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.

The Manor House

The manorThe Manor House is a very impressive Grade II listed, seven bedroom property designed by Sir Jeffrey Wyatville and dated 1828.
Grade II listed seven bedroom period property with separate two bedroom cottage
I love the outside of this house, it’s so romantic looking with the roses growing up smoothing the straight lines of the buttresses and other archiectural features.

The Old Manor Dunster

The Old ManorThe Old Manor Dunster is the most stunning place you can imagine. It’s historic frontage looks very stately. Inside it’s packed with features as you’d expect of a house this old. The Great Hall/dining room is amazing and it’s got plenty of other reception rooms: sitting room, study, office, Solar/drawing room, chapel.
With 5 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms as well as a lovely Edwardian pavilion with 3 reception rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms
It’s also got plenty of outside space with Barn, stabling, garaging and very attractive landscaped garden, arboretum, orchard, paddock, field

History is guaranteed with a mention of a property on this site in 1266 as being a manor of Dunster. In the 15th century the property was probably owned by a Robert Ryvers and later by John Loty, Constable of Dunster Castle. The manor was later owned by Richard Pyntz, who married into the Chichester family of Arlington Court in North Devon, a well-known Roman Catholic family, hence the Roman Catholic chapel in the property.
I think this is the listing

Fake TV anti-burglar device

FakeTV Burglar Deterrent DeviceThe man who used to run the local homewatch used to say that one of these would be perfect for keeping burglars away! Whilst a radio is only audio, this device actually pretends to be a TV.
Everyone knows you only have a tV on when someone is in the house and so this FakeTV Burglar Deterrent Device is perfect for keeping the burglars away! The FakeTV Burglar Deterrent Device
is available to buy now and whilst it’s nearly £27 in price, it’s probably one of the most effective anti-burglar deterrents there can be!

The Fake Television is really clever and will change the light to simulate scene changes, light fades, light flickers, on-screen motion and colour changes so it looks just like someone is watching a real television.

Burglars know that breaking into an occupied house and confronting a person massively increases the risk of him being caught and it also increases the seriousness of the offence and hence the prison sentence if they are caught.

Using FakeTV could not be simpler, just place it in a room near your closed curtains and the burglar will see the constantly changing light around the edges of the curtains. Plug the FakeTV into the mains electricity using the included adapter and the built in light sensor will turn FakeTV on at dusk for 4 or 7 hours, so there is no need for an external timer.
This is incredible! It uses less energy than the TV would being on, doesn’t need a timer and is a brilliant idea! Just what the homewatch man suggested in fact!

Home Energy Check

If your house is for sale you need an energy performance certificate.
If your house isn’t for sale you can get a free assessment here at the Energy Saving Trust Free Home Energy Check page
It’ll ask you questions about your house and it’s heating system and then by email (or post) send you a cope of the report. It says my house is a C but could be a band B if I installed solar panels!

No snow yet!

I’n not sure why I’m suprised to say it either, but we’ve had no snow yet! After initial fears of a very early snowy winter, it hasn’t yet materialised! The weather has been really mild! I have noticed supermarkets selling tiny bags of grit though!
If you want to be prepared then buy a big bag and don’t be afraid to use it on your paths. A Bulldog Snow Shovel
should probably be in your shed too for when the snow does come!
So how can snow help you house hunt or sell your house?
If you’re selling then a few inches of snow can be helpful hiding the neighbour’s garden if it’s a mess, or disguising how much your lawn needs cutting.
It can also make your house look really pretty and pictureque. A snowy picture can date when your house was first on the market but if you can persuade the estate agent to use a lovely shot and label it such that people will see it’s from previous years then it might help clinch a sale! Some houses look beautiful in the snow!

If you’re buying you can use snow to show you how much insulation is in the loft! If the snow stays on the roof but the house is warm inside then it has plenty of insulation! Same goes for frosty days – a row of houses all facing the same way allows you to see which has got roof insulation and which hasn’t.
Bear in mind that snow can make gardens look much tidier than others – so if it is snowy perhaps wait until the snow has cleared before making an offer and have a second viewing.
I’ve read that some people like to see what an area is like in Autumn when the leaves have fallen. This can reveal buildings that will be hidden in summer when the leaves are all green, but bare trees reveal all!

So if you’re selling your house in winter what can you do to make it sell?

If you have a real fire then get it lit! There is something magical about logs burning that is wonderful and will set the scene beautifully. Get the chimney swept though so there’s no problems with it!
Light the rooms well. Winter is alway darker and more gloomy so use side lights to bring a room to life, rather than just central ceiling lights. The right sort of lamps can make a room feel warm and very welcoming.
Get the heating on so the house is cosy.
The old tricks of the trade like brewing coffee can be adapated perhaps. Warming up mince pies in the oven will create a fantastic smell. Don’t burn them though!

Ensuring things like wellington boots, wet coats and cold weather gear is all store away out of sight is important. If there’s no room for it to be hidden then it’ll make thouse feel smaller and more cluttered.

There’s a whole lot of thoughts on whether you should put Christmas decorations up when you’re trying to sell your house. I think the perfect thing would be to have something in style with your house, small and tasteful but showing your house is big enough for a nice tree. Don’t go overboard on the outdoor decorations as they can really put people off. If your neighbours go OTT then perhaps you’d be best not having viewings whilst they’re up. Maybe you are though – you never know if someone would like them or not!
A stylish wreath on the door isn’t going to put anyone off though and if you’ve got kids then you’d be mean to deprive them of a tree and decoations!