All posts tagged: buying property

New Homeowners

A Guide for New Homeowners – Where to start, the dos and don’ts

Published by Karen Knox

There’s an epidemic afoot everyone. It’s called “first time home owner syndrome”. As we already know, people are getting onto the property ladder later in life. Renting well into your 20’s and 30’s, even 40’s is becoming the norm. House prices are mental and mortgages are a nightmare. I was one of the lucky ones, I got my grubby mitts on my first house, a 3 bed, ex-council semi, back in 2003. It felt like a HUGE amount of money at the time. £38k. I have no doubt anyone would bite your hand off to be able to buy a property for that now. The current property climate has led to a high number of long term renters, many of which have never been hands on with a property. Maybe getting as far as hanging pictures, a shelf perhaps. But when it comes down to learning about the nuts and bolts of a house and how to look after a property, renters tend to leave that job to the landlord/lady. That’s what you’re paying for …

Before and After – The Open Plan Kitchen

Published by Karen Knox

When you’re buying a new house, you have to take into account many things. Location. Price. Chain, no chain. Outdoor space. Opportunities to extend. Local facilities. Area. The neighbours. Schools and Ofsted. You have to prioritise and make sacrifices. We were moving when I was pregnant, in my third trimester so buying a complete renovation project wasn’t an option, although financially it would have been a much better decision at the time. But we also couldn’t afford the finished article either. The house we fell for was a compromise. A compromise with so much potential. The Dining Room – Before – Estate Agent Photo It was a traditional, post-war, 3 bed semi. Some rooms had been done. Not to my taste, but they were beautifully presented and you could see the owners had done a fair amount of work. Oak flooring throughout the hallway and dining room, newly plastered walls and skirting boards throughout most rooms. This was one pretty big job we didn’t have to sort. Unlike the kitchen: The Kitchen – Before – Estate …