Andrew Crowther, Assistant Resources and Energy Manager at Strutt & Parker, looks at ways to make a home greener. Here are five top tips to help homeowners to follow the three Rs – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle 1. Water butts British summers tend to swing from pouring rain to hose pipes bans. One of the […]
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An exotic destination for middle-aged elopers
What’s going for it? Grange-over-Sands is the kind of spot namechecked in Victoria Wood sketches, Alan Bennett scripts or classic Coronation Street as the epitome of posh, the exotic destination for middle-aged elopers, with its hedonistic cocktail of hushed hotels, vigorous (but not overly so) rambling and restaurants with starched napkins and potted shrimps on the menu. It’s still a most pleasant place, if a little forgotten about. Whether you find it charmingly nostalgic or deadly dull depends on your penchant for secondhand bookshops, purveyors of hearing aids, chocolate boutiques and benches for gawping out across the squelchy plains of Morecambe Bay. It’s my kind of place, though one fears for its future. Today’s midlife elopers are more likely to opt for Cartmel, next door: nostalgic in its own, hipper way, with its cute, Instagrammable priory, boutique hotels, delicious food shops and A-list restaurants. Plus the prospect of a slice of the village’s infamous sticky toffee pudding. Better than (middle-aged) sex. So I’m told.
The case against Tucked rather out of the way of the 21st century. That, of course, being the point. Quiet. Gentle pleasures.
Continue reading...
An exotic destination for middle-aged elopers
What’s going for it? Grange-over-Sands is the kind of spot namechecked in Victoria Wood sketches, Alan Bennett scripts or classic Coronation Street as the epitome of posh, the exotic destination for middle-aged elopers, with its hedonistic cocktail of hushed hotels, vigorous (but not overly so) rambling and restaurants with starched napkins and potted shrimps on the menu. It’s still a most pleasant place, if a little forgotten about. Whether you find it charmingly nostalgic or deadly dull depends on your penchant for secondhand bookshops, purveyors of hearing aids, chocolate boutiques and benches for gawping out across the squelchy plains of Morecambe Bay. It’s my kind of place, though one fears for its future. Today’s midlife elopers are more likely to opt for Cartmel, next door: nostalgic in its own, hipper way, with its cute, Instagrammable priory, boutique hotels, delicious food shops and A-list restaurants. Plus the prospect of a slice of the village’s infamous sticky toffee pudding. Better than (middle-aged) sex. So I’m told.
The case against Tucked rather out of the way of the 21st century. That, of course, being the point. Quiet. Gentle pleasures.
Continue reading...What kind of car do you have? Is your driveway garnished by a gleaming Mercedes or understated Audi? Perhaps you figured your estate agent’s car was more appealing to show off your home, so he left his BMW on show for the photographs. Or maybe your muddy Mini was already parked and no one suggested you move it.
Over the years, I’ve seen property photographs with skips, broken down cars and driveways with weeds so high it’s impossible to park a car. I’ve also seen ‘Butterflies’-type parking (remember Butterflies, with the four car shuffle?) where removing a car is more difficult than the Krypton Factor.
On the other hand, I’ve come across very modest dwellings with a Ferrari or Lamborghini parked outside. I once knew an agent in Cheshire who always insisted on having his silver Mercedes C-Class in every front shot. His window display looked like an Autotrader feature. Having a fully-branded agent car plonked on the driveway is also quite common in the agency’s quest for brand awareness.
So what should adorn your driveway for your main image? The answer is very simple: nothing. Any car you park will lead a buyer to make an assumption, or draw a conclusion, and that may not be a positive one. The agent’s car will do you no favours either; if you are lucky enough for the sun to shine when the front photograph is taken, and the result is a lovely image of your home, the agent’s car is only going to spoil the shot. It also means you can’t use it if you decide to move agents.
Keep your driveway empty, clean, free of weeds and looking smart, and your front shot will look the better for it.
If you’d like my help to sell your home more effectively, please answer a few short questions here and if I think I can help you, I’ll be in touch
What to read next: In the bleak midwinter; staging your home for a winter sale
What to do next: Sign up to my Selling Secrets http://www.home-truths.co.uk/selling-secrets
The post ‘Butterflies’ Parking and other Don’ts appeared first on Home Truths.
What kind of car do you have? Is your driveway garnished by a gleaming Mercedes or understated Audi? Perhaps you figured your estate agent’s car was more appealing to show off your home, so he left his BMW on show for the photographs. Or maybe your muddy Mini was already parked and no one suggested you move it.
Over the years, I’ve seen property photographs with skips, broken down cars and driveways with weeds so high it’s impossible to park a car. I’ve also seen ‘Butterflies’-type parking (remember Butterflies, with the four car shuffle?) where removing a car is more difficult than the Krypton Factor.
On the other hand, I’ve come across very modest dwellings with a Ferrari or Lamborghini parked outside. I once knew an agent in Cheshire who always insisted on having his silver Mercedes C-Class in every front shot. His window display looked like an Autotrader feature. Having a fully-branded agent car plonked on the driveway is also quite common in the agency’s quest for brand awareness.
So what should adorn your driveway for your main image? The answer is very simple: nothing. Any car you park will lead a buyer to make an assumption, or draw a conclusion, and that may not be a positive one. The agent’s car will do you no favours either; if you are lucky enough for the sun to shine when the front photograph is taken, and the result is a lovely image of your home, the agent’s car is only going to spoil the shot. It also means you can’t use it if you decide to move agents.
Keep your driveway empty, clean, free of weeds and looking smart, and your front shot will look the better for it.
If you’d like my help to sell your home more effectively, please answer a few short questions here and if I think I can help you, I’ll be in touch
What to read next: In the bleak midwinter; staging your home for a winter sale
What to do next: Sign up to my Selling Secrets http://www.home-truths.co.uk/selling-secrets
The post ‘Butterflies’ Parking and other Don’ts appeared first on Home Truths.
What kind of car do you have? Is your driveway garnished by a gleaming Mercedes or understated Audi? Perhaps you figured your estate agent’s car was more appealing to show off your home, so he left his BMW on show for the photographs. Or maybe your muddy Mini was already parked and no one suggested you move it.
Over the years, I’ve seen property photographs with skips, broken down cars and driveways with weeds so high it’s impossible to park a car. I’ve also seen ‘Butterflies’-type parking (remember Butterflies, with the four car shuffle?) where removing a car is more difficult than the Krypton Factor.
On the other hand, I’ve come across very modest dwellings with a Ferrari or Lamborghini parked outside. I once knew an agent in Cheshire who always insisted on having his silver Mercedes C-Class in every front shot. His window display looked like an Autotrader feature. Having a fully-branded agent car plonked on the driveway is also quite common in the agency’s quest for brand awareness.
So what should adorn your driveway for your main image? The answer is very simple: nothing. Any car you park will lead a buyer to make an assumption, or draw a conclusion, and that may not be a positive one. The agent’s car will do you no favours either; if you are lucky enough for the sun to shine when the front photograph is taken, and the result is a lovely image of your home, the agent’s car is only going to spoil the shot. It also means you can’t use it if you decide to move agents.
Keep your driveway empty, clean, free of weeds and looking smart, and your front shot will look the better for it.
If you’d like my help to sell your home more effectively, please answer a few short questions here and if I think I can help you, I’ll be in touch
What to read next: In the bleak midwinter; staging your home for a winter sale
What to do next: Sign up to my Selling Secrets http://www.home-truths.co.uk/selling-secrets
The post ‘Butterflies’ Parking and other Don’ts appeared first on Home Truths.
