Helping Innovate Property (HIP) – Blog, Housing Market News and Articles

Investors have identified that now is an opportune time to invest in property. A recent survey conducted by the Property Investor Show & OPP Live reveals that while only 16.1 per cent of investors purchased UK or overseas property in the last six months, over double this number intend to invest in property in the next six months and are currently searching for the right opportunity.

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Mr Philip Salaman managing director of Quidos has kindly obliged to answers a few of our questions.

Q 1 NHER produced some great research in relation to non-compliance of Commercial EPCs recently. Do you have any other similar research you are undertaking at present and when could we expect to see the results?

We have conducted recent research into commercial buildings EPC compliance in the South West England area. We have very accurate statistics on the number of commercial properties on the market, and we cross referenced that data against the Landmark database. 73% did not have EPC’s.

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If you have a boiler and heating system older than about 10 years you really should consider upgrading the boiler and hopefully the following will provide some food for thought.

As gas and electric prices continue to rise with recent reports that they could possibly be 60 % higher by 2020 if not sooner. Now is the time to look at both your consumption and the efficiency of your heating system.

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With the conservative’s conference now finished and the focussed rallying of political troops coming to a natural lull we now see further reflection of the speeches and recently published papers.

Grant Shapps always provides some interest though feel he often lacks solid reasoning and/or alternatives to areas he dislikes. He is undoubtedly advised on certain areas though in regard to Home Information Packs and Energy Performance Certificates he just seems to be taking a ‘party line’; stating what he hopes the nation wants to hear.

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Home Information Packs (HIPs) have undoubtedly received some bad press since their introduction which has been mainly initiated by a number of staunch anti-HIP groups. However, over time and with increased understanding and research we have seen these protesters diminish and numbers grow in support of the Home Information Pack. As people witness the benefits of the HIP these numbers will surely grow and the perceived negative start to the life of the HIP, progress and develop further into an essential and beneficial part of the property conveyancing process.

If the space above appears blank please click here to view on You Tube

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London Sales

Unsurprisingly, demand is exceeding supply with homebuyers retracted into their shells for the traditional summer calm this August. The figures this year indicate a certain tidal change compared to the same period in 2008. Across London properties, the amount of offers being made went up 60% on an annual basis while exchanges 78%.

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Welcome to Mike Ockenden, Chairman of the Association of Home Information Pack Providers (AHIPP) who has kindly agreed to spread a bit of light on how he sees the past and future of all things HIP related.
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One of the ‘cheapest’ Home Information Pack (HIP) providers who were favourably named in last months edition of Which have ‘withdrawn’ from the HIP market.

This demise has been inevitable for many of the cheap HIP providers including Promise Home Packs and we highlighted concerns last month in the article ‘Be aware of cheap, budget HIP & EPC providers‘. Promise are not the first HIP supplier to have left the market and certainly will not be the last.

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The Body that represents the interests of solicitors, the Law Society, has recently published a consultation paper entitled ‘Improving Residential Conveyancing’. The purpose of this is to invite the views of its membership on ideas/proposals it has for improving the home buying and selling process.

The timing of this consultation paper is questionable, given that apart from the radical and some would say brave introduction of the Home Information Pack Regulations, no significant change to the selling and buying process has happened since 1925. So why after all this time is the Law Society looking to review and seek the thoughts of its members on possible reform?

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The Conservative party has made no pretence about its desire to ‘scrap’ Home Information Packs (HIPs) should as is likely it gain power in spring of next year. Is this a credible policy which can be backed with intellectual argument or is it simply an easy way of trying to win the populist vote?

In this article I will look at both sides of the argument and will, despite my vested interest in seeing the HIP retained, try and provide a balanced analysis of the issues.

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Nationwide have published their monthly report stating that house prices have risen for the fourth consecutive month. In August, it is claimed that we have seen property prices increase by 1.6% making the average house price in the country £160,000. However, is this the recovery most are looking for?

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