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Downsizing is no longer the preserve of the older generation according to new research from financial services company, Hargreaves Lansdown. In fact 18-34 year olds are four times more likely to be planning to downsize than those over 55.
However, downsizing continues to be an attractive option for many over 55’s, also known as ‘last-time buyers’ who are looking for smaller, more manageable properties and to release equity in their retirement years.
Selling a house and moving into a smaller home can be beneficial both financially and mentally. After all, less square metres means lower utility bills and less space for clutter to take root. But the process of downsizing can be even more exhausting than a regular move. That’s why we’ve collected eight top tips to downsizing.
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Occupied from the Stone Age, and used by the Romans to quarry and make bricks, the area of Oxford now known as Headington was originally a mish mash of hamlets and villages. The name ‘Headington’ is derived from the Old English Hedena's dun, meaning "Hedena's hill". Around 1,000 years ago Headington was the site of a palace or hunting lodge of the Kings of Mercia, including King Ethelred II who bequeathed land in Headington to the Frideswide Priory.
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The Cowley Road can be traced back as far as the 12th Century although little existed there other than a hospital erected by the Knights Templar. The area as we know it now grew out of housing grants distributed by Liberal and Conservative land societies who hoped to win the votes of residents by bribing them with money to buy and improve houses. Drainage was added in 1854 and a network of residential streets sprang from the spine of the increasingly commercial road.
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The Tenant Fees Act sets out the Government’s approach to banning letting fees for tenants. We examine the implications of the Act and look at whether this will actually achieve the Government’s objectives.
You will be forgiven for thinking that Brexit is the only thing happening in Parliament at the moment but for those of us in the lettings sector there has been another, almost as controversial, bill in process which is due to become law from 1st June 2019. The Tenent Fees Act is an attempt by the Government to ‘level the playing field’ between tenants and landlords and “deliver a fairer, good quality and more affordable private rented sector”.
The Act introduces a number of key measures to remove the liability for checks, inventories and references away from the tenants (see below for more detailed specifics of the Act). The Act is a victory for tenants claims Housing Minister, Heather Wheeler MP; “The new measures in our Tenant Fees Bill will save renters around £240 million a year by banning unfair letting fees and capping tenancy deposits.”
Which begs the question, who will now bear this cost and what are the implications for both Landlords and tenants?
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Buying a new home is just about the biggest investment most people make. It’s also, usually, a very emotional purchase. A house is rarely just bricks and mortar to a potential buyer but a home for them and their family. With buyers taking just 10 seconds to decide whether they like a property before they step inside (source: Zoopla) it’s crucial you make your house as appealing as possible.
Follow our top 10 guide for how to make your home as attractive as possible to potential buyers.
Top Tip #1: De-clutter, de-clutter, de-clutter…
Moving house is a great opportunity to have a clear out of things you no longer need and use, but why wait until you’ve got a moving date to do this?
Before the viewings start give away, sell, or recycle everything you don’t want to take with you on your move. Be ruthless – do you really want to pay a removal company to move that box of old VHS tapes from one loft to another?
Need decluttering advice? See this article from Good Housekeeping magazine.
