Welcome to our April Newsletter

Attention landlords: tenants are renting for longer than ever!

A lot of things seem to be getting longer at this time of year – the evenings and the list of tenants looking for a property to rent. Tenants are renting for longer, which in turn brings longevity to the long-term investment prospects of the buy-to-let market! In the UK, 13 million people rent from a private landlord. This means the buy-to-let market is expanding all the time.*

Why are tenants renting for longer than ever?

Cost of living crisis
It’s taking longer for first-time buyers to save their deposits as energy bills, food prices, and rents increase.

Interest rates
Although many analysts believe that interest rates will never return to the ultra-low levels of the past, many people still believe they are too high. As a result, first-time buyers are delaying their decision to buy and rent for longer.

Lifestyle choice
A growing proportion of people now believe they will never get on the property ladder, choosing to invest in life experiences and preferring not to be tied to a mortgage. This opens yet more opportunities for landlords as the rental sector expands. Attitudes toward owning your own home are changing in the UK and, in many ways, becoming more European, where there is less emphasis on home ownership.

Waiting to see what happens!
Many buyers have delayed making their first move, unable to decide and wondering whether the market has settled. Others are confused and are waiting to see if house prices will rise or fall. As a result, they choose to rent rather than make a decision.

What are the benefits of longer tenancies?
Finding the right home is something that is important to people. When tenants find their happy place, they frequently choose to rent long-term.

Build trust
Typically, the longer your tenants rent from you, the better you get to know them. As time goes on, you may find that they are excellent tenants. This gives you a great track record to give you peace of mind for the future.

Long-term security
The rental market is in a great place. There are simply more tenants than available properties to rent. Therefore, whatever happens, your investment is secure. That said, longer tenancies mean that you do not have to spend time looking for new tenants and making the necessary checks and preparations. Not to mention building up trust again!

Better communication
If any issues arise, the channels of communication are often better in long-term tenancies. Good landlords tend to fix any maintenance issues quickly. As a result, your property is in the best possible hands. Minor problems that can turn into costly repairs get sorted quickly.

Tenants will invest in your property
Tenants tend to invest in your property when they are confident that they will be living there for a long time. Things like curtains, decoration, and furniture – not to mention cleanliness and tender love and care to help keep your home in tip-top shape.

Browse our properties today to find the ideal buy-to-let property for a profitable long-term investment.

Generation Rent*

Moorland Road, Boxmoor

5 bedrooms | 2 bathrooms

GUIDE PRICE £999,950

Click here to read Moorland Road, Boxmoor.

Eleanor Close, South Park Garden, Berkhamstead

4 bedrooms | 2 bathrooms

GUIDE PRICE £975,000

Click here to read Eleanor Close, South Park Garden, Berkhamstead.

Taste of Design 2023 RoadshowHatfield House, Hertfordshire

The Taste of Design 2023 roadshow is provided by a select number of luxury interior design brands, who bring their exclusive roadshow to an interesting location near to you.

The objective is to provide you with an enjoyable and relaxing environment, as well as the opportunity to view lovely products and services, and meet interiors suppliers face-to-face in a sympathetic setting.

Click here to read Taste of Design 2023 RoadshowHatfield House, Hertfordshire.

Is springtime a good time to sell your home?

This time of year, has a lot going for it: Easter, lots of chocolate, spring flowers, warmer weather, and if you are on the move, April is the best time to sell your home. In fact, March, April, May, and June are the most popular months for making a swift move, with the average home taking less time to sell.

More people move in the spring
More UK property transactions are completed in the spring than at any other time of the year, and it’s a pattern that repeats itself year after year!

For example, in March 2022, the number of property transactions completed in the UK peaked at 111,680; in April, it was 107,100; and in May, the figure stood at 106,860.*

A good year
Conditions were a little bumpy towards the end of last year. The minibudget that caused an air of uncertainty has been replaced by a fresh spring breeze of stability. Sellers and buyers who delayed moving are returning to the market. More sellers mean more choice. Traditionally, the market warms up at this time of year, but with the added element of pent-up demand and a more calm and realistic market, it promises to be a good year.

Strong demand with a stable 2023 market
The average price of property coming to the market rose by just £14 (+0.0%) from January to February to £362,452.** This is a decent and stable figure, and with demand still very strong, the market is now conducting itself in a manner that is healthy and vibrant. However, you no longer need to race to your dream home and offer more than the asking price! If anything, there may be scope for a little negotiation.

Inspiring and beautiful homes
With wildlife coming on strong and flowers sprouting up to witness the longer evenings, spring lends itself well to moving. It’s easier weather for all the practical parts of moving, and homes with all this splendour going on just look better. Many will have enjoyed a good spring cleaning now that winter is over. Home improvements occupied many homeowners during the lockdown, so whether your budget is large or more modest, chances are you are in for inspiring viewings. Outdoor living spaces, work-from-home spaces, and interesting gardens are ripe for your ideas just in time for summer.

Summary: Springtime is the right time!
With so many beautiful homes looking good at this time of year and a buoyant market with some fresh pent-up demand, house prices are no longer rocketing out of control. Warmer, longer days and lighter evenings bring more homeowners out of hibernation, adding vibrancy and more choice to the property market. With no snow or cold to deal with while hopefully finishing in time to enjoy the summer. It’s little wonder that so many homeowners choose spring to move.

Perhaps we are no different from the returning spring wildlife. The season of change ushers us into a changing mood, but the motives, like many other natural laws, are highly practical and advantageous.

Spring your property move into life now!

Browse our available properties, then book a free valuation with one of our expert agents.

Office for National Statistics*
Rightmove**

Let your garden grow the value of your home this spring

It’s gardening season again at last, and the longer, lighter days of spring are giving a taste of the warmer summer days and nights soon to come. Whether you are a complete novice or a fanatic, there is no denying that almost anything you do, big or small, will make your home a much nicer place to be for you, your family, and friends.

UK homeowners appreciate a good garden. Research revealed that 50% of homeowners in Britain placed as much, if not more, importance on a well-designed garden as they do on a well-designed bathroom or kitchen.* As a result, this can add some serious value to the price of a home. Here are a few ideas to inspire you.

Let’s start with the basics

Enjoy the fresh spring breeze and keep the grass trimmed, weed the flower beds or patio, and paint any fences, sheds, or woodwork that needs a new lease on life. Then stand back and enjoy it. If you do nothing else, this will make your home far more appealing.

Grow up!

If space is scarce and you have no garden, consider growing up. Vertical gardens are on trend this year and will add colour, scents, and flowers to an otherwise empty space. Low maintenance and beautiful on a patio even if you have a large garden. Simply arrange planter boxes in a stack and plant what you love.

Growing your own flowers

A big trend for 2023 is growing flowers you can arrange into your own bouquets. Choose easy-to-grow flowers such as sunflowers, marigolds, or hardy geraniums.

Meadows

Bright, colourful gardens with a bit of everything going on are the way forward. Replace neat and trimmed lawns with the wilder look of meadows. That’s not to say you can't have some nice, neat, green grass and a herb garden too.

Furniture

Incorporating metallics, copper, and marble at the high end of the market is a desirable and on-trend way to create an amazing place to sit and enjoy good company in the garden. Or simply create privacy using wood. A simple bench or table using reclaimed wood can add something special without costing much.

Hard landscaping

Water features, patios, simple paths winding you through your imagined creation aligned with flowers, fruit trees, or a trellis to the decking that catches the sun.

Good outside storage

Good storage is desirable when it comes to creating a good garden. Store everything from your tools to the fire pit, you bring out at night to enjoy your garden under the stars. Perhaps with some lanterns, solar lights, garden spotlights, or wall lights, the possibilities are endless!

Find the home you love with the garden you have been searching for. Get in touch to see how we can help.

Zoopla*

Your handy guide to a successful spring clean

Spring is a time of transition and renewal, so it’s no surprise that most of us get the urge to freshen up our homes and have the place feeling like new again. If brighter evenings and upcoming bank holidays call for a thorough deep clean in your home, get the most out of your spring spruce-up by using our handy guide.

Focus on high impact jobs

One of the problems with cleaning is that there is never a finite list of jobs to do. So, unless you’re planning on spending your whole weekend scrubbing and dusting, you will need to put your time and effort into the tasks that really make a difference. A good spring clean will focus on the areas that need it the most, and then you can go back and focus on the smaller details later with regular top-ups – rather than trying to tackle everything at once.

Empty the kitchen cupboards

The kitchen is the busiest space in your home, so it will likely need a thorough reset come spring. Empty out every cupboard and get rid of anything that is past its ‘best before’ or ‘use by’ date. You should also set aside any forgotten tins or unused non-perishables for your local foodbank if you can’t see your household getting through them anytime soon. The cupboard wipe-down afterwards will be so satisfying that the extra effort you went to should feel worth it. Once your cupboards are looking brand new again, make sure to only refill with items that are useful or edible!

Use spray bottles

For all those hard-to-reach corners and edges, fill a reusable spray bottle with water and blast away dust and dirt without having to scrub. For kitchen or bathroom surfaces, add a few drops of dishwashing liquid and wipe away with a dry cloth for that extra shine.

Hoover before mopping

While it’s tempting to get right down into the business of scrubbing hardwood floors and tiles, hair and dust can often accumulate and stick in corners rather than lift away. Take some extra time to hoover up beforehand to clear the floor of any debris that wouldn’t mix well with water. Once the floors are clear of crumbs, you can then continue with your go-to floor cleaner and mop. This simple step will completely transform the look and feel of your floors, helping you achieve that brand-new look.

Clean with more green

While harsh chemicals often do the trick, excessive use is no good for your wellbeing or the environment. Thankfully, there are some homemade remedies that are beloved in the cleaning world for their simplicity and affordability. Some examples include: Olive oil for polishing stainless steel, salt and grapefruit for scrubbing bathroom surfaces, and bicarbonate of soda and water for lifting grime. Before adding cleaning chemicals to your shopping list, have a look online to see if anything in your cupboards will do the same job!

If you’re looking to sell your property or would like more help with preparing for your next big move, contact us today.