Property Blog [ Page 7 ]
Be An Energy Efficient Landlord
17 Mar 2008 / Good & Bad Landlord Practices / 4 Comments
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 [...]
Easily Fixable Features That Puts Buyers Off
10 Mar 2008 / Selling Property Tips / 3 Comments
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
05 Mar 2008 / Good & Bad Landlord Practices / 1 Comment
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 [...]
“House Price Crash Is Cancelled” Screams The Psycho
29 Feb 2008 / Ranting Landlord / 0 Comments
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
26 Feb 2008 / Ranting Landlord / 0 Comments
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?
19 Feb 2008 / Property Investment Tips & Info / 3 Comments
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 [...]
Eager To Invest In Property, But No Suitable Property For Sale
14 Feb 2008 / Property Comic Sketches / 1 Comment
Letting Agent Won’t Cough Up Payment
11 Feb 2008 / Landlord Legal Obligations/Issues / 9 Comments
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 [...]
How To Extend Your Lease
05 Feb 2008 / Property Investment Tips & Info / 35 Comments
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?
02 Feb 2008 / Architecture/Design / 3 Comments
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 [...]
Buying Property That Needs Renovating As A Property Development Virgin
31 Jan 2008 / Buying Property Tips / 4 Comments
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?
27 Jan 2008 / Ranting Landlord / 1 Comment
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 [...]
The Average Person Doesn’t Know Shit About Money
25 Jan 2008 / Ranting Landlord / 0 Comments
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
24 Jan 2008 / Buying Property Tips / 0 Comments
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
23 Jan 2008 / Sarah Beeny / 0 Comments
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
22 Jan 2008 / Property Investment Tips & Info / 10 Comments
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
20 Jan 2008 / House prices And Interest Rates / 5 Comments
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 [...]
Birmingham Midshire Finally Lowered My Mortgage Interest Rate
19 Jan 2008 / Ranting Landlord / 4 Comments
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 [...]
Avoiding Tenancy Agreement Renewal Fees With A Letting Agent
12 Jan 2008 / Landlord Money & Saving Costs / 101 Comments
I read an article earlier on the house ladder website, the article was about abolishing tenancy renewal fees So basically, if you use a letting agent to find you a tenant, and then later on you decide to renew the contracts with the tenants, the letting agent will charge you again (most charge approximately 10% [...]
How To Spot The Next Up-And-Coming Area
11 Jan 2008 / Buying Property Tips / 0 Comments
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
09 Jan 2008 / Mortgage Stuff / 1 Comment
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, [...]
There’s Never A Bad Time To Invest In Buy-To-Let
08 Jan 2008 / Buying Property Tips / 1 Comment
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
07 Jan 2008 / I Dislike Estate Agents / 3 Comments
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
04 Jan 2008 / Mortgage Stuff / 0 Comments
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 I [...]
Buying The Ugliest House On The Street
03 Jan 2008 / Buying Property Tips / 0 Comments
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
02 Jan 2008 / Celebrity Homes / 109 Comments
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 the [...]
Biggest House In The World
01 Jan 2008 / Architecture/Design / 140 Comments
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 amazing [...]
Renting Is Dead Money
31 Dec 2007 / Ranting Landlord / 5 Comments
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 [...]
I Have A Small Bathroom: Shower Vs Bath
28 Dec 2007 / Property Development / 6 Comments
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 [...]
Birmingham Midshire Didn’t Lower Their Rates- I’m Remortgaging
21 Dec 2007 / Ranting Landlord / 4 Comments
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
20 Dec 2007 / Good & Bad Landlord Practices / 1 Comment
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 [...]
You Now NEED A HIP To Market A Property
19 Dec 2007 / Selling Property Tips / 11 Comments
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 wouldn’t [...]
Who Is Your Ideal Property Babe?
18 Dec 2007 / Ranting Landlord / 20 Comments
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 [...]
Do I Need A HIP When Selling Privately?
17 Dec 2007 / Selling Property Tips / 0 Comments
More and more people are starting to sell privately for various reasons: 1) Buyers are starting to search for private sales, which goes in hand with more people wanting to sell privately and vice versa. 2) Eradicates the costs of estate agents 3) Eradicates estate agents, period. 4) More and more platforms (i.e. websites) are [...]
The Ugliest House In The World
14 Dec 2007 / Architecture/Design / 19 Comments
Me and a few of my loyal companions decided to embark on a challenge- to uncover the ugliest house in the world. What an ambitious challenge, aye? We put together a list of guidelines to help us unravel the unfortunate piece of shit that is destined to top the poll of being the ugliest house [...]
A Housing Crash May Encourage Your Tenant To Leave
11 Dec 2007 / Ranting Landlord / 0 Comments
On one end you have landlords that want to welcome a property crash so they can add more properties to their portfolios. A declining market for an ambitious landlord is like a moist armpit for bacteria- tranquil beauty. We can call those landlords the fat cats. On the other end you have another breed of [...]
Mortgage Overpayment Calculator
10 Dec 2007 / Mortgage Stuff / 2 Comments
After writing the Mortgage Overpayments article, I decided to put together an overpayment mortgage calculator, so you easily work out how much you can save by making overpayments. The tool calculates how much you can save, along with how much time you will be shaving off your mortgage. Most lenders allow at least 10% penalty-free [...]
Mortgage Overpayments
09 Dec 2007 / Mortgage Stuff / 8 Comments
This is an extension to a previous article I wrote on ‘The Benefits Of Paying Your Mortgage Off Early‘. Making overpayments on your mortgage is a great way of reducing your mortgage, consequently providing the opportunity to paying off your mortgage earlier than due. Overpayments is usually suited for those that want to reduce their [...]
I initially started this website because I wanted to document my every step from property idiot to property landlord,
in hope that people would find my site and help me along the way. I literally didn't have a clue about being a landlord
when I started this website.
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