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Paul Oshea

Paul O’Shea Homes is an independent Estate Agency based in Airport House Croydon. We have a dedicated, professional team of estate agents who have a good working knowledge of Croydon and the surrounding areas including East and West Croydon, Thornton Heath, Purley and Addiscombe.

The tricks to help you secure your dream home. With Christmas not far off, many homeowners and buyers will now be readying themselves for the new year, new home surge that will inevitably see high demand and interest levels across the UK.

The tricks to help you secure your dream home

Having spent one last Christmas at home, many people make the decision to buy shortly after the festivities have calmed down, which helps explain why website traffic to sites such as Rightmove see such phenomenal figures. After Christmas Day in 2019, Rightmove reported a 231% surge in visitors looking at available properties for sale. When is the right time to put up your Christmas tree? When it comes to decorating for Christmas, there's no right or wrong answer but everyone seems to have a different date where it's seen as acceptable to make a start.

When is the right time to put up your Christmas tree?

Last year was unlike any other, with a last minute lockdown disrupting plans for households across the UK. With the pandemic under better control in 2021, research suggests that Brits will be hitting the holidays even harder this year to make up for lost time with friends and family. So, when is the right time to dress the tree? Right after Halloween Whilst too early for some, the putting away of pumpkins is the signal to switch gears and stage the room for the festive season. Reasons to sell right now. From apartments to family homes, the average asking price of a property has risen to record levels around every region of the UK.

Reasons to sell right now

Whilst some people will choose to wait until the 2022 market has officially started, we have four reasons why it's the ideal time to ready your home for your new year sale right now. Your home will be in front of a record number of potential buyers The amount of people looking to relocate continues to outweigh the number of homes available for sale. Tenant demand is still high! According to a recent survey of landlords, tenant demand is only increasing across 2021, with record heights seen in the third business quarter of this year.

Tenant demand is still high!

. * What's changed with tenancy evictions? Over the last 18 months, a number of measures were put in place to protect tenants who were unable to keep up with their rent payments.

What's changed with tenancy evictions?

This put a strain on landlords and the lettings market as a whole, with the government easing these rules back gradually to help all parties involved recover from the effects of the pandemic. A notice period can be anywhere up to six months before an eviction can take place. UK property prices up 13% compared to pre-pandemic. When the stamp duty holiday came to an end, it was expected that the home buying frenzy would tail off, however, prices and demand continue to soar.

UK property prices up 13% compared to pre-pandemic

There are currently 24% fewer homes on the market than this time last year, with higher than average enquiry levels and interest per property listed.** Even when SDLT savings dropped from £15,000 to £2,500 earlier this summer, house prices were 11% higher when compared with August 2020, as increased demand led to competitive offers from buyers. Top 10 reasons a buyer will walk away. When it comes to purchasing a property, eight in ten Brits admit to being 'picky buyers', with research showing that a poor Wi-Fi connection is enough to put a third off a new home.* Other contributing factors can include having noisy neighbours, creaky floorboards and thin walls.

Top 10 reasons a buyer will walk away

Of those surveyed, 22% would be deterred by an unruly garden with overhanging branches, with a third agreeing that dogs barking in the area would be a deal breaker. If you're looking to sell your property in the near future, it's a good idea to determine what elements inside and outside could be picked up on by prospective viewers. House in Multiple Occupancy - HMO Letting Croydon, London. House in Multiple Occupancy (HMO) properties are a great way of maximising returns.

House in Multiple Occupancy - HMO Letting Croydon, London

At the same time, the management of a HMO property can be incredibly time consuming. There is much more to consider compared to that of a 'typical' rental, including property licensing, additional safety regulations and certificates of compliance - not to mention the extra paperwork and support required when managing 4+ separate tenancies per property. Compatibility of the occupiers also is an important aspect to consider when letting individual rooms.

Let us take the weight off your shoulders! From our head office in Croydon, we can fully manage HMO properties across London and the South. Avoid cold weather costs with your property. 74% of homeowners agreed that their property costs more to maintain in the autumn and winter months.

Avoid cold weather costs with your property

So, just what's behind the spike in your spending? Energy bills – winter utilities can add an additional £110 a year onto your bills. Remember to look for cost-effective options to insulate your home and to switch providers when needed in search for a better deal. Broken boilers – a boiler repair will cost around £250, whilst a replacement can cost up to £1,800. Whether you own or let the property, ignoring a problem can lead to a huge cost later down the line.

House in Multiple Occupancy - HMO Letting Croydon, London. Ways to avoid gazumping with your property sale or purchase. With the property market heating up, gazumping is becoming all too common as demand outstrips supply.

Ways to avoid gazumping with your property sale or purchase

In this article, we explain what gazumping is, and – most importantly – how to avoid it. What is gazumping? Gazumping is when a seller accepts a higher offer from another buyer after having already accepted one. Between accepting an offer and exchanging contracts, a lot can happen, so it's important that both parties understand that neither side has a legal obligation until they have signed on the dotted line. New build homes at a 21-year high. Over 49,470 new build properties were completed in the first three months of 2021 – the highest figure recorded in 21 years. . * Lettings market boom and what it means for landlords. The lettings market has had a record strong month, with reports of a decrease to the length of average void periods in most regions, as well as rising rents seen across the country. In some parts, void periods have dropped by as much as 50% month-on-month, taking England's average from 22 to 16 days.* How have rents changed for landlords?

After a year of uncertainty for landlords, with the eviction ban repeatedly extended, the news of rent growth in every region in June should signal a return of optimism for the market. Could shared ownership be the answer. This easy guide to shared ownership will help you decide if it’s the right option for you. What is shared ownership? Shared ownership schemes are run by councils, local housing associations and property developers. If you buy with a shared ownership, you will own a percentage of your property for the amount you can afford, whilst paying rent on the remaining amount. Post-pandemic predictions for the property market. After 18 months of uncertainty, the UK property market has seen some incredible highs and lows, from the sector closing and reopening last spring, to the impact of the stamp duty holiday on residential transaction levels.

For those looking to buy or sell in 2021, here are the top projections on what will continue to shape activity levels in the coming months. House prices at a record high Initially propelled by the stamp duty holiday, house prices have risen by 10.2% in the year to March 2021, with vaccine optimism now fuelling high demand levels.