What's in our Christmas newsletter?

Best seller's market in a decade

Over the past year, the housing market has had its fair share of ups and downs.

A lot of people were worried about buying and selling, leaving the market vulnerable at times. Yet despite this, market conditions are keeping to a continual high and exceeding expectations, making it the ultimate market for sellers.

Why is December a good month for home sellers?

The main reason is because the quality of buyers looking to find a home is higher than any other time during the year. If you also combine that with the low supply in available properties on the market, you’ve got the perfect opportunity to grab the attention of potential buyers.

This time of the year is a hectic one, with people spending quality time visiting family and friends. On the property front, it’s also busy, especially with homeowners keen to move within the first few months of the new year.

The main catalyst behind this is that people experience a change in their property priorities, pushing them to seek a new home.

In fact, 78% of UK sellers felt certain that they would sell their property within the next three months and purchase a property during that same length of time.*

Are you eager to match your home with serious buyers?

Get in touch with our team today to make sure your property journey is a valuable one.

*OnTheMarket 

Your essential checklist as a landlord this winter

With the countdown to Christmas on, it’s essential that landlords prepare their properties for the colder months.

We’ve put together the following checklist so you can keep your property in the best condition for your tenants this winter, right through to spring.

Boiler

With boilers working extra hard over the winter months, it’s essential to make sure that they have been serviced ahead of time.

You may want to consider putting a service plan in place to minimise future breakdowns and disturbances.

Water pipes

Frozen water pipes are a common problem when the weather starts to turn colder.

Ensuring pipes have been properly lagged and insulated will prevent them from freezing or splitting – an expensive job to repair as a landlord.

Advising tenants to keep the heating on, even at a low temperature, may be worth considering to further prevent any problems with pipes.

Guttering

Whether your property is rented out or vacant this winter, clearing out your gutters is important to avoid potential leaks.

A build-up of leaves or debris in your gutters can stop rainwater or snow from draining away.

If not cleared away properly, this can cause several problems, including leaks, damp and cracked drainpipes.

Insulation

If the insulation in your property is properly checked, then it can go a long way to helping reduce your heating bills.

A better-insulated property will reduce the amount of heat lost and can therefore be a lot more attractive to tenants. Investing in your property’s insulation can also fetch you a higher rent too.

If you own older buildings or houses with a loft conversion, it’s important to make sure these are well insulated, it’s also worth noting that grants can be available to help improve insulation.

Windows and doors

Before the cold weather really sets in, you should take the time to inspect your seals on both windows and doors.

Draft excluders can often be a popular and cheap method to tackle drafts coming through doors.

As your leading local agent, we know how important it is to carry out a winter inspection on your properties to ensure the comfort of your tenants and avoid future repair costs.

For more information on any of the above or to talk with a member of our team, contact us.

Be careful with your decorations

Year after year, the biggest surge in property market activity happens around the Christmas period, making January the optimal time to buy or sell.

If you’re thinking of moving shortly after the new year or currently have your home for sale, then you might be wondering what to do about Christmas decorations.

Adding decorations can further clutter your property and detract from its core USPs, as well as date any marketing material that your agent may take.

We’ve put together some decorating guidelines ahead of the big day, so you can continue to enjoy the festive period without overwhelming any potential viewers or buyers.

Keep things to a minimal

Remembering that ‘less is more’ can be key to securing a fast winter sale.

Try and keep to a small palette of colours when adding decorations to your rooms, ideally opting for colours that complement the surroundings – this can be especially important for items like baubles and tinsel.

Festive scents

A great way to bring the cosy, festive feeling into your home is using festive scents.

Cinnamon, mulled wine and gingerbread are some of the most popular smells to have filling your house this Christmas.

White lights are the way forward

Not everyone will prefer multi-coloured flashing lights when it comes to Christmas, in fact, it can even put people off.

Therefore, try and avoid these for areas like your tree, instead using warmer white lights to create a more neutral, sophisticated tone.

Think about scale

It’s important to keep floor standing decorations – like trees – to scale in your property.

Make sure they don’t dominate your rooms and hide any additional space, as potential buyers still need to be able to visualise themselves living in your home.

Be careful with exterior decorations

Adding lights to the exterior of your property is a great way to get into the Christmas spirit, however, avoid large inflatable decorations on your roof or surrounding your home.

Again, try and opt for white, warm lights to give your home a classier look, and you may even want to add a Christmas wreath as a finishing touch.

Are you thinking about putting your property on the market over the festive period or in the new year?

Request a valuation with us today and see how much your property could be worth.

Make the most of your garden all year round

As we are officially in winter, we typically spend less time in our outside spaces. But now more than ever, Brits are looking for new ways to make the most of their gardens all year round.

With these tips, you can make your garden look and feel more inviting for the colder months, whether you decide to brave the cold or not!

Keep those green fingers busy

You wouldn’t assume you can work on your gardening skills in December, but we have just the thing for our keen gardeners out there.

Are you looking to brighten up your drive or balcony? Why not plant the following shrubs to add a splash of colour:

- Holly: a Christmas favourite. Choose a female variety to get the bright red berry.

- TIP: why not try a self-fertile variety such as Ilex aquifolium ‘JC van Tol’ to guarantee you a crop.

- Spindle euonymus europaeus: plant these bright pink lantern-shaped flowers to liven up your doorway.

- Crab apple: varieties such as Malus x robusta Red Sentinel burst with gorgeous red fruits all the way through to January, so get planting.

Make it cosy!

Even if you have only a balcony or a small patio garden, you must still utilise it! If you have a larger garden, then focus on warming just a small, more intimate area rather than tackling the whole space.

To better that, add shelter to shield you from the cold nights and lights to enhance a cosy atmosphere by creating strong shadows, framing your designated winter garden beautifully.

Repurpose old cushions and throws

You don’t need to have designated furniture for outdoor use only. Grab some spare cushions, throws and blankets that you already own and repurpose them for the garden.

Don’t leave them outside, have a basket that you bring out with you when you do happen to sit outside.

Have you thought about a fire pit?

Having a fire pit will be sure to get everyone using your garden during winter. You can find a wide variety of firepits suitable for all garden sizes.

Firepits have many great benefits. They keep you warm and create opportunities for fun activities for your family like roasting marshmallows.

Entice the wildlife

Plants are great ways to add colour to your winter garden, but have you ever had a beautiful robin or a goldfinch spread their wings in your outside space?

Invest in a bird bath to entice birds in.

Birds need water for drinking and to clean their feathers, especially in the winter months when most water sources may be frozen over. Make sure the bath is no deeper than 5cm deep and add stones or gravel for some grip.

Adding bird feeds around your outside space will also bribe these beautiful birds around your home.

Are you looking for more outside space? Why not browse our properties today.