The Wellingborough Property Blog

  HOME IMPROVEMENTS ON A BUDGET   Making improvements to your home doesn’t just mean refitting your kitchen, converting the loft or adding an extension. Home improvement can be as easy as breathing a little more life into your rooms – here’s how to upgrade your home on a budget, ready to sell. Clean Your Carpets If new carpets are just out of reach for your budget, you can hire a carpet cleaner from your local hardware store for a thorough clean to make them look brand new again. Opt for a warm day when the kids are at school, so you can open the windows and let your carpet dry out without anyone treading over the fresh fluffy threads. Restore Floor Tiles The tiles in your kitchen or hallway might be in need of some TLC, especially after years of enduring heavy footfall. Encaustic tiles often have a layer of old polish, wax or ground-in grime on them which casts a veil over their original charm. It may take a little elbow grease, but you can restore your floor tiles by making ...

  The changing of seasons tends to bring around a renewed mindset and a desire for a change of scenery. If the weather cooling down has you thinking about kicking back and cosying up in a new living room, there’s no need to wait as autumn could be one of the best seasons to start the search for your new home.    Save Money    As summer comes to an end, house prices tend to slowly cool down like the weather and you’ll avoid some of the bustling competition from families looking to move in the school holidays.      Cooler Weather     Be kinder to yourself and your moving team by avoiding the hot weather. Shifting furniture from house to house is no easy task but you can take some of the heat off by moving in autumn. Despite the temperature dropping, the weather is still on your side, and you’ll have enough daylight hours to complete your move, unlike the winter months when evenings are earlier and darker.     Get A...

  If you’ve lived in your home for a number of years, it may be time to relish in the opportunity to improve, extend, redecorate or redesign. Whether you plan on staying or someday selling, we’ve gathered a list of renovations that are worth investing in.    Updating Your Kitchen Making the kitchen the heart of your home is an investment in your property’s value and your own happiness. You won’t see many new builds on the market today which do not feature sleek, elegant kitchen islands, minimalist cupboards and appliances, smooth surfaces and soft lines and edges in their kitchens. This is because outdated kitchens can be a huge turnoff for buyers, they usually lower the home’s EPC rating and they aren’t as functional and easy to use as a modern kitchen with up to date fittings.   New Floors If the flooring in your home has become worn, old, and even damaged, it makes sense to replace it as signs of wear and tear will most likely chip away at your home’s value. This ...

  Photographs are an essential step when selling your home in Northamptonshire and are integral to an effective marketing strategy. Your photos need to look fantastic and stand out in a busy market. The images need to be an accurate and honest representation of the property, which is why staging your home before the professional photographer arrives is crucial. If you are not hiring professional home stagers, there are some simple steps you can take to prepare your home in the best possible way before we send our professional photographers out to capture your home at its best! Pay Attention to the Front of The Property Even the nicest of cars cause distraction. Remove your vehicle from the driveway to give the viewers the full impact of the outside space and an unobstructed view of the front of the property. Additionally, ensure garage doors are closed. Small changes will make a significant impact on the overall quality of the photography. If you usually keep the bins at the front ...

  PROPERTY MARKET UPDATE: WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE UK PROPERTY MARKET House prices have hit yet another record high, while the true scale of the UK’s price increases has been revealed, and a study has shown the locations where properties sell the fastest. Read on for all this and more in July’s property market update. House prices rise for the sixth consecutive record month Asking prices for UK homes have risen to a new record high for the sixth straight month. Figures released by leading property portal, Rightmove, show that the average asking price for a UK property is now £369,968 – an increase of 0.4% or £1,354 in the past month. The increase is higher than May’s 0.2% figure, but far lower than April’s rise of 2.1%, as the housing market begins to show signs of a cool down after a long period of unprecedented growth. Further data shows that prices have increased 9.3% over the past year, largely driven by the far higher demand for homes than the supply available, with the latest ...

  After your offer has been accepted, many buyers opt to undertake a homebuyer’s survey. Surveys are a great way to feel reassured about the property’s condition and what maintenance may be needed in the future. Major issues with the property should already be reported in the property listing, so surveys don’t typically create much cause for concern. However, sometimes sellers aren’t aware of a property’s issues until a full homebuyer’s survey is carried out, leaving you with an unexpectedly bad report. If you have received a bad survey on a house in Northamptonshire, here’s an overview of the next steps you can take. 1. Discuss It With Your Surveyor Survey reports are known to frighten potential buyers. Sometimes, they can highlight every risk and potential issue that exists or could exist in the future for your new home. Before making any quick decisions, talk through the results in detail with your surveyor. Get an idea about things like how common the issues are and what the se...

  THE RACE FOR OUTSIDE SPACE With the tug of war between supply and demand playing out over the past few years and onwards, property value continues to increase as prospective buyers search for more open space and larger gardens in hopes of finding sanctuary outside of working-from-home hours.   Heatwaves The summer of 2022 has already seen temperature highs of 40 degrees. If demand for garden space fit for barbeques and sunbathing was already high, it’s now skyrocketing. Due to current buyer interest in outdoor relaxing, features such as patios, decking and well-maintained sheds can increase the value of your home substantially. Prospective buyers want a garden that is built for summer, as this may be one of their key reasons for moving this year.    Value Current research suggests homes with gardens have an increased value of as much as 20%, particularly in urban areas where outdoor space is limited. Over the recent years gardens have become a must for many potenti...