Month: February 2011

Most expensive street in the UK?

Victoria Road in Kensington, west London, has been named as the most expensive for property in England and Wales by website Mouseprice.com.

Want to google view it? This is the top of the road by Kensington Gardens

8 bedroom house for sale on Victoria Road, Kensington
For only £13,000,000

The street has an average price of £6.4m

see house prices data for this road

Of course it’s not the most expensive property in the UK as this £70M mansion is still for sale but above that in a search comes this place that’s Price on application

Environment search

The Environment search can cover:

Land Contamination
Neighbourhood Nuisance, e.g. proposed erection of mobile masts or effluent plants Common Land Ownership and Rights of Commoners Village Green and Grass Verge Ownership
Town & Country Planning applications and history
Civil Aviation activity in the area
London Underground routes & Tunnels affecting the property
Flood sites, Potential Flood Areas and Potential Subsidence Areas
Coal Mining
Limestone or Gypsum Quarrying and risk of Subsidence
Brine Works
Existing and Proposed Overhead and Underground Electricity Cables
Radon data
Existing and Proposed Mobile Mast Sites and Information
Council Tax Bands, Local Secondary Schools, Hospitals and Public Footpaths
Aerial Photography
The council’s Local Plan and Planning Policies
Local Crime Statistics and Local Police Forces
The impact on the value of the property of Environmental factors
Hazardous and Regulated Installations
Proximity to Landfill Sites, Waste Sites and Scrap yards
Petroleum and Fuel Sites
Pollution Incidents
Flood risk areas
Subsidence risks
Landslip risks
Mining & Mineral Extraction
Radon & Radon Protection Measures
Air Quality
Radio Masts
Landfill and Waste sites
Storage of Dangerous, Hazardous & Radioactive Substances
Past & Current Industrial Land use

How big is the property?

Have a look at the EPC for a property, at the top right hand corner of the full EPC it gives the habitable area of the property in sq metres (not including garages etc.)
That way you can determine the price per sq m / sq foot of the property!

Make notes to compare prices between properties!
All propertys have to have an EPC when they are for sale (or rent) and the estate agent should show it you free of charge.

House jokes

I’m going to collate all the housing jokes I can find… Might even get my sketchbook out and draw some cartoons if I feel inspired enough!


If you buy a house with a 125% mortgage, you own less of the house than when you first looked at it!

Another search to think about

When you’re looking at an area you can do searches for “land for sale” and see whether there’s any land being sold off by either the council or landowners. Bear in mind any affect of a new development might have on your future property in the area.
Local councils either manage the sale of land or allow private companies to do this for them. Some internet searching should find you the answers you need.

Ready to make an offer?

Thinking about making an offer

If you’re at the stage where you’re thinking about making an offer, then I hope you’ve viewed twice, preferably taking someone else with you for a second pair of eyes. I hope you’ve asked all the questions you needed too and got good answers.

So what to offer?

Do a postcode search on houseprices.co.uk and see what properties have sold recently in the area and what they’ve gone for. Ideally you’re looking for similar houses on the same street but it’s not always possible.

Do a crime search on the police maps site too. What’s the crime like? Will it bother you having antisocial behaviour nearby or even on the same road?

Check on property bee for price reductions within the area too. See if things are being reduced – if so this is a sign that not much is selling. You can view sale trends on home.co.uk by using a postcode search.

Are you in a really good position and ready to go? Is your mortgage in place, your deposit available and waiting?

Get solicitor quotes NOW so when you make your offer you can say “this is my offer and my solicitor will be…” so you look like you’re ready to buy.

If you want to put in a low offer then do it! There’s no harm in trying especially in a falling market. They might refuse – and there’s probably no point in saying you expect prices to fall, as the owners won’t care about that, but speak with the estate agent and say you’re worried about the crime levels on the street and nearby and that this has affected your offer.

If they refuse – then do not rush in and up your offer. Say you’ll have to think about whether you can offer more in light of the work you think needs doing, and the potential problems with the property. If you rush in and up your offer then they know you’re keen and will push you to offer more.

Be relaxed. There are plenty of other properties on the market. If you don’t hear back from an agent after you’ve made an offer then you could give them a ring and arrange a viewing for another property. That lets them know you’re serious about finding the right property at the right price – it might make them hurry the vendors along too.

Drive by viewings

Drive by viewings

You should always visit the area before you make your actual viewing. It’ll give you a chance to have a look at the street in advance.

You should be looking at parking problems on the road, the state of the road, and the surrounding properties.

If you are new to the area then it can help you spot local shops and facilities and also potential trouble spots.

Driving past at different times of the day to include evenings, rush hour and weekends gives you more idea how the place changes during the week.