Taunton and South Somerset Living Dec 2022 - Jan 2023
And just like that - Christmas is here! This special Dec 22/Jan 23 edition celebrates the best of the festive season, with great gift ideas, fabulous pudding recipes, a guide to getting ready for guests and a whole host of other features to enjoy. Don’t forget to enter our competitions - this edition we really have a Christmas bonanza!
And just like that - Christmas is here! This special Dec 22/Jan 23 edition celebrates the best of the festive season, with great gift ideas, fabulous pudding recipes, a guide to getting ready for guests and a whole host of other features to enjoy. Don’t forget to enter our competitions - this edition we really have a Christmas bonanza!
You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles
YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.
THE HOME MOVING<br />
Guide<br />
WE WENT TO THE EXPERTS AT THE HOME<br />
OWNERS ALLIANCE TO FIND OUT ABOUT<br />
THE HOT TOPICS IN THE HOUSING MARKET<br />
WHY AVOID THE<br />
BUSIEST DAY TO<br />
MOVE?<br />
While it may seem sensible to move on<br />
a Friday, moving at the same time as<br />
large swathes of other people can put<br />
pressure on the professionals helping<br />
you move, which can mean a greater<br />
risk of delays.<br />
Of course delays can occur at any time,<br />
but on the last Friday of the month, it is<br />
also peak time for conveyancing fraud<br />
<strong>and</strong> you will need to pay more for a<br />
removal company. If there are delays in<br />
transferring funds at completion, you may<br />
have to spend the weekend in a hotel or<br />
on a friend’s sofa.<br />
For those reasons, moving on the busiest<br />
day of the year isn’t for the faint-hearted,<br />
especially with the August bank holiday<br />
also happening that week, pushing more<br />
moves onto the remaining four days.<br />
Tips on avoiding moving day delays<br />
Suggest a mid-week move to all in your<br />
chain pointing out the potential downfall<br />
of choosing to move on a busy day like<br />
Friday. Savings are possible, for example,<br />
removals firms may offer mid-week<br />
deals on prices. See our guide to house<br />
removals costs at hoa.org.uk/advice<br />
Book the removals firm. Make sure<br />
everyone in the chain knows you’re<br />
working towards that date <strong>and</strong> book<br />
your removals firm well in advance, so<br />
you only need to confirm as soon as you<br />
exchange. It’s best to ask them to come<br />
to your house to assess the volume of<br />
your belongings. This ensures you have<br />
the right sized van <strong>and</strong> number of team<br />
members on the day of your move.<br />
Choose a removals firm you trust <strong>and</strong><br />
have rapport with.<br />
Talk through what would happen if a<br />
delay occurred. For example, do they<br />
have emergency storage if needed?<br />
HOW TO ADD VALUE<br />
TO YOUR HOME<br />
Significant home improvements are<br />
expensive, so it’s important to consider<br />
how your plans will add value to<br />
your home. More <strong>and</strong> more of us are<br />
choosing to improve rather than move.<br />
So, here are 10 ways to make your<br />
property better to live in, in a way that<br />
can also add value to your home.<br />
If you have lots of plans for home<br />
improvements, it makes sense to focus<br />
on projects that will also add value. That<br />
way what you spend now will be reflected<br />
in the price of your property when you<br />
sell. But what adds value to a house?<br />
We asked over 300 members of the<br />
Federation of Master Builders (FMB) <strong>and</strong><br />
estate agent members of the Guild of<br />
Property Professionals which projects<br />
will add value to your house. Here’s what<br />
they said.<br />
1. Knock down a wall for open plan or<br />
broken plan living<br />
Our research found that removing an<br />
internal wall to create an open plan<br />
kitchen <strong>and</strong> diner was the best way to<br />
add value to your home.<br />
Not only will this add value to your home,<br />
it should also make it more pleasant to<br />
live in, with more <strong>and</strong> more of us opting<br />
for open-plan living. Knocking down walls<br />
means more communal spaces where<br />
families can enjoy quality time together,<br />
whether that’s chatting while dinner is<br />
cooked or keeping an eye on kids while<br />
they do their homework.<br />
Best of all, this is a relatively simple<br />
project that most builders can complete<br />
in under a week.<br />
2. Build a garden room<br />
Another option is to add another living<br />
space outside. With so many more of<br />
us working from home, it is great to<br />
delineate living <strong>and</strong> working space <strong>and</strong><br />
claw back that guest bedroom but having<br />
a dedicated office. Or it could be used<br />
as a gym!<br />
3. Spruce up your kitchen<br />
A new kitchen isn’t just a treat for you,<br />
it can also significantly boost the value<br />
of your home. Putting in a new worktop,<br />
cabinet doors or floor doesn’t have to<br />
break the bank – it costs around £4,000<br />
on average. But, it could add £17,000<br />
to the value of a London property, or<br />
the FMB <strong>and</strong> The Guild of Property<br />
Professionals found it could add<br />
around £15,000 to the average home in<br />
Cambridgeshire.<br />
4. Create a downstairs loo<br />
A downstairs toilet is a big attraction<br />
to a variety of different buyers. Adding<br />
one will make your home attractive to<br />
young families with children, those that<br />
like entertaining <strong>and</strong> don’t want guests<br />
w<strong>and</strong>ering upstairs, to older buyers who<br />
might be looking to future proof their<br />
homes.<br />
So, turning wasted space, such as an<br />
understairs cupboard into a loo can add<br />
value to your home. This is a great project<br />
if you have a limited budget because for<br />
www.minervamagazines.co.uk | 21