How To Choose Where To Live!

September 10, 2020 Leave a Comment

We live in a big world, filled with cities, beach towns, countryside villages and hamlets hidden off the beaten track. When it comes to reaching adulthood, we get to choose where we want to live and how we want to live – and it’s most freeing to realize this!

 

We all know that home is where the heart is, but what if you don’t know where it should be and how to get there? You – like everyone else – have specific things that they want from the area that they are living in and you need to start with making a list. Do you want low crime rates? A beach that’s local enough to walk to? A great school system? The research that you do into your new home has to be thorough. Don’t forget, you can just throw a dart on a map and be done with it, but that doesn’t always happen to be the right way to go about it. So, with this in mind, we’ve got some guidance below on how you can choose where you and your family should live.

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  • Assess Affordability

Whatever it is that you earn, you need to make sure that you live within your means. You will be getting a job in a new area, and some areas pay more for certain career paths than others. Your affordability is more than just what your mortgage and other housing expenses are. You have to consider what you can afford on groceries, gas, utilities and the internet. If you’re currently living in a big city and move out to the suburbs, then you’ll notice your expenses drop down fairly low very quickly. It’s why so many people move out – more bang for their buck. Anywhere you move, consider your living costs and affordability.

  • Work Opportunities

If you are planning to move across the world, the one thing that you need the most is a job. Researching the job markets in any location is vital, as you need to know that you have a steady income when you get there. You need to look at both the quality of the opportunities available to you, and then you can determine whether there is a good career progression in the future, too. This will save you from having to move all over again!

  • House Value

Most of the time, people are interested in buying a house at some point. Whether it’s now or in the future, buying a home needs to be on your radar and you need to know that you can afford it. Some areas have higher house prices than others, and you need to ensure that you are going to be able to afford those prices. There is no point in living somewhere you can’t afford the housing – you’ll only have to move again!

  • Crime

Whether you are planning to have a family or not, you need to consider the crime statistics of the places in which you plan to live. The last thing that you need is to think about is looking over your shoulder when you walk at night. Research the crime statistics and get to know the areas in a little more detail.

  • Distance

You could be willing to move to the other side of the world, but if you plan to be able to visit friends and family, you need to think about how far you’re moving. Family is important to many people, and if they’re important to you, don’t go too far!

  • The Weather

Believe it or not, the climate is an important moving factor for a lot of people. If you love to be in the mountains where there’s some snow, it’s not a good idea to head to the hottest places in the world. Work out what would make you happy and find a climate that will balance all of those things. Base your choice on the seasons you need and love in your life, and find some balance in it.

  • Education

If you plan to have children one day, assessing the school districts and learning what would be positive in the life of your children is going to be a big part of the puzzle. Consider what you look for the most in schools for your children, and choose to look at both public and private education facilities. The quality of schools should factor into your affordability, too!

 

Choosing where to live is going to take time and research – where will you start?

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What Time Of Year Is Best For Letting Out Your Property?

September 1, 2020 Leave a Comment

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Letting agents are among the first people you will want to speak to if you are planning to rent out your property. One factor you might be considering is the best time of year for putting your house on the rentals market. Sometimes, you have no say in the matter – if a tenant moves out unexpectedly, for instance. But if you can choose the timing, what is the best season to consider?

 

A good letting agent can advise you based on their experience of the local market. This can be important if you are in the stage of making your property tenant-ready or if you are considering an investment such as land for sale at The Grove, which you will then use to build an investment property for yourself. So, let’s take a look at a few handy tips follow.

 

Many letting agents will tell you that spring is a great time to put a property on the rental market. With the expense and hassle of Christmas out of the way, people often feel more optimistic and keener to move on wards and upwards with their lives – that includes moving home! 

 

The weather will be milder and the days longer, meaning more people are willing to leave the central heating behind and start their property search. Better light and kinder weather conditions also help letting agents show properties in their best light. Experience shows they will certainly be showing more properties in the period before the long school holidays start too. 

 

Advice On The Rules Regarding Carbon Monoxide Detectors 

 

Letting agent companies should do more than simply market a property and draw up the relevant documents such as the rental agreement. Good letting agents will have the best interests of both the tenant and the property owner in mind; not just, as is true in some cases, the landlords. 

 

Carbon monoxide can be a serious issue for renters, and in the recent past, it has caused approximately 26 deaths a year, as well as many serious illnesses. However, in March 2015, the law regarding carbon monoxide detectors in leased properties changed, and fewer deaths have occurred as a result. 

 

The housing minister announced the new, safer rules in 2015 in an effort to crack down on entirely preventable deaths. Around 90 per cent of all households have a smoke alarm, and this is something that letting agents should ensure in their rental properties. However, many rental properties were found not to have a carbon monoxide detector at all. Since the new rules, though, this is no longer acceptable in rented accommodation. It will be one task of any letting agents to ensure that the landlord has fulfilled all their commitments under the law before allowing renters to live in their property. 

 

It is now the case that landlords must provide carbon monoxide detectors, although it will usually fall to the tenant to ensure they are serviced and checked regularly. 

 

So there you have it: some top rental tips. We hope this has helped!

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Great Things You Can Do to Look After Your Home This Year

April 21, 2020 Leave a Comment

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Being a homeowner requires a fair amount of planning and hard work, but it is worthwhile in the end. You want to live somewhere you can be proud of, and one of the best ways of being able to achieve this is by looking after the home and treating it with respect as much as you can. This is something that can play a massive role in taking things to the next stage, and you need to make sure you focus on the best ways of achieving this. 

 

Try to come up with ideas that are going to allow you to take care of your home in the best possible way, and there are a number of things you can do to achieve this. Make sure you consider what it takes to find the best ways of looking after your home moving forward. You have a lot to consider when you want to achieve this, and these are some of the things that you should keep in mind moving forward. 

 

Deal With Home Emergencies

 

One of the things you need to be the best at when it comes to improving your home is dealing with emergencies that might crop up. This is something you are going to need to make sure you get right moving forward, and there are a lot of things that play a role in this moving forward. There are plenty of ways you can handle home emergencies like a pro, and this is one of the things you need to keep in mind. Make sure you take decisive action right now to deal with this moving forward as much as possible.

 

Make Repairs if Needed

 

There are a lot of things that you are going to need to think about when it comes to making repairs as much as possible. There are a lot of things you need to think about here, and there are plenty of areas of the home that could well be improved moving forward. There are areas of the home that are going to need working on, and things like casement window parts can play a big role in helping you to achieve this. You have to make the right kinds of repairs to allow you to take the property to the next level right now. 

 

Weatherproof It

 

You are going to need to do as much as possible to help look after your home in adverse weather conditions. Heavy rain, wind, ice, and even sun can have an impact on your property, and this is something that you should try to work on right now. You can take steps now that will allow you to improve your home and look after it as much as possible. There are a lot of elements that play a role in helping you come up with ideas to protect the home against adverse weather conditions as much as possible. 

 

Tend to the Garden

 

Your garden is one of the best areas of the home, and this is something you can and should be tending to right now in order to get the best outcome for the home. Having an aesthetically pleasing garden is one of the best things you can do to help make the home better. Try to do what you can to spruce your garden up and make the right decisions as much as you can moving forward. 

 

There are a lot of things that you need to focus on moving forward, and this is something you need to be aware of moving forward. Do as much as possible to come up with tips and ideas that will help you to secure the best choices for improving your home. Try to think about the way in which you should be improving the home moving forward, and the best ways of making your property better.

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Get Ready for Spring Weather

February 8, 2019 Leave a Comment

It’s been a long, cold winter and everybody’s ready for warmer weather to arrive as we head into spring. If you’re a homeowner, that can also mean a long to-do list as you put away your winter items and bring out your spring accessories. Don’t put off items that need attention right away, or you’ll end up letting your to-do list overwhelm you. Instead, be prepared for spring by completing these simple tasks.

Start Cleaning

They don’t call it spring cleaning for nothing. Springtime is one of the best times of the year to go through and take stock of all the belongings that have accumulated around your home during the winter to see what you want to keep and what can be tossed out. Don’t try to rush the process or you may overlook important items that you should keep or toss. Instead, take it one room at a time and give each a thorough deep cleaning as you go through. In each room, pull all items out of closets, cupboards, and drawers and go through each item individually. If it’s something you haven’t used in the past year, chances are you can toss it. Toss out old documents as well, with the exception of important financial documents, which you should hold onto for at least seven years.

Make a Repair List

The next thing you’ll want to do is take a walk around your home and check things such as windows, doors, fence posts, and your electrical and plumbing. If anything looks broken or in need of repair, make a list so you don’t forget to get to it. Rank your list in order of importance and tackle the big items first. For example, if you have a leak in your plumbing that should come before fixing a broken fence post. If you want to get through your list quickly and don’t have the time to tackle everything alone, there are plenty of handyman services in Portland, OR that can help you get things done quickly.

Service Your HVAC System

As we transition into warmer weather, it’s time to start thinking of preparing your HVAC system so it’s ready when you need to start using air conditioning. Have your HVAC system serviced by a professional. They’ll be able to inspect your existing system to ensure it’s in good working condition while changing out filters, adding parts as needed, and ensuring it’s in good shape for the upcoming season.

Don’t let spring sneak up on you without being prepared. The sooner you tackle your spring to-do list, the sooner you’ll be able to enjoy the warm weather when it arrives.

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