UK Property Blog by HIP-Consultant.co.uk

With the current financial crisis impacting on house sales, those looking for extra space may be well advised to extend rather than sell, adding value for when the market picks up following the fall.

Among the most proven of additions is the loft extension, a way of utilising space that tends to be disregarded and becomes a store of junk. There are a number of steps you should take if you want to think about converting your loft to living space, and the best way to start is to get up there and have a look.

Things to take into account are the pitch angle and the height of the roof. The general rule is that you must have 2.3 metres height for decent headroom, and remember that the use of ‘dormer’ style windows – those that project horizontally from the roof – can give extra headroom at the eaves.

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You’ve cleaned the windows, weeded the garden, touched up the paintwork and swept the drive, and still nobody wants to buy your well priced and presentable house. The scenario is familiar to all who have gone through the rigmarole of selling a property, but all is not lost; within an affordable budget there are a few things you can do that will most certainly add to the desirability of your house.

I imagine a number have been put off already by the word ‘budget’, but read on and you’ll see that a major impact can be made for relatively little outlay.

Paint the walls

The first step is to look at the walls. If you have heavily patterned wallpaper it can be off-putting for some buyers, as many will look at the décor and decide that it is not ‘for them’ as much as the last house they viewed.

The trick is to present a blank canvas. Read the rest of this entry »