The Property Assistant Newsletter
Issue 02. May 2018
Welcome to our spring newsletter brought to you by Property Assistant. We are husband and wife team, Julie and Dan Lawry, and we run one of Wokingham’s newest independent estate agencies. Based in Winnersh, we have lived and worked in the area for over thirty years. We see things differently when it comes to a traditional estate agency, making our clients the centre of the process of buying, selling, letting and renting a home. Family and people are at the heart of everything we do which is why we think honesty, trust and personality are what makes a good business. In our regular newsletters, marketing information and blog posts on our website, we share as much information as we can about things we think are important to us and our clients. So, please enjoy this quarterly newsletter and we hope we can be of service to you.
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Getting Creative: Entertaining Outside With the sunny weather now well under way, many of us will be rustling deep in the back of the shed or garage to dust off the barbecue. If you are someone who spends a small sum each year on a cheap barbecue only to find that it doesn’t weather well, then you might want to consider building your own. A stylish addition to any garden patio, a brick built barbie is a cheap and simple way to bring indoor entertaining outside. If you are handy with DIY then the cost is limited to a small supply of bricks, some mortar and a barbie kit for the grill, charcoal tray and grill clips. You can pick up all these items for under £50. If you are really ambitious, and have the space, then you could expand your designs to include a small pizza oven or even a bar area. None of these plans have to cost the earth and many of the raw materials can be sourced for free. Sites like Freecycle, FreelyWheely and TrashNothing are all great places to advertise your wants and scour the listings for free stuff. Things like pallets, bricks and good timber are regularly advertised and, with a little imagination, can be used to construct something very impressive. The website, 1001Pallets.com has some inspiring ideas of ways to upcycle the common, or garden, pallet.
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Of course, if you aren’t practically minded or just don’t have the confidence to tackle a building project then there are some other ways to bring excitement to your outside space. The key to hosting events outside is all about comfort and ambience and making sure your guests are warm and well-lit is well within most of our reaches. Cosy additions like a firepit, chimnea or modern patio heater can extend those spring and summer nights. Don’t forget to include some good mood lighting to create a party atmosphere. Candles inside storm lanterns are very decorative but you can also get some unusual solar string lights. Clas Ohlson has a good range or you can find some ideas online.
Spring Cleaning: Time for a De-Clutter Nobody really knows why spring brings out the bug for a tidy but if feathering a new nest is good enough for the birds, then why not for us?
Whatever your budget and however big your plans, make sure you make the most of the good weather to celebrate being outdoors this Spring.
The first hint of good weather and there is a strong desire to open a few windows and doors to finally let the outside in. However, it will take more than a casual airing to reverse the impact of six months being cooped up indoors. De-cluttering is a good thing to do at least once a year not only to maintain control over your space but to ensure that you make good use of the things that you do have. If you are considering moving house, it’s also an incredibly useful way to minimise the amount of packing and unpacking you will need to do. Start by attacking a single room at a time and make at least three piles; one for keeping, one for the bin and one for donating to charity or giving away. You may well find that additional piles become apparent, such as things for fixing, things for storing or things to sell. The second piece of advice is to ‘be ruthless’. Look at everything with a critical eye and ask yourself whether it s useful, gives you pleasure or has value (emotional or financial). If it doesn’t tick any of these boxes then get rid of it.
It can be tempting to extend your initial declutter throughout the whole house but this is a bad idea. Finish each room before moving on to the next and get a sense of completion by really finalising the job; take that box to the charity shop and go to the dump. Yes, you may well need to go again but knowing you have finished one room at a time will give you closure; it will also stop you ‘rescuing’ items bound for the donations pile before they reach their new home!
Only once you’ve finished a de-clutter throughout the whole house can you decide whether you need to invest in storage. You might find that, after a good clear-out, you suddenly find you have far more space than you though you had. Likewise, your spring cleaning may bring you to realise that you no longer fit inside your current home.
Give the Garden some TLC Not only can a well-kept and well-designed garden be a pleasure for householders to enjoy but it can also add value to the sale price of your home Winter can have a negative effect on the way we feel about this space and the lifeless brown environment has probably done little to engage us for many months. However, spring has well and truly sprung and most of us will already be recognising the signs of life appearing, even if that’s only a lawn that needs mowing. However small your garden, it will benefit from all of these tips to bring it up to speed as a usable ‘room’ for your home: n Tidy up: Winter
can leave its marks throughout the garden with windblown debris, a grubby build-up on the patio or damaged fences. Spend
a day tidying up, repairing and damage and on general maintenance including painting fences and sheds. n Add furniture: A
small patio set gives you somewhere to entertain and to enjoy the sunshine. Most people place this near the house as this is where the patio usually is but, in small gardens, placing it further away can make the garden appear bigger.
n Play with colour:
This doesn’t only apply to your bedding plants and choice of flowers and bulbs but anywhere in the garden. Walls, furniture, sheds and woodwork are all prime candidates for a splash of colour and will add year-round interest. Pale colours in small, dark gardens can help boost the amount of natural light.
n Reflect the sunshine: Speaking
of natural light, adding a mirror to a small courtyard garden or in a dark corner can maximise sunlight. It can also help make a smaller space appear larger
n Get creative with planting:
Most people already use pots, raised beds and hanging baskets but you don’t have to spend a fortune on planters
and specialist beds to achieve this. Anything with a reservoir and drainage can be used to plant bulbs, flowers, herbs and even fruit and vegetables. We’ve seen some great ideas on Pinterest using chairs, ladders, boats and even toys to create interesting planting. Living walls are very popular right now and using guttering mounted horizontally on a brick wall is a good way to achieve this. However you want to add a touch of personality to your garden, giving it some attention should give you additional space to boost the appeal of your home.
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To Rent or Buy; That is the Question The UK has a long history of property ownership that differs to the rest of Europe where the model is very much on leasehold ownership. However, with the rising cost of homes in the South outperforming wages, many more of us are renting instead of buying. So, we decided to look at the pros and cons of renting instead of buying. There are some positive aspects of renting that may not have occurred to many people but which make lease holding more attractive for some people. Firstly, renters are not tied to specific areas or homes as they can move more frequently without incurring the huge costs of selling a home (stamp duty, legal fees and estate agents commission). This kind of flexibility really suits some individuals, particularly those who are not committed to one specific area and may be trying to decide on where to eventually buy a home. In addition, renters do not have to shoulder the cost of maintenance in the home as it is the landlord who picks up the bill for repairs in the property. Renters also do not have to consider the impact of mortgage rates and rental costs are generally less variable than mortgage repayments. Lastly, renters can invest their money in other ways to make a return on their money; often ways which offer faster access and flexibility than being tied in to their property. On the downside, renters often have less control over the aesthetics of their own home with some landlords restricting the changes that can be made to a property. It is often the case that rental properties also have restrictions on keeping pets or having young children; this can mean the choice of property for parents and petowners is diminished. There is also a lack of security for some renters as landlords can decide not to renew a lease without warning. The property you are renting could be sold without your consent and your lease transferred to a new landlord. This instability is not ideal for families where sudden upheaval would be disruptive. Of course, the main downside is the lack of ability to build equity in a property. Though house prices can go down, over a long period, owning a home is one of the best ways to invest your money and build equity. There are obvious benefits to both renting or buying and, if you are undecided on your options, Property Assistant can help discuss matters with you. Renting can often be a great way to improve your credit rating to help you get a mortgage and finding the right property to suit your needs is essential.
Wokingham Cultural Month You may have already received your free guide to Wokingham’s Cultural Month of May. They were despatched by the Wokingham Town Council back in March and detailed an exciting mix of free events for all, starting Thursday 1st May. If you have not got a copy then you can collect a free one from the Wokingham Library or from the Wokingham Town Council directly. However, as a quick summary, the main events are as follows: Sunday 20th May Theatre in the Park Free, Howard Palmer Gardens Saturday 26th May Children’s Fun Day Free, Langborough Rec Sunday 27th May Theatre in the Park Free, Howard Palmer Gardens Saturday 2nd June International Street Concert Free, Broad Street Sunday 3rd June Twyford Summer Fair Free, Loddon Hall Rec Ground Saturday 9th June Woodley Carnival Free, Memorial Field, Woodley Saturday 17th June Mini Beast Safari £10, Dinton Pastures Saturday 30th June Party in the Park (Hurst) £16, Willowmead Field, Hurst Saturday 30th June WADE Summer Fair £1, WADE Centre, Reading Road
We are active on social media, sharing plenty of free advice property tips and interesting news. ‘Like’ our Facebook page to stay in contact or sign up for our newsletter from our website. Property Assistant UK Ltd Sadlers Lane, Winnersh, Berkshire RG41 5AJ T. 0118 912 2370 E. office@pauk.property W. www.pauk.property
In addition to the above the Wokingham Library, Whitty Theatre, Bradbury Centre and Town Hall are running regular arts and crafts and cultural activities throughout the month including origami, embroidery, lacemaking, hooky, mosaic making, making garden willow structures, writing and photography.
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