One of the leading recommendations if you are trying to sell your home through Charlton Grace in Basingstoke is to offer buyers a blank canvas. Whilst you may think your decoration is of high quality and the best taste, buyers like to be able to clearly see how your home would fit their needs. Remove as much clutter as possible and consider painting rooms currently decorated with bright colours in a more neutral shade.

It is also important to look at property prices in your area and see what similar homes are commanding by means of sale price. No matter what changes you make to your home, they are not likely to raise the price that much higher than other similar homes in your area. This means that you shouldn’t spend a huge amount making a house over before a sale. Nor should you increase your home price simply to try and recoup previous money spent on it.

Finally, it is very important to offer what buyers want rather than what you think they should want. Listen carefully to potential buyers and Charlton Grace staff, so that you can offer as many positive options as possible for buyers to take advantage of.

The latest figures showed that between 8^th January and 11^th February, there was not only a monthly increase but also a 1.4% year-on-year increase as well. The rise in property prices is surprisingly strong and is an indicator for those using Charlton Grace in Basingstoke to find a home that a property deal should be snapped up quickly or price gains could be noted.

Major areas that contributed to the overall property increase were the South East and London, with the British capital leading the way. Here the average price for a home is £449,252 and the latest month saw price gains near the all time high, which was set in October 2011. Meanwhile, with the number of listings in London 9% lower than they were a year ago, the increased number of homes coming onto the market is set to put the average property price even higher.

With Basingstoke’s easy commuting distance from the capital, properties here are also set to see increases. If you are selling, you could be set to make more money than you think on your home. For those seeking new properties, getting in quick and getting a property deal is important to avoid future price gains.

Charlton Grace in Basingstoke is the ideal estate agent to use if you are looking to find the perfect buyers for your home. The current market may have left you with little interest, but all of this could be about to change. High street bank HSBC has said that it will be launching a 90% LTV option, whilst Hinckley & Rugby, Marsden and Yorkshire will also offer 90% loans.

LTV loans are calculated on the amount that buyers need to borrow. For example, if a house costs £100,000 and buyers have a £10,000 deposit, they will need to use a 90% LTV loan to make up the remaining £90,000. The lower the LTV is, the cheaper the mortgage will cost, and though many may not want to take out an expensive loan, in many cases will be the only option available. Whilst the number of LTV mortgages dropped during the recession, the range and variety available is once again on the rise.

If you are looking to sell your home then the latest mortgage news will be welcomed as it will allow you find buyers for your home and upgrade to your dream property.

Over the past two years, ARLA revealed that the average length of stay in a home for tenants has grown from 16 months to 19 months, a rise of 17%. With many people unable to find a deposit for their first home, tenants are staying in good properties for longer whilst trying to save for their first mortgage. If you want to find the perfect tenant, then Charlton Grace in Basingstoke is perfectly placed to find suitable people for your home so that you can enjoy long tenancy periods.

With residents staying for longer, there is also more wear and tear on properties, so you should ensure that you take steps to inventory all your fixtures and fittings. ARLA operations manager, Ian Potter, said that the increased tenancy periods “will inevitably lead to greater wear and tear in rented accommodation and fewer opportunities for downtime between tenancies for landlords to make improvements.” However, without the worry of properties sitting vacant for long periods, if you are a landlord then you could benefit from the longer tenant lets.

Charlton Grace in Basingstoke is sharing the results from the 2010-2011 English Housing Survey to indicate just how important the British rental market is becoming. During the period that the survey was undertaken, a 1% drop to 66% for home ownership was noted, showing that 14.5m individuals now own a property. Meanwhile, the private rental sector has around 6.3m households, or 16.5%, whilst the social rental sector is returning to figures that were noted three decades ago. Currently, there are 3.8m households, or 17.5%, in the social rented market, which is only 200,000 different from data thirty years ago.

Whilst old properties are being rented, new houses are also seeing significant numbers being placed into the rental market. Of 2011’s 384,000 new houses, only 14% went into the homeowner market, with a huge 68% being used for private lets. Meanwhile, 18% of the new houses went to social renters.

The figures are a clear indication that the property market in the UK is changing, with an increasing number of people renting. Whilst this is enforced much of the time due to the lack of affordable first homes and mortgages, there may be a shift in ownership trends to ones more in line with Europe. If this is the case, you are set for a lucrative future if you are a landlord.

Two of the best ideas are to change all the light bulbs and light fittings in your home. Replacing current bulbs with new ones can breathe new illuminations into rooms, making them appear brighter. Meanwhile, inexpensive light fitting upgrades can instantly transform tired décor into a modern and loved room. Such changes can be highly attractive to buyers, even if they don’t realise the effort that has gone into lighting the house.

Another idea to refresh a property if you are trying to sell it with Charlton Grace in Basingstoke is to repaint. Painters often have less work during the winter, meaning that you could get a bargain if you don’t want to do the work yourself.

Finally, improving your property’s kerb appeal and spending some money on the front garden is a good idea. If you don’t want to spend a lot of cash, buy shrubs for planters that you can take with you when you move. Especially in the drabber months of the year, greening up the outside of your home can offer the instant loved appearance that many house buyers are looking for.

A few years ago it was shown that there was 70% home ownership in Britain, but this has since fallen to the mid 60s. However, with affordable housing being particularly hard to come by and mortgages increasingly difficult to come by, experts believe that that percentage of homeowners is likely to drop further.

If you are a landlord, you can expect the changes in attitude towards renting to bring favourable results over the coming months and years. Even outside of London, you will find that Charlton Grace in Basingstoke has plenty of scope to find the perfect tenants for your property. Alongside a rising demand for rental properties also comes a heightened need for high quality properties, offering the younger professional chic accommodation which fills the void of wanting to buy their own home. If you can capitalise on this and provide rental properties that are immaculately furnished and offer all the conveniences of modern day living, you will be able to ensure that your property remains in demand as the market continues to change.

In its simplest form, a Let-to-Buy mortgage allows you to acquire equity from your own home and put it towards a mortgage on a new property. Without selling your current property you may have no form of affording anything else, but by letting it to new tenants you can often get enough money together so that you can buy your dream property.

A particular problem with this route in the past has been that you will normally have to take out a much larger mortgage than you originally considered. However, in recent times when interest rates have plummeted, a larger mortgage is less expensive that you may believe, making a Let-to-Buy loan a very possibly opportunity.

If you are looking to buy with Charlton Grace in Basingstoke, then considering such a mortgage option might present you with the perfect opportunity to finally move. With Charlton Grace being able to find you the perfect tenants, you can not only find yourself the dream property but also let out your current home quickly and efficiently.

As soon as the word ‘pets’ is mentioned, you may instantly shudder if you are a landlord. However, up to 54% of people have been unable to find homes because they can’t house their animal friends. The Dogs Trust has said that lettings with pets can often result in a better class of tenant who will stay around for longer, and so this is an ideal option to explore if you haven’t already.

Alongside using good agents, such as Charlton Grace in Basingstoke, to help find tenants, it is important to treat individuals well once they have moved in. Do repairs and upgrades quickly so that your tenants don’t have to wait, and don’t ask individuals to wait in for tradespeople when that is your responsibility. Consider leaving a bottle of wine in the fridge on moving day to welcome tenants, and don’t necessarily wait until people move out until your replace the old dining table or tired rug.

By taking care of tenants whilst they are in your property, you can make sure that they feel appreciated and happy in their home. In keeping great tenants, your lettings life will be made that much easier.

Data regarding property searches showed that many people were desperate to sell their homes, and were willing to reduce the cost accordingly. An average of £19,580 (7.5%) has been shaved off property prices, with around 36.7% of individuals cutting their house price to make it more attractive to homebuyers. In 2011, an average of £18,475 was slashed from initial prices, showing that if you are looking for a new home now, you are much more likely to get a bargain.

Using Charlton Grace in Basingstoke will give you ideal access to all of the prime properties in the area that are up for sale. With many homeowners eager to sell their homes instead of waiting on the market for months, and sometimes years, you are likely to see price reductions consistently made this year.

In 2011 just 896,000 homes were sold. The lowest recorded figure since 1978 when records began was in 2009, when only 848,000 homes were sold over the course of the entire year. With house sales slumping, it means that keen buyers can find great prices. If you are looking for that dream home, you might just find it for less than you think.