Brought to you by chelmsfords' property experts
Easing of pandemic restrictions has seen increased buyer demand for flats and city centre locations. The data Analysis of Rightmove’s 1.6 million property listings has shown that numbers of people enquiring about these types of properties has gone up by 39% since January. Bungalows similarly saw a rise in demand by 30% during the first…
Fraudsters will go to great lengths to make a buck – and that includes trying to steal a home from under the owner’s nose. Now, this may sound far-fetched, but this type of crime – called home hijacking – is real. Last year, the Land Registry beefed up its fraud management systems in response to…
If you rent out a property and receive a rental income from that, you must declare it. You have to pay tax on any profit. It doesn’t change your employment status to ‘self-employed’ though, as it’s considered an investment. Of course, HMRC can be more complicated than a day at Hogwarts. The best advice will…
For an elderly relative, moving on to the next chapter of their lives can be an emotional experience. The need to move home might stem from financial needs, bereavement, health reasons, or the wish to be nearer loved ones. But whatever the catalyst, time, diplomacy, and tact are the order of the day. Don’t rush…
Unless your name is Elon Musk, selling your home will probably be the biggest transaction you make in your lifetime. So, who will you entrust to get you the best deal? Option 1: You go for the agent with the lowest fee. This agent is a doppelgänger for Del Boy, but you love the idea of…
Having a rental property can be a great way to earn some extra income. Like anything, there are a variety of things that can go wrong. We break down fiveof the most common ones. The wrong property Being a landlord means running a business. You’re not buying a property for you to live in. Tenants…
With demand currently outstripping supply in the housing market, sellers are in the driver’s seat, but there is still one hazard that could derail a sale: the flaky buyer. In a hot market, it’s not uncommon for panicky buyers to make an impulsive offer or go beyond their financial limits. A buyer might do this…
If you’re a landlord looking to take out insurance or renew a current policy, there are a few things you should know. The insurance market is “hardening”, or in other words, insurers are tightening their belts. The rising costs of claims due to extreme weather events such as last year’s Storm Dennis and low interest…
As we emerge out of lockdown, there’s one thing you can do to help Chelmsford recover from the pandemic – and that’s to shop local. Independent traders are the lifeblood of communities, generating interest and footfall in our high streets and providing local jobs. But after an incredibly challenging year, small businesses need help to stay…
You can often tell whether a viewer is keen on a property from the questions they ask. And in our experience, the more specific the question, the warmer the prospect. When it comes to preparing for a sale, the more information that you can share with your agent, the better. Here are five typical questions…
It pains us to say this, but a recent survey found people were more likely to trust a traffic warden or a lawyer than an estate agent. When it comes to telling the truth, it seems that only politicians have a worse reputation than estate agents (source: YesHomebuyers.com). As you can imagine, this frustrates us….
A two-minute read. A landlords’ advice article published recently said property investors need to think more like the Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. The billionaire businessman is renowned for his long-term thinking. He thinks decades ahead, and let’s face it, he’s not doing too bad, is he? The article said landlords should retain good tenants at…