Author: Diane

Lovely cottage in Sidbury

Hatway CottageThis lovely house is a Grade II listed period property and it’s located in a beautifully secluded part of the countryside.
Hatway Cottage is so pretty! The estate agent photos include one taken from the air which shows it well in it’s setting. It’s got plenty of room and I can imagine just how tranquil it is!

3 bedrooms & 2 bathrooms in main house
Detached,well presented studio/annexe with views
Sitting room, dining room, study, snug, kitchen & utility
Extensive collection of stables, garaging and outbuildings
3 Paddocks, in all approx 17 acres (7.03 hectares)

It’s in a fantastic part of the world and not a huge distance from the coast and is only 6 miles from the wonderful town of Honiton.
This amazing house is set in an are aof outstanding natural beauty on the eastern slopes of the Sid Valley.

Government to help house builders

The latest announcements from the Housing Minister Mr Shapps is to help house builders.

FTB will be able to buy new builds with a 5% deposit, meaning they can buy a house with just £10,000.

As with every scheme that deals with only new builds then this only helps builders. It won’t help anyone in a chain that needs a FTB coming in at the bottom.

There have been mutterings about building affordable homes but until they are actually built and I see the costs then I will assume they will actually be unaffordable!

So don’t believe the rhetoric – it’s helping builders not buyers

About 25 minutes in on Newsnight – housing minister

This one is in Wales!

Lovely house in NewchapelThis lovely 8 bedroom house is in Newchapel, Boncath, Pembrokeshire, Wales
The library is lovely, the next photo of a lounge with arched ceilings is stunning!
8 bedrooms
5 reception rooms
6 bathrooms
Ffynone is set in 34 acres and the original house was designed by John Nash & built for the Colby family in the 1790s

it’s one of those lovely dreamy properties that is packed with amazing features! That’s why it’s a Grade 1 listed building! Really stunning!

Wales in Sheffield

The Old Coach House, Manor Road, Wales. S26 5PBApparently Wales isn’t just a country, it’s also the name of an area in Sheffield.
This house in Wales, Sheffield is a bargain!
6 bedroom house for sale on at offers in Region of £825,000
The Old Coach House, Manor Road, Wales. S26 5PB
It looks pretty huge!
23ft living room
Dining room
29ft breakfast kitchen
Indoor swimming pool complex
First floor galleried landing
Four bedrooms (all having en-suite’s)
Adjoining self-contained annexe comprising: hall, cloakroom, living room,
fitted kitchen, utility room, office, two bedrooms with en-suite and dressing areas.

Affordable homes shortage plan

Affordable homes shortage: Government to reveal plans
The initiative, for England only, will begin in July and aims to build 16,000 new homes and create up to 32,000 jobs.

It is hoped that about 450,000 mainly affordable homes will be built by 2015, many of them on publicly-owned brownfield sites.

If this ends up building genuinely affordable housing (ie: people can afford to buy 100% of it with no borrowing deposits off family members etc) then it’ll be a good thing.
If it ends up building more unaffordable housing then it will almost be a waste.

There’s a great article in the Telegraph: Falling house prices, not rising Government intervention, are first time buyers’ best hope

Gas Detector

Gas DetectorThis Gas Detector is an amazing gadget. It detects gas! Sounds simple – and it is! It’ll alert you to any escaping gas from unlit rings on your gas cooker! The detector is easy to install and has the advantage of being powered by 230V mains electric rather than bring battery operated.

Who is it suitable for? Anyone who worries they’ve left a gas ring on! If you’ve got a gas cooker then one of these seems an obvious gadget to get too! It’s only cheap under a tenner so not expensive. It could help with anyone who worries about leaving the gas on!

The Gas Detector
is available at Amazon for fast delivery. Could make a great gadget gift to anyone who is moving into their own home. Not to be confused with a carbon monoxide detector

Useful book – Buy, Sell and Move House

Buy, Sell and Move House bookIf you’re new to buying a house then this book will explain some of the mysteries to you!
Buy, Sell and Move House has lots of useful information about buying a house, a useful glossary that explains lots of the terms you’ll find listed on both estate agent sites and solicitors letters. It’s a sensible purchase for anyone planning on buying their first house.
It has advice on starting to look for a house, all the way through to useful moving day information.



Buy, Sell and Move House: Navigate the Property Market without Getting Lost (Which? Essential Guide)

Which? Books are written for consumers by experts in their subject, so you can be confident this book will provide you with lots of useful information and advice.
The book has a flowchart which tells you what chapters to look at in what sequence when you’re buying a house. This sort of guide makes it useful for reference as well as an overview.