Category: General

What info to leave for the new owners?

Should you leave information for the new owners when you move out? Some people do and some don’t. A folder full of useful information would be nice about what days the bin days are, where the nearest shop is and what time it closes on a Sunday.

You could also leave local taxi numbers and Takeaway menus with recommendations! That’d be a nice touch especially as moving is so tiring.

You could also be very thorough and leave the receipts for every major purchase in the house – although you might not have kept the reciepts for the bathroom suite you had put in back in 2001.

You could if you were organised enough leave the names and brand of each paint colour used on the walls – same with wallpaper, blinds and curtains – so they could be matched although light exposed paint does change colour over time.
You should probably look out for the instruction booklets on every appliance in the house. You’ll have them in a folder somewhere tucked away. The alarm instructions are important too so they can change the code!

Some people might also leave the names and contact details of every workman that had been in the house and what work they had done so that any guarantees could be chased up – or if they wanted more work of the same quality doing they would have an idea who to contact.

If you have a chimney then leave the number of the chimney sweep and when you last had it done and when they should probably next get it done.

You could leave the numbers of any emergency plumbers you’ve used too if you recommend them! All the useful numbers you pass on to neighbours when they want work doing.
Health care – leave the local doctors and dentist addresses and numbers, as well as the nearest chemist.
You could also leave your mobile phone number so that if they have any questions you can answer them – but leaving the heating instructions is a better idea!

If you decide to leave some info then you’re probably the sort of person to leave them some flowers or a bottle of wine too! It’d be nice if everyone did this but lots of people don’t!

Buying a house next to a school

Is buying a house next to a school a good idea? I’ve lived next to a primary school in the past and it was fairly peaceful until break time when there’d be lots of kids running about screaming. It isn’t a bad sound though and if you go out to work you’re not going to be there.
There’s the thorny issue of parking – that might be a problem if you want to leave your house the same time as hoardes of parents arrive to drop off or pick up their kids.
Don’t rely on what the vendors tell you. Visit during school drop off time to see how chaotic it really is. Just drive past – or try to!
There’s possibly a difference in numbers depending on school size, but parents of secondary school children don’t park any nicer than those of primary school children.

Should you think about the name?

Hot Homes UK – a Plymouth based lettings agency has disappeared with the money. A PLYMOUTH estate and letting agent has closed down leaving landlords and tenants asking what has happened to their money. link

And this house on Moneypit Lane is left unfinished after renovation work was started on it…

Wales wants control over stamp duty

Wales is looking at whether it can take control of it’s stamp duty. Whether this would mean they could raise stamp duty as a fundraiser, or reduce it to encourage purchases is another matter.

Can an economy base itself on house sales for success? I don’t think so. Debt is bad! Have we learnt nothing from the credit crunch.