Tag: property lawyer
Lending by bank of mum and dad reaches a record £10 billion
Research by estate agent Savills has found that the bank of mum and dad will finance nearly half of all first-time buyer purchases this year. The study found that total contributions are likely to reach £9.8 billion, which is equal to an average of just over £58,000 each for an estimated 169,000 first-time purchases. This...
Is it a good idea to raffle your house?
Selling your home can be a long process, involving viewings, waiting for offers and then dealing with the conveyancing. For some people, raffling their house has offered a quick alternative. The idea is that tickets are sold for a modest sum, often between £5 and £25, with the raffle winner taking the property, while the...
Britain’s Most Haunted Houses – Could you live there?
Britain is packed with rickety old, haunted homes, creepy castles, chilly hostels and terrifying towers that would make the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. All About Money carried out research which showed that more than 15% of UK adults believe that there is something ghostly going on in their homes and...
Eight steps to a successful mortgage application
Applying for a mortgage can be one of the most stressful parts of buying a home. We take a look at how to maximise the chances of your chosen lender saying yes. Obtaining a mortgage in principle before you make an offer on a property is a good way of showing the seller that you...
Less than one fifth of people can identify UK’s most invasive plant
A study commissioned by invasive plant specialists Environet and conducted by market research company YouGov has found that only 19% of people who say they are aware of Japanese knotweed can correctly identify it. The Environment Agency describes the plant as ‘indisputably the UK’s most aggressive, destructive and invasive plant’. YouGov asked respondents to pick...
Buying a home in a retirement village
Life in a retirement village can seem ideal, with a wide range of facilities and on-site care catered to the older generation. But it is important to understand exactly what you are entitled to and how much you will be paying so that you can make the right decision for your future. Retirement villages increasingly...
What to bear in mind when you buy a home in a converted church
Church conversions are always popular, with the unique old buildings providing striking and distinctive homes. We take a look at the practicalities. A well-converted church can make a wonderful home, with a beautiful high ceiling, dramatic windows and often a picturesque setting. But owning a church can involve ongoing costs and responsibilities and it is...
1 in 10 millennials plan to buy an investment property within a year
Research by insurer Aviva has found that 10 per cent of UK adults aged between 35 and 45 plan to buy an investment property within the next 12 months. With strong demand for rental properties and some shortage of available homes as stock levels have decreased, buying a property to rent out is looking attractive...
It’s not all doom and gloom: property predictions for 2021
The end of 2020 saw house prices at a record high, helped by the chancellor’s Stamp Duty holiday, but what is likely to happen in 2021 as financial disruption continues? The property market slumped during the first lockdown of 2020, with prices down 0.5 per cent halfway through the year. However, following relaxing of restrictions...