Super-rich buying up 'Downton Abbey estates' to escape pandemic

Sales of £15m-plus English country homes breaking records as wealthy families ‘recalibrate their priorities’

The world’s super-rich are seeking to escape from coronavirus lockdowns in cities by buying multimillion-pound English country estates to create Downton Abbey lifestyles, complete with butlers, cooks, housekeepers and armies of gardeners.

Estate agents are reporting a surge in sales of vast country estates and former castle properties, which until Covid-19 struck had become increasingly hard to shift as the richest of the rich instead opted to live in luxurious skyscraper penthouses, on tropical islands or superyachts.

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How to keep a property transaction on course Nottingham Estate Agents

The collapse of a property sale can have a far greater effect than just disappointment or irritation – it can cost sellers thousands. OnTheMarket offers the following tips to keep your transaction steady. The numbers According to YouGov, a staggering 300,000 transactions collapse each year.  Almost a third of sales collapse due to the buyer’s […]

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Inside the Cardiff flat featured on BBC drama Sherlock

It's far from elementary...

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The office block has had its day. But what will replace it? | Simon Jenkins

Cities emptied by the coronavirus can focus on cultural activities, while the countryside we flee to must be protected

Does a Christian need a church? Does a shopper need a shop? Does an office worker need an office block? We know these places help bring people together and can deepen the experience. But when the coronavirus has passed I believe the truth will be revealed. Technology means that we can perform most of these tasks from anywhere, including home.

After the first lockdown, surveys suggested that the office’s days were numbered. Since the 1990s, the internet has supposedly liberated white-collar workers from their desks, but it has taken a pandemic to truly break the ritual. When the initial lockdown ended in the summer and Boris Johnson ordered the nation back to work, surveys in July reported that most workers wanted to split their time between working at home and in the office. Even so, there was an assumption that most businesses would eventually return to almost pre-pandemic practices.

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Homes for sale featured in TV and films – in pictures

Locations used in Doctor Who and Doctor Dolittle or by models and pop stars

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How to get the best out of a virtual viewing Nottingham Estate Agents

Virtual property viewings are increasingly helping movers find their perfect home – particularly with the current coronavirus lockdown restrictions in place. In-person viewings are still permitted across the UK, but Government advice on home moving in England states: ‘Initial viewings should be done virtually wherever possible.’ Buyers and renters can take a peek behind a […]

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How to grow a verge garden: 'Since I've been doing my gardening, I know half the street'

Transforming underutilised urban spaces into productive or beautiful gardens has a host of benefits

Kate Nightingale wields a pair of secateurs in her footpath garden in Camp Hill in Brisbane’s east, and passersby keep stopping to chat.

Related: It’s official: allotments are good for you – and for your mental health

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How to grow a verge garden: 'Since I've been doing my gardening, I know half the street'

Transforming underutilised urban spaces into productive or beautiful gardens has a host of benefits

Kate Nightingale wields a pair of secateurs in her footpath garden in Camp Hill in Brisbane’s east, and passersby keep stopping to chat.

Related: It’s official: allotments are good for you – and for your mental health

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What to do if your home isn’t selling: Five top tips Nottingham Estate Agents

Waiting for your home to sell can be incredibly stressful. Here OnTheMarket agent Austin Gray suggests five ways you can help get the ‘ball rolling’ The idea of selling your home, especially for the first time, can be a daunting one, let alone if the property isn’t selling. No sale period is the same so […]

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Estate and letting agent survey results: August 2020 Nottingham Estate Agents

In August OnTheMarket undertook a comprehensive survey of our agent partners to gauge their views on the state of the market in their areas and other issues affecting them and their businesses. We had a great response from agents up and down the country, providing their feedback on local resale and rental prices; levels of […]

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Keep the home fires burning? Don’t even think about it!

They’ve kept us warm for thousands of years, but a new study says open fires may cause more pollution than the traffic on a busy road

Name: Open fires.

Age: As old as mankind.

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Keep the home fires burning? Don’t even think about it!

They’ve kept us warm for thousands of years, but a new study says open fires may cause more pollution than the traffic on a busy road

Name: Open fires.

Age: As old as mankind.

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What proposed changes to leasehold law could mean for you Nottingham Estate Agents

In England alone there are an estimated 4.3 million leasehold homes – but the law regarding leasehold and freehold in the UK has been controversial for a long time. Now the Law Commission has proposed a series of changes which will make it easier for people to buy the freehold or extend their lease. The […]

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New measures protect tenants from eviction

Get the latest.

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How to keep your home move going

Read expert advice.

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Mortgage payment holidays extended for six months

Find out more.

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'How does one wash up without this?' Zoë Foster Blake on her three most useful objects

As you might expect from someone who has spent months in lockdown, the objects the writer has come to rely on are unashamedly pragmatic

Slowly emerging from months of lockdown in Melbourne, the writer and beauty entrepreneur Zoë Foster Blake has had plenty to occupy her time.

She’s released a new children’s book, Back to Sleep, illustrated by Mike Jacobsen, which is a role reversal of the typical bedtime story. And she’s been making playlists. A lot of playlists.

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'How does one wash up without this?' Zoë Foster Blake on her three most useful objects

As you might expect from someone who has spent months in lockdown, the objects the writer has come to rely on are unashamedly pragmatic

Slowly emerging from months of lockdown in Melbourne, the writer and beauty entrepreneur Zoë Foster Blake has had plenty to occupy her time.

She’s released a new children’s book, Back to Sleep, illustrated by Mike Jacobsen, which is a role reversal of the typical bedtime story. And she’s been making playlists. A lot of playlists.

Continue reading...

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Inside the oldest surviving terrace in London

It's beautifully charming.

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Palm Springs comes to Surbiton: the airy villa shaking up Britain's quintessential suburb

The commuter haven is hardly known for its cutting-edge architecture. So how did a California-style dwelling end up in its tranquil streets? Our writer explores an inspirational build

It is surprising, for a profession dedicated to erecting very large, very expensive and very durable structures, that architects are never taught how to actually build. In the five years of education in Britain, there is the occasional module on structural principles and the odd lecture on bricks, but most students graduate without a clue how to build a building.

So when you encounter that rare species of architect who has worked on a building site, it shows. Design decisions take into account the practicalities of how things go together, rather than an idealised image being handed over for others to resolve. Such things as the weight of a breeze block and the process of hand-trowelling a concrete floor are given due consideration, as are ways of saving time and money.

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Let there be light: 10 simple ways to brighten your home – from pale pink walls to changing bulbs

We may be confined to home as the days draw in, but here’s an expert guide to maximising the winter light inside

Things are looking gloomy – seasonally speaking, if not also metaphorically. It was one thing to be locked down when the days were long and the heatwave heavy, but we’re facing a run of dark months, mostly indoors. Here are some expert tips on staying on the bright side, and maximising winter light.

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Let there be light: 10 simple ways to brighten your home – from pale pink walls to changing bulbs

We may be confined to home as the days draw in, but here’s an expert guide to maximising the winter light inside

Things are looking gloomy – seasonally speaking, if not also metaphorically. It was one thing to be locked down when the days were long and the heatwave heavy, but we’re facing a run of dark months, mostly indoors. Here are some expert tips on staying on the bright side, and maximising winter light.

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A first time buyers’ guide to finding your new home Nottingham Estate Agents

Finding your dream home can seem a daunting task as a first time buyer but OnTheMarket can help ensure you stay ahead of the game because we’re in business to improve the way you search when buying your first house. How do I know what I can afford? To understand what you can afford to buy, […]

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Country diary: this delicate centipede is the gardener's friend

Allendale, Northumberland: Fang-like modified legs near its front contain poison with which to inject prey such as slugs

Marigolds are still flowering in our veg garden, glowing bright orange against a dark mulch of new-laid compost. Between rows of carrots, beetroot and coriander in seed is a wooden board for walking on. I lift it carefully to see what’s underneath. Clods of compost stick to its underside along with worms, slugs and a centipede, chestnut brown, fast-moving and scuttling away to hide.

I often find centipedes when working in the garden: among crocks in the bottom of terracotta pots, in rotting leaf mould, when moving stones or dead wood. I pick this one up and it runs from one gloved hand to another in a fluid movement, repeating this over and over as I keep swapping hands. I drop it into an observation pot to count its legs: there are 15 pairs, one to each segment of its flat body. Fine antennae explore the pot and coil like some waving sea creature. Living in dark places and feeding by night, centipedes rely on antennae rather than eyesight.

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Country diary: this delicate centipede is the gardener's friend

Allendale, Northumberland: Fang-like modified legs near its front contain poison with which to inject prey such as slugs

Marigolds are still flowering in our veg garden, glowing bright orange against a dark mulch of new-laid compost. Between rows of carrots, beetroot and coriander in seed is a wooden board for walking on. I lift it carefully to see what’s underneath. Clods of compost stick to its underside along with worms, slugs and a centipede, chestnut brown, fast-moving and scuttling away to hide.

I often find centipedes when working in the garden: among crocks in the bottom of terracotta pots, in rotting leaf mould, when moving stones or dead wood. I pick this one up and it runs from one gloved hand to another in a fluid movement, repeating this over and over as I keep swapping hands. I drop it into an observation pot to count its legs: there are 15 pairs, one to each segment of its flat body. Fine antennae explore the pot and coil like some waving sea creature. Living in dark places and feeding by night, centipedes rely on antennae rather than eyesight.

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Countrywide estate agents receives £82m takeover bid from rival Connells

UK’s largest listed estate agency group was offered £90m by private equity firm Alchemy

Countrywide, the estate agency group that owns Hamptons International and Gascoigne-Pees, has received a £82m takeover approach from its rival Connells.

Countrywide, the UK’s largest listed estate agent group with 731 branches, said it had received an indicative approach from Connells at 250p a share in cash, which would take it back into private ownership. Countrywide shares surged 48% to 214.8p on the news.

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Inheritance, not work, has become the main route to middle-class home ownership | Lisa Adkins

The cost of housing is rising so much faster than wages that buyers increasingly rely on family wealth

In many of the world’s largest and most expensive cities, young people find themselves in a strange predicament. Although their educational credentials and employment prospects put them in the “middle-class” category, many have virtually no chance of ever making it on to the property ladder.

For almost four decades, property prices have increased at a much faster rate than wages. Although this trend has hardly gone unnoticed, what has received less recognition is how it has fundamentally reshaped both class and inequality in western societies.

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Should we maximise our mortgage if we move out of London?

We’re going to Belfast on a trial basis but want to make it as easy as possible to return

Q My wife, son and I have decided to up sticks from east London in order to try out my home town of Belfast on a two-year trial basis.

Given recent buy-to-let tax changes, we’d be losing money on our flat if we wished to rent it out in the meantime. Therefore I think we’d prefer to sell. If we managed to do this soon (while the market is still hot), we should get more than £400,000 for our little flat.

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How to make a rental house a home: Five top tips Nottingham Estate Agents

When renting a home it can sometimes seem difficult to make it your own. Here OnTheMarket suggests five ways you can personalise your rental property. Rising property prices in recent decades have made it harder than ever to get a foothold on the property ladder. Richard Snook, Senior Economist at PwC, said: “We estimate that by […]

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French evolution: a historic mansion in Paris is given a new lease of life

Restored original features rub shoulders with design classics in this glorious Parisian home

Just a stone’s throw from the Bois de Boulogne, in the chic 16th arrondissement of Paris famed for its art nouveau flourishes, is the striking five-storey mansion that is home to Suzanne Tise-Isoré. Designed in the 1880s by architect Gustave Brière, it mixes elements of gothic and Second Empire style, and with its eccentric brick facade is a far cry from the nearby uniform Haussmann buildings.

“My husband Jean-Claude, who works in real estate, first saw the house in the 1980s, and later when it came up for sale we both viewed it, and despite the wildly painted green and purple interior, we just fell in love with all of the original decorative features,” says Suzanne.

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French evolution: a historic mansion in Paris is given a new lease of life

Restored original features rub shoulders with design classics in this glorious Parisian home

Just a stone’s throw from the Bois de Boulogne, in the chic 16th arrondissement of Paris famed for its art nouveau flourishes, is the striking five-storey mansion that is home to Suzanne Tise-Isoré. Designed in the 1880s by architect Gustave Brière, it mixes elements of gothic and Second Empire style, and with its eccentric brick facade is a far cry from the nearby uniform Haussmann buildings.

“My husband Jean-Claude, who works in real estate, first saw the house in the 1980s, and later when it came up for sale we both viewed it, and despite the wildly painted green and purple interior, we just fell in love with all of the original decorative features,” says Suzanne.

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Is your cheese plant worth a small fortune?

Social media has led to an expensive new houseplant mania

In the 1600s, “tulip mania” gripped the Dutch republic. These exotic new bulbs from Turkey quickly became key status symbols among the highest echelons of society. Prices soon reached eye-watering levels, with single bulbs being sold for 10 times the equivalent of the annual wage for a skilled craftsperson. And we all know what happened next… Now, 400 years later, I wonder if we are seeing the beginnings of a bubble in the world of houseplants. Is this necessarily a bad thing? Here are my thoughts.

As recently as 10 years ago, houseplant availability in Britain was pretty awful, but then Instagram got in on the game with users posting images of some of the amazing and unusual options available, and increasingly stressed-out, nature-starved millennials loved it. Then cool indie start-up stores began popping up in city centres, beating the big out-of-town DIY chains for their sheer selection of plants, and a feverish trend was born.

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Is your cheese plant worth a small fortune?

Social media has led to an expensive new houseplant mania

In the 1600s, “tulip mania” gripped the Dutch republic. These exotic new bulbs from Turkey quickly became key status symbols among the highest echelons of society. Prices soon reached eye-watering levels, with single bulbs being sold for 10 times the equivalent of the annual wage for a skilled craftsperson. And we all know what happened next… Now, 400 years later, I wonder if we are seeing the beginnings of a bubble in the world of houseplants. Is this necessarily a bad thing? Here are my thoughts.

As recently as 10 years ago, houseplant availability in Britain was pretty awful, but then Instagram got in on the game with users posting images of some of the amazing and unusual options available, and increasingly stressed-out, nature-starved millennials loved it. Then cool indie start-up stores began popping up in city centres, beating the big out-of-town DIY chains for their sheer selection of plants, and a feverish trend was born.

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The big picture: gardener of Eden

Robbie Lawrence’s poignant portrait of botanist Jim Taggart captures a man whose life was devoted to an alternative paradise

This portrait of Dr Jim Taggart, a renowned botanist and climate activist, was taken not long before he died last year, aged 84. Over 50 years, Taggart created one of Scotland’s most magical gardens on the Rosneath peninsula in Argyll and Bute. With his son, Jamie, Taggart had collected around 4,000 plant species from across the world, including rare magnolias and acers, 40 kinds of bamboo, and 300 different rhododendrons. Right up until his death, visitors were welcomed to the three rocky acres of Linn Botanic Gardens with soup and sandwiches, and given a philosophical guided tour of the rarities that thrived in its curious subtropical microclimate.

Among those visitors to Linn in 2016 was photographer Robbie Lawrence, who returned to capture the garden in all of its misty seasons, and struck up a friendship with Taggart. A book of Lawrence’s photographs, A Voice Above the Linn, is published this month, with poems by John Burnside. The book stands as a celebration of a singular life. Above the Italianate villa at the centre of his private jungle, Taggart had hoisted the red flag. He was a stalwart of anti-nuclear protests at the Trident base at nearby Faslane on the far bank of Gare Loch.

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The big picture: gardener of Eden

Robbie Lawrence’s poignant portrait of botanist Jim Taggart captures a man whose life was devoted to an alternative paradise

This portrait of Dr Jim Taggart, a renowned botanist and climate activist, was taken not long before he died last year, aged 84. Over 50 years, Taggart created one of Scotland’s most magical gardens on the Rosneath peninsula in Argyll and Bute. With his son, Jamie, Taggart had collected around 4,000 plant species from across the world, including rare magnolias and acers, 40 kinds of bamboo, and 300 different rhododendrons. Right up until his death, visitors were welcomed to the three rocky acres of Linn Botanic Gardens with soup and sandwiches, and given a philosophical guided tour of the rarities that thrived in its curious subtropical microclimate.

Among those visitors to Linn in 2016 was photographer Robbie Lawrence, who returned to capture the garden in all of its misty seasons, and struck up a friendship with Taggart. A book of Lawrence’s photographs, A Voice Above the Linn, is published this month, with poems by John Burnside. The book stands as a celebration of a singular life. Above the Italianate villa at the centre of his private jungle, Taggart had hoisted the red flag. He was a stalwart of anti-nuclear protests at the Trident base at nearby Faslane on the far bank of Gare Loch.

Continue reading...

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After an absence, it’s good to see dawn break on the allotment

Returning to the plot after a two-week isolation, it’s hard to tell who has missed who the most

My first morning out of quarantine. The end of 2020’s second long absence from the plot. But this time it is deep autumn. I am at the allotment gate at 6.30am. The mornings were lighter when I was last here. It is still dark, mid-October before the clocks fall back. But I cannot wait any longer. I have been like a dog at the door, desperate for release.

There is an occasional pre-dawn chorus. The ground is wet and slippery. I use the torch from my phone. A first, I think. Raggedy cardoons leer at me on the path. I spot a cat’s eyes. It all feels a little unfamiliar. Until I turn the corner and catch the plot’s harlequin sunflower skeletons in the beam. Home.

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Keeping your home damp free Nottingham Estate Agents

For a problem that affects millions of properties, damp is not as well understood as it should be. OnTheMarket offers top tips for a dry and healthy home Everyone knows that if they have a large hole in their roof, or leave their windows open during a thunderstorm, they will end up with soggy carpets. […]

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After an absence, it’s good to see dawn break on the allotment

Returning to the plot after a two-week isolation, it’s hard to tell who has missed who the most

My first morning out of quarantine. The end of 2020’s second long absence from the plot. But this time it is deep autumn. I am at the allotment gate at 6.30am. The mornings were lighter when I was last here. It is still dark, mid-October before the clocks fall back. But I cannot wait any longer. I have been like a dog at the door, desperate for release.

There is an occasional pre-dawn chorus. The ground is wet and slippery. I use the torch from my phone. A first, I think. Raggedy cardoons leer at me on the path. I spot a cat’s eyes. It all feels a little unfamiliar. Until I turn the corner and catch the plot’s harlequin sunflower skeletons in the beam. Home.

Continue reading...

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Ethical homeware - in pictures

New products from companies and creatives who want to change design, manufacture and consumption for the better

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Ethical homeware - in pictures

New products from companies and creatives who want to change design, manufacture and consumption for the better

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Financial first aid: how to make it through the second Covid lockdown

Coronavirus has hit jobs and pay – here’s what to do if you’re struggling with bills, mortgage or rent, loans and other costs

• Coronavirus – latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

With much of the UK in lockdown and many businesses forced to close for at least four weeks, household finances are set to be squeezed again. This week, charities said they had seen an influx of middle-income families who needed to access food banks after being plunged into crisis by job losses and gaps in state help.

If you are being made redundant, are going on to furlough and face an income cut or are self-employed and having to close for weeks, there are places to turn to for advice and help. Here we look at what steps to take in a financial emergency.

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UK homebuyers told to act fast to beat stamp duty holiday deadline

Covid restrictions and high demand for mortgages create delays in property process

Homebuyers who want to take ad-vantage of the stamp duty holiday have been warned to act quickly as high demand for mortgages and coronavirus restrictions are creating delays in the process.

David Hollingworth of brokers L&C said getting a mortgage was taking about double the usual time as lenders struggled with the volume of business, and needed longer to review some applications. “To get a mortgage offer in normal times you are usually looking at a couple of weeks from the application,” he said, “Now you could be expecting it to take at least a month, or possibly longer.”

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Ten top energy-saving tips Nottingham Estate Agents

Saving energy, like recycling waste, is one of those good habits which people acquire, but all too often lose. We tend to get our lofts insulated and turn off electrical appliances we are not using, then fall back into our bad old ways – and end up with inflated energy bills. It should not be […]

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Does everything you own need to be beautiful? | Coco Khan

There’s a reason I don’t have more things: I think most objects are ugly

The process of moving flat has got me thinking in cumulative numbers. “12,045 days” I mutter to myself while lying on a mattress in a shop (the amount of time we spend in bed during our lives), or “£16,000” as I peruse the steam cleaners (the money I would save over my lifetime if I cut out the dry cleaners).

And now I have another: two (the amount of large laundry bags needed to contain every single thing I own).

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Does everything you own need to be beautiful? | Coco Khan

There’s a reason I don’t have more things: I think most objects are ugly

The process of moving flat has got me thinking in cumulative numbers. “12,045 days” I mutter to myself while lying on a mattress in a shop (the amount of time we spend in bed during our lives), or “£16,000” as I peruse the steam cleaners (the money I would save over my lifetime if I cut out the dry cleaners).

And now I have another: two (the amount of large laundry bags needed to contain every single thing I own).

Continue reading...

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Will I meet the stamp duty holiday deadline?

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UK house prices jump at fastest rate in four years

Average price of a home tops £250,000 but Halifax says market will slow due to Covid controls and weaker economy

• Coronavirus – latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

UK house prices rose at the fastest annual rate in more than four years in October but the mortgage lender Halifax said the market would slow over the coming months because of new coronavirus lockdown rules and a weaker economic backdrop.

Halifax, which is part of Lloyds Banking Group, said in October the average price of a home topped £250,000 for the first time, with prices up 7.5% compared with a year earlier. It was the strongest rate of annual growth since June 2016.

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Historic homes for sale – in pictures

From the former London headquarters of the Naafi to the home of an aeroplane manufacturer

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Buying a house in a flood risk area Nottingham Estate Agents

Although most properties in the UK are not at risk of flooding, millions are, even in areas that are not immediately waterside. When parts of the country are devastated by floods and the news is dominated by pictures of unfortunate homeowners mopping up their basements, the natural human reaction is to think, ‘That could have […]

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Favourite fixer upper Nottingham Estate Agents

This historic listed manor house dating back to the 16th Century needs major work to revive its former splendour. Grade II-listed Manor Farm, in the hamlet of Coxbridge near Baltonsborough village in Somerset, is available by the modern method of sale, with an auction date to be confirmed. The property is for sale with a […]

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Star property over £500,000 Nottingham Estate Agents

This breathtakingly gorgeous Georgian country house has a magnificent timber frame construction and plenty of other period features. Grade II-listed Moor Hal, in the village of Stoke-by-Clare in Suffolk, has Georgian frontage but originally dates back to the 1600s. The property is for sale with a guide price of £1,675,000 and is marketed by Fenn […]

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Star property under £250,000 Nottingham Estate Agents

This lovely cottage arranged over three floors has stunning interiors, bags of character and a large rear garden. The property in the sought after village of South Petherton in Somerset has a lot more to it than meets the eye from the street. It is for sale for £240,000 and is marketed by Orchard Estates, […]

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Rise in construction sector brightens UK economic gloom

Builders bounce back from spring contraction as other industries struggle

• Coronavirus – latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

Home builders pushed ahead with new projects during October, making the construction sector one of the few bright spots in the UK economy as tiered lockdowns began to take effect across the north of England and Midlands.

With the services and manufacturing sector suffering a sharp slowdown, building firms continued to bounce back from a contraction in spring that followed the UK coronavirus lockdown.

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Five questions to ask to help you stay safe on a viewing

Need some advice?

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Can I still use a removals firm?

Read the latest government advice.

The post Can I still use a removals firm? first appeared on Property blog.

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Legalities for tenants: Landlord and agent obligations Nottingham Estate Agents

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 […]

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English housing market to stay open in lockdown

Here's everything we know.

The post English housing market to stay open in lockdown first appeared on Property blog.

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How to view property safely

As England enters a new four-week lockdown, the government has clarified its guidance for home-movers across the country. One of the main things to note is that property viewings can still take place during lockdown. That’s why we’ve created a set of simple guidelines, based on official government guidance, to reassure you when going on […]

The post How to view property safely first appeared on Property blog.

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Inside four of the quirkiest homes for sale on Rightmove

Check them out.

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Nine top tips for selling your home if you have a pet Nottingham Estate Agents

Not every buyer will feel the same as you do about your beloved pet. OnTheMarket agent Aberdein Considine offers top tips on how to ensure potential buyers are not put off by the negatives which sometimes come with owning a pet. Minimise the negatives 1. Remember to repair any damage caused by pets, including carpets, […]

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UK country house prices hit four-year high in 'race for space'

Shift to working from home drives demand among wealthy buyers for properties in rural areas

Record demand for country houses in the UK has driven prices to a four-year high, with wealthy buyers flocking to Worcester in the West Midlands and Cobham in Surrey in a “race for space”.

Prices for country houses, including cottages, farm houses and manor houses, rose 2% in the three months to September from the previous quarter, according to the estate agent Knight Frank, as the number of offers accepted outside London hit an all-time record.

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London's dockland housing development presents an opportunity for yuppies – archive, 1984

3 November 1984: Young upwardly mobile professionals are snapping up properties as the government tries to revitalise the capital’s decaying docklands

The Isle of Dogs may not be your idea of the most wonderful place to live in this green and pleasant land, being somewhat greyish and decidedly unpleasant for the most part. But smart homebuyers are looking seriously at the potential of dockland housing, and houses are being snapped up like hot cakes.

The reasons for this activity lie with the London Dockland Development Corporation, the quango set up by the Government to revitalise the decaying docklands of Wapping, Limehouse, Isle of Dogs, the Royal Docks and Surrey Docks south of the River.

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Housing market to stay open in England and mortgage holidays extended during new lockdown Nottingham Estate Agents

The announcement of a second national coronavirus lockdown has left the housing market largely untouched. Prime Minister Boris Johnson gave a press conference in which he announced measures in England aimed at restricting the spread of Covid-19 akin to those put in place in March. From 5 November until at least 2 December, people are […]

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Government’s new 5% deposit mortgage scheme explained Nottingham Estate Agents

Boris Johnson’s announcement of a Government-backed 5% deposit mortgage scheme made headlines from his speech to the virtual Conservative Party Conference. The Prime Minister pledged to ‘turn generation rent into generation buy’ by ‘giving young first time buyers the chance to take out a long-term fixed rate mortgage of up to 95 per cent of […]

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What England's second lockdown means for your finances

Where you stand with mortgages, furlough scheme, holidays and more during Covid crisis

• Coronavirus – latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

With England going into another lockdown on Thursday, the Treasury and the City regulator have stepped in to offer support for people who are not able to work while businesses are closed down.

Schemes to prevent people falling behind on mortgage and loan repayments, and to help cover their wages, are being extended.

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How would we split profits from unequal contributions to house purchase?

I am buying a home with my partner and we want to work out a fair process if we were to separate

Q I was wondering if you could help. I am buying a house with my partner and we are trying to work out a fair process of splitting the profits on the house if we were to separate and sell but we are having difficulty working it all out.

The property costs £590,000 and I am providing a deposit of £235,000. We are taking out a mortgage of £442,500, which will allow us to pay for an extension soon after we move in.

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How to deal with noisy neighbours Nottingham Estate Agents

It might be a yapping dog, loud music or an all-night party. Whatever the origin of the noise, the decibel level can be both disturbing and distressing. But what can you do about it? OnTheMarket offers tips for dealing with noisy neighbours. Most homeowners and tenants are confronted with the dilemma of noisy neighbours at […]

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How to deal with noisy neighbours Nottingham Estate Agents

It might be a yapping dog, loud music or an all-night party. Whatever the origin of the noise, the decibel level can be both disturbing and distressing. But what can you do about it? OnTheMarket offers tips for dealing with noisy neighbours. Most homeowners and tenants are confronted with the dilemma of noisy neighbours at […]

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Perfect plants to boost your wellbeing

There are huge benefits to be gained from spending time in and around plants. Here are four rules to make the most of it

With a growing body of scientific research consistently suggesting a huge range of health benefits associated with spending time in green spaces, I am often asked which plants people should grow to boost their wellbeing. It’s a big question, but here is what I would advise…

Go for evergreens One of the most surprising findings is that you don’t need to physically be in nature to benefit. Simply looking at images of nature projected on screens has been shown to improve exercise performance, while a view of trees from a window improved healing times and reduced pain medication in hospital patients. It would be fair to postulate, therefore, that the visual stimulation of greenery alone may be one of the biggest factors at play here. Working on this assumption, I’d include a significant proportion of evergreen species to provide a permanent green backdrop. Also, as I often say, perhaps an even more effective way to do this is with houseplants, which give you year-round green that you are likely to physically be around for greater periods of time.

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Perfect plants to boost your wellbeing

There are huge benefits to be gained from spending time in and around plants. Here are four rules to make the most of it

With a growing body of scientific research consistently suggesting a huge range of health benefits associated with spending time in green spaces, I am often asked which plants people should grow to boost their wellbeing. It’s a big question, but here is what I would advise…

Go for evergreens One of the most surprising findings is that you don’t need to physically be in nature to benefit. Simply looking at images of nature projected on screens has been shown to improve exercise performance, while a view of trees from a window improved healing times and reduced pain medication in hospital patients. It would be fair to postulate, therefore, that the visual stimulation of greenery alone may be one of the biggest factors at play here. Working on this assumption, I’d include a significant proportion of evergreen species to provide a permanent green backdrop. Also, as I often say, perhaps an even more effective way to do this is with houseplants, which give you year-round green that you are likely to physically be around for greater periods of time.

Continue reading...

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As the season turns, it’s time to prune and feed the soil

Winter brings with it a new to-do list in the garden

So here we are: November, the month for pruning and soil care. Time now to clear any nets from fruit cages but to keep them over brassicas to continue to deter marauding pigeons. We’ve given up on caging kales, though I admit to occasional envy when I see our neighbours’ extravagant cavolo nero thriving under cover.

Keep nets over brassicas to continue to deter marauding pigeons

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As the season turns, it’s time to prune and feed the soil

Winter brings with it a new to-do list in the garden

So here we are: November, the month for pruning and soil care. Time now to clear any nets from fruit cages but to keep them over brassicas to continue to deter marauding pigeons. We’ve given up on caging kales, though I admit to occasional envy when I see our neighbours’ extravagant cavolo nero thriving under cover.

Keep nets over brassicas to continue to deter marauding pigeons

Continue reading...

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Rental jargon buster: Simplified terms for tenants Nottingham Estate Agents

Find out the latest rental terms and terminology with our jargon buster guide. Whether you are a new or an existing tenant, the world of lettings is constantly changing. Our rental jargon-busting guide explains the words and expressions that are in regular use when letting a property. We explain everything from dilapidations and deposit protection schemes to […]

The post Rental jargon buster: Simplified terms for tenants appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.

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African express: an art collector’s colourful home

Inspired by her native Sierra Leone, this designer’s Victorian home is full of vibrant fabrics and West African touches

Isata Funma sees me eyeing up the beaded West African throne in the double living room of her north London home and I hesitate. The upright armchair is not only decorated with colourful beads, it also looks backbreakingly uncomfortable.

“Try it!” she laughs. “You’ll be surprised.”

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African express: an art collector’s colourful home

Inspired by her native Sierra Leone, this designer’s Victorian home is full of vibrant fabrics and West African touches

Isata Funma sees me eyeing up the beaded West African throne in the double living room of her north London home and I hesitate. The upright armchair is not only decorated with colourful beads, it also looks backbreakingly uncomfortable.

“Try it!” she laughs. “You’ll be surprised.”

Continue reading...

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Flower power: Covid restrictions fuel boom in plant and bulb sales

Sales of medicinal plants such as echinacea have risen by almost 3,000% at some outlets

• Coronavirus – latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

As winter approaches, the pandemic continues and spending time outdoors seems less appealing, how can you still get your fix of nature? By bringing the outdoors inside, or at least that’s what soaring plant sales seem to suggest.

Latest figures show there has been a huge increase in the number of people buying plants and bulbs during lockdown, and medicinal plants have proven particularly popular.

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Flower power: Covid restrictions fuel boom in plant and bulb sales

Sales of medicinal plants such as echinacea have risen by almost 3,000% at some outlets

• Coronavirus – latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

As winter approaches, the pandemic continues and spending time outdoors seems less appealing, how can you still get your fix of nature? By bringing the outdoors inside, or at least that’s what soaring plant sales seem to suggest.

Latest figures show there has been a huge increase in the number of people buying plants and bulbs during lockdown, and medicinal plants have proven particularly popular.

Continue reading...

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Inside four of the ‘spookiest’ homes for sale this Halloween

Don't be scared...

The post Inside four of the ‘spookiest’ homes for sale this Halloween first appeared on Property blog.

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'Nightmare' of businesswoman accused of mortgage fraud

Santander accused a designer of supplying forged documents – but refused to explain its actions

A businesswoman who found herself placed on the National Fraud Database after she applied to Santander for a mortgage, says she went through a “nightmare” after the bank refused to admit it had made a mistake.

When Claire Foster* from Hertfordshire applied for a buy-to-let loan, staff reviewing her application placed a note on the database of the fraud prevention service Cifas warning that she had attempted a fraud.

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Can you make an offer on a house that is under offer? Nottingham Estate Agents

One of the questions most frequently asked by house-hunters is: what is the difference between ‘under offer’ and ‘sold subject to contract’? They have seen both terms applied to properties and assume, reasonably enough, that they must mean different things. In fact, and confusingly, they mean pretty much the same thing. It just depends which […]

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One in eight UK renters unable to meet housing costs in full, says report

Action needed to help tenants in second wave, says Resolution Foundation

• UK house price boom will collapse once buyers lose their jobs
• UK house prices jump but slowdown is likely, says Nationwide
• Coronavirus – latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

Almost one in eight private renters are unable to meet their housing costs in full, according to a report warning that urgent steps are needed to protect households during the second wave of Covid-19.

The Resolution Foundation said private and social renters are bearing the brunt of redundancies during the Covid recession and are more likely to have fallen behind with their housing costs than mortgagers.

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UK house price boom will collapse once buyers lose their jobs

Pent-up demand in the Covid lockdown and the stamp-duty cut kept the property market hot, but a chill is on its way

Bars are closing. Restaurants are seeing bookings cancelled. Retailers are worried about the impact of tightened Covid-19 restrictions on their businesses in the run-up to the crucial period. Everywhere there are signs of an economy rapidly losing momentum after its summer growth spurt.

Everywhere apart from the housing market. There demand is booming, with the Bank of England reporting that mortgage approvals in September were the highest since 2007, the year the last crisis started.

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Plant inspectors and rising prices: UK garden industry set for Brexit shock

Nurseries say doubling up of regulations will mean a rise in costs and EU suppliers going elsewhere

The UK’s love of horticulture has grown during the coronavirus pandemic, but avid gardeners are being warned of a Brexit shock, with rising prices, potential plant shortages and even the need for plant inspectors at nurseries.

Every year 55,000 trucks loaded with plants arrive in the UK from the Netherlands alone. Each individual pot or hessian root wrap bears an EU “plant passport”, which allows frictionless cross border trade.

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Plant inspectors and rising prices: UK garden industry set for Brexit shock

Nurseries say doubling up of regulations will mean a rise in costs and EU suppliers going elsewhere

The UK’s love of horticulture has grown during the coronavirus pandemic, but avid gardeners are being warned of a Brexit shock, with rising prices, potential plant shortages and even the need for plant inspectors at nurseries.

Every year 55,000 trucks loaded with plants arrive in the UK from the Netherlands alone. Each individual pot or hessian root wrap bears an EU “plant passport”, which allows frictionless cross border trade.

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Payment holidays are ending in the UK – but there are options

Mortgage, credit card and loan schemes are finishing, but help is available

Millions of UK borrowers have been granted payment holidays since the start of the coronavirus pandemic but 31 October is the official end date for the schemes covering mortgages, credit cards and loans. However, that doesn’t mean people struggling financially will be left high and dry.

So says the main financial watchdog, whose main message is that “help is available after 31 October”, with a range of short- and long-term options to assist those finding it hard to keep up with payments because of the Covid-19 crisis.

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UK house prices jump but slowdown is likely, says Nationwide

Lender feels mini boom after Covid lockdown will stop when stamp duty holiday ends

• Coronavirus – latest updates
• See all our coronavirus coverage

House prices rose in October at the fastest annual rate in almost six years but the UK market is likely to face a “sharp” slowdown when the government’s stamp duty holiday ends, the mortgage lender Nationwide has warned. 

The average UK house price jumped by 5.8% in October compared with the same month last year, to £227,826, according to the UK’s biggest building society.

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Edwardian homes for sale – in pictures

From a stable complex near Newmarket to a converted boys’ school in Faversham

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As a rent crisis looms, councils have a plan – the government should take note | Gaby Hinsliff

Buying up cheap housing could provide a safety net to millions who may struggle to pay the bills as the pandemic continues

Julian Higson has just bought a new house. Or to be precise, he’s bought about a hundred of them.

For months he’s been snapping up properties off plan all over Bristol, as developers begin to fret that flats planned at the height of a pre-Covid boom might not sell so well in a recession. But Higson isn’t some passing property speculator or ruthless buy-to-let mogul. He’s the director of landlord and housing services at Bristol city council, which plans to turn these new-builds into social housing for people who can’t afford to rent privately in one of the most expensive British cities outside London.

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UK economy feels the effects as Covid second wave hits critical stage

Our latest snapshot of key economic indicators shows recovery is fizzling out

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Buying and selling a house with subsidence Nottingham Estate Agents

Few things strike as much fear into buyers and sellers alike as subsidence. Who would buy a property that was at risk of structural collapse? And if you are a seller, the nagging question that keeps you awake at night: should you buy a house if the tell-tale signs of subsidence are going to be […]

The post Buying and selling a house with subsidence appeared first on OnTheMarket.com blog.

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Where has seen the biggest rise in million pound streets?

Find out...

The post Where has seen the biggest rise in million pound streets? first appeared on Property blog.

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Lloyds cashes in on UK mortgage boom as profits rise

Lending rose £3.5bn in Q3 after bank processes highest number of applications since 2008

Lloyds Banking Group reported stronger-than-expected profits after the UK’s largest mortgage lender cashed in on a surge in demand for home loans.

The UK bank, which owns Halifax, said mortgage lending increased by £3.5bn over the three months to September, as it processed the highest number of applications since 2008.

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How to make your home burglar-proof on a budget Nottingham Estate Agents

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 […]

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The best new design this month, from walking wheelchairs to floating churches

News and design stories from around the world, including kids’ creative take on Boris Johnson and the plywood renaissance

As lockdown confusion reigns and rules about where you can go and at what time change every day, there’s one thing that has become clear. The creative community are rising to the challenges of the Covid crisis. In the US, new initiatives have turned the plywood boards nailed to shopfronts during lockdown into creative opportunities for artists and local communities. One architecture firm is using discarded plywood to make street furniture for restaurants. In the UK, designer Jonny Banger has joined with artist Jeremy Deller to let children vent their feelings about lockdown and create a unique exhibition. Creative spirit and inspirational design live on.

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Drone Video & Photography Nottinghamshire

 Drone Video And Photography for estate agents in Nottingham can provide great high level and aerial shots of your properties for sale in Nottingham.

The best new design this month, from walking wheelchairs to floating churches

News and design stories from around the world, including kids’ creative take on Boris Johnson and the plywood renaissance

As lockdown confusion reigns and rules about where you can go and at what time change every day, there’s one thing that has become clear. The creative community are rising to the challenges of the Covid crisis. In the US, new initiatives have turned the plywood boards nailed to shopfronts during lockdown into creative opportunities for artists and local communities. One architecture firm is using discarded plywood to make street furniture for restaurants. In the UK, designer Jonny Banger has joined with artist Jeremy Deller to let children vent their feelings about lockdown and create a unique exhibition. Creative spirit and inspirational design live on.

Continue reading...

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Renting with friends? What you need to know about joint accounts Nottingham Estate Agents

Opening a shared account when you’re renting can take away the stress of splitting the monthly outgoings. ‘Providing all parties have good credit history, a joint account for paying bills is the easiest way to neatly manage finances in a rented property,’ says Mustard estate agents, which covers Milton Keynes, Towcester and beyond. But there […]

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Why are flowerpots traditionally round? Square ones are better

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

Why are flowerpots traditionally round? it make more sense to have square ones – they make it easier to sort out spacing once planted, there’s less wasted space between pots, and they are easier to store.

Paul Cooper

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Why are flowerpots traditionally round? Square ones are better

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical concepts

Why are flowerpots traditionally round? it make more sense to have square ones – they make it easier to sort out spacing once planted, there’s less wasted space between pots, and they are easier to store.

Paul Cooper

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Patio heater, fire pit or a bigger jumper? How to stay warm while socialising outside this winter

If you live in an area where you aren’t allowed to mix with other people indoors (or just don’t want to), here is an ethical, expert guide to keeping toasty

Indoor socialising is off. Even if it is not specifically proscribed where you live, a once innocuous cup of tea with friends now carries an unappetising tang of risk. The answer is to socialise outside – but how do you do that in a cold climate? No wonder that sales of patio heaters in the UK are rising: Homebase has nearly sold out, and sales on eBay have soared. Mensa Heating UK recently sold 750 infrared heaters in one day. But what about the environmental impact of patio heaters? In Germany, the federal government is offering subsidies to hospitality businesses wishing to buy them, even though they had been banned in some cities, while the French ecology minister has called them an “ecological aberration” and announced a ban from next year. So what is the best way to socialise outside and stay warm?

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Patio heater, fire pit or a bigger jumper? How to stay warm while socialising outside this winter

If you live in an area where you aren’t allowed to mix with other people indoors (or just don’t want to), here is an ethical, expert guide to keeping toasty

Indoor socialising is off. Even if it is not specifically proscribed where you live, a once innocuous cup of tea with friends now carries an unappetising tang of risk. The answer is to socialise outside – but how do you do that in a cold climate? No wonder that sales of patio heaters in the UK are rising: Homebase has nearly sold out, and sales on eBay have soared. Mensa Heating UK recently sold 750 infrared heaters in one day. But what about the environmental impact of patio heaters? In Germany, the federal government is offering subsidies to hospitality businesses wishing to buy them, even though they had been banned in some cities, while the French ecology minister has called them an “ecological aberration” and announced a ban from next year. So what is the best way to socialise outside and stay warm?

Continue reading...

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How to make a competitive offer as a first time buyer Nottingham Estate Agents

Are you looking to buy your first home? Nick Manson, Director of Mansons, in Jesmond, Newcastle, talks us through how best to prepare before making an offer Being a first time buyer can be hard work, stressful and nerve-racking. Chances are that you won’t necessarily know the market and it’s easy to be blind-sided by […]

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Top tips to help secure your end of tenancy deposit

The number one reason for landlord and tenant deposit disputes is cleaning. Curry’s PC World asked Lynsey Crombie aka the ‘Queen of Clean’ for her top cleaning tips that could help you secure getting that end of tenancy deposit back that no one wants to lose out on. 1. Plan A week or two before moving […]

The post Top tips to help secure your end of tenancy deposit first appeared on Helping Innovate Property (HIP) - Blog, Housing Market News and Articles.

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Covid drove us to share a home but what are council tax implications?

My partner and I have our own properties but lockdown led to us choosing to stay in one together

Q My partner and I each have a house of our own and while we originally split our time between the two, we gradually started spending a little more time at one rather than the other.

During the coronavirus lockdown we chose to stay in just one house to form a bubble and we currently spend all of our time in one house, with the other left pretty much empty other than when friends or relatives use it now and again.

We are worried about council tax. We both pay single occupancy on our own properties but due to the recent situation we are worried about being “found out” for actually having two of us in one house. If we did pay full council tax for the property we both stay in, what are the implications for the other house (including insurance etc)?
RW

A Judging by what it says in Paying the right level of council tax in England, published by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government in May 2019, you are right to be worried about council tax.

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Should you extend your home or sell it? Nottingham Estate Agents

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 […]

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Don’t worry about Latin names or Victorian rules

No need to listen to too much good advice – just get stuck in and have some fun

To the uninitiated, the world of horticulture can seem like a daunting place, full of unpronounceable Latin names, unfathomably complex pruning rules and the constant fear of killing everything in your care if you deviate even slightly from them. These doubts can serve as a really effective barrier to would-be newbies from experiencing one of the most rewarding, uplifting and therapeutic of arts. But trust me as a botanist when I tell you it simply doesn’t have to be this way.

Religiously adding a layer of crocks to the bottom of pots actually impedes drainage

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from Home And Garden | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2HDeZiI
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Don’t worry about Latin names or Victorian rules

No need to listen to too much good advice – just get stuck in and have some fun

To the uninitiated, the world of horticulture can seem like a daunting place, full of unpronounceable Latin names, unfathomably complex pruning rules and the constant fear of killing everything in your care if you deviate even slightly from them. These doubts can serve as a really effective barrier to would-be newbies from experiencing one of the most rewarding, uplifting and therapeutic of arts. But trust me as a botanist when I tell you it simply doesn’t have to be this way.

Religiously adding a layer of crocks to the bottom of pots actually impedes drainage

Continue reading...

from Property | The Guardian https://ift.tt/2HDeZiI
via IFTTT

The Danish plot is all about trees, but it’s hard to resist flowers, too

It’s a simple piece of land by the sea but we wanted to add to the aesthetics

It took us years to add flowers at the Danish plot. An aesthetic thing to some extent. It is, after all, a simple piece of land by the sea, surrounding a black wooden beach hut, or summerhouse as they call them. There were already delicate wild hepatica, clumps of cowslip and campion, and carpets of celandine and cow parsley.

We planted a crimson rugosa, an echo of the beach-side banks that colonise this coast. Next, a pale-blushed clambering rose, an old Danish variety.

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from Home And Garden | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3ktrpZj
via IFTTT

The Danish plot is all about trees, but it’s hard to resist flowers, too

It’s a simple piece of land by the sea but we wanted to add to the aesthetics

It took us years to add flowers at the Danish plot. An aesthetic thing to some extent. It is, after all, a simple piece of land by the sea, surrounding a black wooden beach hut, or summerhouse as they call them. There were already delicate wild hepatica, clumps of cowslip and campion, and carpets of celandine and cow parsley.

We planted a crimson rugosa, an echo of the beach-side banks that colonise this coast. Next, a pale-blushed clambering rose, an old Danish variety.

Continue reading...

from Property | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3ktrpZj
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Shared private roads and the potential pitfalls Nottingham Estate Agents

If you are buying a property, or own one already, that is on a shared private road, there are some things you should be aware of to avoid unnecessary expense or conflict with the road’s owner or you neighbours. This article considers the issues that can arise in relation to shared private roads and how […]

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Drone Video & Photography For Estate Agents

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Inner visions: inside the homes of the world’s most creative people

From Zandra Rhodes’s Rainbow Penthouse, to Grace Coddington’s Long Island retreat, what do the homes of top creatives reveal about them?

Colour has always played a central role in the career of designer Zandra Rhodes throughout her more than 50 years as a self-described “notorious figurehead of the UK fashion industry”. The designer’s trademark pink hair and outrageous clothes are as colourful as her home, the so-called Rainbow Penthouse, which she bought in 1995 on Bermondsey Street in southeast London. Her apartment sits on top of the Fashion and Textile Museum, founded by Rhodes in 2003. Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta rejuvenated the warehouse building, incorporating a split-level, two-bedroom home. The lower level houses the bedrooms, galley kitchen and textile print room.

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from Home And Garden | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3dT3AYl
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Inner visions: inside the homes of the world’s most creative people

From Zandra Rhodes’s Rainbow Penthouse, to Grace Coddington’s Long Island retreat, what do the homes of top creatives reveal about them?

Colour has always played a central role in the career of designer Zandra Rhodes throughout her more than 50 years as a self-described “notorious figurehead of the UK fashion industry”. The designer’s trademark pink hair and outrageous clothes are as colourful as her home, the so-called Rainbow Penthouse, which she bought in 1995 on Bermondsey Street in southeast London. Her apartment sits on top of the Fashion and Textile Museum, founded by Rhodes in 2003. Mexican architect Ricardo Legorreta rejuvenated the warehouse building, incorporating a split-level, two-bedroom home. The lower level houses the bedrooms, galley kitchen and textile print room.

Continue reading...

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The house that cork built: is this the ultimate eco-friendly material?

Using cork to clad an extension – inside and out – was a speedy, sustainable and affordable choice for this family home

When Dan Barber and Hat Margolies bought a two-bed Victorian terrace house in 2013, the entire building needed an overhaul. It had leaky pipes, asbestos and rattling windows; and it needed rewiring, new radiators and a new boiler. Wind whistled through the front room floorboards. “The light and proportions made it really special but there were no original features – the fireplaces had long gone,” says Margolies, a photographic agent with an eye for vintage furniture.

But the couple saw it as a chance to make their new home, in south London, as eco-friendly as they could: to conserve energy, and recycle and reuse as much as possible. They lived with the house as it was for five years, during which time their second daughter was born, and then employed NimTim architects to transform it on a tight budget.

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