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5 things to tick off the checklist when buying a house

August 25, 2020 by Anne Sweet Leave a Comment

Buying a house is an exciting time, whether you’re a first time buyer, or you’re taking advantage of the stamp duty holiday, but there are a few things you should consider before signing on the dotted line.

What’s your budget?

Whilst we may all want the 5 bed detached on a quiet cul-de-sac with large front and rear garden, we have to be realistic with our budget, and our expectations. To find out what your realistic budget is, there are few things to consider:

How big is you deposit? For most, a deposit of 10-15% is standard, although 20% of the property value would be ideal, especially given the current climate. However, there are some government schemes and some mortgages that allow a 5% deposit.
Your debts and credit score? Before you can borrow any money, lenders will look at your financial history to check you’re a good bet.
What can you afford per month? Look at your spending habits, if you’re living hand to mouth for the last few days before payday, you’ll need to reassess your spending habits. Generally, lenders will only lend 4.5 times your annual income.

Where do you want to live?

Buying a house is a long-term investment, and whilst we can’t predict the future it’s always worth bearing in mind where you want to be in 5 – 10 years’ time. Do you want to live somewhere close to good schools? Perhaps your daily commute is important? Or will you be changing jobs? You might love the buzz of city life now, but will a rural idyll be more suitable? These are all things you should consider when looking for your new home. But don’t forget the wild card option Sometimes, it can be somewhere we’ve never even dreamed of that we end up falling in love with.

buying a house, image shows a house on a street with trees and other properties in the background.

What type of property do you want?

Are dreaming of a detached period property? Or, perhaps you want a new build in a modern housing development? Are you after a project? Or, are you more a turnkey person? Think about the lifestyle you want to live, as well as the style that appeals. It’s no good looking at Victorian properties if you don’t like steep steps and don’t want the upkeep that comes with older properties.

Does it need much work?

If you’ve found the house for you and want to make an offer, it’s worth taking a builder round as they’ll be able to spot any potential pitfalls. This will help ensure you minimise your risk of making any asbestos claims in the future or making expensive underpinning reparations. Perhaps there’s a smell of damp and you want to make sure it isn’t rising? If you’re unsure, ask an expert.

Do you have a solicitor or mortgage broker?

Having a solicitor and a mortgage broker on your side will help make the conveyancing process much easier, and hopefully less stressful. A solicitor, or conveyancer will be able to communicate with the mortgage broker and the other parties solicitor, so you don’t have to. Whilst a mortgage broker will be able to critically assess your affordability to ensure there are no holdups with your mortgage application.

This is a collaborative post

How to Revamp Your Teenager’s Bedroom

July 1, 2020 by Anne Sweet 6 Comments

The change from child to teenager certainly is a big one and it is important that they have a bedroom that is more appropriate and a reflection of their personality. Stereotypically, teenager’s spend a lot of time in their bedroom and you will want this to be a space that they enjoy and feel is their own and no longer childish.

With this in mind, here are a few tips for revamping a bedroom for a teenager.

Let Them Choose a Style

Teenagers won’t want their parents to choose how their bedroom looks so you should always sit down with them and let them choose their own style. This will help them to feel more mature, ensure that it is a space that they enjoy spending time and also make sure that you do not get it wrong and feel their wrath!

Throw Out What is No Longer Needed

When kids reach their teens, their tastes and interests change drastically and they might find that they no longer want items like toys and games. It is a good idea to throw out/sell/recycle anything which they no longer want/need so that you can free up space and give them a fresh slate.

Fitted Wardrobes

Fitted wardrobes from places like Hammonds are a great option for a teenager’s room because they can help you to maximize the space while also giving them plenty of space to store clothes and other items. Teenagers rooms are stereotypically messy so providing them space to store things is important for keeping the space neat and tidy.

Invest in New Furniture

You might also want to invest in new furniture which suits the new decorative style and also their needs. They may want to spend time in their room doing homework, playing video games, watching films and socializing so you need to have high-quality furniture that will allow them to do this, including a desk and office chair.

New Bedding for a Teenager’s Bedroom

You are also likely to find that they will want new bedding for their new space, especially if it is currently something childish like their favorite superhero or Disney film! Again, it is best to let them choose so that you don’t get it wrong and they can create a space which they feel is their own.

It is a major change when your child reaches their teen years and it is likely that they will want a bedroom which better reflects their personality and is less childish. It is important that you get this right as it is such an important space for them during these years and these tips will hopefully help you to revamp their bedroom to their liking.

Essential House Upgrades to Consider This Year

June 30, 2020 by Anne Sweet 3 Comments

When you are considering renovating your home, it can be difficult to distinguish between the house upgrades that you need and those that you just really want. To ensure that your renovations are beneficial to your home and that you can eventually get a return on your investment, here are some of the best upgrade options that are available to you.

1. Replacing Your Windows

Your windows can often be one of the most neglected features of your home, with upgrades to them often prioritized beneath flashier and more exciting alternatives. However, replacing your windows is paramount if you want to reduce your energy bills, to ensure that your house is safe and secure for years to come, and if you’re going to prevent issues such as damp and mould from creeping into your home. If you are looking to replace your windows, you should consider investing in ready made wooden windows from Timber Windows Direct, as these can be easily installed DIY while being custom made for the specifications of each individual space in your home.

2. Updating Your Bathroom

To ensure that your bathroom remains a hygienic and easy-to-maintain room in your house, it should be high up on your list of potential upgrades. While pink and green bathrooms are now out-of-fashion, old bathrooms can also often be great breeders of mould and damp, especially if you have tiled walls and flooring or if the room is not well-ventilated. Some of the best bathroom updates that you should consider include installing energy-efficient appliances, such as low-flow showers and high-efficiency toilets, using marble on your walls rather than tiles to reduce issues with your grouting and sealant, and using pedestal sinks to disguise your plumbing.

3. Spruce Up Your Kitchen

The next important room that you should consider upgrading is your kitchen. Kitchens can quickly become out-dated due to the fast-paced nature of technology innovation. To ensure that your kitchen area can keep up with the times, you should consider installing a range cooker or AGA to help you to cook high-quality dishes for a large number of people, and replace your devices with smart alternatives which can connect to your mobile phone. You should also consider installing a breakfast bar or island to help to create a more communal space, as well as help you to increase the preparation space and storage facilities in the room.

4. Landscape Your Garden

However, in all the excitement of your latest home renovations, you should not neglect your garden and the exterior of your home. This will ensure that you can create a relaxing extra living space that will make use of every inch of your home and allow you to bring nature closer. As well as hiring a landscape gardener to help you to create beautiful flower beds, paths, and water features, you should repair your fencing, paint your exterior walls, and install outdoor furniture to allow you to enjoy your garden to its maximum potential.

This is a collaborative post.

Creating Space in Your Home

May 19, 2020 by Anne Sweet Leave a Comment

Creating Space in Your Home

Over the course of the last few months, we’ve all become intimately acquainted with the confines of our own homes. Given this limitation, it’s easy to feel a little bit of claustrophobia. Perhaps you’re sharing the building with an active family; perhaps the clutter is getting a little bit out of control. If you’re going to retain your sanity, it’s vital that you carve out a space or two for yourself – where you can work, relax, and exercise in peace.

Let’s look at exactly how you might go about creating that space.

Creating Space with Storage

For every square inch of space that’s out of sight but not being used, you’re creating visual clutter. And the more efficiently you can use your existing storage space, the less you’ll have to rely on freestanding wardrobes, bookshelves, and other devices that can make a room feel that little bit smaller if they’re not used sparingly. If you’re trying to make space in a small house, then you’ll need to use every storage hack in the book.

Do you have any storage hacks to share? My daughter’s share a room and we managed to save space by removing their bookshelf when we bought new bunk beds with book shelves on them. They love their books!

Creating Space with Room Dividers

If you can’t create new space, then you can at least keep clutter out of mind, and gain some privacy, with the help of a few strategically-spaced screens. These are fantastic for partitioning off corners of bedrooms, living areas and hallways for use as art stations, studies, and meditation areas. Throw in a pair of noise-cancelling earphones and you’ll be able to put some mental distance between yourself and the rest of the household.

Take advantage of the garden

There’s nothing quite so capable of busting stress as a garden. It can function as an outdoor dining room, lounge, office space and gym – but only if you take care of it in the right way. This means making time to give the lawn a regular trim, tending to the flowerbeds, and installing a few tasteful items of garden furniture. As with any room in your house, you’ll want to bear in mind how you’re actually going to be using the space, and then plan the layout accordingly.

Hammocks and Garden Decorations

If you’re looking to really relax in the garden, then a fold-out sun-lounger or a towel spread across the lawn might do in a pinch. But a fixed item like a bench, or a hammock strung between two trees, can make a real feature of your garden furniture. The possibilities are endless, so be sure to experiment and do your research before investing.

I’m spending more time in my garden now and I’ve just invested in a new safety screen for the trampoline for the kids and a new rotary washing line. Exciting I know! But what about me? I love how garden furniture can be so comfy these days. I can’t lie on a sun lounger, but I’d definitely looking for something more cosy than folding metal chairs, which we currently have.

Luxury garden furniture from Cox and Cox — *From CoxandCox.co.uk*

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post

The Isolation Diaries – Day 9, Homeschooling and Lock down

March 24, 2020 by Anne Sweet Leave a Comment

I’ve had a few days off from writing. On Saturday my husband went to visit his Mum and my Sister-in-law to give them Mother’s Day and Birthday presents. He went alone as he’s the only one leaving the house apart from my eldest daughter who is still working at the Children’s Hospital. He managed to get his visit in before the Lock down.

Mother’s Day

Sunday was kind of surreal. My daughter bought me a gorgeous bunch of flowers which were delivered and really cheered my day. I didn’t expect anything as we are now living in difficult times. Yet, people still went out, visited elderly parents and grandparents. Went shopping, to recreational places and even the beach. When the government outlined the social distancing plan and the idea of flattening the curve, I just knew it wasn’t go to work. It needed people to abide by the rules, but who listens these day? I expect to see a huge rise in cases of COVID-19 in the next 14 days.

I’m feeling guilty that I sent my husband out on Saturday, but he was under strict instructions to keep his distance and stay no longer than 15 minutes. Which I hope he followed. Any signs of him getting sick and he’s going to be isolated within the home, but the trouble is, if he has got it it will be too late for the rest of us. I just hope that we were not too late. We’ve been at home for over 2 weeks already. The kid’s stopped going to school a week before they closed. I haven’t been out for three weeks.

I usually spend Mother’s Day fretting over the lack of care my husband shows by not getting me cards and gifts from our children, but this year it was far from my mind. This year I built up a heap load of fear instead. I read to much, I listened to too much, I overloaded my brain and I made myself sick, literally.

First Day of Home School

After a bad night of illness getting the kids to settle down with the HUGE amount of work they had been sent to do made me feel like just giving up. I was stressed out about not having any food. Terrified of sending the husband out to the crazy supermarkets I was happy that I was already registered as a vulnerable customer and would be able to get a slot for this week. I logged on to Sainsburys, did my shop, just a weekly one, got to check out and CRASH. The website refused to work again and I started to stress as my delivery slot time started to reach it’s end. If I didn’t checkout before 1.15pm the slot was gone. I called them and spent 45 minutes waiting for an answer. My slot expired. My shopping was no longer coming.

The kids did very little school work. Boo managed to do a lesson on her phone. I told her to get her laptop but she was already half way through and couldn’t transfer it. So she spent an hour typing up about 3 paragraphs on her phone. At least she did something.

Star couldn’t log on to her school site. I was in touch with her teacher who tried to help as much as possible. By the time we worked out the problem it was 3pm. No work for her then.

The Little Man has a ton of books which I have no idea what to do with. Each day School Ping is sending a lesson plan, but yesterday it didn’t work and we finally got the lesson plan at 5pm. The Little Man spent an hour reading his book. That was it.

I’m not stressing. The huge amount of work they have been sent has to be completed over a long time. It really kinds of hits you just how long they are going to be home! It’s scary.

The Day ended with a message from the Prime Minister saying that we are not allowed out anymore. We are now on lock down, I’m hoping it’s going to be quieter. There were loads of people moving around in my local area yesterday. Children playing out, adults gathering for drinks and bbq’s. Maybe they’ll be spending he next few weeks at home ill? I really don’t understand why people don’t take this seriously. I’ve seen some crazy things.

It took two days and many hours but I finally got a shopping delivery slot for tomorrow. The relief was amazing. I do have someone willing to go to the supermarket for me, but then I’d have to restrict my contact with them. The images I’ve seen of local supermarkets scare me. And I know he’s not the patient of people, I’ve imagined all sorts of scenarios if he did have to go.

Day 2 of Homeschooling.

I guess we had better get on with some work! I’ve home schooled before but only one child at a time. Three kids at three different ages is going to be a challenge. I am not a teacher, I have to keep reminding myself that. The older two can more or less get on with it themselves. The Little Man is a difficult one at the best of times. I’m aiming for two hours a day. I’m not running a school. They will get fresh air and exercise in the garden too. And we have Just Dance for some indoor exercise.

How is everyone else getting on?

Share your stories here.

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