Property Blog [ Page 6 ]

Factors That Make Potential Property Buyers Walk Away

0 Comments Comments / Article written on 03 Apr 2008, and filed in the Buying Property Tips section

I previously wrote an article about Easily Fixable Features That Puts Buyers Off. Since then I decided to go one step further and dedicate a list of features that can essentially make buyers walk away because the problems aren’t all that superficial, consequently there is no easy antidote. These features should be noted before purchasing [...]

Property Seminars Are A Waste Of Time And Money

2 Comments Comments / Article written on 30 Mar 2008, and filed in the Ranting Landlord section

Yeah, I said it, and I’ll say it again. Property Seminars are a big, fat waste of time and money. Pffft.
I went to one on Friday for one reason, and one reason only, and it sure as hell wasn’t to learn anything new; it was so I could mumble about my experience on here. I’ve [...]

It’s Important To Inspect Your Buy-To-Let Property

0 Comments Comments / Article written on 25 Mar 2008, and filed in the Good & Bad Landlord Practices section

Here’s a friendly reminder for all landlord’s to regularly carry out inspections on their properties. Unfortunately, it’s easy to slip into a mindset of a lazy relaxed landlord. A lot of landlords are kept satisfied as long as their tenants make their rent payments on time. If only life was so easy. Sadly, “collecting rent” [...]

How To Paint A Front Door

1 Comment Comments / Article written on 22 Mar 2008, and filed in the Property Development section

Right, so I got an email the other day about someone enquiring about how to paint a front door. Problem is, I’ve never really self-proclaimed my expertise as being a general renovation handyman. In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever claimed to be an expect in any property related field. However, whenever I get an [...]

Be An Energy Efficient Landlord

4 Comments Comments / Article written on 17 Mar 2008, and filed in the Good & Bad Landlord Practices section

Recently there was a discussion in our Property Investment Forum about energy efficient homes. The questions being asked were, how many developers actually consider energy efficiency when renovating, is it worth the money, and will it add any value to the property?
My response to the subject was pretty cavalier. In retrospect, my stance on the [...]

Easily Fixable Features That Puts Buyers Off

3 Comments Comments / Article written on 10 Mar 2008, and filed in the Selling Property Tips section

Are you struggling to shift your home? Perhaps the problem is that you’re committing one of the property selling deadly sins. Here’s a list of reasons that can potentially make buyers run for the hills whilst wishing they had never saw that hideous monstrosity that you call a home. But fear not, these issues are [...]

Inform Your Tenant When You’ll Be Out Of Contact

1 Comment Comments / Article written on 05 Mar 2008, and filed in the Good & Bad Landlord Practices section

To me, this is a no-brainer, but apparently it’s not so obvious to some people. The message is simple- whenever you’re going to be out of contact in any shape or form for more than 48 hours, inform your tenant. You get me? Inform your tenant!!!
I just spoke to one of my more casual landlord [...]

“House Price Crash Is Cancelled” Screams The Psycho

0 Comments Comments / Article written on 29 Feb 2008, and filed in the Ranting Landlord section

I’ve come across a lot of crazy property people in my time, but none quite as extreme as my most current find. My latest find makes Michael Jackson look like an early morning erection- standard. And remember, I make regular trips to the House Price Crash website, so I’m exposed to a lot of crazy [...]

Halifax Asked Me To Review My Northern Rock Mortgage- WHAT A WASTE OF TIME

0 Comments Comments / Article written on 26 Feb 2008, and filed in the Ranting Landlord section

On Saturday I went into my building society, Halifax, just to deposit a few cheques. As I walked in, I noticed a freestanding whiteboard, scribbled on it with a felt tip pen was, “If you have a mortgage with Northern Rock, speak to one of our advisors”. Not the most professional sign in the world, [...]

Why Are Classified Property Websites So Useful?

3 Comments Comments / Article written on 19 Feb 2008, and filed in the Property Investment Tips & Info section

I often reference websites like rightmove, primelocation, findaproperty, and propertyfinder in my blog entries. They’re probably the most popular property portals online that assist thousands of estate agents to market their properties which are currently on their shop window.
It’s a good idea not to limit them just for property/estate agent finding search engines, because they [...]

Eager To Invest In Property, But No Suitable Property For Sale

1 Comment Comments / Article written on 14 Feb 2008, and filed in the Property Comic Sketches section

Letting Agent Won’t Cough Up Payment

9 Comments Comments / Article written on 11 Feb 2008, and filed in the Landlord Legal Obligations/Issues section

I received an email earlier that virtually got my blood boiling. While reading the email I started to grit my teeth and develop mental images of certain snakes in cheap suits being stoned…
I have a property currently let by a local agent over 2 months ago. As far as I am aware the tenant is [...]

How To Extend Your Lease

31 Comments Comments / Article written on 05 Feb 2008, and filed in the Property Investment Tips & Info section

This is probably the one single question I get asked the most frequently- “how do I extend a lease on my property?” The thing with leases is that they can significantly affect the value of a property. The sooner the lease is due to expire, the less the property is worth and the more expensive [...]

Shark In A Roof- Crazy Or Compelling Property?

3 Comments Comments / Article written on 02 Feb 2008, and filed in the Architecture/Design section

Apparently I must have been living under a sea rock for the last God knows how long, because I’ve only just been made aware of the fishy resident of Headington, The famous Headington Shark. Take a peak at this, if you haven’t already (all one or two of you I suspect):

Pretty incredible, yeah? Oh yeah. [...]

Buying Property That Needs Renovating As A Property Development Virgin

4 Comments Comments / Article written on 31 Jan 2008, and filed in the Buying Property Tips section

I was recently put into a situation where I had the opportunity to snap up an extremely undervalued property. It was undervalued by 50-60k because it’s in dire need of some intensive renovation loving. However, after making the required amendments, I would still be quid’s in by a considerable amount. Unfortunately, I’m not a builder, [...]

Why Do Subprime Lenders Get Blamed For Serving Their Purpose?

1 Comment Comments / Article written on 27 Jan 2008, and filed in the Ranting Landlord section

What is subprime lending?
It’s the practice of making loans to borrowers who do not qualify for the best market interest rates because of their deficient credit history.
During the recent housing boom, a lot of subprime lenders emerged to accommodate the demand for everyone’s desire to get in on the property investment action. Even people with [...]

The Average Person Doesn’t Know Shit About Money

0 Comments Comments / Article written on 25 Jan 2008, and filed in the Ranting Landlord section

I went out last night to a seedy club in Chelmsford (Essex) to celebrate my mate’s 25th. The place smelt like feet. Literally, stunk of cheesy feet. I think it was years of bad odours trapped in the carpets. They should really do something about that odour, it can’t be good for bizzznaz or the [...]

Approaching The Vendor Directly

0 Comments Comments / Article written on 24 Jan 2008, and filed in the Buying Property Tips section

I’ve mentioned a few times that I plan on buying another property this year, even with all the talk of recession and an approaching housing crash. I still think there is money to be made in the property game whether it be in the interest of long or short term investment, but only if the [...]

Amusing Interview With Sarah Beeny On Scott Mills Radio 1 Show

0 Comments Comments / Article written on 23 Jan 2008, and filed in the Sarah Beeny section

Although I’m a huge Sarah Beeny fan, I don’t usually record her interviews because even that’s a bit too extreme for me. However, having listened to her on The Scott Mills Show on the Monday just gone, I knew I had recapture the moment- the interview was a corker.
For those who don’t listen to [...]

My Property Investment Strategy

8 Comments Comments / Article written on 22 Jan 2008, and filed in the Property Investment Tips & Info section

I’ve recently received a few emails from curious beavers asking me what my property investment strategy is, and what the best way to invest in property is. I’m always reluctant to sell the ‘best’ method because it’s a subjective question and the answer is based upon an individual’s situation and intentions. Ultimately, it depends on [...]

How Interest Rates Affect House Prices

5 Comments Comments / Article written on 20 Jan 2008, and filed in the House prices And Interest Rates section

It’s said that the last housing crash in the UK, 1990-1995, was due to two main factors- low employment and record high interest rates. If people aren’t employed and interest rates are high, how will people buy houses or pay their mortgage? They can’t.
I was specifically interested in how the Bank of England Base rate [...]

Birmingham Midshire Finally Lowered My Mortgage Interest Rate

3 Comments Comments / Article written on 19 Jan 2008, and filed in the Ranting Landlord section

For those of you who remember, last month I had a moment of despair when I broke down into tears, bitching about how Birmingham Midshire Didn’t Lower Their Rates when the Bank Of England reduced their base rate, consequently I was talking about remortgaging. A handful of other lenders lowered their rates and informed their [...]

The Property Market And The Media’s Influence

0 Comments Comments / Article written on 17 Jan 2008, and filed in the Property Comic Sketches section

Avoiding Tenancy Agreement Renewal Fees With A Letting Agent

94 Comments Comments / Article written on 12 Jan 2008, and filed in the Landlord Money & Saving Costs section

I read an article earlier on the house ladder website, the article was about abolishing tenancy renewal fees
So basically, if you get a letting agent to find you a tenant, when it comes to the time where the tenancy agreement (the contract) needs renewing, letting agents will charge you again (most charge approximately 10% [...]

How To Spot The Next Up-And-Coming Area

0 Comments Comments / Article written on 11 Jan 2008, and filed in the Buying Property Tips section

This is a continutation of a previous post of mine, ‘There’s Never A Bad Time To Buy-To-Let‘, where I discussed how there’s always money to be made in the buy-to-let game, even during this current slowdown we’re experiencing. Investing in ‘hotspots’ for buy-to-let purposes is never a bad move. A ‘hotspot’ being a rundown ghetto [...]

Different Ways Of Paying Interest On A Mortgage

1 Comment Comments / Article written on 09 Jan 2008, and filed in the Mortgage Stuff section

In theory, mortgages should be simple. You borrow money from a lender to buy a property, and you pay the lender back over a period of time with interest.
If only it were that simple. It doesn’t take long to work out that mortgages aren’t that simple, and with lenders continually updating their mortgage ranges, it [...]

There’s Never A Bad Time To Invest In Buy-To-Let

1 Comment Comments / Article written on 08 Jan 2008, and filed in the Buying Property Tips section

I believe there is never a bad time to Buy-To-Let, there’s only a bad time to sell. I don’t pay any mind to the cynics nor the house price indexes. House Price indexes are usually based on national averages, they don’t account for every property in every dark corner. And if I listened to every [...]

I Got Threatened By An Estate Agent

3 Comments Comments / Article written on 07 Jan 2008, and filed in the Ranting Landlord section

I was randomly Google’ing the keyphrase ‘Estate Agents‘, as normal people do on an idle Sunday. I came across an article that captured my attention on the Telegraph website. The article wasn’t informative or useful in any sense, it was just an entertaining rant. Bryony Gordon, a journalist, was basically expressing herself, making it clear [...]

How To Avoid The Mortgage Struggle

0 Comments Comments / Article written on 04 Jan 2008, and filed in the Mortgage Stuff section

Millions of homeowners have been feeling the burn with rising interest rates and the overall cost of living. Repossession levels are creeping up as more and more people are struggling to make their mortgage payments. There are a lot of options available to anyone struggling with mortgage payments as shown in my previous article [...]

Buying The Ugliest House On The Street

0 Comments Comments / Article written on 03 Jan 2008, and filed in the Buying Property Tips section

A common mistake many investors make is that they get influenced by their personal taste. While some perceive that as an act of human nature, it’s most definitely an act of naivety and bad practise when it comes to property investment. The thought of buying an ugly house may scare a lot of people, but [...]

Bill Gates House

86 Comments Comments / Article written on 02 Jan 2008, and filed in the Celebrity Homes section

Most people would assume that the richest man in the world, Bill Gates, would live in a house that makes P Diddy’s house look like a cardboard box in Harlem. I can’t quite confirm the speculation, but I can confirm that Bill Gate’s has one hell of a pad (as you can see from [...]

Biggest House In The World

117 Comments Comments / Article written on 01 Jan 2008, and filed in the Architecture/Design section

I recently found out that the biggest house in the world is Windsor Castle, located in England, Berkshire. The castle’s floor area is approximately 484,000 square feet (about 45,000 square metres). The castle, after centuries of alterations, contains about 1,000 rooms and occupies 13 acres of land. Who would have guessed? I’ve visited the [...]

Renting Is Dead Money

5 Comments Comments / Article written on 31 Dec 2007, and filed in the Ranting Landlord section

Absolutely, money spent on rent is deader than the era when Charlie Sheen and chewing bubble gum was cool. I know a lot of people will disagree, but that’s because they’re renting.
Granted, for some people renting is the only option, and in the following circumstances I think renting is a sensible move:

you have a family, [...]

Diary Of An Estate Agent

2 Comments Comments / Article written on 29 Dec 2007, and filed in the Property Comic Sketches section

I Have A Small Bathroom: Shower Vs Bath

3 Comments Comments / Article written on 28 Dec 2007, and filed in the Property Development section

I received an email the other day from Darren, he wanted to know how the value of a property would be affected if he decided to replace his bath with a shower cubicle. It’s a good question, and i’m sure others have been in a similar situation.
Hi,
My wife and I are thinking of re doing [...]

Evaluate Your Financial Products

0 Comments Comments / Article written on 27 Dec 2007, and filed in the Personal Finances section

The financial market is extremely competitive; mortgage lenders, banks and credit card companies are all trying to offer the best rates, so you’re put into a situation where everyone is trying to compete against one another by attempting to the offer the most mouth-watering deals. That makes the financial market extremely dynamic; everyone is trying [...]

Birmingham Midshire Didn’t Lower Their Rates- I’m Remortgaging

4 Comments Comments / Article written on 21 Dec 2007, and filed in the Ranting Landlord section

On the 6th of December 2007 the Bank Of England lowered interest rates from 5.75% to 5.5%. I was expecting the drop and I was actually looking forward to the drop as I assumed it would reflect on my variable rate. I was eagerly waiting for Birmingham Midshire, my mortgage lender, to send me a [...]

Buy Your Tenant Something Nice This Christmas

1 Comment Comments / Article written on 20 Dec 2007, and filed in the Good & Bad Landlord Practices section

I’m a firm believer in treating good tenants like they’re good tenants, otherwise what’s the point of them being a good tenant?
I’ve spoken about this before; i’ve mentioned how precious good tenants are; this article is just an emphasise on the point. Good Tenants shouldn’t be taken for granted. Trust me, I know, because i’ve [...]

You Now NEED A HIP To Market A Property

10 Comments Comments / Article written on 19 Dec 2007, and filed in the Home Information Packs (HIP) section

There was a time when vendors only needed to provide proof that they had ordered a HIP before putting a property on the market. Essentially, you could market, find a buyer, and even exchange contracts before receiving a HIP. Apparently it takes 28 days for the pack to arrive in your hands (but I [...]

Who Is Your Ideal Property Babe?

9 Comments Comments / Article written on 18 Dec 2007, and filed in the Ranting Landlord section

There comes a time when every man has to surrender to his active testosterone, so without further ado, please allow nature to take its course by letting me mentally ejaculate over my website…
While I’ve made my admiration for Property Ladder’s Sarah Beeny loud and clear on many, many, many occasions, I think it’s important for [...]