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Going to university is an exciting time. This is the first time most will have lived away from home and it’s a chance to learn more than just the course. It’s an experience of the wider world outside the home, a chance to make new friends and of course (and most importantly) drink cheaply in the student bar! Finding a place to live is the second item on the list after having got into university. This is where many have fallen down and learnt a disturbing lesson which is quite simple; some people are dishonest and will steal your money. An increasing number of students have paid hefty deposits...
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Many estate agencies simply act as a broking service that matches people to property. However, we are acutely aware that there is far more to successful selling than this alone. Indeed, over 30% of property sales in this country fail to reach completion, falling through for various reasons. One of the main reasons is that a buyer simply gets cold feet and withdraws as a result of “buyer remorse”. This is a familiar phenomenon to estate agents and occurs when a buyer feels overwhelmed by the apparent enormity of the decision to buy and takes the more comfortable “low-risk” option and does...
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In any market, the conversation often revolves around the likely future of house prices. Will they go up, will they go down, will they remain stable? Even the most credible authorities tend to disagree on the direction of property prices and sales volumes, so where does that leave the humble consumer? Baffled! The problem is the source of data that is used to make assumptions about the market is fickle. For example, you could look at the latest Land Registry figures. These record the volumes and prices of sales that completed up to a year after the sale was arranged. But a lot can happen in...
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Most buyers use the internet in their search for a home, so you need to be sure that your property is found and promoted quickly and easily. It is therefore important that your agent subscribes to the most effective property portals because this is how buyers are directed to your property. A recent survey by home.co.uk of 14,660 estate agencies reported that 7% of agents don’t use any portals at all, and just over 20% only use just one portal – mostly Rightmove. Yet further analysis shows that the agents that advertise most widely have by far the lowest typical time-on-market figures. Hence...
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The Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) legislation was introduced into the lettings sector in October 2008 and as part of the lettings process, landlords are required to make an EPC available to any prospective tenant. An EPC is a certificate issued by an authorised Home Energy Assessor, which is valid for ten years. The certificate is illustrated by two graphs that highlight the energy efficiency and environmental impact of the building in question. These are very similar to the graphs found on a new fridge or car. Rated from A-G, where A is the most efficient and G the least efficient,...
