Level 4 of the UK Code for Sustainable Homes sounds very grand doesn’t it. Level 6 refers to zero carbon houses and level 4 is over 40% better than a normal, building-regulations compliant dwelling.
A development of Swedish built houses will be built by Easter 2012 near Cambridge
See Skanska website for more info
Woodlands Vale on the Isle of Wight
Possible one of the most whimsical buildings I’ve seen for a sale – Woodlands Vale is a Grade II* listed country home on the Isle of Wight between Seaview and Ryde.
It’s on at £3 million with 6 bedrooms and amazing views and the most magical outside!
It has a lift although it needs renovating at the moment. The original conservatory with double height ceiling and cupola was converted into a billiard room in 1894. It has a narrow path which leads towards the sea and ends about 100m away … I think it comes out about here
Mates mortgages – stupid idea Mr Shapps!
‘mates mortgages’ are the latest idiotic idea created from the mind of Mr Grant Shapps who is sadly the housing minister at the moment.
What a crazy idea.
Because house prices are so high people should be able to pool their money and buy a house with their mates.
Erm, because house prices will stay high if people keep buying them at these silly prices. Schemes that support high house prices (Shared equity, interest free loans on 25%) are insane and stupid.
If the problem is high house prices then there’s only one thing that should solve that – and that’s if they get lower.
Fire safety warning
If you’ve got a beko fridge or freezer you should check the numbers on it.
There’s a report linking them to fires
There’s a fire safety notice at Beko
Contact Beko & your landlord/agent asap to verify, if it were me I would be turning off the appliance if in any doubt
Beko
Tel: +44 (0) 845 600 4904
Fax: +44 (0) 845 600 4925
Customer Services
Tel: +44 (0) 845 600 4911
Beko plc United Kingdom
Beko House
Caxton Way
Watford
Herts
WD18 8UF
Fire safety is important. Most fire brigades will do a home visit to ensure your house has the right fire safety equipment and alarm. They even fit free alarms. Contact them via the local non emergency number.
World’s Narrowest House
Story in the Daily Mail about the world’s narrowest house being built in an alley in Warsaw. It’s 60 inches wide.
That’s about 152cm – which isn’t a wide as I am tall…
The Mail also has pictures of the world’s official narrowest house, The Wedge, on the island of Great Cumbrae off Scotland’s North Ayrshire coast
Check out an area – another way
Set up a google news alert for the street you are interested in. It’ll then send you an email when there’s a news item about that street.
As long as the street name is fairly unique just use that in quote marks – if it’s not so rare then add in the second part of the address, eg: “Smith Street, New Moston” as your alert.
It’s well worth doing if you’re researching just a few streets – or even an area.
Read through the news alerts you get and look out for the ones mentioning crime and anti-social behaviour orders!
Swythamley Hall Coach House in the Peak District
Swythamley Hall Coach House i is on for sale at £2.5M
It’s a lovely house with some exposed beams, a fantastic staircase complete with a badger on the post and amazing grounds. It has six bedrooms.
Rightmove places
A new site from Rightmove that will help feed your property addiction as it’s got a game too!
Rightmove places has articles, maps, info and real reviews about places around the UK. Just type in a placename and see.
Of course as it’s so new there aren’t many reviews at all – but there probably will be in a few months.
First Time Buyers Stamp duty exemption
The first time buyer’s £250,000 threshold applies from 25 March 2010 up to 24 March 2012 inclusive.
You must both be first time buyers. That means neither of you should have owned a property before. If you are not sure if you qualify then just call them – The Stamp Taxes Helpline on 0845 603 0135.
You have to be buying it as your home – not as an investment.
You must also not have inherited a property or jointly owned one.
There is a list of questions on this Questions about Stamp Duty pdf file from HMRC which might help with any further queries – but their helpline is there to assist you more.
Kirstie and Phil ipad app
Kirstie and Phil’s House Hunter APP
By: Jointly developed and produced by BBC Worldwide and Raise The Roof Productions
The price for me is the biggest stumbling block – it’s £3.49
That’s the price of several ebooks or games so who’s going to pay for some advice off this TV pair?
With a guide, properties, tools and search
It has a torch which makes your iphone light up – how silly – why would you want to risk dropping your iphone down in some loft or subfloor?
It has a budget calculator – do you need this either? Your bank will tell you how much you can borrow – and a sensible guide is 3.5X your own earnings. That might not sound a lot – but it’s a historical norm banks are going to be aiming towards.
It also gives advice like don’t forget to have cash for surveys, fees and other house buying costs!
My advice – download the free estate agent search tools (rightmove is my favourite as it’s ad free and easy to scroll about on their map) and don’t buy this silly app. Save the money towards your house!