Category: General

Robbie Williams House still for sale

Compton Bassett, WiltshireThis article from the times last Ferbruary says that Robbie’s house Compton Bassett House is up for sale.
Compton Bassett house is a 18th century mansion that now has a swimming pool, gym, tennis court! It’s a really lovely alsmot french style house that’s been beautifully done.
View it on rightmove now.
It’s even got a helicopter hanger! It’s got 7 bedrooms over three floors and it is very stylishly done out. The main lounge room with it’s pool table looks a great room for hanging about in!
The pool area is fantastic with male and female changing rooms plus sauna and steam.
It is right next to the church though which is perhaps not something everyone would want in terms of privacy.
If you want to be nosey on google maps then click here – you can see the house just below the large square of formal garden.
This house has everything on my wish list! (Pool, gym, tennis court … nothing to do with it being Mr RW’s house!)

Does it need rewiring?

Does a house need rewiring?


Experts reckon that a house needs rewiring after about 30 years. Older style fuse boxes are a nuisance compared to modern RCD switch styles.


When you inspect a house look out for the numbers of sockets – they may be hard to spot, so don’t be afraid to ask the owner. This is something you could ask about on a second visit. Modern needs mean more sockets are needed than every before.


A standard rewire normally puts 2 double sockets in every room, with more in the kitchen. Of course if you’re having a property rewired you can ask for the sockets to be where you want them and to have extra ones added in. A standard rewire in the North West of England costs from £1500 excluding the cost of any plastering and redecorating that will need doing.


If you spot different types of light switch within the same house then the chances are wiring has been added to at some point. You could get an electrical safety check done if it concerns you.


A look at the fuse board can be revealing. If it’s an old type then you can pay to have just this replaced, but if you know you want more sockets then a full rewire might be an option.

As with all work get several quotes and make sure you’re comparing like for like with them.

There are firms that will rewire in a day, or you can employ a company that will do it in a few days. It depends on how much time you have as to which you pick. Getting it done quickly gets it all over with quickly though and means you shouldn’t be without electric overnight at any point!

how much does it cost to rewire a house? In 2009 quotes for a standard rewire of a 3 bedroom house with 2 lots of double sockets in each room, plus extra in the lounge and kitchen, cost £1500 excluding any plastering work. This was the same quote from several different types of companies.
Always get quotes from qualified electricians. Ask them any questions you have about wired smoke alarm systems, as these seem to be standard these days.

Mortgage TV ads

Tracker mortgage adThere’s one for a well known high street bank where a couple are on a tracker mortgage and they’re on a track on one of those hand powered handcar. They begin to struggle as it’s going uphill, implying the rates are increasing perhaps. The couple pull a lever and move without fees to a fixed rate mortgage which is on a flat level and therefore easier for them to move along.
Firstly I note that it’s implied a tracker mortgage is hard work. At the moment they shouldn’t be. The Bank of England hasn’t put interest rates up and they’re at their lowest level for hundreds of years.If you can’t manage your mortgage whilst interest rates are this low, then something is clearly wrong!
Secondly the flat level of track is indeed flat, but you don’t see the couple sliding back down the steep hill first. This implies that the fixed rate will cost at least the same as the highest level on the tracker mortgage.
I suppose the benefit would be that you know what rate it is and that it’s not going to go up suddenly if the BOE puts rates up. Will the BOE ever put the rates up though? Savers are desparing that they will!
Perhaps it’s a not so subtle way of this bank pointing out that rates will be going up soon and you should be prepared!

There’s also some silly comment about a squrrel. What’s the relevance of that? Nothing the advert says, but my interpretation would be that the squirrel isn’t relevant as people have not been ‘squirreling’ away money to help them cope during the rough times.

When neighbours become good friends

It’s very telling when you speak to the owners of a house, when you ask about the neighbours. If they don’t refer to them by name, or go very quiet you can guess they don’t get on very well.

It’s always easy to spot the lies too! When someone says their neighbours are lovely and quiet but you can actually hear the music playing through the wall, rattling the ornaments in the house you’re viewing, and then you can only assume that the owner is deaf, or desperate to move.

Some people avoid reporting neighbours to the council and the police when there are problems. This is because it would mean they have to declare a neighbour dispute when selling.

So how can you check out the neighbours?

You could go and knock on their door after you’ve finished viewing the house. That is something not everyone would feel comfortable doing. There are easy ways of finding out about the neighbours though. If it’s a hot day there’ll be people outside, smile and say hello and see if you can entice them gently into a conversation. Ask them where the nearest paper shop is, or if they have kids ask them where the nearest primary school is. Always take note that when stood on the road where the said amenity is actually placed and asking about it just makes you look silly!

Sometimes parking away from the property, maybe on the next street, is a good way of slowly walking past the neighbours gardens and having a nosey. If there’s an untidy garden nearby then it’s one you’ll be seeing often! It’s ok to buy the worst house on the street, but don’t buy the house next to the worst house on the street.

If you’ve got kids then take them for a second viewing. Try and get a sunny day not during school when it’s likely the kids are out and about. Kids often find it easier to talk to other kids, and it’d be nice to have the children’s input on what the neighbours are like. If you’re not moving from too far it’s possible they go to the same school as your kids do, which is always useful to know and can be very insightful!

If there’s a rusty car in the middle of the garden next door then it might not make them perfect neighbours! Does it make the house you’re viewing more affordable? Could you live next door to the Clampetts?

They’ll be your neighbours and it’s up to you to make the decision about how much finding out you do before you buy a house! Some people are happy to just take things as they come and make friends with the neighbours. If you’re sensitive about noise it makes sense to avoid noisy neighbours!

Mortgage lending at low

Mortgage lending at nine-year low
BBC Article interesting says: “Lending was just over a third of level seen in 2007, revealing the extent to which the UK property bubble has burst.”
The Council of Mortgages Lenders says it expects rates to rise soon too.
Why is this good news? It might not be if you’ve not got a good chance of getting a mortgage, but as prices are likely to drop, is now a good time to buy a house? I don’t think so – so keep saving your deposit!

Finding a solicitor

Picking a solicitor for buying and selling houses

There’s nothing to stop you getting quotes and ringing round local solicitors as soon as you are ready to buy a house. In fact it’s best to do it carefully and take some time about it.

To get quotes solicitors often want to know the price you’re going to be paying. A vague idea is usually enough if you’ve not had an offer accepted yet though. If you’re planning on buying for about £110,000 then tell them this. You will have to give them the full details of the property when you’re ready for them to start acting for you anyway – including the address, so don’t worry about an exact figure at this time.

If you’re ringing up for quotes make a note of who you’ve rung, who you speak to and ask if it includes all searches and any mortgage related charges, and bank transfer fees.

You could get quotes from local firms, online firms or not so local firms. Ask how they want your documents to prove who you are. A local firm is easiest for this – you may have to factor in costs of getting documents certified and sent to them otherwise. Apparently the post office has this as a counter service for a small charge.

When you make an offer an estate agent will normally ask for your solicitors details so have them to hand when you’re ready for making an offer.

Solicitors will send out a letter stating their terms and conditions and what the charges are and what any extra charges may include.

If you’re buying repossession then make this clear and ask about how fast the process can be done. Sometimes a solicitor who is used to dealing with auction properties is a good bet if you want a fast exchange.

If a solicitor is slow at answering the phone to get a quote or doesn’t ring you back when they say they will, it might not bode well when they’re working for you. Ask about email enquiries as this can be easier for some people than dealing with phone calls.

When you’ve got a few quotes compare them – did one stand out as being more efficient? If you’re not convinced by any of them, get some more quotes.

Affordable Housing

Nothing personal about this particular venture but the phrase “affordable housing” gets my goat!
Plan revived for 269 new homes on edge of Sherborne.
There’s a line in the article that I felt was worth showing you.


Some of the housing will be affordable. This does put the spin on it that, indeed some will be affordable and some will be unaffordable!
Would you like to buy an unaffordable house?
Whilst talk of huge financial turmoil still over inflated debts caused by house price inflation and insane lending, it does strike me as particular silly that this one phrase is still used.
All housing needs to be affordable to the masses! Council waiting lists are packed with people desperate for somewhere to live, yet still developers will be allowed to build unaffordable housing.