Railway arches sold off with no thought for tenants, says watchdog

National Audit Office says Chris Grayling’s department ignored businesses based in arches

A £1.46bn sale of Network Rail’s property portfolio to private sector buyers was carried out without consideration of the impact on the lives and livelihoods of thousands of sitting tenants, Whitehall’s spending watchdog has found.

The National Audit Office (NAO) also found that the rent charged for 5,261 properties sold to Telereal Trillium and Blackstone Property Partners could increase by 54% over the next three to four years.

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from Property | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2VaikM8
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How to grow your own food – with or without a garden

There’s no such thing as an effortless crop, but plenty that are pretty foolproof – even if you have just a windowsill or room for a few pots

Growing your own food is the best game in the world, for at the end of it there’s supper. However, you might break your back doing it, and it will certainly break your heart at some point, probably when slugs get involved. So, where do you start on this bumpy but bountiful road? Many would say radishes, because they give quick results for the impatient newcomer, but the truth is that the line between a crisp, peppery radish and a woody, pithy one is fine and easily missed. As for tomatoes, they are lovely when sun-warmed and ripe from the vine, but not if they have blight from a damp summer.

The truth is, there’s no such thing as a truly effortless crop – all edibles require some attention – but below are a few that are pretty foolproof as long as you do the bare minimum of watering.

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from Home And Garden | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2vy5eJs
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How to grow your own food – even if you don’t have a garden

There’s no such thing as an effortless crop, but plenty that are pretty foolproof – even if you have just a windowsill or room for a few pots

Growing your own food is the best game in the world, for at the end of it there’s supper. However, you might break your back doing it, and it will certainly break your heart at some point, probably when slugs get involved. So, where do you start on this bumpy but bountiful road? Many would say radishes, because they give quick results for the impatient newcomer, but the truth is that the line between a crisp, peppery radish and a woody, pithy one is fine and easily missed. As for tomatoes, they are lovely when sun-warmed and ripe from the vine, but not if they have blight from a damp summer.

The truth is, there’s no such thing as a truly effortless crop – all edibles require some attention – but below are a few that are pretty foolproof as long as you do the bare minimum of watering.

Continue reading...

from Property | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2vy5eJs
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UK house prices grow by less than 1% for fifth month running

Market remains ‘subdued’, according to Nationwide’s monthly house price index

The housing market tipped further in favour of first-time buyers, as prices grew by less than 1% for the fifth month in a row in April, according to the UK’s largest building society, Nationwide.

The overall housing market across Britain remains “subdued”, according to Nationwide’s monthly house price index, with consumer confidence having weakened since the start of the year and the number of new buyer enquiries still relatively low.

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from Property | The Guardian http://bit.ly/2LeZnn0
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Why your pet might be stopping you sell! (Maybe they like it there)

If you have a dog or cat, or any other pet, they are probably a very important member of your family. (My lovely collie, Georgie, kind of rules our house…. )  However, even though it’s sometimes difficult for pet lovers to imagine, there is in fact a large proportion of the population that just doesn’t like animals in the house.  In fact, if they see any evidence of pets at all in the photos, they just won’t even book a viewing!

So what do you do with Rover and Moggy (or Georgie) when you have a viewing arranged?

You need to make sure you don’t alienate your viewers and put them off your home from the moment they step through the door, so get rid of all traces of your pets if you can.  If your agent accompanies viewers, then take the dog out for a walk; if you conduct the viewings yourself, and the weather allows it, let your dog have a sleep in the car, or leave it with a neighbour.

Also, don’t forget to hide all pet paraphernalia: litter trays, pet food, dog beds, cat toys, etc.  Close the cat flap, and ask a friend to look after the budgie and the tortoise.. and the snake…..

But you protest “I want to sell my home to a pet lover just like me!” I hear you, and even sympathise, but we’re talking about selling your home here for the most money possible!  Don’t limit your market, instead if you appeal to everyone, you have the best possible chance of a successful sale.  If you only want to sell to someone who has rabbits, rats and an iguana, you may be waiting a while….

Give your buyers the chance to fall in love with your house and your beloved pets will soon have a new home to move to.

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

Do you follow us on Facebook? Join us today for great daily posts.

What to read next: Are You in the Right Mindset to Sell Your Home?

What to do next:  Sign up to my Selling Secrets http://www.home-truths.co.uk/selling-secrets

 

The post Why your pet might be stopping you sell! (Maybe they like it there) appeared first on Home Truths.

from Home Truths http://bit.ly/2V7BH8D
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Why your pet might be stopping you sell! (Maybe they like it there)

If you have a dog or cat, or any other pet, they are probably a very important member of your family. (My lovely collie, Georgie, kind of rules our house…. )  However, even though it’s sometimes difficult for pet lovers to imagine, there is in fact a large proportion of the population that just doesn’t like animals in the house.  In fact, if they see any evidence of pets at all in the photos, they just won’t even book a viewing!

So what do you do with Rover and Moggy (or Georgie) when you have a viewing arranged?

You need to make sure you don’t alienate your viewers and put them off your home from the moment they step through the door, so get rid of all traces of your pets if you can.  If your agent accompanies viewers, then take the dog out for a walk; if you conduct the viewings yourself, and the weather allows it, let your dog have a sleep in the car, or leave it with a neighbour.

Also, don’t forget to hide all pet paraphernalia: litter trays, pet food, dog beds, cat toys, etc.  Close the cat flap, and ask a friend to look after the budgie and the tortoise.. and the snake…..

But you protest “I want to sell my home to a pet lover just like me!” I hear you, and even sympathise, but we’re talking about selling your home here for the most money possible!  Don’t limit your market, instead if you appeal to everyone, you have the best possible chance of a successful sale.  If you only want to sell to someone who has rabbits, rats and an iguana, you may be waiting a while….

Give your buyers the chance to fall in love with your house and your beloved pets will soon have a new home to move to.

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

Do you follow us on Facebook? Join us today for great daily posts.

What to read next: Are You in the Right Mindset to Sell Your Home?

What to do next:  Sign up to my Selling Secrets http://www.home-truths.co.uk/selling-secrets

 

The post Why your pet might be stopping you sell! (Maybe they like it there) appeared first on Home Truths.

from Home Truths http://bit.ly/2V7BH8D
via IFTTT

Why your pet might be stopping you sell! (Maybe they like it there)

If you have a dog or cat, or any other pet, they are probably a very important member of your family. (My lovely collie, Georgie, kind of rules our house…. )  However, even though it’s sometimes difficult for pet lovers to imagine, there is in fact a large proportion of the population that just doesn’t like animals in the house.  In fact, if they see any evidence of pets at all in the photos, they just won’t even book a viewing!

So what do you do with Rover and Moggy (or Georgie) when you have a viewing arranged?

You need to make sure you don’t alienate your viewers and put them off your home from the moment they step through the door, so get rid of all traces of your pets if you can.  If your agent accompanies viewers, then take the dog out for a walk; if you conduct the viewings yourself, and the weather allows it, let your dog have a sleep in the car, or leave it with a neighbour.

Also, don’t forget to hide all pet paraphernalia: litter trays, pet food, dog beds, cat toys, etc.  Close the cat flap, and ask a friend to look after the budgie and the tortoise.. and the snake…..

But you protest “I want to sell my home to a pet lover just like me!” I hear you, and even sympathise, but we’re talking about selling your home here for the most money possible!  Don’t limit your market, instead if you appeal to everyone, you have the best possible chance of a successful sale.  If you only want to sell to someone who has rabbits, rats and an iguana, you may be waiting a while….

Give your buyers the chance to fall in love with your house and your beloved pets will soon have a new home to move to.

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

Do you follow us on Facebook? Join us today for great daily posts.

What to read next: Are You in the Right Mindset to Sell Your Home?

What to do next:  Sign up to my Selling Secrets http://www.home-truths.co.uk/selling-secrets

 

The post Why your pet might be stopping you sell! (Maybe they like it there) appeared first on Home Truths.

from Home Truths http://bit.ly/2V7BH8D
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