If you’re a professional in a major city, the place you live has a major impact on your lifestyle. From access to transport facilities, amenities such as gyms and shops and even your job, most people want everything to be close by so they spend less time travelling and more time enjoying their lives. For this reason, city centre flats are the ideal solution for young professionals who want to have everything on their doorstep – not only because travel costs are lower, but because they feel more involved with the city they live in.
A Professional’s Guide to City Living
December 14th, 2011 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Estate Agents, Property Market 3 Comments »
Mates Mortgages – the First Time Buyer Solution?
December 12th, 2011 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Mortgages, Property Market 1 Comment »
These are tough times for first time buyers trying to get a foot on the first rung of the property ladder. The high loan to value mortgages of the noughties are consigned to banking history and these days, a deposit of 15% – 20% will need to be raised, along with legal costs, survey costs and all of the other expenses associated with moving in to a new home. In reality this means that first time buyers are needing to raise at least £15,000 to £20,000, often much more to have a hope of buying their first home.
10 Top Tips When Selling Property
November 29th, 2011 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Estate Agents, Property Market 6 Comments »
The relationship between a vendor and their selling agent is often paramount to the success of a property sale; however there are many intricacies that are simply overlooked or forgotten, often to the detriment of the sale.
Development issues a Village Green presents
November 21st, 2011 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Legal, Property Developers 2 Comments »
A “Village Green” is an area of open land on which “a significant number of the inhabitants of any locality… have indulged as a right in lawful sports and pastimes on the land for a period of at least 20 years”. In order to protect a right to continue using an area of land for those purposes it must be registered under the Commons Act 2006. Once registered, the land must remain open and cannot be developed.
Tips to Protect your Property Investment
November 11th, 2011 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Insurance, Property Market 5 Comments »
Whether you’re becoming a landlord for the first time or just looking to maximise the income from existing properties, there are a number of things you can do to protect your investment.
Dealing With Property When The Owner Dies
November 9th, 2011 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Land Registry, Property Conveyancing, Property Market 1 Comment »
When the owner of a property dies all of his assets, including any land he owns pass either in accordance with his will or if he has not left a valid will, to his next of kin in accordance with the rules of intestacy.
Exchanging Contracts in Property Conveyancing Process
November 1st, 2011 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Land Registry, Property Conveyancing, Property Market Comments Off on Exchanging Contracts in Property Conveyancing Process
A contract for the sale of goods does not have to be in writing. It can be verbal or it can even be implied by the actions of the parties. For example when you go into a shop you might not speak to the assistant but by you handing over money and him/her handing over the goods the law assumes that a contract was intended and the terms of that contract are implied by certain statutory rules.
Your guide to landlord insurance
October 27th, 2011 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Insurance, Landlords Comments Off on Your guide to landlord insurance
Landlord insurance is an extremely important thing for people in the property rental industry to have in place. Sometimes referred to as “buy-to-let insurance” for this exact reason, this form of cover is taken out as a means to protect a landlord’s property.
Stimulating the Housing Market
October 20th, 2011 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Mortgages, Property Market 3 Comments »
I was reading about Nick Clegg’s proposal at the Liberal Democrat conference to impose an additional tax on empty homes the other day with the aim of stimulating the housing market and it got me thinking about a couple things. Firstly, why oh why did I think voting Liberal was a good idea and secondly, what could be done to stimulate the housing market?
Acquiring the Freehold of a Leasehold House
October 13th, 2011 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Land Registry, Landlords, Legal Comments Off on Acquiring the Freehold of a Leasehold House
Most houses in England and Wales are freehold. This means that the owner has a right to remain on the land and in the house in perpetuity (forever) or until he sells or transfers it, at which point the new owner takes over the right. Although technically the land (and therefore the house) actually belongs to the Crown, for all practical purposes it is owned by the home owner. There are some houses however that rather than being freehold are let on long leases. These are known as leasehold houses.
What Next for the UK Housing Market?
September 15th, 2011 HIP-Consultant.co.uk Posted in Estate Agents, Mortgages, Property Market 3 Comments »
You would need to have been living on Mars for the past ten years not to know about the rise and fall of the UK Housing Market. From the incredible price inflation of the early 2000s to the near collapse following the 2008 banking crisis, house prices regularly make for headline news. So what’s next?