New Housing Secretary makes his first move
As his first major move in the job, Housing Secretary, Robert Jenrick has revealed plans that would help more first-time buyers get onto the property ladder. The plans involve overhauling the shared ownership scheme, allowing people to increase their home share in smaller increments. Shared ownership increments Under the current model, homeowners who have bought […]
Successfully relocate to get into a school catchment area
Education is one of the most important factors when it comes to your child’s future and where you live has an impact. There are a growing number of families who are considering moving to increase their chances of securing a place for their child in a preferred school. If you are considering such a move, […]
An interview with Royston & Lund
This month, we caught up with Val Shakespeare, Sales Director at Royston & Lund to discuss her idea of a perfect home and top tips for working in the property sector. Tell us about yourself I have 38 years of experience in the property industry and I’ve worked for the company for 17 years. Tell […]
What do proposed changes to Section 21 mean for landlords and tenants?
On Sunday 21 July this year, the Government announced that they had launched their consultation on the abolition of Section 21. The consultation, which will only cover England, will be open for 12 weeks closing on Saturday 12 October. In the consultation, the Government proposes to remove Assured Shorthold Tenancies (ASTs) from the Housing Act […]
Have you considered inheritance tax?
While leaving your home to a family member is a very generous act, there is the matter of inheritance tax to think about. One of the Founding Fathers of the United States, Benjamin Franklin was once attributed to saying that ‘nothing is certain except for death and taxes.’ Combining the two in the form of […]
A Guide to Understanding Credit Scores
Understanding credit scores can be tricky yet essential, as it affects your ability to borrow loans for mortgages. Below we will explain what a credit score is, how it’s calculated and what to do if you have a bad credit score. What is a credit score? Companies known as ‘credit reference agencies’ (CRAs) collect […]
Stage your home like a pro
When it comes to selling a house, ‘staging’ is of the utmost importance. You might spend hours upon hours dusting ceiling corners, scrubbing at the kitchen floor or rearranging the furniture. However, there are other changes you could make which you might not have thought of. Recent research carried out by Carpetright explores how our […]
Could Boris make changes to Stamp Duty in the near future?
Many in the property industry have called out for the new Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, to act decisively on his previously proposed plan of possibly scrapping Stamp Duty on homes under £500,000, at the same time cutting it from 12% to 7% on properties valued at over £1.5m. The hope is the proposed changes would […]
Location, location, location: a guide to finding your next home
There is one thing that all property professionals agree on, whether they work in commercial property or residential, and it’s that location is one of the most important factors to consider when buying a home. Property gurus around the world continue to emphasise the importance of location because it has such a massive bearing on […]
How Virtual Reality is changing the property sector
In today’s fast-moving technological age, new developments in tech are constantly being introduced that are having a significant impact on the property sector. The most recent is the introduction of virtual tours and virtual reality (VR). While VR is by no means a new concept, rapid advancement in augmented reality technology has meant that it […]
