Category: Useful sites

Don’t forget to redirect your mail!

https://www.royalmail.com/personal/receiving-mail/redirection

 

You can redirect your mail to any UK or overseas address for 3, 6 or 12 months from just £33.99.

Price on Royal mail 4/2/2022

 

Wondering how safe somewhere is?

I’m watching the planning meeting of my local council on youtube and they’re talking about a development and problems potentially with road accidents –
Which reminded me of this web site https://www.crashmap.co.uk/Search

It’s not cheery reading, but might be of interest to you if you’ve ever wondered how safe the roads are near you.

https://www.planttracker.org.uk/ is a website where once you’ve registered you can report Japanese knotweed.

The Environment Agency, Scottish Natural Heritage, Natural Resources Wales and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency have joined forces to help combat the spread of the UK’s most problematic invasive, non-native plant species.

It’s easy to register on the site. You do need a photo of the knotweed you’re reporting too.

I’d recommend you report any you find near you as it will encourage councils to take action where it’s on their land and reduce it’s spread.

I know there’s some on the brook near me and I will go and take a photo of it in the next few days and then report it! I had taken a photo when I’d originally seen it but it’s not very good so I’ll have another go.

I suspect this is a fairly new feature, but I haven’t spent a lot of time recently looking at sold prices.
The colour code relates to price.
It’s a nice feature, which in some areas will perhaps really highlight cheap streets! House  prices is in the top menu option on the rightmove site. You can use a specific postcode, or a more generic part postcode.
You can increase the radius, narrow down years sold in, and the type and tenure (freehold or leasehold)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why do people look at sold prices? To give them an idea of what it might cost them on roads where a house might not be currently available, to find out what their neighbours paid for their house and for finding out the differences a road can make!

Of course there’s lots of reasons why houses sell at different prices. A beautifully presented house might go for a good bit more than a shabby one; houses with bigger outside space might also sell for more than others on the same street. It’s a guide not a guarantee! Some people think estate agent valuations are really a promise of what you’ll get. However the housing market is incredibly fickle and if credit dries up and prevents people borrowing houses then prices drop. If a house has Japanese knotweed near it then it’ll also  perhaps sell for less if the buyers realise, or the mortgage company is aware.

 

I’ve not really used ‘On the Market‘ much, but today I have had a play.

I put in a postcode and did a search. It extended the postcode to within 1/4 mile which wasn’t a problem at all. I assume it did this as there wouldn’t have been any results. A search of the postcode L39 sticks at that area, because there’s plenty of results and it’s a big area.

It reveals a grid display of houses for sale. I played with the filters and was very impressed by it increasing the search radius when I searched for land for sale.  That’s pretty clever I thought!

It seems to default to ‘most recent’ but as I like looking and drooling over big houses that doesn’t work for me! I do understand if you’re actually looking to buy a house you’re probably keeping quite a keen eye on the market and want to see what’s come up since you last searched.

I’m not sure I like it as much as Rightmove but I will certainly play with it a bit more to see what else it can do.

You can indeed draw areas like on Rightmove.

T

Did you know that over 5% of homeowners sell their property without an estate agent?

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For a limited period we’re giving away HouseWeb’s 21-page “Guide to Selling Your Home”, which includes:
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Click here for your
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It was normal this morning but I’ve just done a search and it’s changed! Massively!
[Yes I really do use rightmove several times a day]

Here’s a screengrab.



You can now filter by newest listed (used to be most recent) or now, oldest listed! Now I like that!

They’re showing two photos of the property on the main listing page, which will give some estate agents something to do – to make sure the best two photos are first!

Must have options:
Must Haves:
Garden, Parking, New Home, Retirement Home, Shared Ownership, Auction Property

And don’t show:

New Home, Retirement Home, Shared Ownership

It’s took me a couple of searches before I realised the first property listed was a featured one. Nasty.

New app called Appraised http://getappraised.net/ – Instant house price appraisals as you browse the market
Appraised! helps you identify properties where the seller’s price expectations are or are not in line with data the Land Registry holds.

Not tried it yet though

It’s available at the chrome store

Stamp Duty for Buy to let and second homes will now be +3% –

supports families buying their own home through a 3 percentage point surcharge on rates
of Stamp Duty Land Tax on purchases of additional properties like buy to lets and second
homes

This comes in April 2016.
So will there be a frenzy of BTL and second home buying before then? Maybe – maybe not. BTL is already looking less juicy after changes to the way tax is dealt with.

Read the full Autumn 2015 statement here

From the statement:

Higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) will be charged on purchases of
additional residential properties, such as buy to let properties and second
homes, with effect from 1 April 2016. The higher rates will be 3 percentage
points above the current SDLT rates. The government will use some of the additional
tax collected to provide £60 million for communities in England where the impact of
second homes is particularly acute. The tax receipts will help towards doubling the
affordable housing budget. This will help first time buyers.

3.70 Stamp duty land tax: additional properties – Higher rates of SDLT will be charged
on purchases of additional residential properties (above £40,000), such as buy to let properties
and second homes, from 1 April 2016. The higher rates will be 3 percentage points above the
current SDLT rates. The higher rates will not apply to purchases of caravans, mobile homes or
houseboats, or to corporates or funds making significant investments in residential property
given the role of this investment in supporting the government’s housing agenda. The
government will consult on the policy detail, including on whether an exemption for corporates
and funds owning more than 15 residential properties is appropriate. The government will use
some of the additional tax collected to provide £60 million for communities in England where
the impact of second homes is particularly acute. (5)

Details to come apparently. From Paul Lewis’ twitter (BBC Money Box) who I assume has asked, but this obviously isn’t direct Treasury source:

*Treasury will be issuing consultation on 2nd home SDLT plans ‘shortly’ to deal with fiddly bits eg parent helps child by jointly buying flat
*Buy to Let landlords must pay 2nd home SDLT even if through company unless have 15+ properties. That number may come down. Consultation.
*Have a home. Buy 2nd without selling 1st eg down- or up-sizing. Will pay 2nd home SDLT but if sell 1st within 18months can reclaim extra.
*Foreign buyers will have to fill in same form and be liable for second home SDLT if have home in other country. Treasury consulting on this
*Unmarried couples can pay 1st home SDLT on 2nd if own one each. Married couples will pay 2nd home SDLT even if each owns one.