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You may have seen our Cheshire & Wirral Property Listing local press advertising over the last few weeks with the strapline of ‘Live Local, Love Local, Buy local’.
So what happens when you are looking to move home. Whenever you are looking to buy or rent a property one of your considerations is usually what local amenities there are close by. This, for example, could be local shops, bars or restaurants. To be honest it’s been the same for me. In fact it comes quite high on my own house moving checklist when I’ve been looking for somewhere to live.
Depending on where you choose to live you may have a number of options available to you in terms of where to buy your goods and services. From a personal point of view I try to support local businesses where I can which includes getting my hair cut, buying cards, takeaways or even getting my car fixed! Local businesses are very much part of the package as well when you are trying to find a place to live in Cheshire or Wirral.
Alongside your local small businesses you may also have a choice of supermarkets or out-of-town centres and not to forget the online offering to do your shopping. The credit crunch and recession gives even more significance in trying to support your local businesses where possible. That’s not to say that you won’t continue to do online shopping, go to supermarkets or visit the out-of-town retail outlets. On the contrary the shops and businesses just up the road from where you live can actually complement this offering. I’ve even found that some of these local merchants have exactly what I’m after without me having to travel too far!
It’s nice to have a balance. So what do you think? Is it important to have the balance of local businesses with the national and multi-national chains where you live?
Journalist, Kathryn Sharman talks florals, chintz and a little bit on what makes a ‘home a home.’
Laura Ashley’s new spring/summer range should be hitting your local branch any time now. Okay, I know we’re right in the middle of a cold snap so it’s hard to even imagine but looking at fresh, pretty, summery things is a good antidote to any winter fog. Of course, we might have to wait a while until it’s warm enough to sit outside, sipping homemade lemonade, using a Laura Ashley vintage style picnic set but that’s the thought that will be sustaining me through the rest of February.
Thankfully there are some lovely interior products in the new Home range, which you can enjoy right now. Here’s my pick of the collection (is it too early to say roll on Spring?).
One of my favourite ranges was the Darling Buds, which has a lovely floral, almost chintzy feel to it, with colourful, feminine bedding that you could easily mix and match with older vintage pieces to make a gorgeous girlie boudoir.
Meanwhile, if you like more graphic prints (Orla Kiely stylee) then you’ll probably love the Off the Wall range
I also liked the Glasshouse range, with its muted colour palette and THESE gorgeous notebooks
Like I said, roll on picnic weather so I could use this beautiful pitcher and glasses with an etched floral design (which I think could almost pass for real vintage).
How kitsch are these tulip candles? Love them!
And finally, please, please, please can I have this fabulous lamp. It has a feel of real old-school glamour from a by-gone era. 
Happy shopping!
Visit your nearest Laura Ashley in the Cheshire Area here: http://www.lauraashley.com/page/storelocator
So following up from my festive post about planning your property checklist for the year ahead, how far have you got? We are now coming towards the end of January which is a good time to take stock of any early progress you have made and the review your short-term goals for the first quarter of 2012.
So if you are selling your Cheshire or Wirral home you may have heard that house sales last year for the UK as a whole were just under a total of 870,000; a fall of 1%. There are a number of factors to attribute to this including a shortage of mortgages and uncertainty surrounding the economy. However, the positive here is that homes are still selling! So how do you make yours stand out from the rest in the Cheshire and Wirral housing market? A bit of TLC (Tender Loving Care!) and an understanding what prospective buyers are looking for. It could be a new Cheshire or Wirral home or may even be a speculative investment property that someone will be looking to rent out.
To be honest, even if you are not looking to move house in 2012 it is worth adding those jobs that need doing to your property to do list for the year. It could be as little as a fresh lick of paint or some new carpet through to bigger jobs like landscape gardening or even a conversion. Getting them completed will not only be a sense of achievement come the end of the year, but should make you feel better about your home. It also means that should you be thinking of moving in the future there are fewer jobs to add to your list ensuring you are ready to move quick should you find your next dream home.
So overall it’s not only important to plan in the jobs for the year ahead, but also to follow them through to completion where possible. It not only adds to a sense of contentment, but it also ensures you are well prepared should you decide to move in the future.
Concept Handtufting is a bespoke carpet and rug company that specialise in offering your home, the best in floor comfort. Having supplied a lot of Cheshire and celebrity homes, it is important your living space has the best!
Dynamic team Amy and Charles Lawton from Concept Handtufting has worked with some amazing companies such as Tiffany’s, Harrods and Mulberry
Concept Handtufting’s Bamboo range is one of top products that is incredibly luxurious in appearance and feel. This product is a great alternative for those who want silk but don’t have the budget for it. Bamboo is also fantastic for the environment!
- Is Sustainable – one of the fastest growing plants on the planet
- Cleans the air – dense bamboo forests return 30% more oxygen to the air than trees
- Is Grown without pesticides – has its own anti-bacterial agent
- Is 100% biodegradable
This truly is a product that has it all!
Create a bespoke rug perfect for your living space?
All you need is One designer? = Amy Lawton
Team of experts? = Concept Handtufting
Result = one beautiful rug (see below)
If you would like your own bespoke carpet or rug please contact the sales team at studio@concepthandtufting.co.uk from Concept Handtufting
New Year, New Wirral Home! We will be marketing and promoting your Wirral Property Listing once it’s been approved and goes on our site. However, you should also take the opportunity to spread the word yourself. It’s relatively easy to do and can take a few seconds.
The image above shows the options you get to promote your property listing. Once accepted onto our site you can click any of these at the top of your listing to:
- Send your Wirral property listing details via email to your family, friends or colleagues
- Share it on your own social network pages including Facebook and Twitter
- Print your property listing to give to potential interested parties or even display on notice boards
However, promoting your own Wirral property For Sale or To Let doesn’t stop here. You can also copy the website link where your property is listed and publish it yourself on any other networking sites you may use. Not to mention you call tell all your friends about your listing and if they want any further information they can visit the website. It’s that simple.
You can currently list your property if you live in our around the following Wirral areas:
Bebington, Birkenhead, Bromborough, Caldy, Greasby, Heswall, Hoylake, Irby, Moreton, Neston, Parkgate, Rock Ferry, Upton, Wallasey and West Kirby.
New Year, New Cheshire Home! We will be marketing and promoting your Cheshire Property Listing once it’s been approved and goes on our site. However, you should also take the opportunity to spread the word yourself. It’s relatively easy to do and can take a few seconds.
The image above shows the options you get to promote your property listing. Once accepted onto our site you can click any of these at the top of your listing to:
- Send your Cheshire property listing details via email to your family, friends or colleagues
- Share it on your own social network pages including Facebook and Twitter
- Print your property listing to give to potential interested parties or even display on notice boards
However, promoting your own Cheshire property For Sale or To Let doesn’t stop here. You can also copy the website link where your property is listed and publish it yourself on any other networking sites you may use. Not to mention you call tell all your friends about your listing and if they want any further information they can visit the website. It’s that simple.
You can currently list your property if you live in our around the following Cheshire areas:
Alderley Edge, Aldford, Alsager, Arley, Aston, Altrincham, Audlem, Barton, Bollington, Bridgemere, Broxton, Bunbury, Cheadle, Chelford, Chester, Childer Thornton, Chorlton, Church Minshull, Comberbach, Congleton, Cranage, Crewe, Culcheth, Disley, Dunkinfield, Eastham, Ellesmere Port, Farndon, Frodsham, Glazebrook, Handforth, Hampton Heath, Helsby, Huxley, Hyde, Kelsall, Knutsford, Little Budworth, Little Sutton, Lower Peover, Lower Withington, Lymm, Macclesfield, Malpas, Manley, Marple, Marthall, Mickle Trafford, Middlewich, Moore, Nantwich, Nether Alderley, Newton-le-Willows, North Rode, Northwich, Oakmere, Penketh, Pickmere, Poynton, Prestbury, Pulford, Rostherne, Runcorn, Sandbach, Sandiway, Saughall, Stockport, Stockton Heath, Styal,Tabley, Tarporley, Tarvin, Thornton-le-Moors, Threapwood, Tilston, Warmingham, Warrington, Weaverham, Weston, Wettenhall, Widnes, Wilmslow and Winsford.
Christmas is not only about celebrating the religious festivities, spending time with loved ones and exchanging gifts. It is also a time to reflect and plan your next move on the Cheshire and Wirral property ladder.
I am a keen planner, so when Christmas comes around I’m no different. I have my own checklist to make sure what gifts I have got for whom. Most of all I try not to leave it to the last-minute though when getting presents (making sure I’ve not forgotten any!). A lot of people will use this time to take a look around their homes and see what DIY jobs need to be undertaken or what they would like to do. There’s the beginning of a list already; the ‘need to be done’ jobs and the ‘nice to do’ ones. Not only this, but the festive period is also one of reflection. From your point of view it could be reviewing the pros and cons of a major renovation project in your current property, it may be the decorating of a room or even looking to move house and weighing up your options.
We are all so incredibly busy in the run up to Christmas; so it’s good for you to make some time to set some targets and goals for the year ahead; call it your property New Year resolution. So you may currently be renting and are a prospective first time buyer or perhaps you are someone looking to undertake a major renovation on your country property. This is the perfect time to get some key property milestones in place for the year ahead.
Planning is important to help you try to make things happen. Of course there may be hurdles you face along the way, but the important thing is not to lose sight of your Cheshire or Wirral property goals whatever your position on the ladder.
I came across a To Let May Sell sign earlier this week. It got me thinking that this could well be a good option in the current property market climate both for the landlord and tenant.
So is it a good idea for prospective buyers? Well yes it could be for those of you wishing to test the market in a particular location. It gives you the opportunity to understand as a tenant what the property you may be looking to buy is like to live in. Not only this, but it also gives you the chance to find out more about the area you are looking to move into first hand.
So why is it so different to just letting your property and then may be selling it at a later date? Well, first of all you are looking to attract tenants who are in the long-term looking to own property in that particular location. It also sows the seeds in the mind of prospective viewers that there maybe an opportunity to purchase it at some point. It may suit potential tenants as they may be in the process of saving for a deposit, thus it gives them more time to save up. It is also of benefit to the property landlord who will not only get income in the meantime, but they could draw in people who may actually look to purchase if it did become available.
It’s important to note though that they do say ‘May Sell’. Circumstances may change though so there are no guarantees. However, if it you did follow this path and they didn’t then it’s a case of try it first. Then if you like it, look to buy it!