April 2020 Market Comment

What a difference a month can make! Our March Market Comment was very positive and full of the joys of spring. Indeed, the Halifax subsequently reported that house prices were 2.1% higher at the end of March than they had been at the end of December 2019. The “Boris Bounce” was very much in evidence, but who’d have thought that Boris would now be fighting for his life in intensive care, along with thousands of others, due to the pandemic.

As … Continue Reading…

Five jobs you can do around your home during lockdown!

We’re entering week three of the national lockdown. Or is it week 4?

Time seems to be passing differently at the moment it seems, don’t you think?

Talking of time, it’s the one thing many of us have plenty of right now.

So, this is the best chance you’ll have to get around to those jobs that have been on your to-do list for a while.

Below is a list of five jobs around your home that you can do simply and cost-effectively. Plus, … Continue Reading…

A Feelgood Friday Update

Welcome to the second Feelgood Friday update from us at Richard James.

And here are four reasons to be cheerful and optimistic to pull through this testing period.

The Care Bears

Following on from the rainbow posters brightening windows across the UK we’re now seeing the rise of the ‘care bears.’ This lovely idea is for families to put teddy bears in their windows to brighten up the walks of people as they go by during their daily exercise.

Clap for Carers – An … Continue Reading…

New EPC Landlord Regulations

The onus on landlords to provide energy efficient accommodation has once again stepped up a gear, now that part three of the Energy Efficiency (Private Rented Property) (England and Wales) Regulations 2015 has come fully into effect.

It is now (since 1st April 2020) illegal for landlords to continue to let a property, or grant a new tenancy (including an extension or renewal), where the Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) is below band E – the minimum level of energy efficiency for … Continue Reading…

Time on your hands? Check out these 10 Binge-worthy Box Sets

Many of us have a little more time on our hands than usual at the moment.

And while learning a new language, trying at-home workouts and reading classic literature is all well and good, you can’t beat a good bit of sitting on the sofa and binging on addictive TV shows.

At Richard James we’re still working hard for our clients, but we’ve more ‘downtime’ than usual.

So, we’ve come up with ten series for adults that are well worth a watch … Continue Reading…

Protect yourself and your family against wicked Coronavirus scammers

The Coronavirus (Covid-19) has created a surge of people feeling anxious and fearful across Northamptonshire.

And low-life scammers are preying on these emotions to trick people out of hundreds of thousands of pounds.

The low-life scammers are using several methods to target people, including text messaging, social media, phishing emails, direct mail and even in person.

Below is a list of five scams we’ve been made aware of that have happened across the UK.

Door knocking. In some rare cases, fraudsters claiming to be … Continue Reading…

Feelgood Friday

Welcome to what will be a regular Feelgood Friday update from us at Richard James.

For every episode of selfish panic buying around Wellingborough, Irthlingborough and Rushden there are a dozen more examples of selfless behaviour, random acts of kindness and generous community spirit.

We’re in the strangest and most surreal period of modern history.

But it’s in these darkest of times many people can, and do, shine their brightest lights.

Here are four reasons to be cheerful and optimistic around Northamptonshire, the UK … Continue Reading…

Discover the fine art of having a tidy-up – Japanese Style

You know those jobs you always said you’d sort out when you got time?

Well with the Government’s instructions to Stay at Home, Protect the NHS and Save Lives, that excuse might be wearing a little thin in a few weeks.

Many of us across Wellingborough, Irthlingborough & Rushden have a lot of time on our hands right now. Making it the perfect chance to look at ways to declutter and re-organise our homes.

And who better to give us advice than the … Continue Reading…

Five ways to keep yourself calm during these anxious times!

Well it’s fair to say that none of us have ever lived through such uncertain times.

The Coronavirus outbreak has caused global uncertainty, panic and anxiety.

It would be disingenuous of us if we said that as a local business impacted by this, we weren’t worried. We all are. It’s a natural response to extraordinary events.

But there are positives. For every panic buying report, there are plenty more incidents of kindness, generosity and community spirit.

And heroes are coming to the fore.

The outstanding … Continue Reading…

Homeschooling ideas and free resources for families around Wellingborough, Irthlingborough & Rushden

Out of all this uncertainty and anxiety has come plenty of positives.

The news yesterday that schools in the U.K. were to shut for the foreseeable future was met with a wave of companies and organisations offering up learning resources for free.

For every instance of selfishness, there’s been plenty more stories of community spirit and kindness.

Here’s a list of some websites people have been generously sharing which will keep the younger members of our community around Wellingborough, Irthlingborough & Rushden entertained, … Continue Reading…