Aug/090
Halifax: UK house prices on the increase
According to one of the UK’s largest mortgage lenders, house prices are now rising at a constant rate adding weight to the arguement that the housing market is undergoing a recovery. Halifax, conducted a survey of all their properties and results showed a 1.1% increase in July alone meaning the average price of a house has increased to £159,623.
Increases in average house prices have been hard to come by since October 2007 when the last quarterly increase took place. However, in the 3 months prior to July house price had already increased by 0.8% on the previous quarter.
It is one thing being told this by estate agents and mortgage lenders, but when large private housebuilders make similar claims we should take notice. Taylor Wimpey said it was seeing signs of a turnaround, with its sales rising in the first six months of the year. A company statement read: “there are signs that the situation is beginning to improve.”
Jun/090
Little improvements are better than expensive ones
Improving your home and ready-ing it for sale doesn’t have to be expensive, nor do you have to be ripping out old furniture / worktops / kitchens to replace them with new. The recession is a great time to make improvements because everything is reduced in price and there are lots of offers and sales.
There is no need to create a lot of work for yourself, when you are not going to see the benefits. Why put in a new kitchen for someone alse to reap the benefits. Instead, key advice to selling a home is to create additional space. This doesn’t have to be extensions after extensions, it can just mean moving the furniture to better accentuate the room. Decluttering rooms by adding extra storage will attract a potential buyer, as will energy saving insulation such as double glazing.
Another minor thing that costs very little to do and attracts buyers is keeping the garden in shape. A tidy garden that looks pretty will encourage potential buyers to imagine themselves in your garden.
Steer clear of things that are expensive to keep, such as saunas, as this will only deter buyers.
Stick to basics and prepare to lower your house price to just under the estimated value. Having a look at prices in your local area will give you a good idea at what your house will most likely sell at.
Jun/090
Property Selling Advice
Selling in the recession requires the extra mile. Selling a property in the current recession is extremely hard, but maybe not impossible. A good idea is to see what price other properties are being sold at in your local area and reduce the price of your house to slightly under that, giving you an edge on the rest from the outset.
Highlight your homes good points so that potential buyers can picture themselves living there. This will take away any emphasis on the bad points of the house. It would also be a good idea to throw a party for friends and neighbours so that people get to hear about your house through word of mouth. Close friends, family and neighbours are more likely to speak highly of you and your home and that can promote a sale.
 |
 |
