The Property Assistant Newsletter
Issue 01. 2018
Welcome to the 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 quarters newsletter and we hope we can be of service to you.
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2018 on a Budget January is always a long month; after the expense and overindulgence of Christmas and the New Year, most of us are looking ahead for the next pay cheque. However, austerity doesn’t have to be a necessity as we look to ways that you can save money in 2018. Maybe you can treat yourself to a big holiday on the savings or just build that nest egg you need for a deposit on a new home? Shop Online for Groceries It may cost you a delivery fee of a few extra pounds but shopping online not only saves you time but it forces you to plan ahead and stops any impulse purchases. By planning family meals and buying only what you need, it is estimated that you could reduce food waste (and money) by up to 30%.
comprised of. A street with twenty terraced houses were all valued at the same banding, yet the agent wouldn’t be aware if the one in the middle was a two bedroom house and not a three. To find out whether you could challenge your council tax, check our blog www.pauk.property/blog for further information.
Shop Around for Financials We all have what we believe to be fixed overheads like utilities, mobile bills, insurance and broadband. In a competitive market you will find that all of these bills could be reduced by shopping around. Use an online comparison tool to assess the benefits of switching suppliers for your gas, electricity, broadband and insurance. Set aside an afternoon to go through every account and commit to a change. The average family could see annual savings of over £1000.
Did you know that as many as a quarter of a million homes in the UK are paying the wrong rate of council tax? Check Your Council Tax Banding In 1991, when the new council tax system was put in placed the Government engaged teams of local estate agents to put a value on every home in the UK. It was a big job and it needed doing to a very tight deadline; the result was that many homes were ‘valued’ without reasonable understanding of exactly what the house
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Move Your Credit Card Balance If you have amassed a large debt on your credit cards over Christmas then consider the zero interest credit cards available where you can transfer a balance. This is not a long-term solution but will save you money on interest charges whilst you pay off the balance.
Maybe you can treat yourself to a big holiday on the savings or just build that nest egg you need for a deposit on a new home?
Wokingham Town Centre Regeneration Anyone living in the area cannot fail to have noticed the impact that pre-construction work has had on the town centre and, in particular, the traffic. The regeneration Master Plan has three main cores; Peach Place, Elm’s Field and the Carnival Phase.
Peach Place Plans for regenerating the town centre have been approved and works on the first phase have already been completed. The Boots, John Wood Sports and Clarks building have been renovated with additional residential housing opened on Rose Street. The second phase which covers the area along Peach Street and backing out to Rose Street has now been demolished with construction works on the new retail units underway. Phase two will deliver a public plaza, new retail units and additional residential houses in Rose Street. The project is expected to be completed by Christmas 2018. Elm’s Field Proposals for a new boutique cinema, car-park and additional shops was
granted in April 2016 and preparation of the site for regeneration contactors is almost complete. The construction stage will begin during the first few months of 2018. Carnival Phase Now that the new multi-storey car-park has been completed, the plans for the surrounding area will be discussed over the coming year. It is not expected that any work on this phase will start until 2020 with completion by late 2021. When will Peach Street and Market Street re-open for traffic? Whilst the town centre redevelopment is not expected to be completed until the end of 2018, we can expect to have the roads re-opened for through traffic by 4th March 2018. Supporting Wokingham Town Centre Shops In the midst of the redevelopment
work, Wokingham’s shops are still open for business but many are feeling the pinch. In recent years, the town has lost a number of independent traders and whilst many of us would hate to see this happen again, not enough of us are supporting the local shops. We would urge you to show your support for the traders in Wokingham from those located at the bottom end of Peach Street like Wokingham Décor, T G Art Gallery and Coast to Coast right the way through to Denmark Street with Stefan’s Butchers, Stitchery Doo and The Grape Escape. Of course, the town’s many charity shops also rely on the footfall in order to survive. Bush Walk is also suffering from the drop in pedestrians and Wokingham’s fine home décor and accessories shops Maison Rustic/Antique Rose will certainly appreciate you making a detour.
Sticking to Your New Year’s Resolutions There are no surprises when recent polls revealed the most common new year’s resolutions for 2018. At the top of the list are the perennial favourites; exercise more, lose weight and eat healthier. Joint 4th is learning a new skill or taking up a hobby with spending more time with family and quitting alcohol or smoking following closely behind. The initial momentum of the New Year can make sticking to these resolutions easy at first but how do we maintain our resolve? Making the Change a Habit Just as bad habits are easy to pick up, good ones are also easy to form. Research has shown that repetition in behaviour over just 66 days is enough to create a new habit. Committing to a permanent change can be hard but focusing on getting over the first 66 days could just provide enough motivation to get through. Give yourself permission to drop the new lifestyle after 66 days and by the time you reach this milestone, you should find that it is harder to break your resolution than to keep it. Don’t Go It Alone Research has shown that people are far
more likely to stick to their resolutions with the support of their family and friends. If you are intending on going to the gym, then get a training partner. Want to eat healthier, get your family involved. Whatever your good intentions for positive change in 2018, doing it with some support will help you achieve your goals. Set Your Eyes on the Prize We all have individual reasons for making a new year’s resolution and it is important to remember these in order to stay motivated. This could be to shed some extra weight to keep up with a young family or to learn a new language
for that summer holiday. Make a visual reminder of what you are trying to achieve and why and keep a record of your progress. Set Achievable Goals Many resolutions fail because we set ourselves too high a goal. Losing a stone in weight in four weeks or abstaining from alcohol totally might just be a little too much to ask If we don’t see progress quickly, we tend to lose faith in our resolve. By all means, set yourself an overall goal but break this down into achievable ones. Just remember, every journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
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Getting Your Home Ready for Market January is traditionally a busy time for us estate agents as the new year stimulates many of us to make changes in our lives. As a result, more homes come to market. If you are considering getting your house ready for sale in the new year then have a look at our top tips to help you show off your property’s best side.
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De-clutter - store excess furniture and ornaments to maximise the space in your home
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De-personalise – let buyers see beyond the home you have created and give them a blank canvas to visualise themselves living there.
3
Deep Clean – we can all become immune to a few areas of our home that don’t look their best but now is a time to get your home prepped to look its best.
4
Repair – find some time to fix those odd jobs you’ve always meant to get around to. Squeaky doors, broken latches and cracks in the walls can all be distractions when buyers come to visit.
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Curb appeal – don’t forget to give the front of the house a spruce and tidy up the garden. A lot of potential buyers do a drive-by viewing before they even call for an appointment.
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Get your paperwork up to date – in preparation for listing your home and even contracts down the road, it is a good idea to find all of the documentation you will need. Dig out guarantees for the double glazing, any title deeds and certificates for building work. It will all speed up the process in the long run.
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Interview for an estate agent – always get the opinion and valuation of a couple of estate agents before you market your home. The choice of agent will be important in making sure you realise the best price for your property in the shortest time as well as that all-important support after an offer has been accepted. You can find more details about how to choose an estate agent via our blog (www.pauk.property/blog/2017/04/25/interviewing-estate-agent/)
Bank Holidays 2018
30 March
Good Friday
2 April
Easter Monday
7 May
Early May bank holiday
28 May
Spring bank holiday
27 August
Summer bank holiday
25 December
Christmas Day
26 December
Boxing Day
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
New Housing Developments Development in the area continues with new homes available at the following developments: Persimmon Homes Hatchwood Mill, King Street Lane, Winnersh RG41 5AZ Redrow Addington Place, Headley Road East, Woodley RG5 4SL Berkeley Homes Eldridge Park, Bell Foundry Lane, Wokingham RG40 5QF Crest Nicholson Mulberry Grove, 1 Wheeler Avenue, Wokingham RG40 5AH Highfield Place, Diamond Jubilee Way Berkshire 5AP, Highfield Cl, Wokingham RG40 Persimmon Homes Clarence Place, Tawny Owl Square, Bracknell RG12 8EB Crest Nicholson Barkham Place, 3 Waterman House, Oak Drive, Arborfield Green, Wokingham RG2 9GL Charles Church Wellwood Place, Upper Redlands Rd, Reading RG1 5JE Dinton Heights & Sandford Place, Sandford Farm Cottage, Woodley, Reading RG5 4TE Taylor Wimpey Croft Gardens, Hyde End Road, Spencers Wood RG7 1DG Crest Nicholson Nightingale Fields, Off Sheerlands Road/ Nine Mile Ride Extension, Arborfield Green, Wokingham RG2 9ND Berkeley Homes Woodhurst Park, Harvest Ride, Warfield RG42 2PN