Thinking of Selling Your Home? Do These Five Things First

Selling a home can be stressful, but by following a few easy rules at the start of the process, vendors can save themselves time, money, and heartache.

A little bit of pre-sale prep will help you avoid the two most common home-selling horror themes.

Scenario one: The process is painfully slow and drags on for months (or sometimes years) leaving the vendors living in limbo and tearing their hair out because they can’t seal a deal.

Scenario two: The vendor falls in love with … Continue Reading…

What Will You Be Drawing on this Month

This month sees the world’s biggest drawing festival take place.

Throughout October, there are activities taking place across the globe to encourage people to pick up a pencil and pen and start getting creative.

Due to Covid-19, many of these are now taking place online. And at the end of this article, we share a link where you can access more information.

The Big Draw attracts millions of people of all ages and highlights the benefits of getting arty.

These include:

Reducing stress – drawing … Continue Reading…

Thinking about Moving? Here’s what’s on the Horizon in the Housing Market

After one of the most unusual years on record for the housing industry, the latest market predictions from a major property chain make for interesting reading.

Think back to March, when the housing industry screeched to a halt for more than seven weeks during what is typically a busy time of year for property sales.

Then jump ahead to May and June when the UK’s market re-opened – and demand rocketed. A month later, the Stamp Duty holiday was announced, leading to … Continue Reading…

Breaking News – Big boost for first-time buyers

Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced yesterday afternoon that he would make the dream of buying a first home a more achievable reality for first-time buyers.

The news came in a speech to the virtual Conservative conference.

The PM claimed his Government would introduce fixed-rate long term mortgages which would see as many as 2 million first time buyers being able to borrow 95% of the value of the property they want to buy.

The move is intended to help younger buyers afford a home … Continue Reading…

Nine enjoyable things to try this October

1 Plant some bulbs

Bulbs are easy to plant, can go in either the ground or pots, require virtually no looking after and pack a colourful punch. What’s not to like? Plant daffodils, tulips and hyacinths for spring blooms and alliums and lilies for summer flowers.

2 Play conkers

Every October, thousands of people flock to the village of Southwick in Northamptonshire to partake in that most British of pastimes: the thwacking of horse chestnuts. We are, of course, talking about the World … Continue Reading…

What Not to Include in Your Property Marketing Photos

We look at the dos and don’ts of photography when it comes to marketing a property.

When selling or letting a property, it’s impossible to overstate the importance of getting the imagery right.

As most buyers and renters spend hours scrolling through property portals before arranging viewings, first impressions are crucial.

So why then do so many people get it wrong? Such is the volume of bad estate agency photos out there, that there are entire websites dedicated to mocking dodgy property pics … Continue Reading…

What Will You Be Stopping and Starting in Northamptonshire Next Month?

Today we look at the things people are stopping and starting in October.

2020 will go down in history as the year when life stopped, albeit temporarily.

And with local lockdowns coming into force, that feeling of stop-starting stuff is still around.

It’s a little like the hokey cokey but with stop-start replacing in-out.

This all makes it a little ironic that next month is now synonymous not just with falling leaves and trick or treating, but with people trying to put a stop … Continue Reading…

Don’t Delay If You Want to Save Money on Moving

We look at why movers in Northamptonshire need to act now if they want to save thousands of pounds in cash.

The legendary American author Mark Twain famously said this about procrastination: ‘Never put off till tomorrow which may be done the day after tomorrow.’

And while it might be a useful mantra when doing something mundane like mowing the lawn or some home DIY, it doesn’t apply to the housing market in Wellingborough, Irthlingborough and Rushden right now.

The national lockdown and … Continue Reading…

Tips to Save on Your Energy Bills and Help the Planet

With 40% of UK carbon emissions coming from households, the road to a cleaner, greener planet starts at home.

First, the good news (yes, there is some)

In 1990, the average UK home generated 12.8 tonnes of CO2. (To get this figure, the Committee on Climate Change analysed data on heating, electricity, transport, aviation and waste.)

By 2014, this figure had dropped to 8.1 tonnes of CO2. The aim now is to get the average down to 4.5 tonnes of CO2 by 2030.

Greener … Continue Reading…

Join the Fight Against Litter

How we can improve the local environment by joining the fight against litter.

If the sight of discarded fag butts, empty bottles and plastic wrappers makes you see red, you’re not alone.

Litter is an issue that frustrates and aggravates many people in the UK, and rightly so.

Not only is litter unsightly and expensive to remove (in 2017/18 keeping the streets clean cost local authorities £663 million), but it can damage the environment and harm wildlife.

Cigarette packets and butts top the list … Continue Reading…