Posts with tag: Homes

Making Your Home Guest-Ready This Christmas

Published On: December 3, 2015 at 4:32 pm

Tags: Christmas,Homes,interiors,property

Christmas is a time for celebrating with friends and family, but what if they are coming to stay? Make sure you don’t get flustered with our guide on making your home guest-ready this festive season.

Sleeping arrangements

You may have to shuffle some people around in your house to free up a bedroom or temporarily move into the living room. If you have space, a sofa bed is the perfect way to keep everyone comfortable and avoid the

Making Your Home Guest-Ready This Christmas

dreaded airbed. If you haven’t got one, check delivery dates to ensure your new addition arrives before your guests! Keep linen fresh and possibly invest in some wintery sheets.

Around the table

If you’re going to be cooking Christmas dinner for more people than usual this year, think about how you will get everyone around the table comfortably. Consider adding more chairs to your table (you could ask your guests to bring theirs) or put two tables together to create plenty of space.

Space

With decorations, ornaments and everyday objects around, space can be limited at Christmas time. But your guests will want somewhere to put their belongings and make sure that their luggage isn’t causing chaos. Make sure that they feel comfortable and not like they’re cluttering your home!

Warm and cosy

It is important that your guests feel relaxed in your home and a great place to start is creating a festive atmosphere. If you have a fire, light it in the evenings and all sit down together. Alternatively, lighting scented candles gives a cosy feel and fills the air with festive aromas. Make sure your guests don’t get cold by providing them with a warm throw on their bed.

Essentials

If your guests are bringing presents and party outfits, they may forget their essentials. It is a good idea to place a small basket of toiletries in their room, as a thoughtful touch. Remember to also supply them with clean towels and don’t leave them feeling awkward by making sure they know where to find the new loo rolls!

Small treats

Make sure your guests feel welcome by providing a few refreshments in their room so that they don’t feel uncomfortable about searching through the kitchen. Visitors will appreciate everything from fresh flowers on the bedside table to their favourite wine in the fridge.

Will you be hosting Christmas this year? What ideas do you have for making it memorable?

Perfect Quiz for All Property Lovers

Published On: November 14, 2015 at 2:19 pm

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Property News

Tags: architecture,Homes,homes for sale,property

Would you call yourself a property expert? Or maybe you’re just interested in British homes?

Either way, this quiz is perfect for you. With just a picture and a few details about the home – how many bedrooms it has, the style of property, where it is and its price – you’ll have to decide when the house was built.

Think it’ll be easy? Give it a go here: https://fineandcountry.wordpress.com/2015/11/05/property-quiz-can-you-guess-when-these-homes-were-built/

Perfect Quiz for All Property Lovers

Annual house price growth rises in October

Published On: November 5, 2015 at 12:28 pm

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Property News

Tags: Homes,house prices,property market,uk property price growth

Annual house price growth rose during October, according to new research conducted by the Halifax.

The UK’s largest mortgage lender cited, ‘improving economic conditions,’ for the rise.

Increases

Data from the report shows that prices rose at an annual pace of 9.7% last month, up from the 8.6% recorded in September. In October, house prices increased by 1.1%, following a decline of 0.9% during the previous month.

This increase lifted the average price of a flat or house across the country up to £205,240, which is a new record high.

‘Improving economic conditions and household finances, together with sustained low mortgage rates, have boosted housing demand during 2015,’ noted Martin Ellis, Halifax housing economist. [1]

‘Strengthening demand is filtering through into higher sales levels, although the ongoing shortage of supply is acting as a significant constraint on activity,’ he added. In addition, Ellis believes that demand is likely to continue to outstrip supply over the next few months, ‘maintaining upward pressure on house prices,’ as a result.[1]

Annual house price growth rises in October

Shortage

This chronic lack of supply has presented real problems for estate agent group Countrywide, who announced last night that its full-year profits were expected to drop as a result of fewer properties coming onto the market.

The company noted that, ‘the anticipated post-election recovery in residential transactions failed to materialise in any significant way.’[1]

Just last week, rival mortgage lender Nationwide said that house prices increased by 3.9% in October, in comparison to the same period twelve months ago.

In addition, property values were up by 0.6% compared to September

[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-34730542

Ex-footballers give squatters extra-time

Published On: October 20, 2015 at 1:02 pm

Author: Em Morley

Categories: Property News

Tags: homeless people,Homes,Manchester,squatters

Around 30 homeless people currently squatting in an empty property owned by two former Manchester United footballers have been told that they will be able to stay during the Winter months.

Old Trafford legends Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville are currently overseeing the renovation of the former Stock Exchange building in Manchester city centre into a luxury hotel.

Staying put

Human rights activist Wesley Hall, had a telephone conversation with Neville and was informed that the inhabitants could stay until February, when the building works are scheduled to be finished.

Mr Hall said that he was speaking to a developer working on the site, when he was given permission to speak directly to the ex-England full-back.

‘He spoke to me. He said look, I’ve not got a problem with you staying here, look after the building and respect the building,’ Hall said. He went on to stay that giving the homeless somewhere to stay was a, ‘lifeline.’[1]

‘These people aren’t getting a nourishing meal, their immune systems are low and they are dying. All it needs is someone to put a roof over their head and give them a bit of support,’ he added.[1]

Ex-footballers give squatters extra-time

Security

Hall went on to say that he was determined to adhere to Mr Neville’s request that the property and it’s inhabitants were looked after, saying, ‘we are going to do everything properly. We have already drawn up rotas for cooking, cleaning and staffing the gate. Everyone will be able to have their own room and each person will be able to lock their bedroom door.’[2]

‘We were expecting that as soon as Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville found out that we had occupied the building, they would try to get us evicted and that we would have to look for another building. Having a few months during the winter to work with homeless people without the threat of eviction hanging over our heads is brilliant,’ Hall continued.[2]

Concluding, Mr Hall said, ‘we undertake not to cause any damage to anything and to leave the building in as good if not a better state than we found it in. I have ordered smoke alarms to keep the building safe. I even suggested to Gary that he might be interest in employing some of the homeless people who are living here as labourers to help with the redevelopment work on the hotel.’[2]

[1] http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-34569111

[2] http://www.theguardian.com/society/2015/oct/18/former-manchester-united-star-occupiers-of-hotel-winter-ryan-giggs-gary-neville