News & Updates | Page 12 of 34

A quick round up of what's happened in the UK property market in February  

The team here at C residential is often asked whether sellers in Rugeley should find a property to buy before listing their home for sale on the property market. With this in mind, here is our expert advice. In our experience, you should list your property for sale before you find a new home. Why? Read on to find out more.

You’ve found your dream home and your offer accepted. Congratulations! Your journey to owning your new property has officially begun. But before you start looking for a removal company, you’ll need to progress the house sale to completion day, and in an ideal world, do it stress free! If you’re wondering what happens after your offer is accepted by the seller, and you start the conveyancing process, here are five immediate things you need to do to get things moving towards a time when you can exchange contracts and get a completion date.

Japanese Knotweed (Fallopia Japonica) may look small and contained but don't underestimate the scale of the problem it can potentially cause. The plant can extend 2–3 metres high and up to two metres deep and will exploit any weakness in the fabric of a building in its quest for water and light. It will push its way through expansion joints in concrete, cavity walls, weaknesses in the broken mortar between paving slabs or bricks and can also damage drains and sewers. While structural damage is rare in most residential situations, if left unchecked, a mature infestation of Japanese Knotweed can become critical. Get an expert to assess the situation as soon as possible.

The share of Brits moving each year has been declining since the late 1980s (when at one stage, people moved every eight years), yet since the pandemic's beginning, something has appeared to upset that trend. Newspaper stories and social media posts painted a picture of homeowners moving from the city centres to its suburbs, from the suburbs to the towns and countryside around the UK. Areas like the Cotswolds and coastal towns around the country got swamped by the 'race for space', significantly affecting housing markets (including Rugeley). But how many Brits moved? And how long had they been in their homes before they moved? In Great Britain, there are 28.3 million households, of which 19.3 million are owner-occupied and 4.43m owned by private buy-to-let landlords.

We have found that currently older people in Rugeley are questioning whether downsizing is the right choice for them. If your children have flown the nest, and with the cost of living increasing, you may be beginning to think about whether your existing home is suitable in the long term. Perhaps the ongoing demands of cleaning, maintaining, running and repairing a family-sized property are already proving to be onerous and, over time, those requirements will only become more challenging. With this in mind, it could be time to consider moving to a smaller home. The team here at C residential appreciate that this can be a difficult decision and so have a few considerations that you should bear in mind before making your final choice.