Find out how much you will pay in stamp duty following the government’s major changes What is stamp duty? Stamp Duty Land Tax is a tax paid by homebuyers when they purchase a property or land. It is a banded tax relating to the overall cost of a property and applies to all property transactions […]
The post A guide to stamp duty for first time buyers appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
Global elite take out £1.8bn in mortgages for London houses in year to end of September
The super-rich have taken out 185 £5m-plus mortgages over the past year to take advantage of historically low interest rates and buy expensive luxury properties in London.
Members of the global elite signed up for the loans in the year to the end of September, according to figures released by the Financial Conduct Authority following a freedom of information request.
Continue reading...Karen Whyte, a valuer at Aberdein Considine, offers easy-to-follow advice on how to boost your chances of a quick offer Selling or letting a property can seem a daunting task but it doesn’t have to be this way if thought is given to the simple things. First impressions First impressions are all-important and can make […]
The post Six simple top tips to help sell or let a property appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
Are you looking to move house with young children? Here are some top tips on how to reassure them during the move Whether you’re relocating to another part of the country or just moving around the corner, it can be an incredibly stressful time in your life, and adding young children into the mix can […]
The post How to make moving home easier on the children: 10 top tips appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
Keep your desert dwellers alive and give your succulents succour
A man is met by the devil at the gates of hell with a greeting: “You killed 30 succulents. Do you know how hard that is?” When this viral meme floated across my timeline, I’ll admit I cracked a smile, but to me it also highlights one of the great indoor gardening myths: the idea is that cacti and succulents are universally easy to grow. Trust me, under the right conditions killing cacti and succulents is really quite easy, at least eventually.
Fortunately, getting it right with these plants is almost as easy as getting it wrong, as long as you understand a few basic facts about their native habitat and how to replicate this at home. So here are two incredibly simple tips for success with these beautiful, popular and surprisingly forgiving plants.
Continue reading...Keep your desert dwellers alive and give your succulents succour
A man is met by the devil at the gates of hell with a greeting: “You killed 30 succulents. Do you know how hard that is?” When this viral meme floated across my timeline, I’ll admit I cracked a smile, but to me it also highlights one of the great indoor gardening myths: the idea is that cacti and succulents are universally easy to grow. Trust me, under the right conditions killing cacti and succulents is really quite easy, at least eventually.
Fortunately, getting it right with these plants is almost as easy as getting it wrong, as long as you understand a few basic facts about their native habitat and how to replicate this at home. So here are two incredibly simple tips for success with these beautiful, popular and surprisingly forgiving plants.
Continue reading...A look back over 2019’s sowing and reaping, from a bumper bean crop to stunning sweet peas
The end of another year, our 12th at the allotment, since Mary kindly took us in, gave us a garden home, a place to grow in exchange for humping sacks and building bits and bobs.
It was a good year for broad beans, with two sowings (early Aquadulce, later Witkiem) both steamed or eaten straight from the pod. Their tops were a spring gardening treat dressed with olive oil. I left it late for early potatoes, missing the RHS spring fair, though they cropped well enough. Basque tears peas as always, were enjoyed young then left to seed. Later, I trained morning glory up the pea poles, an astonishing blue-mauve catching the morning light. We loved them and will be growing them again in 2020.
Continue reading...A look back over 2019’s sowing and reaping, from a bumper bean crop to stunning sweet peas
The end of another year, our 12th at the allotment, since Mary kindly took us in, gave us a garden home, a place to grow in exchange for humping sacks and building bits and bobs.
It was a good year for broad beans, with two sowings (early Aquadulce, later Witkiem) both steamed or eaten straight from the pod. Their tops were a spring gardening treat dressed with olive oil. I left it late for early potatoes, missing the RHS spring fair, though they cropped well enough. Basque tears peas as always, were enjoyed young then left to seed. Later, I trained morning glory up the pea poles, an astonishing blue-mauve catching the morning light. We loved them and will be growing them again in 2020.
Continue reading...Independent estate agent, Chartsedge reveal what internal checks should be carried out on your holiday-lets. Internal Ceilings: If you have a leak in the roof, the first sign is damp on the ceiling. Be aware if your ceiling begins to look uneven because this may indicate a more serious problem, particularly for older ceilings. Decoration: Repaint […]
The post Top tips for your holiday-lets appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
Anna Hayman draws inspiration from art nouveau colours and floral motifs
For someone who makes a habit of covering the surfaces of her home in colour, glitter and pattern, Anna Hayman is surprisingly restrained with festive decorations. “I still have baubles and little statues from when I was a child, so I prefer to use those sparingly, rather than go crazy with new ones,” she says. “Otherwise the rooms would just look too overloaded.”
That’s because, year-round, Hayman’s home is her own den of maximalism. She designs patterns for fabrics, wallpapers and tiles and her home has always been a space where she would try out ideas, often repainting rooms on a whim. “For the sake of my marriage, I’ve slowed down a bit now,” she smiles.
Continue reading...Anna Hayman draws inspiration from art nouveau colours and floral motifs
For someone who makes a habit of covering the surfaces of her home in colour, glitter and pattern, Anna Hayman is surprisingly restrained with festive decorations. “I still have baubles and little statues from when I was a child, so I prefer to use those sparingly, rather than go crazy with new ones,” she says. “Otherwise the rooms would just look too overloaded.”
That’s because, year-round, Hayman’s home is her own den of maximalism. She designs patterns for fabrics, wallpapers and tiles and her home has always been a space where she would try out ideas, often repainting rooms on a whim. “For the sake of my marriage, I’ve slowed down a bit now,” she smiles.
Continue reading...Get the new RHS book, then prune your blackcurrants and plant sempervivums
Cut this Pruning blackcurrants is one of my most cherished winter jobs because the cut stems smell just as delicious as the fruit. Identify the oldest stems – they will be the darkest in colour – and trim them down to the base so the total number of stems is reduced by a third.
Plant this Houseleeks – also known as sempervivums – are one succulent you can keep outside. Their fleshy rosettes will survive the winter if planted in a sunny spot with sharp drainage: they come in an array of colours, from shiny green to red. Try planting in paving cracks or shallow containers.
Continue reading...These ivies look lovely, as well as providing valuable wildlife habitat and a late food source for birds and bees
A workshop near me is clothed in ivy like a shawl. It’s tightly woven into the building’s fabric and in autumn it shimmers with bees buzzing as they sup up the late harvest from its flowers. Ivy is truly a sight. It’s very good for pollinators, offering an excellent late source of nectar for many insects, notably bees, but also larval food for the beautiful holly blue butterfly (there are two generations of larvae a year and the second loves to dine on ivy). It’s a dense habitat for many others, too: peer inside any older specimen and you’ll find it full of life, from spiders to bird nests.
Finally, it has beautiful black berries that offer an invaluable food source for birds through winter, and well into spring and early summer. But, as anyone with a wall of ivy knows, it has a habit of using its aerial roots to cling on to whatever it climbs and then stubbornly refusing to let go, which can be a disaster for old mortar. There is a way around this: not all ivies have to climb.
Continue reading...Get the new RHS book, then prune your blackcurrants and plant sempervivums
Cut this Pruning blackcurrants is one of my most cherished winter jobs because the cut stems smell just as delicious as the fruit. Identify the oldest stems – they will be the darkest in colour – and trim them down to the base so the total number of stems is reduced by a third.
Plant this Houseleeks – also known as sempervivums – are one succulent you can keep outside. Their fleshy rosettes will survive the winter if planted in a sunny spot with sharp drainage: they come in an array of colours, from shiny green to red. Try planting in paving cracks or shallow containers.
Continue reading...These ivies look lovely, as well as providing valuable wildlife habitat and a late food source for birds and bees
A workshop near me is clothed in ivy like a shawl. It’s tightly woven into the building’s fabric and in autumn it shimmers with bees buzzing as they sup up the late harvest from its flowers. Ivy is truly a sight. It’s very good for pollinators, offering an excellent late source of nectar for many insects, notably bees, but also larval food for the beautiful holly blue butterfly (there are two generations of larvae a year and the second loves to dine on ivy). It’s a dense habitat for many others, too: peer inside any older specimen and you’ll find it full of life, from spiders to bird nests.
Finally, it has beautiful black berries that offer an invaluable food source for birds through winter, and well into spring and early summer. But, as anyone with a wall of ivy knows, it has a habit of using its aerial roots to cling on to whatever it climbs and then stubbornly refusing to let go, which can be a disaster for old mortar. There is a way around this: not all ivies have to climb.
Continue reading...In the wake of the Grenfell disaster, owners of high-rise apartments are finding their flats are worth zero
High-rise flat owners are effectively being told they may not be able to sell up or remortgage for several years unless the new government steps in to sort out a safety row.
Those affected could include Jack McGurran, who was looking to sell his flat so he could buy a bigger place, but now probably won’t be going anywhere for a while.
Continue reading...Average property in borough has leapt by 429%, as Newry, Northern Ireland, records slowest rises
A former down-at-heel corner of east London, the borough of Newham, has witnessed the steepest rise in property prices in the UK this century, according to data from Halifax, while the slowest increases have been in Newry in Northern Ireland.
The average house price in Newham has leapt by 429% since the start of the century, from £75,762 in 2000 to £400,574, a gain of 429%. The borough encompasses Stratford, home to the 2012 Olympics, and is peppered with new glass and steel residential towers, as well as some of the most deprived wards in the UK.
Continue reading...Condensation can be a headache for property owners and, if you do not get on top of the problem, it can quickly get on top of you. Condensation tends to be slightly more common in older properties than new-builds, although it is regularly found in both. Preventing and combating condensation – which basically occurs when […]
The post Top tips for reducing condensation appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
Property developers are trying to reimagine the town as some kind of Middlesex Manhattan – but they don’t have it all their own way
What’s going for it? Yes, there is a town, a whole universe, beyond the hallowed stadium. The 1920s Metroland, for starters, built by property developers on hilly Middlesex fields along the Metropolitan line. The landscape is still dominated by Acacia Avenues of semis and Tudorbethans and art deco stations. For some, the ghost of stadium mark one, with its stubby twin towers, haunts the streets around its successor, rebuilt in a Blairite makeover. These days, the property developers are trying to reimagine the town as some kind of Middlesex Manhattan, cardboard Novotels, Prezzos and high rises selling lifestyles and luxuries, flush with the future prospects promised by Crossrail and HS2 – if they do eventually pass by. But the developers do not have it all their own way. Wem-ber-ley’s Metroland is a hub of London’s British Asian community, its High Road a mix of Greggs and dosas, saree shops and Poundlands, and perhaps the most fitting place imaginable to host the Borough of Culture in London next year, featuring none other than Zadie Smith; as well as a little thing called, I believe, Euro 2020. May it thrive.
The case against Not, in the main, a beauty, although it has its moments. Heavily sliced by infrastructure: the North Circular, spaghetti clusters of mainline railways, the Grand Union canal.
Continue reading...Property developers are trying to reimagine the town as some kind of Middlesex Manhattan – but they don’t have it all their own way
What’s going for it? Yes, there is a town, a whole universe, beyond the hallowed stadium. The 1920s Metroland, for starters, built by property developers on hilly Middlesex fields along the Metropolitan line. The landscape is still dominated by Acacia Avenues of semis and Tudorbethans and art deco stations. For some, the ghost of stadium mark one, with its stubby twin towers, haunts the streets around its successor, rebuilt in a Blairite makeover. These days, the property developers are trying to reimagine the town as some kind of Middlesex Manhattan, cardboard Novotels, Prezzos and high rises selling lifestyles and luxuries, flush with the future prospects promised by Crossrail and HS2 – if they do eventually pass by. But the developers do not have it all their own way. Wem-ber-ley’s Metroland is a hub of London’s British Asian community, its High Road a mix of Greggs and dosas, saree shops and Poundlands, and perhaps the most fitting place imaginable to host the Borough of Culture in London next year, featuring none other than Zadie Smith; as well as a little thing called, I believe, Euro 2020. May it thrive.
The case against Not, in the main, a beauty, although it has its moments. Heavily sliced by infrastructure: the North Circular, spaghetti clusters of mainline railways, the Grand Union canal.
Continue reading...From a beach in Pembrokeshire to a Georgian house with a massive barn in Bedfordshire
Continue reading...Each month we look at key indicators to see what effect the Brexit process has had on growth, prosperity and trade
Continue reading...Yesterday, Edward Church, Head of Agency in Kent at Strutt & Parker, revealed his first five top tips to achieve your selling price. Today he reveals his final five to get the best price for your home Use your poker face: “If the house is worth £500,000, stick to your guns, play it cool and listen […]
The post Want to get the best price for your home? Check out these final 5 top tips appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
There are ways to make buying your first home easier. Here, OnTheMarket.com and the Money Advice Service explores some of them. Saving money for your deposit Before you start looking at properties you’ll need to start saving for a deposit. Generally, you need to try to save at least 5% to 20% of the cost […]
The post Seven top tips for today’s first time buyers appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
Long gone are the days when a landlord or letting agent simply handed a new tenant the keys, recommended a good local pub, shook hands and left. The landlords and letting agents of the 21st century are expected – and required by law – to provide tenants with documentation running to many pages. In addition […]
The post Legalities for tenants: Landlord and agent obligations appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
It’s everyone’s worst nightmare. You enter your home to discover someone has broken in and stolen your most treasured possessions. It’s a horrible feeling that no one should have to go through. It is also important to remember that there is no guarantee in stopping a burglar and therefore having insurance is critical. Burglars tend […]
The post How to make your house burglar-proof on a low budget appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
Readers with no debt who want to move closer to work and a good school seek advice
Q My husband and I own a home worth about £400,000 which is now totally mortgage free. He commutes a long way to work each day and as we have two young children, we are considering moving to the town where he works. Property there is more expensive, but the schools are good and the children would benefit from seeing more of their father during the week. Ideally we would like to make a step up and buy a detached family home, which in the area we want (where there’s a school we like) would cost about £725,000. We would need to borrow £325,000 to do this. I am a stay-at-home mum but my husband earns £48,000 per year plus about £8,000 in commission.
I have heard about mortgages where you can borrow more than the typical 3.5 times annual income which we would probably need to apply for. We feel we can afford to stretch our finances to take on the extra borrowing as we have no other debts or loans and have some savings in the bank. We could accommodate the repayments in our monthly household budget. Can you please advise us on how to access these type of mortgages, where do we find them and how can we maximise our chances of being approved for the mortgage loan?
XF
The Chelsea Hotel has been home to cultural icons from Janis Joplin and Andy Warhol for decades. As controversial renovations continue, Colin Miller photographs the hotel’s last remaining apartments and their residents
In 2015, an architecture firm approached me to take some photographs of the renovations they’d made to the historic Chelsea Hotel after the building was sold. The photographs I took were forgettable, but when I looked down the iron staircase I saw something of the hotel’s former glory. Pieces of the tenants’ artwork decorated the stairwell and amid the construction mess were visible signs of a vibrant community of residents who cared deeply for their home. I had only a vague sense of the Chelsea then, primarily through the film Sid and Nancy and from living in New York on the edge of the punk scene.
An aura of fame and creativity emanated from the hotel. Former residents include Allan Ginsberg, Arthur Miller, Stanley Kubrick, Bob Dylan and Patti Smith; Dylan Thomas and Nancy Spungen died there; Madonna lived and shot her Sex book there, and Leonard Cohen wrote two songs about the affair he had there with Janis Joplin. Struck by what I had seen, I set out to photograph the homes of the last remaining residents before the historic units were further sterilised. The Chelsea’s demise was imminent; I had a precious few months before it would all disappear.
Continue reading...There’s not much to do for the garden except plan, so it’s time to start scrolling through social media for inspiration
I don’t know about you, but, as someone with an obsession with the botanical world, the dark days of December are always a source of huge frustration for me. It’s not just that as plants slide into dormancy and you don’t get to see as much growth and life around you, but you have only a few fleeting hours of daylight in which to do so. Add to that the fact that the ground is often so sodden that stepping on it can damage soil structure, meaning whole swathes of most gardens become no-go zones, and it can feel like living with your hands tied behind you.
Fortunately, technology has come to the rescue for me. Thanks to the amazing connectivity of Instagram, even when it is soaking wet and pitch black outside, I can learn fascinating horticultural techniques, discover new plants I had never heard of before and drool over the work of the world’s best garden designers. I feel it has democratised garden media in a way never seen before, opening us up to all sorts of global influences. So here are my current favourite accounts that are “must follows” this winter, to inspire you for the spring.
Continue reading...There’s not much to do for the garden except plan, so it’s time to start scrolling through social media for inspiration
I don’t know about you, but, as someone with an obsession with the botanical world, the dark days of December are always a source of huge frustration for me. It’s not just that as plants slide into dormancy and you don’t get to see as much growth and life around you, but you have only a few fleeting hours of daylight in which to do so. Add to that the fact that the ground is often so sodden that stepping on it can damage soil structure, meaning whole swathes of most gardens become no-go zones, and it can feel like living with your hands tied behind you.
Fortunately, technology has come to the rescue for me. Thanks to the amazing connectivity of Instagram, even when it is soaking wet and pitch black outside, I can learn fascinating horticultural techniques, discover new plants I had never heard of before and drool over the work of the world’s best garden designers. I feel it has democratised garden media in a way never seen before, opening us up to all sorts of global influences. So here are my current favourite accounts that are “must follows” this winter, to inspire you for the spring.
Continue reading...It’s the winter solstice, so the days may not get warmer but they will get longer, and plans for spring can begin
We are finally at the winter solstice (4.19am today to be precise, when the North Pole is tilted farthest from the sun). This then is the shortest day, nearly nine hours less light than in high summer.
Enough science. Suffice to say, the dark is downhill from here. Yes, there are many weeks of winter still to come – February, not April, is the cruellest month for me – much rain, maybe sleet, perhaps snow. But at least later there is also more light. The first potatoes can go in in late February if you live in the south; early nasturtiums and calendula.
Continue reading...It’s the winter solstice, so the days may not get warmer but they will get longer, and plans for spring can begin
We are finally at the winter solstice (4.19am today to be precise, when the North Pole is tilted farthest from the sun). This then is the shortest day, nearly nine hours less light than in high summer.
Enough science. Suffice to say, the dark is downhill from here. Yes, there are many weeks of winter still to come – February, not April, is the cruellest month for me – much rain, maybe sleet, perhaps snow. But at least later there is also more light. The first potatoes can go in in late February if you live in the south; early nasturtiums and calendula.
Continue reading...Owning a piece of Britain’s history can add to the stress of buying. The Listed Property Owners Club (LPOC) offers advice for potential buyers of listed homes While buying a house can be daunting and stressful at the best of times, what if your dream home purchase came with the responsibility of owning a piece […]
The post Buying a listed building? Expert advice to ease the process appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
This immaculate single-storey house is still bursting with the design details that made it a 1970s classic
When interior designer Jason MacLean discovered an original 1970s California-cool modernist house for sale in Camberwell in 2006, he jumped at the chance to buy it. “I came to view the house on the Saturday and bought it on the Monday,” he recalls. “The week before, I had been to Palm Springs. I love the period architecture there and I had visited the Eames House, too. So when I saw this place I fell in love with it.”
Built and once occupied by British architect Martin Crowley in 1979, the single-storey compact house with a flat roof is a classic piece of infill architecture. It’s set on a back street where it is virtually invisible, tucked away between a row of garages. The black-painted front facade is largely blank, save for a bright orange door through which you access a cobbled courtyard. Here, Douglas Deeds white fibreglass pots are dotted around underneath a black I-beam frame that extends out from the steel, glass and brick structure of the house. A bamboo garden helps to screen the towering Georgian terraces behind.
Continue reading...This immaculate single-storey house is still bursting with the design details that made it a 1970s classic
When interior designer Jason MacLean discovered an original 1970s California-cool modernist house for sale in Camberwell in 2006, he jumped at the chance to buy it. “I came to view the house on the Saturday and bought it on the Monday,” he recalls. “The week before, I had been to Palm Springs. I love the period architecture there and I had visited the Eames House, too. So when I saw this place I fell in love with it.”
Built and once occupied by British architect Martin Crowley in 1979, the single-storey compact house with a flat roof is a classic piece of infill architecture. It’s set on a back street where it is virtually invisible, tucked away between a row of garages. The black-painted front facade is largely blank, save for a bright orange door through which you access a cobbled courtyard. Here, Douglas Deeds white fibreglass pots are dotted around underneath a black I-beam frame that extends out from the steel, glass and brick structure of the house. A bamboo garden helps to screen the towering Georgian terraces behind.
Continue reading...Home improvements have become big business in the past few years, with millions of homeowners opting to extend or upgrade their homes. Since 2013, some £40 billion has been spent on home improvements, according to research by the NAEA Propertymark (formerly known as the National Association of Estate Agents), with redecorating, new flooring and garden […]
The post How much value does a conservatory add? appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
You won’t need to worry about Saint Nick getting stuck in these festive properties, from Suffolk to Scotland
Continue reading...Since the advent of the buy-to-let mortgage in the 1990s, many thousands of people have invested in a property to rent out. Some have gone on to acquire multiple units and become professional landlords. Others find themselves becoming “accidental landlords” – as when a temporary job move takes place and the family home needs to […]
The post 15 top tips for letting a property appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
Halifax forecasts growth of between 1% and 3% as high deposits thwart young buyers
UK house price growth will remain subdued next year at between 1% and 3%, according to Halifax, with the market held back by young buyers struggling to afford deposits.
Despite talk of a “Boris bounce” after the election result, most major property institutions are forecasting that price rises in 2020 will be limited.
Continue reading...This cute cottage is the perfect place to snuggle up for Christmas – all it needs is a wreath on the door to go with its festive name. Holly Cottage is believed to have stood beneath its pitch tile roof since the 18th Century and retains plenty of charming character features, including original oak latched […]
The post Star Property under £250,000 appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
The Old Thatch is as pretty as the West Sussex countryside in which it sits. The Grade II-listed 16th Century cottage boasts plenty of rustic charms, including a bread oven, electric Aga and exposed beams throughout. Then there is the thatched roof itself, which is in superb condition, and a beautiful summer house nestled in the grounds, […]
The post Star Property over £500,000 appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
Rob Greenfield gardened, fished and foraged to eat more sustainably and encourage others to do the same. But to succeed, he needed the community
For the last year I grew and foraged 100% of my food. No grocery stores, no restaurants, not even a drink at a bar. Nature was my garden, my pantry and my pharmacy.
Most people would imagine I live in the countryside on a farm, but actually I live in a city; Orlando, Florida, a few miles from the centre. When I arrived here, I didn’t own any land, so in order to grow my food I met people in the neighbourhood and turned their lawns into gardens and shared the bounty of food with them. I’m a big believer in the philosophy “grow food, not lawns”.
Continue reading...Rob Greenfield gardened, fished and foraged to eat more sustainably and encourage others to do the same. But to succeed, he needed the community
For the last year I grew and foraged 100% of my food. No grocery stores, no restaurants, not even a drink at a bar. Nature was my garden, my pantry and my pharmacy.
Most people would imagine I live in the countryside on a farm, but actually I live in a city; Orlando, Florida, a few miles from the centre. When I arrived here, I didn’t own any land, so in order to grow my food I met people in the neighbourhood and turned their lawns into gardens and shared the bounty of food with them. I’m a big believer in the philosophy “grow food, not lawns”.
Continue reading...Researchers show disturbance to lawns increases likelihood of pest and weed invasion
Rewilding gardens may be growing in popularity but even a modest reduction in lawn mowing can boost wildlife, increase pollinators and save money, according to a study.
Researchers from the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières found that reducing the intensity of trimming lawns in urban areas can also reduce pests and weeds that cause allergies.
Continue reading...Researchers show disturbance to lawns increases likelihood of pest and weed invasion
Rewilding gardens may be growing in popularity but even a modest reduction in lawn mowing can boost wildlife, increase pollinators and save money, according to a study.
Researchers from the University of Quebec at Trois-Rivières found that reducing the intensity of trimming lawns in urban areas can also reduce pests and weeds that cause allergies.
Continue reading...You are happy in your home, but for one reason and another, it seems to be getting smaller and smaller. Perhaps your cute toddler has grown into a strapping teenager and acquired a younger brother or sister. Perhaps you have bought so many box sets of Game of Thrones that they take up half the […]
The post Should you extend your home or sell it? appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
I have very happy memories of David Bellamy (Obituary, 13 December) visiting our first school (for children aged four to eight) in Binley Woods, Warwickshire, in 1983. A letter from the children asked him to visit their small copse in the grounds they cared for and a pond they had created. He came for two, but stayed for three hours, talking to all 150 children and sharing their enthusiasm for natural history. He lay on the floor with the reception class, loving their song about a caterpillar. “Just wish I was five and could come to your school,” he said, ending his special morning. A year later he had an evening at Warwick University. I managed to pass a jar of blackberry jam to him, the fruit picked from the copse by the children and the jam made with some older help. David was delighted and touched, talking about it in the second half of the show. He was a truly delightful character.
Val Roberts
Retired headteacher, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com
Continue reading...I have very happy memories of David Bellamy (Obituary, 13 December) visiting our first school (for children aged four to eight) in Binley Woods, Warwickshire, in 1983. A letter from the children asked him to visit their small copse in the grounds they cared for and a pond they had created. He came for two, but stayed for three hours, talking to all 150 children and sharing their enthusiasm for natural history. He lay on the floor with the reception class, loving their song about a caterpillar. “Just wish I was five and could come to your school,” he said, ending his special morning. A year later he had an evening at Warwick University. I managed to pass a jar of blackberry jam to him, the fruit picked from the copse by the children and the jam made with some older help. David was delighted and touched, talking about it in the second half of the show. He was a truly delightful character.
Val Roberts
Retired headteacher, Leamington Spa, Warwickshire
• Join the debate – email guardian.letters@theguardian.com
Continue reading...Three-year low of 1.5% comes amid speculation that interest rates will be cut soon
UK inflation remained at the lowest level in three years in November despite rising prices for hard-pressed households across a variety of goods, including chocolate, concert tickets and package holidays.
The Office for National Statistics said the consumer price index (CPI) held steady at 1.5% last month, the same level recorded in October, as the annual jump in some prices was offset by falling prices elsewhere, including for cigarettes and hotel rooms.
Continue reading...Once you have had an offer on a property accepted, there are a series of steps the buyer and the seller must complete before the new home is yours. There are no guarantees until the contracts have been exchanged and even then you may have to wait a few weeks before the seller will be […]
The post Exchange of contracts and completion: a step-by-step guide appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
If you can’t afford to buy, renting is cheaper. Right? Well the latest figures show that might not be the case. Here the Money Advice Service looks at whether buying a home costs less than renting Content provided by OnTheMarket.com is for information purposes only. Independent and professional advice should be taken before buying, selling, letting […]
The post Is it cheaper to rent or buy a home? appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
Competition watchdog exposes three firms who colluded for years prompting fears of cartels operating across UK
A ring of estate agency firms that colluded to fix commissions at high levels across Berkshire has been broken up and collectively fined more than £600,000.
The estate agents, which handled most property sales in Wokingham and other parts of Berkshire, conspired to keep commissions at rates understood to be above 1.8% on each house sale, and even set up a penalty system for agents who broke their rules.
Continue reading...Are you worried your buyer might walk away? Sam Samuel, Director at Edward Ashdale, Bromley, gives his advice on what you can do to protect yourself The last thing that you want to happen once you have found a dream home is to see your buyer walk away. According to Sam Samuel, Director at Edward […]
The post What to do when you’ve found a dream home and your buyer walks away appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
Bank of England looks at rules after gating or UK property fund and Neil Woodford saga
Investors could be blocked from pulling out their cash at short notice unless they are willing to take a hit on the value of their investment, the Bank of England has warned.
Proposals put forward by City regulators will put the investment sector back in the spotlight after the gating of one of the UK’s largest property funds this month and the high-profile collapse of Neil Woodford’s investment empire.
Continue reading...I work to support tenants who are being exploited by criminal landlords and are sometimes living in dangerous conditions
I work for a charity that supports tenants who are victimised by criminal landlords, in partnership with local authorities across London. My week begins with a 5am alarm and a strong coffee, before I accompany a local authority enforcement team on a raid of a property that we suspect is being let illegally.
Continue reading...Our plan is to sell my house, move into hers and then sell that and buy one together
Q My partner and I both own our own homes but we’re planning to move in together soon. Our plan is for me to sell my house, then move in with my partner at her house. Shortly afterwards she would sell her house and we will then buy a new house together. This is to avoid setting up a complicated chain which will make it difficult to complete a purchase.
My house is worth around £140,000 and I have a mortgage balance of around £90,000. Her house is worth around £110,000 and she has a mortgage balance of £50,000.
Continue reading...A missile silo converted into a 15-storey luxury subterranean apartment complex could be a taste of what lies in store in cities around the world
Tucked away among cornfields in the midwestern United States, a military-grade chainlink fence surrounds a verdant berm on an otherwise empty plot of land. It is guarded by a camouflaged lookout with an assault rifle. Underneath this unassuming hill is a 15-storey inverted luxury tower block called the Survival Condo – and it could be a portend of future private underground developments in cities the world over.
Stretching 60 metres below the surface, the Kansas silo was one of 72 “hardened” missile structures built during the cold war to protect a ballistic missile with a nuclear payload one hundred times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Nagasaki.
Continue reading...Viewings are incredibly important so C J Hole Cheltenham has put together this checklist to help you get your home ready before potential buyers walk through the door A picture speaks a thousand words The first thing that potential buyers see when they enquire about a particular property is the ‘property details’. This is a bespoke […]
The post A guide to getting your home ready for viewings appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
Property site Rightmove says northern prices will rise in 2020 as London starts to bottom out
The average price of a home will rise by 2% over the next year, with northern regions performing more strongly than those further south, according to predictions from the UK’s biggest property website.
Rightmove said it expects to see asking prices rise by 2% in 2020 – and that the election result could pave the way for increased housing market activity this coming spring.
Continue reading...An imposing house that used to belong to Alexander McQueen is now the home Tinie Tempah always dreamed of
I’ve always been obsessed by Victorian architecture,” says British rapper, singer and songwriter Tinie Tempah, explaining why he still can’t get over his luck at “finding myself a double-fronted big old Victorian terraced house smack bang in the middle of one of the coolest places in London – Hackney.” He bought the four-storey terrace overlooking east London’s Victoria Park, once owned by the late Alexander McQueen, a few years ago.
“McQueen spent millions in here, redoing the interior and making it perfect. I thought, if it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for me. When I first went in there, a 23-year-old boy from south London, I was overwhelmed.
Continue reading...An imposing house that used to belong to Alexander McQueen is now the home Tinie Tempah always dreamed of
I’ve always been obsessed by Victorian architecture,” says British rapper, singer and songwriter Tinie Tempah, explaining why he still can’t get over his luck at “finding myself a double-fronted big old Victorian terraced house smack bang in the middle of one of the coolest places in London – Hackney.” He bought the four-storey terrace overlooking east London’s Victoria Park, once owned by the late Alexander McQueen, a few years ago.
“McQueen spent millions in here, redoing the interior and making it perfect. I thought, if it’s good enough for him, it’s good enough for me. When I first went in there, a 23-year-old boy from south London, I was overwhelmed.
Continue reading...Three living Christmas decorations that, with minimal care, will last you for many new years to come
In the run-up to Christmas, it seems even people who would never normally be tempted by indoor greenery get temporarily bitten by the houseplant bug. Lush poinsettias, powerfully fragrant hyacinths and tiny flocked conifers put on a dazzling indoor show for a few short weeks, before almost certainly being consigned to the bin along with the tinsel come January.
If you’re not a horticulturist, you might think the lack of a green thumb is at fault, but I promise you that this is almost certainly not the case. Most seasonal houseplants are either cold-climate species entirely unsuited to the extreme warmth and dark of living room conditions – or they’ve been forced by a cocktail of growth regulators to flower at an unnaturally small size and they soon exhaust themselves. There is a reason you never see a poinsettia in anyone’s house in August. But things really don’t have to be this way. Here are three living Christmas decorations that, with minimal care, will last you for many new years to come.
Continue reading...Three living Christmas decorations that, with minimal care, will last you for many new years to come
In the run-up to Christmas, it seems even people who would never normally be tempted by indoor greenery get temporarily bitten by the houseplant bug. Lush poinsettias, powerfully fragrant hyacinths and tiny flocked conifers put on a dazzling indoor show for a few short weeks, before almost certainly being consigned to the bin along with the tinsel come January.
If you’re not a horticulturist, you might think the lack of a green thumb is at fault, but I promise you that this is almost certainly not the case. Most seasonal houseplants are either cold-climate species entirely unsuited to the extreme warmth and dark of living room conditions – or they’ve been forced by a cocktail of growth regulators to flower at an unnaturally small size and they soon exhaust themselves. There is a reason you never see a poinsettia in anyone’s house in August. But things really don’t have to be this way. Here are three living Christmas decorations that, with minimal care, will last you for many new years to come.
Continue reading...December in the garden is a time to sit, watching the birds and appreciate the silence
It is largely empty at the allotments. The usual few hardy gardeners linger. Covers are coming on in different corners of the site. Wrappings of various types. I am still a little resistant, more open to accidents: unexpected shoots breaking through, flowers falling over. My preference is to see, say, robins rushing around and searching out seed, watch them and hope I might unearth a worm, turn over leaf mould or manure. Though I am more mindful now since seeing a kestrel swoop and carry off a young bird distracted by keeping me company.
We have netted two small areas of the plot, being careful to leave sections of the sides open for birds to get in and out. And, yes, I know their freedom of movement is not the idea, but I have had too many traumas freeing frightened blackbirds caught in others’ fruit cages. Our thinking is to limit the damage of hungrier pigeons as they decimate the kale leaving only brassica bones, a bird battlefield.
Continue reading...December in the garden is a time to sit, watching the birds and appreciate the silence
It is largely empty at the allotments. The usual few hardy gardeners linger. Covers are coming on in different corners of the site. Wrappings of various types. I am still a little resistant, more open to accidents: unexpected shoots breaking through, flowers falling over. My preference is to see, say, robins rushing around and searching out seed, watch them and hope I might unearth a worm, turn over leaf mould or manure. Though I am more mindful now since seeing a kestrel swoop and carry off a young bird distracted by keeping me company.
We have netted two small areas of the plot, being careful to leave sections of the sides open for birds to get in and out. And, yes, I know their freedom of movement is not the idea, but I have had too many traumas freeing frightened blackbirds caught in others’ fruit cages. Our thinking is to limit the damage of hungrier pigeons as they decimate the kale leaving only brassica bones, a bird battlefield.
Continue reading...Here are some top tips to help take first-time sellers from novice to know-it-all. And don’t forget our jargon buster Get a rough idea of what your home’s worth You can see what properties have been going for in your local area quickly and for free at OnTheMarket.com. Simply go to the homepage, click on ‘Sold […]
The post A guide to selling your first property appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
Infuse gin or vodka for a delicious festive tipple
I am tempted to say that you cannot find a better Christmas present than a small Jack Russell in a big red bow, but I am not in the business of suggesting puppies for presents. Instead, I am here with a few ideas that you can raid from your garden for a more individual, sustainable gift.
You’ve still got time to infuse the flavour of your garden into something – be it gin, vodka or vinegar. Find a pretty bottle and a nice label, and you’ve got a present that won’t go to waste. You don’t have to buy expensive alcohol – own-label brands are ideal; and I tend to use raw cider vinegar for infusing, but white wine vinegar is a good substitute. Then it’s time to get inventive with the flavours.
Continue reading...Infuse gin or vodka for a delicious festive tipple
I am tempted to say that you cannot find a better Christmas present than a small Jack Russell in a big red bow, but I am not in the business of suggesting puppies for presents. Instead, I am here with a few ideas that you can raid from your garden for a more individual, sustainable gift.
You’ve still got time to infuse the flavour of your garden into something – be it gin, vodka or vinegar. Find a pretty bottle and a nice label, and you’ve got a present that won’t go to waste. You don’t have to buy expensive alcohol – own-label brands are ideal; and I tend to use raw cider vinegar for infusing, but white wine vinegar is a good substitute. Then it’s time to get inventive with the flavours.
Continue reading...The spare room was once a place where we stored all those things we didn’t know what to do with. To help you decide if it’s a good idea, we have put together 10 tips and facts. The spare room was a hoarder’s paradise full of dusty paperbacks, old shoes, furniture and an untidy pile […]
The post Boost your income: make money from the spare room appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
Family decide to buy property in central London as direct result of election outcome
A super-rich European family on Friday bought a house in central London for £65m, saying their decision was a direct result of Boris Johnson’s historic Conservative party election victory.
The family instructed the luxury estate agency Beauchamp Estates to buy the property in an undisclosed “prime central London” location as investors and the very wealthy celebrated the Conservatives’ 80-seat majority.
Continue reading...With a Conservative government in place with a strong majority, we look at what this means for estate and letting agents and the property market. Ian Springett, Chief Executive Officer of OnTheMarket, said: “Brexit uncertainty has long been a drag on buyers, sellers, landlords, tenants and agents who have been working in challenging conditions to […]
The post General Election 2019: What it means for the property market appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
Service charges are usually one of the ‘hidden costs’ when it comes to buying a property. OnTheMarket.com reveals 10 top tips to avoid overlooking those additional fees. The devil is in the detail, as the saying goes, and that is particularly true when it comes to service charges – those tiresome little add-ons which can […]
The post 10 top tips to avoid being ‘stung’ by service charges appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
Faced with demands for large deposits from lenders, more people are considering buying a property with friends. Here we explore the advantages and pitfalls. In this blog, the Money Advice Service talks you through the things to think about beforehand and what to look out for during the buying process. The advantages of buying with friends There […]
The post Guide to buying a home with friends appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
Demands for withdrawals from funds accelerate after M&G blocks redemptions
A dash for the exit by investors has left UK property funds nursing their worst week of withdrawals since the Brexit referendum, and raised fears that further funds may be forced to close.
Last week M&G, one of the UK’s biggest asset managers, shocked small investors when it blocked withdrawals (called ‘redemptions’) from its high-profile £2.5bn property fund.
Continue reading...Millions live in squalid conditions, while home ownership is just a pipe dream for young people
At the end of a long, dismal and vacuous Conservative election campaign, it’s hard to pick out many standout scenes amid the monotony of Boris Johnson’s Get Brexit Done sloganeering. Which is why there was something cathartic about the moment that Lee Anderson, Tory parliamentary candidate for Ashfield, donned a black cagoule, stared into a mobile phone camera, and – with a zeal too seldom witnessed in contemporary politics – introduced himself to the wider world with a denunciation of “nuisance tenants”.
Related: Young people have been hit hard. Now they can rise up and reject Johnson | Owen Jones
Continue reading...When renting a home it can sometimes seem difficult to make it your own. Here OnTheMarket.com suggests five ways you can personalise your rental property. Sky-high asking prices are making it harder than ever to get a foothold on the property ladder. According to the government’s latest Housing White Paper, home ownership rates for younger […]
The post How to make a rental house a home: Five top tips appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
Rightmove’s annual top-five properties include a Downton Abbey-like castle and a star striker’s Towie pile
They are this year’s five most-viewed properties on the UK’s biggest house-selling website – from a Premier League footballer’s “wagtastic” Essex mansion to a castle that could double for Downton Abbey.
Former West Ham footballer Andy Carroll scored top place in the 2019 Rightmove list of most-snooped-around properties with his Chigwell home, shared with his partner, Billi Mucklow, a star of the The Only Way Is Essex television show.
Continue reading...The private rented sector of the UK property market has grown dramatically since the late 1990s and the growth is predicted to continue. OnTheMarket.com’s renting guide Private rentals accounted for 4.7 million or 20% of households in England in 2016/17, more than doubling in number since 2002 (Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, July 2018). […]
The post Nine top tips for renting a property appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
Are you thinking about moving your business? OnTheMarket.com reveals 10 factors to consider when buying commercial property Buying commercial property can be a sensible option for those who run a small or medium-sized business. In fact, at a time when other types of property investment, such as the buy-to-let sector, are looking less attractive than […]
The post A guide to buying commercial property appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
As the general election campaign heats up, there are burning questions for the property market. And so with the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat manifestos hot off the press, and of course other parties proffering their policies, OnTheMarket.com looks at some of the election pledges. But first, Kate Faulkner, Property Market Analyst and Commentator, gives us a flavour of the […]
The post General Election 2019: Party pledges on the property market appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
We squander masses of clean water flushing away our own waste instead of using it as fertiliser. But a lavatorial eco revolution has now begun
If you’ve been to a festival, gone on a rural getaway or spent any time with eco-minded people in the past few years, you may have noticed a small revolution taking place in lavatories around the UK. For those to whom chucking litres of clean drinking water down the toilet on each flush seems wildly at odds with attempts to protect the environment and slow the climate emergency, compost toilets are increasingly making sense.
The idea is simple: treat human waste just as other organic matter – in a not dissimilar way to how kitchen waste is composted.
Continue reading...We squander masses of clean water flushing away our own waste instead of using it as fertiliser. But a lavatorial eco revolution has now begun
If you’ve been to a festival, gone on a rural getaway or spent any time with eco-minded people in the past few years, you may have noticed a small revolution taking place in lavatories around the UK. For those to whom chucking litres of clean drinking water down the toilet on each flush seems wildly at odds with attempts to protect the environment and slow the climate emergency, compost toilets are increasingly making sense.
The idea is simple: treat human waste just as other organic matter – in a not dissimilar way to how kitchen waste is composted.
Continue reading...I have a lot to pay on the mortgage but I wonder whether putting it into my pension might save on tax
Q I am 50 years old and have just inherited £35,000. This is likely to be the last money I inherit, so I want to be careful about what I do with it. We still have a lot to pay on the mortgage, but apart from that we are debt-free. I have several pensions from previous and current jobs but sadly none have much in them.
Would it be best to put the money I have inherited on the mortgage or should it go into my current pension (and will this save on tax)? Or should I put it in Isas and hope for the market to improve by the time I retire, which won’t be any time soon?
NM
It might not seem the ideal way of getting on the property ladder but for more and more young people, it is the only way to make the move. OnTheMarket.com considers shared ownership Getting a foot on the property ladder has become increasingly difficult for first time buyers and as a result shared ownership has […]
The post A guide to shared ownership appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
Change the way you dig and you’ll grow better, stronger trees
Planting a tree is one of the easiest ways you can make a lasting difference to your local environment and, depending on the species, enjoy decades of flowers, fruit and autumn colour – all in return for a modest outlay and a few minutes’ work.
Although putting a tree in the ground might not sound like rocket science, in recent decades scientific research has overhauled much of the traditional wisdom about planting saplings, including some ideas that sound a little strange. So, let me explain why science proves that it’s better to plant trees in square holes.
Continue reading...Change the way you dig and you’ll grow better, stronger trees
Planting a tree is one of the easiest ways you can make a lasting difference to your local environment and, depending on the species, enjoy decades of flowers, fruit and autumn colour – all in return for a modest outlay and a few minutes’ work.
Although putting a tree in the ground might not sound like rocket science, in recent decades scientific research has overhauled much of the traditional wisdom about planting saplings, including some ideas that sound a little strange. So, let me explain why science proves that it’s better to plant trees in square holes.
Continue reading...The tenacious flowers still face off against December’s cold days, so it’s time to plan for next year’s long campaign of colour
It seems barely possible. Kala’s nasturtiums are literally clinging on into December. They have again colonised her neighbours’ fence, clambering over the top, reaching down to the ground, some stems around 12ft long. Even though the residents have repelled the invaders more than once. To no avail. Their wall is a cascade of orange vitality. Until a sustained heavy frost, at least.
The allotment is situated higher up, at the top of Hampstead Heath. Sheltered in a scoop, entirely surrounded by tall trees, it is capable of holding in heat and cold. There, most nasturtiums have already succumbed. Carcasses of frost-twisted tendrils and red petals are curled on the ground. At the other end of the plot, some late-sown climbers from the Higgledy Garden shop are climbing still – light on flower, heavy on leaf. In the morning, they catch the dew like water lilies waiting for a frog.
Continue reading...The tenacious flowers still face off against December’s cold days, so it’s time to plan for next year’s long campaign of colour
It seems barely possible. Kala’s nasturtiums are literally clinging on into December. They have again colonised her neighbours’ fence, clambering over the top, reaching down to the ground, some stems around 12ft long. Even though the residents have repelled the invaders more than once. To no avail. Their wall is a cascade of orange vitality. Until a sustained heavy frost, at least.
The allotment is situated higher up, at the top of Hampstead Heath. Sheltered in a scoop, entirely surrounded by tall trees, it is capable of holding in heat and cold. There, most nasturtiums have already succumbed. Carcasses of frost-twisted tendrils and red petals are curled on the ground. At the other end of the plot, some late-sown climbers from the Higgledy Garden shop are climbing still – light on flower, heavy on leaf. In the morning, they catch the dew like water lilies waiting for a frog.
Continue reading...Packing up and relocating to another city, or, for that matter, to another country, is a major undertaking. RE/MAX London offers advice. It is imperative to do necessary research and weigh up all the options before making the final decision. Whether you are emigrating or moving within the UK, there are essential aspects that should be assessed in every […]
The post What to consider when searching for a home in a new area appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.
Upcycled bike wheels, shredded magazines and papier-mâché baubles… We challenged three eco-minded creators to design a festive tree – with spectacular results
Sustainability and seasonality are two guiding principles in the work of Kent-based stylist Hannah Bullivant. “I don’t want to create pretty things that then end up in landfill. I don’t want to add to that problem,” she explains. Her work – which encompasses event styling, creative workshops and interior styling projects – wholeheartedly embraces the storied and the secondhand. So, when asked to create a sustainable tree, she immediately headed outside.
Continue reading...Upcycled bike wheels, shredded magazines and papier-mâché baubles… We challenged three eco-minded creators to design a festive tree – with spectacular results
Sustainability and seasonality are two guiding principles in the work of Kent-based stylist Hannah Bullivant. “I don’t want to create pretty things that then end up in landfill. I don’t want to add to that problem,” she explains. Her work – which encompasses event styling, creative workshops and interior styling projects – wholeheartedly embraces the storied and the secondhand. So, when asked to create a sustainable tree, she immediately headed outside.
Continue reading...Being busy all the time is part of the way we live. But, whether gardening, reading or spacing out on the sofa, taking time to rest is just as important
I’m not very good at resting. When I told friends that after writing books covering emotions, time perception and the psychology of money I had started writing one on rest, their first reaction was usually, “But you’re always working. You never rest!”
More generally, if someone asks me how things are going, my stock answer is, “Fine, busy, too busy really.” But while this claim feels true of my life, how much is it also a claim to status? If you say you are busy, then it implies you’re important, you’re in demand. As the time-use researcher Jonathan Gershuny puts it, busyness has become “a badge of honour”.
Continue reading...Being busy all the time is part of the way we live. But, whether gardening, reading or spacing out on the sofa, taking time to rest is just as important
I’m not very good at resting. When I told friends that after writing books covering emotions, time perception and the psychology of money I had started writing one on rest, their first reaction was usually, “But you’re always working. You never rest!”
More generally, if someone asks me how things are going, my stock answer is, “Fine, busy, too busy really.” But while this claim feels true of my life, how much is it also a claim to status? If you say you are busy, then it implies you’re important, you’re in demand. As the time-use researcher Jonathan Gershuny puts it, busyness has become “a badge of honour”.
Continue reading...Sorbus are easy to grow and their gorgeous berries provide a visual winter feast
On an unobtrusive corner of my neighbourhood is a tree so good I have taken to pointing it out to anyone I am with, and sometimes even random strangers. It sits at the bottom of a terraced garden and, from autumn into winter, is decked in the most gorgeous berries.
Sorbus pseudohupehensis ‘Pink Pagoda’ is a pink-berried mountain ash or rowan, originally from Yunnan, China. The berries are perfect; not a sickly sweet pink, nor so pale as to be insipid, and beautifully offset by the blue-greenish foliage. This brilliant combination is then given an unexpected twist when the blue–green leaves turn firecracker red in autumn, before dropping to reveal a purple-grey winter skeleton – and those berries. It’s a drama that unfolds in three acts, until finally, in the last scene, birds cotton on to the food source and strip it bare. In my mind it’s the perfect garden tree.
Continue reading...Sorbus are easy to grow and their gorgeous berries provide a visual winter feast
On an unobtrusive corner of my neighbourhood is a tree so good I have taken to pointing it out to anyone I am with, and sometimes even random strangers. It sits at the bottom of a terraced garden and, from autumn into winter, is decked in the most gorgeous berries.
Sorbus pseudohupehensis ‘Pink Pagoda’ is a pink-berried mountain ash or rowan, originally from Yunnan, China. The berries are perfect; not a sickly sweet pink, nor so pale as to be insipid, and beautifully offset by the blue-greenish foliage. This brilliant combination is then given an unexpected twist when the blue–green leaves turn firecracker red in autumn, before dropping to reveal a purple-grey winter skeleton – and those berries. It’s a drama that unfolds in three acts, until finally, in the last scene, birds cotton on to the food source and strip it bare. In my mind it’s the perfect garden tree.
Continue reading...Average house price in November shows biggest jump since February, says Halifax
UK house prices rebounded in November despite continued uncertainty around the outcome of Brexit and the upcoming general election, according to Britain’s biggest mortgage lender.
The average price of a home rose 1% to £234,625 last month, Halifax said, marking the largest monthly rise since February.
Continue reading...More real estate funds may have to impose extraordinary liquidity measures – Fitch
Investors pulled almost £3bn out of UK property funds over the past year, highlighting the toll that extended Brexit uncertainty and high street gloom have had on the sector.
Data prepared by Morningstar shows that £2.8bn was taken from 15 open-ended commercial property funds that offer daily liquidity to investors, putting pressure on the cash buffers used to cover customer withdrawals.
Continue reading...Disabled-friendly homes that are easily accessible, from London to Yorkshire
Continue reading...