reduce their homes carbon footprint, such as wall insulation or loft insulation, permission to improve their home might not be granted. It's anticipated this could add as much as 10% to the cost of any home improvement project. Although officials acknowledge it would be extremely inconvenient for homeowners, they think it's necessary...

With Easter coming up fast, many homeowners are planning DIY projects such as redecorating or laying new flooring. In the past they could have been certain this would have increased the value of their home, but according to the HSBC's latest Home Improvement Survey, this is unlikely to be the case in today's market. According to the survey redecorating may make it more comfortable for the occupants, but most home improvements will not significantly alter the home’s value. The only exception is adding a new conservatory, as this increases the value of the property by an average of £9,420, which is...

At a time when many others are tightening our belts home improvements may be way down on the list of necessities, but did you know property experts recommend spending 1% of the homes’ value on annual improvements in order to maintain the property is worth on the open market? With the average UK property valued at around £163,000 this equates to £1,630 every year. Even if you don't wish to splash out on a new kitchen or bathroom, it is worthwhile keeping up internal and external maintenance.That old saying prevention is better than cure is definitely true, and carrying out a...

According to a survey by the National Landlords Association, two thirds of private landlords in the UK are thinking about taking advantage of the Green Deal scheme to improve their properties. The deal enables landlords to obtain loans to make improvements to their properties energy efficiency, and includes improvements such as loft and wall insulation. The loans are repaid through utility bills, and should result in lower energy bills. According to the survey nearly a quarter of landlords intend to take advantage of the Green Deal, while another 38% are considering it. However 21% are unsure about its effectiveness, and another...

According to new research from the Royal Association of Chartered Surveyors, more homeowners are choosing to improve their current homes as opposed to moving. Its thought that the sluggish state of the property market is prompting this phenomenon, and it tends to be more prevalent in areas where the property market is more depressed, such as Ireland and the West Midlands, as 75% of people in Ireland chose to improve, while in the West Midlands this figure is 71%.  Somewhat surprisingly, even in areas such as London where the market is relatively healthy, people are choosing to stay put, perhaps because...