Buy My House – 10 things that devalue your property

There are 10 main things that will lower the value of your property including:

Problem neighbours – you are required to disclose any dispute with your neighbours to the purchaser of your site.

Living on a floodplain.  If you live on a floodplain you will find it difficult or impossible to obtain home insurance.  This will put purchasers off.

Illegal rennovations.  If you have extended into the loft, or made other structural alterations to your property without the appropriate consents this will devalue your property by the amount of money required to rectify the damage – or return the property to its original state.

Leaving the outside of your property to age in an ugly way will again put people off.  Examples include a front door that needs painting, poor windows.

Development in the area that is unpopular – such as a phone mast being put up.

Increasing crime levels.

Poor school ofsted results.

A notorious history connected with your property.  Has someone died in the house, or did a sinister person once live there, are there neighbourhood stories about ghosts living there?

Has your house become taken over by the pets?  Does it smell more like a kennel than a house?

Stone cladding or other such semi permenant amendments to the property can again put people off.  A ‘green bathroom suite’. stone cladding, a brick fire place and bar in the lounge, all are expensive to remove or replace and therefore affect the value of your house.

February 19, 2010  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Sell house quickly  No Comments

New Licensing Regulations for HMOs

The Government has stated that it will allow Councils to determine themselves whether or not to relax the rules on which houses need to be licensed in order to be converted to houses of multiple occupation.  Previously Councils were required to consult the Secretary of State if they wished to set out their own criteria.  From April they will still be required to consult locally about their new proposals but will not have to consult the Secretary of State.

Imposing additional licensing is designed to enable Councils to curb the flow of new HMOs, and stop the growth of high concentrations of this type of dwelling in certain parts of the country. 

The main investors in the property market at the moment are ‘cash rich investors’.  One example of this type of investor is the private sector landlord.  As the Government finds more and more red tape for these landlords to cut through in order to continue their business more will be deterred – often the good landlords. 

The aims are to stop high concentrations in student areas, and to combat the bad landlords.  However, when the policies are in place nationally this can impact upon the whole country.

No thought is given to where people that want this type of accommodation will live instead!  Or what impact it will have on the housing market as private landlords are deterred from investing.  We would say that it will have a negative impact upon the housing market, slowing it down again and making it more difficult for people to sell their house quickly.  With landlords less willing to buy houses quickly for cash the housing market cannot help but be affected.

January 29, 2010   Posted in: Legislation, Private rented  No Comments

Buy My House? Looking to sell your house quickly?

In this current housing market it is more important than ever to make sure that your house appeals to anyone that is looking to buy.  Buyers are few and far between.  They are now in the driving seat and able to be more choosy about what they buy.  They are also more likely to look to ‘haggle’ over the asking price, usually offering a lot less than the Estate Agents valuation of what the property is supposedly worth. 

If you decide to sell your house through the traditional route then you will want to follow some of the tips set out below to make sure that your house will appeal to the buyers. 

Remember Estate Agents will often give you little warning that you have a potential buyer coming to view the house, so you are best to make sure that the house is always kept in a presentable condition.

  1. If budget allows it is still advisable to decorate to ensure that all rooms have a neutral colour – Magnolia, cream or white.  Your taste might not be the same as the buyer.
  2. Make sure that every room is very tidy with all personal things away including family photos. 
  3. Clean every room very well.
  4. Put all toilet seats down.
  5. Make all beds.
  6. Put all washing away.
  7. Finish the washing up and put all pots away.
  8. If possible arrange for any pets to ‘go on holiday’ or stay with friends while your house is on the market.
  9. Tidy toys away – your potential purchaser may not have children so don’t present your house as just a family house.
  10. Make sure that the garden is tidy, all garden furniture is clean, dead plants removed, toys away, washing away, grass cut, fence in good condition.
  11. Remember some buyers may even look inside your cupboards (especially fitted cupboards) so don’t just throw everything in the cupboard and shut the door and hope!
  12. Treat every person that arranges to look around your house as the potential purchaser.  Even if you think they are only somebody that wants to nosey, you never know they may be the buyer you are looking for.
  13. Open all curtains so that the rooms are light and bright.
  14. Clean windows.
  15. Keep the carpets vacuumed and put rugs over any marks.
  16. Think where you have left the dustbins, does the outside of the house look tidy and presentable.
  17. Air the house regularly particularly if you smoke or have pets.
  18. Make sure that you don’t fall out with your neighbours, you will have to declare any neighbour disputes to potential purchasers.
  19. It is good to place a vase of fresh flowers in the lounge or kitchen.
  20. Switch the TV off before people come to look around, you want them to focus on your house not what’s on the TV.

At Right Home Sales we will buy your house from you directly.  We don’t ask you to show anyone around.  If you are looking for cash for your property, or a quick house sale contact us today on 0800 0949 123 and ask to speak to Stewart.

January 26, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

Repossessions hit the 48,000 mark

Last year approximately 48,000 homes were repossessed.  This is an amazingly high figure.  Now surveyors are being told by the mortgage lenders, and banks, to value properties low.  The banks are holding on to a large number of the repossessed properties rather than risking bring the market down even further.  This itself is holding up the market.  A lot of people are finding that they cannot sell their properties quickly and release their capital.  The properties are not fetching the prices that they had hoped.  Once the banks do start to release the repossessed properties their could be a further flood onto the market affecting the supply and demand, forcing us into a further property market depression.

January 21, 2010  Tags: , ,   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

Sell your house for a Happy New Year?

If your dream for 2010 is to sell your house quickly then once again the changes in the property market and general economy might not be particularly helpful for you.  The end of the Stamp Duty holiday will do nothing to bolster the property market.  Prevoiusly the government had put in place a ‘holiday’ on stamp duty for properties with a value of less than £175,000 but this has now come to an end.  Stamp duty is now payable on all properties over £125,000 meaning that first time buyers will have a further chunk of money to find, in addition to any deposit required to fund the purchase of their dream home. 

We all understand that the property market relies on first time buyers bringing new money in to keep properties moving all the way up the ladder.  Making it more difficult for the first time buyers makes it more difficult for everyone up the ladder. 

In addition, as mortgages remain difficult to otbain this weakens property chains.  At any point one link in the chain could be broken as people are declined a mortgage.  We keep seeing this happening to people, which is a crushing blow when you are desperate for a new start.

Hopefully later this year the property market may start to pick up again, in the meantime if you are looking to sell your house quickly contact Right Home Sales on 0800 0949 123, we can still help.

January 4, 2010   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments

“Who will give me Cash for My House” “I need to sell my house”

As Christmas looms some people are still asking the same questions “who will give me cash for my house”, constantly worrrying thinking “I need to sell my house” and looking for places where houses are bought fast, and cash is given for property, all for free!

Right Home Sales phones have been ringing off the hook this week.   We have had lots of customers looking to sell their house before Christmas to avoid repossession, enable them to make the next move, and lots of other reasons why they want to sell their house quickly for cash.  Luckily so far we have been able to help everyone.

With no signs of change in the property market people are finding it more and more difficult to sell their houses to release the equity or enable them to move on. Christmas does not make any difference if you need to sell your house, except that the property market is always slower in December.

We are happy that we have been able to help so many people this December and are looking forward to continuing to help people in the New Year.

December 17, 2009  Tags: , , ,   Posted in: Uncategorized  No Comments