Property Media

When it comes to letting your property, what do you need to do and how do you choose between letting agents? During this fast paced interview, property concierge Alex Goldstein speaks with Alison Guggenheim from Lentin Smith, to get a true insight into this sometimes misunderstood industry sector.

Property Letting Top Tips

Full transcript below:

Alex: It’s great to have Alison Guggenheim, from Lentin Smith, who are a letting agents actually right in the centre of town here. Great to have you here Alison.

Alison: Thanks for having me Alex.

Alex: Getting straight to the heart of it I suppose, you often comes across and you hear on the grapevine that estate agents and letting agents are all tarnished with a similar sort of brush, they’re not very reputable, that they’re dare I say at times sort of lazy, I dare say you feel that’s a fairly unjustified comment. How do yourself and Lentin Smith sort of fit within that context?

Alison: Ok, well I think it’s simply because those particular agents just aren’t doing their job properly. There’s a lot of different aspects to leasing and property management and what you need is a experienced team of property managers in place to deal with the complex legal and compliance issues that you face, and also people who’ve got robust systems in place to minimise any issues you may encounter through your tenancies. As a firm, as a business we take a very proactive approach to problem solving and try to help both landlords and tenants through our experiences that we’ve built up over 50 years now in property management, to help them through the difficult times.

Alex: As a landlord what do you actually need to look for in a letting agent, what are the I suppose issues they could come across and what they actually need to prepare? They’ve got a property they want to get onto the market, what do they need to be mindful of?

Alison: Ok, well legally to advertise your property you need a energy performance certificate, an annual landlord gas safety certificate to make sure all your gas appliances are safe, check of your electrics, again just to make sure you’re not putting anyone at risk with no harm or anything there, and obviously insurance for the landlords building.

Alex: How can you ensure as a landlord, how do you find the right tenants on the right basis I suppose quickly because you don’t want a property sitting there idle for too much time, what are the thing you need to get right as a landlord, what do you need in place?

Alison: Absolutely, it’s very unusual really for any property that it is correctly marketed to have any kind of void period in Harrogate now. The tenant demand is growing month by month and we are seeing a massive shortage of all sorts of houses within the Harrogate area. So really to make sure you don’t get this void period you need to basically present your property in the best possible way. By that I mean make sure it’s clean and tidy, any external area, gardens are well presented and obviously clean inside and well decorated because you want these people to treat it as a home and if you’re expecting them to move in with sub-standard accommodation, quite honestly they’re not going to treat it as you would want them to treat it and it will lead to further problems down the line.

Alex: So, it’s almost like having it in if you like, show home type standard.

Alison: Absolutely yes.

Alex: And I’m assuming sort of does it matter if it’s furnished or unfurnished, is there a preference where we are at the moment?

Alison: I think generally it’s easier to let properties which are unfurnished and then perhaps to have an agreement where you may be willing to provide one or two pieces of furniture if required. It depends if you’re talking about a big detached family home or a small bedsit or two-bed new starter home something like that. But generally, it’s better to let the properties unfurnished and then as a landlord you don’t have that issue at the end of the tenancy where your family heirlooms or items of high value have been left in the property and perhaps have been slightly marked or damaged or just general wear and tear.

Alex: Bit of hot topic but Menwith Hill, the number of employees there I gather, and everyone sort of understands they’re all going back to the States and they were a massive driving force behind this sort of letting market. Have you noticed much of an impact at this point?

Alison: Yeah certainly the last 18 months, the decrease in the number of Menwith Hill workers has had a big impact on certainly the luxury end of the Harrogate housing market, and I think that’s particularly come through in the upper end of the two-bed apartment rates. We’ve seen they’re certainly coming down slightly in price and there’s less demand for those at the moment.

Alex: Then I suppose on the flip side if I’m a tenant and I’m actively looking, how can I, I suppose, put myself in the best position so that Alison knows about me and I’m going to find that great property to rent out. What do I need to do from a tenancy perspective?

Alison: Ok, you need to make sure that you can move quickly and when you go to the viewing if your happy with it and you’re in a position to decide quickly.

Alex: There and then do you mean you can strike a deal.

Alison: Strike a deal or yes certainly within 24 hours at the end of the day it’s not our decision who gets to let the properties it’s always the landlord, so we have to get as much information as possible to give to the landlord after viewing for him or her to make that decision. But you know if we feel that person is the right person for the property then you know then let’s close a deal.

Alex: Does it matter about credit reference and that side of things? So, again if you’re a tenant prior to going down the route with yourselves and finding a property, you almost want to go on one of these websites and do all the background checks and ensure that’s all-in line, you look into that nowadays as well?

Alison: Yes, before anybody can move into a property, we’ll do a full credit reference check on them which will include employment checks, salary checks, previous landlord reference, credit reference as well. So, anything that could come back, you’re much better to be honest and upfront about that at your viewing because it’s not something we would look brightly on if it comes out at a later date once the application has been and fees being paid.

Alex: Ok, understand, I mean do most letting agents do that? Is that the standard doing that number of checks?

Alison: That’s the standard now yes.

Alex: How do you get around it? I mean, again, you hear scaremonger albeit that I don’t know, the tenant abuses the property, they paint the walls all black for example, what do you do from a letting agent perspective and indeed a landlord perspective to mitigate that, to ensure that doesn’t happen, or there are no real guarantees, what can you do to protect yourself?

Alison: I can reassure your listeners that it happens very rarely in Harrogate, we’ve got very good properties and very good tenants and very good landlords on the whole. And where there is accidental damage or where there is excessive wear and tear during the tenancy, most tenants are happy to contribute towards the cost of repairing or replacing that at the end of the tenancy. It’s really important that landlords and agents do make regular inspections of the property so any issues that may come to light, you can deal with effectively at the beginning of the tenancy, rather than at the end of the tenancy and we lodge all our deposits through the deposit protection scheme.

Alex: I was going to ask about that, how does that actually work? This is relatively new all of the deposit schemes, just sort of fill everyone in on this.

Alison: So, the deposit protection scheme or the DPS, is a government backed scheme where an agent or a landlord taking the deposit is required to lodge that deposit within 30 days of the start of the tenancy. What a good agent will do is they will go round at the start of the tenancy before they hand the keys over and make a full written and photographic inventory of all the items in the house and the condition at the time the tenants make that commitment to sign the tenancy agreement. That then stands as a benchmark to assess any wear and tear or damage or dilapidations at the end of the tenancy, when another inventory is undertaken with the photographs and you can compare photographic evidence on the table. There are occasions where it isn’t possible to agree the retentions and the dilapidations and at that stage it unfortunately has to go through the DPS adjudication process.

Alex: So, it goes a bit more legal in that case within it actually goes through the government scheme for them to resolve?

Alison: That’s right, the DPS actually hold the tenants deposit, so the tenant doesn’t need to worry that its held with the agent or the landlord, so they can take increased confidence that their money is being held by a third party.

Alex: Is there any sort of major or significant difference I suppose from a tenants view point that if the property they’re in is managed either by you as the letting agent or indeed I suppose is managed privately by the landlords, are there things from a tenants point of view that you should be mindful of when entering into a agreement or because of again these government schemes there, it doesn’t really necessarily matter these days?

Alison: I think if you’re renting from a private landlord always check where he’s going to lodge your deposit and make sure that you get the appropriate paperwork so you know where that money’s held and make sure that obviously you’re renting from someone that you feel that you can get along with, perhaps someone that’s local and has local contacts in place if you’ve got a repair, you’re not dealing with an overseas landlord where it may take 2-3 days to get in touch with and that obviously repairs can be actioned promptly.

Alex: There are some very significant organisations really that are specialists in the letting side of things and they use sort of two or three offices locally, where do you feel that Lentin Smith adds value or does something that’s different in comparison to the bigger set-ups if you like?

Alison: As a business we’re set up and run by landlords and they’re a very experienced team of property managers and we are independent, and we do offer a very specialised property management service. We are extremely proud of what we’ve built up over the last eight years and we continue to grow and expand really on the recommendation of our landlords and I think that speaks volumes of how we operate. And I would just like to stress that we are local people, who know the market and as a business we’ve invested in technology to be able to offer our landlords and clients a login portal to access their property information 24/7, which obviously helps them at that awful time of year when you have to do your tax returns or any other accounting information you need to do. We offer wide angle photography, 360-degree virtual tools and floorplans on all our properties now. So, the other tip for landlords when they’re marketing their property is to make sure that the agent has time to do a thorough market appraisal of your property, make sure you’ve got the best photographs and it’s presented in the best light. Also, my advice would be don’t necessarily go with the agent who thinks he can get you the best price. Sometimes its that time it takes holding on to that final £25 or whatever it is you’re looking for, that will eat into your costs because you’ve got a longer void period and sometimes its those tenants that feel they are paying top dollar on their rent will demand everything to be 100% perfect in their property, 100% of the time, which may cost you more in the long run with monthly repair bills.

Alex: Now, I have from my experience, certainly the marketing side of things, so many letting agents just don’t even bother doing floor plans and it can be sort of infuriating if you’re trying to point a client in the right direction. I suppose almost to finish on this I suppose, you’ve got the luxurious position someone like you that you’re seeing a lot of properties, day-in day-out you must have a lot of funny stories up your sleeve that have happened in your career, please share.

Alison: Well it never ceases to amaze me how many tenants and people will open the door with no clothes on! Not something I’d do but there’s a lot of people out there who don’t seem to mind.

Alex: And they’ve just been caught out!

Alison: Yes, not that they’ve been too embarrassed.

Alex: It does happen. Just remind everyone Alison if they wanted to sort of touch base with you, what’s the best number to reach you on?

Alison: Feel free to call me at the office its 01423 817777 or you can contact us via our website which is www.lentinsmith.co.uk

Alex: That’s great Alison, really appreciate your time and thank you for coming in.

If you have an empty residential or commercial property, how can you secure it? What must you do to ensure your insurance will cover you? What are the tips and tricks in this industry? Hear property consultant Alex Goldstein interview Nick Bye from Vacant Property Solutions (VPS) during this in-depth talk about vacant property tips on his StrayFM radio show.

Vacant Property Tips from the Expert

Interviewer: Talking about vacant property specialists. Just talk everyone through exactly what you do because I think it’s a really hot area at the moment, especially if you’ve got a commercial premises. Just talk in just general terms the services that you guys offer.

Nick: So my role and responsibility is to work with a broad range of clients in and around the Yorkshire Northeast region. Our organization, VPS, is national however, and it’s to look at the risks that vacant properties incur on a day-to-day basis, so that can be from a vandalism perspective, theft, or the most important one in and around these areas is the insurance aspect of that as well.

Interviewer: Yeah. I know you’ve also got this sort of specialist Guardian type service, which you hear bits and pieces of, but I don’t think anyone’s really got any idea as to what that actually entails, and obviously I suppose the financial benefits of doing that as well, if you have an empty, I don’t know, hotel, or bed and breakfast, or something like that.

Nick: Absolutely, yes. So the Guardian piece started off in central London and the idea behind the Guardian piece is that we can move so far on from the original security, which is just going to a commercial property, putting steels on it, and putting alarms on it. At the end of the day, that’s a cost to a commercial client. So the idea behind the Guardian piece is VPS go and source, vet, and CBRE check tenants that can actually live in these properties. So if you can imagine, you’ve got a large property, let’s say in the center of London, you’ve got a vacant hotel that may cost you upwards of £2,000 to secure on a weekly basis. VPS can provide guardians, which would actually generate a revenue based on the fact that we will charge them a weekly rental for the property, and the most important thing, which is why the Guardian piece is becoming so popular across the UK, is that actually because there are living people, specialist Guardians that we provide, that would reduce business rates down to council tax.

Interviewer: Yeah. That’s a bit of a key point at the moment. Certainly, business rates keep on creeping up and up and up. Who are these tenants? How do you find them? Who are these sort of individuals that sort of come in and say, “Well, I’ll live in a couple of rooms in the hotel.” How do you find them and how do they find you?

Nick: Well, a lot of people seem to think that we go to the local music festivals and hold a board up saying that we’ve got some cheap rooms for rent in Leeds, York, or Sheffield, but we actually have a specific Guardian application system, where we have got a portal where we store all the Guardian’s details. Now, these are professional people. These are doctors, or nurses, or people that work in the professions that are looking to stay in a certain city, due to placements, for six to nine months. We have to do two years’ background check in. They have to earn a certain amount of money, and we actually go in and check the properties on a week and week basis to see that they are working in line with our mitigation.

Interviewer: So, I mean, it’s literally not Fred off the street. I mean, as you said these are very professional individuals, and it may be that they’ve got to be based up in Yorkshire during the week because of their job, but their family and their base happens to be, I don’t know, back down south in London. It’s that type of individual…

Nick: Yeah, exactly. And the great thing about the Guardian services, VPS’s, it’s not a case of we will find the person then go, “There you go,” or like, “You need to go sort the property out.” We will actually make the property Guardian-worthy for you. So with that is putting partition walls in, putting toilet facilities in because there are certain regulations that you’ve got to abide by. There is, but we actually do all those services in-house. So we can actually take a property and say, “Right. That is perfectly suitable for Guardians.” And then in an ideal world, we would come back to it a couple of months later, and say, “Right. This is your saving from business rates to council tax, and we actually, we’ve made your property Guardian-worthy.”

Interviewer: And what happens on the reverse side, if it’s not a livable type of property? I don’t know, it’s a warehouse, or it’s a dilapidated apartment, you can’t actually put an individual in there, or it’s not what the landlord wants. Fine, you’ve got the sort of, I suppose, the security in terms of just boarding it up, but then it’s a fairly ugly site. Are there any variations of that, or any things behind the scenes that you can, I suppose, make it more as aesthetically pleasing?

Nick: Yeah, yeah. I mean, one thing that we developed for the exact reason was a product called decals. Now, we do provide the steel screens, and you’re right, they are some of the most ugly things you’ve seen in your life, and probably wouldn’t suit Harrowgate town center very well. So decals are specific steel screens that are designed to place on the outskirts of the property with the exact same security level as steel screens, but you can give us a design that will go on the front of those steel screens. So as you could imagine, they can be either made up of two doors, windows, stained glass window, if you fancy being really fancy, or anything like that. And those could be created completely bespoke to what you want to blend into the high…

Interviewer: So you’re literally printing up giant stickers to look like the facade of that property?

Nick: Exactly like it, and there are examples where unless you go up extremely close to these properties, if you were driving past, it would be very difficult to notice the difference, and that’s not just to maintain, you know, with the local community, so it doesn’t stick out. But I would know that if I was a prospective buyer driving past these sites, the decals would look much more attractive in terms of where I see that property going as opposed to just steel screens that are placed on the outside of them. So, yes.

Interviewer: Yeah, absolutely because I suppose everyone then if you’ve got exposed windows, everyone’s about, sort of worried about vandalism, and graffiti, and dare I say, people getting inside. How does it actually work from a pure security point of view, when you talk about sort of cameras, and remote videoing, and monitoring?

Nick: Yeah, so because we’re the one-stop shop when it comes to these solutions, in terms of what we can provide, the alarms that we offer that have been developed, built, and installed by our in-house teams, because situations are always going to arise, no matter if you put steel on the property, or Guardians, but unfortunately there may be break ins at the site. Now, because of these alarms that we’ve developed in-house, that are responded to by our in-house team, we’ve got 27 service centers nationally across the UK, with over 500 staff that are on the ground. So you can imagine, we’ve got our own RVRC system, which is basically our own alarm monitoring system, which is based in Manchester. So all those are recorded and monitored by our in-house team. So if someone does, for whatever reason, break into the property, we’ve got the ability to respond to that on a very timely manner. The great thing about the alarm system is based on the fact that a lot of these properties are vacant. You don’t wanna be having to switch utilities on and the risk of utilities being left on. They are all wireless and they’re all battery-powered as well. So there’s no need to have any wires running in and around the property, and there’s no need to have any form of power running to it either.

Interviewer: And then obviously, it’s not a case of someone creeping in, and cutting the wire, and they can get in because again, all of that sort of thing is backed up.

Nick: Exactly, and the actual alarm unit that we create itself is made out of the same material. There’s riot shield. It’s got an anti-tamper device. It’s not one of those kind of things that you would you just stick on the wall and you can go and pull off. There are actually videos on YouTube with people taking baseball bats to these things, and so much so that if they do manage to do some damage to it, it will lay down and play dead, but will still carry on sending a signal to our service center.

Interviewer: Got you. So you really, really, really are secure?

Nick: Yeah. Absolutely, yeah.

Interviewer: If you’re away and we’re obviously, I suppose… certainly the commercial owners mindful, worried, given the summer supposedly upon us, with the weather soon, everyone hopes, you’ve obviously got summer parties and raves, and you always hear about them sort of crashing into an office or warehouse. What sort of thing could you provide, if you were, an empty warehouse, and you’re worried about that? What would you go through? I know we talked about the screens and the videos, but are there any other sort of pointers that you would give for those landlords or owners?

Nick: Absolutely. I mean, there are certain elements that would apply to certain properties depending on the size of it. The most important thing and the most important message that I give to my clients is that this solution is cheaper and easier than the cure. So once people like that actually get into the property, it’s extremely difficult to get them out. So simple things like concrete barriers that we can provide over the entrance. A lot of people don’t think like that, because people can not actually get the cars or vehicles onto the site. So concrete barriers are a massive, massive, massive deterrent for people like that. So that is one of the biggest tips that I can give to people, to look at the simple approach because sometimes the simplest solution is the most effective one.

Interviewer: What about the point of insurance? Because again, obviously, if a property’s lived in, and we talked on the Guardian side of things, your insurance is gonna be one thing. If you’ve got a vacant property, how does that sort of work, and what are the measures you should take?

Nick: Yeah, we work with the biggest commercial insurers. We work with AXA, ALIGNED, and Standard Life, and we are their preferred supplier purely because of the measures that we go to ensure that a property is insurance compliant. Now, if I was to say to you, what would you think you would need to do to ensure that a property is of a certain standard when it is vacant, could you give me some of the things that you believe?

Interviewer: Everyone always thinks sort of locking at the doors, turning off the lights, and sorting out the services, and as you said, probably putting it in a video camera. But, I guess, it’s always gonna be the small things that everyone’s gonna forget.

Nick: Absolutely, yeah. Absolutely. So it’s little things like, and a lot of people don’t know, is the sealing of the letterbox. Now, that may just be a £25 pound transaction to get that done, but the majority of the main insurers, if that action is not taken, would not pay out if something was to happen at the site. We have had specific examples of this at VPS, whether of extremely large, expensive office blocks located in the city center. Now, the reason why is that, if you can imagine, if you’ve got an open letterbox, and if you vacated the site, the post and the junk mail isn’t going to stop coming. So it piles up and piles up behind the letterbox. All someone needs to do is go in there and put a match to it, and then the building is aflame.

Interviewer: And it’s gone.

Nick: And that is your responsibility to ensure that that letterbox has been sealed. Otherwise, technically, the combustibles behind that they have been given access to. So it’s extremely important, and again, one of the biggest things in all the sites that I drive past, is always the main thing that people don’t pick up on, is ensuring that that letterbox is sealed.

Interviewer: So a £25 seal could save you literally millions, because if an insurer doesn’t pay out, you’re on your own?

Nick: Yes, and as we all know, insurers will do whatever they can to not pay out, and so it’s important, from your perspective, that you’ve got the confidence in the person that you know that is going to the site, knows what they are looking for, and knows what they need to be securing from a vacant property perspective.

Interviewer: And have you got any sort of examples in Yorkshire of sites and properties that you’ve helped?

Nick: Absolutely. I mean, we deal with such a broad range of property. Whether that be from… because we’ve got social arm of our company as well. So whether that be the local housing associations that we work with, or right up to the real big projects. And one of those, and the best example, was probably Hickleton Hall, which is basically in Doncaster. It’s an extremely large stately home. Stately homes are full of things that people would like to remove from stately homes, copper wiring, lead on the roof, or the boilers. So we were tasked by the company Sue Ryder, the charity that actually owned the property, after they closed it down, unfortunately, to go in and provide the most effective, cost-effective security solution. Now, man guarding is another thing to come on. It’s one of those things that people will always revert to when looking for security, but because of the ever spiraling cost, the increase of national living wage, for some companies it’s not just a viable security solution. So we went in there, did one of our full free site risk assessments, where we go in and do a 52 point check question on the property, look at what it needs. Is it low medium risk? We’ll also do an evaluation of the local area, look at crime statistics and provide a solution, a bespoke solution, based on what we believe that site needs. And in this instance, for Hickleton Hall, we secured the entire property with steel screens on the outside, also provide internal security alarms as well to monitor that, as well as smoke alarms.

Now, the reason we provide smoke alarms is that Hickleton Hall, prior to us installing these smoke alarms, they were receiving five or six call-outs from the fire department every single week. Now, I didn’t actually know this, but as soon as you go over a certain amount of call-outs by the fire brigade, they will start to fine you. So they were fining Hickleton Hall between £1,500 to £1,600 a week for unfulfilled call-outs, basically. So it’s £6,000 a month that’s just basically going down the drain. So because we can go and install our smoke detectors, and we can respond to that, I can assure you that our call-out charge is significantly less than that. And it’s much, much, much better monitored, in terms of the fact that we can respond to it with a local team, as opposed to dragging resource out of local government and having to send that to what was basically an unfulfilled call-out charge.

Interviewer: So it sounds like Fort Knox, that one.

Nick: It needed to be Fort Knox. There was around about £500,000 worth of lead that was on the roof alone, because of the high profile of the site it was in the local paper. It was in the local news. Everyone who would want to go into a site like that to remove things would have been made aware of it quite quickly.

Interviewer: And the obvious question, did anyone get in and steal the £500,000 lead roof?

Nick: Before we were there, there was an issue at the site. There were some numerous issues at the site, and then when it was raised to us, we managed to secure the property within 24 hours, and there has been zero issues at that site since.

Interviewer: Well, you heard it here first. Nick, it’s fantastic to talk with you and hear just a bit more and an insight into VPS. Now, if anyone wanted to sort of touch base with you and talk through any of their issues, what’s the best number to reach you on?

Nick: The best number to contact me on, I’ll give you my email address, which is nicholas.buy@vpsgroup.com and the best contact telephone numbers is my mobile number, which is 07738818874.

Interviewer: Nick, fantastic and thanks so much for coming on.

Choosing between estate agents can put your head in a spin! They all say the same, they all offer the same – but what are you looking for and how should you read between the lines. Listen in to property expert Alex Goldstein answering this question from one of his StrayFM listeners

How to choose which estate agent to use.

Full transcript below:

Alex: This week I’m answering a question from Karen.

Karen: Alex, help! I have seen three estate agents, they all say the same, they all promise to do the same things, I have no idea how to choose between them. I really don’t know what to do?

Alex: Great question and one I actually commonly come across. You’ve got to remember most estate agents are excellent sales people. In addition, some use tactics such as quoting high valuations or putting in low fees just to entice you to sign up with them, so you end up in a bit of a spin. What every homeowner seems to overlook is the agent sat in your kitchen, telling you about the virtues of their company is not actually the person involved the most in incoming telephone calls and walk-in enquiries. This falls to their front-of-house team. Whilst the agent in your home will see a element of these enquiries, their office-based team are the ones who actually sell your property. So, therefore my advice Karen is to mystery shop your agents as a prospective purchaser, see how well you’re treated, how knowledgeable the staff are. If the agents, you saw are all along similar lines this is the ultimate test on how to differentiate. I hope that helps.

Get the inside track when it comes to architects – what do they actually offer and how do they go about it? What are the key tips and tricks to look out for according to experienced architect Nick Silcock of Townscape Architects.

Top Tips with Nick Silcock of Townscape Architects

Full transcript below:

Alex: It’s great to have Nick Silcock here from Townscape Architects in Harrogate. Nick thanks very much indeed for sparing the time to come in.

Nick: No problem Alex, delighted to meet you.

Alex: Thanks very much and just talk us through, again there’s a lot of confusion out there, you hear all these job titles and job terms, just sort of steer everyone in the right direction here. I hear sort of there’s the architects, the technologists and there’s the planning consultants. What do these people do, how do they all fit together on the architectural side of things and what you do?

Nick: So, there is vast differences between the architects, the architectural technologists and the planning consultant. Generally, the architect will have studied at university for seven years and will be very design focussed, he will study a Bachelor of Arts qualification and he will be there to open up your vision for a property, a piece of land for a development you have in mind and he will be able to pick up an idea and run with it, deliver that vision.

Alex: So, he is mostly the artist, if you like?

Nick: The artist, he’s the creative guy, he will also probably have the skill set to take that vision through the planning process, through the technical design process and be able to provide all the services that you need to deliver a construction project from that initial conception through to the last nut and bolt and sweeping up on site.

Alex: And that’s you?

Nick: That’s me.

Alex: So then on the technologist side, who’s that?

Nick: Generally, they will study for around four years. They study a Bachelor of Science qualification. So, they are far more technical in their skill set. So, a successful architectural practice is likely to employ a technologist to be able to deliver the technical aspects, the technical drawings and provide the fire power behind the scenes to actually do the drawings. So, it’s very much less or generally less design orientated but they’re and they have a very strong skill set than in a technical understanding of how buildings go together.

Alex: Yeah, so to do the most of the engineering, the build of it and how it’s actually all going to come together, the jigsaw part?

Nick: Absolutely.

Alex: And then the other bit as you said, was the planning consultant. What do they actually do?

Nick: Ok, so planning consultants, they’re often used, and we would work with a planning consultant on those sites where they are harder to achieve planning permission. Either that local residents are adverse to some kind of development on the site and so there’s lots of objections, or alternatively the site goes against planning policy as in the local council, the planning department will have a policy of saying how a piece of land should be used. If you then go against that policy, then a planning consultant can be used to interpret the policy and to out together a case to demonstrate that actually the proposal that is being put forward is fit for that site. So, an architect can often work with a planning consultant side by side, the architect would have the vision, the creativity and will do the drawings and designs, whereas the planning consultant is very much more policy driven, they are experts in the legal side of it absolutely. So, we work with a consultant to deliver on those more harder to achieve sites.

Alex: Great some great explanations there, thank you very much and finally there are a couple of architects in and around town. What do homeowners need to look for in a architect? I dare say it varies on the project type, that are the key differences, what are the pitfalls to avoid if you like?

Nick: Ok so when you’re picking your architect for your project bare in mind you’re going to be working with your architect for a year or two years depending on the nature of the project. So, the first thing is you need to make sure you get on with your architect, you need to trust him to deliver your vision to actually do what he says he’s going to do. So, first and foremost make sure you like the architect, make sure you get on with him, make sure he’s on your wave length. The next thing to do is to look at what the architect does, does he do a project like the one you want to undertake? So, for example if he only builds high rise apartments and you want a cosy extension on the back of your house, perhaps not the best match in terms of a architect so look at what the architect does, look at the types of projects he’s undertaken in the past. Does the style of how he designs meet your style, your vision of what you want to achieve on your project and then perhaps ask for references for the architect. A good architect will be willing to provide references from customers and clients they have worked with, speak to those references, check out this architect and also just check the architect’s qualification. Check they are registered with the necessary bodies. The architect registration board would hold details of that architect’s qualification to be called an architect, it’s a protected title and that architect will be registered on the ARB website.

Alex: Just talk through the process of getting planning and what it entails and surveys and costs. Just give people an idea of what to expect.

Nick: Ok, so in terms of the process, the process of design and the project would always start with the client brief. The brief is a vision of what you want to achieve, it can be a technical document, setting out a list of criteria of what you want to achieve on your project or it could be a series of images, a scrapbook almost of pictures of properties that you like, things you don’t like also because you want your architect to understand who you are and what you want to achieve. So, give him the pictures of things you like and things you don’t like, and he can quite, he or she, can quite easily pick up on your style and your preferred choice of design.

Alex: So, then you get the drawings made up and then when it’s time to go to, in this instance Harrogate Borough Council, what’s the process and the timeline involved there?

Nick: So, the next step in the process is, once you’ve got the brief defined and it’s a working document with your architect, it’s a very important document, that sets out where you see the project going, the architect can then start his process of surveying the property, because your architect would need a set of plans to work from in the first instance, to then be able to develop and design ideas with you, to then move the project forward through the creative design phase. The creative design phase is the really interesting part of the project, this is where we churn out the ideas, we work with you, we use our expertise and the vision for your property to actually push design to the absolute limits, and with you will work with you to design and develop the optimum layout for your house. That will then be used to prepare a planning application, a planning application for a typical domestic project is eight weeks.

Alex: Than after that eight weeks all being well, the council say, yes happy to approve that and you can get on with the building works as soon as that comes through.

Nick: There are a few more milestones to achieve. The next stages after that are to prepare the more technical drawings that you will need, that a builder would need to build from. So, he’ll need to understand how is the house built, what type of materials, what type of products, what type of insulation for example. That is called the building regulations phase. So, your architect or technologist will prepare you technical drawings at that stage and they are submitted to the council or to a building inspector for an approval of those plans. At that point you can then start to obtain quotes from builders based upon those drawings and when you’re ready to start work it’s about informing building control that you’re commencing on site 48 hours in advance.

Alex: Crikey, so it’s a bit more complicated than I think everyone first thinks. As I said in the first sentence, it’s all well and good thinking to go and get planning for that extension but it’s quite a lot of steps to go through.

Nick: There are other steps after it to go through but a architect will be able to guide you through those steps to make your life simple.

Alex: I suppose just flipping it back the other way, we’ve obviously seen the rise of George Clarke on Amazing Spaces for example and I suppose the obvious question is, well look Nick, it’s all well and good talking through all of that, do I actually need a architect at the end of the day for an extension again, I hear on TV it must be so easy, George Clarke says oh you know what let’s go and build, let’s go and do something and it’s all within this, new permitted development rules, where does George stop and you guys take over?

Nick: Ok so you’re in the industry Alex, you know that a well-designed property is going to be worth more, its going to sell quicker, it’s going to get more enquiries. So, a well-designed property is worth the investment. So a architect will go above and beyond your property, he will achieve that next level, it will be designed, it will be executed to the highest of standards, the space will be utilised in every direction, it will be a space you get enjoyment from.

Alex: And where do you stand with the permitted development? I know it’s beyond a certain size that you then have to go through the full planning process, but up until that point you can get away with it and I suppose sneak it in if you like, a lot of people think that.

Nick: No, you can’t sneak it in. The permitted development is a set criteria basically and you have to keep within a certain height, certain size, certain distance from the boundary and you can generally build a small-scale extension under permitted development.

Alex: A conservatory type thing?

Nick: Generally, yeah, some houses have their permitted development rights removed so be very cautious of that in that doesn’t apply to every single house. And it doesn’t or can’t be applied sometimes to very bespoke houses, that are developed over a number of years and have been extended previously so always tread with caution. The permitted development rights are great, it does give you an excellent opportunity to extend a house without having to go through the planning process, so they can be a great opportunity, however tread with caution. Now seek advice before you actually start building.

Alex: Some great thoughts there thank you and again you get the planning permission for example, you now want to build it out again, it’s a split choice decision, some people say well I want my architect, yourself, just to project manager and sort of oversee it all and other people sort of say, thanks Nick, thanks for doing that and then they chuck it out to the builders. What are the pros and cons of doing this? And I guess you guys drew the plans, you know what’s going on.

Nick: It goes down to your experience, if you have built something before, if we’ve prepared all the drawings and a competence test, the drawings could be passed to a competent builder to build from without a project management service. But, do you have that link with the builder? Do you have that relationship and trust with the builder that they’re going to do a great job for you? Are you going to be able to monitor the quality of the work on the site? Are you comfortable with what you’re getting from the builder? And are you comfortable that you’re paying them the right amount of money? So, your architect or your architectural practice will be able to guide you through the process in terms of the tender process, in terms of finding your builder, finding the right builder for that project and then to manage the payment so you’re never paying out more than you should be to the builder and also checking the quality of the work along the way.

Alex: So, it comes back to exactly what I’ve always been saying to people, it’s experience. You have the experience of what to look for, its exactly the same on the estate agency side, if you built up that time and experience within that and you know now what you’re doing, you’re fully able to advise clients because if you know, you know and if you don’t you’re going to be left out in the cold as they say. I suppose a lot of people think that architects, not particularly glamorous, you’re stuck in a back-office sort of thing. How would you counteract that?

Nick: Architecture is a wonderful business, we work with such a wide range of people, we get to meet a wide range of people, ranging from people who want to extend or renovate a house, up to we work wit charities, and working with charities is great because they need a guiding hand through the projects and through the charity projects we’ve worked on we’ve then got to meet quite a few celebrities and Royals at openings.

Alex: Go on drop a few names.

Nick: Ok I’ll drop a few names, Princess Anne opened a building last June, which we designed, had a really interesting 5-10-minute conversation with her on tarmac and what specification of tarmac was being used in the car park. AP McCoy was at the opening as well along with the racing celebrities and Sophie Countess of Wessex also opened a project for us in Cookridge a few years ago. So, met some wonderful people along the way.

Alex: Well look at you. Well some fantastic tips and tricks there for architects and if you want to I suppose drop Nick a line and hand out with some his royal clientele, what is the best way to reach you?

Nick: Website is townscape-architects.co.uk phone number 01423 505924.

Alex: Nick fantastic, thanks so much for coming on.

Nick: Thank you Alex.

Estate agent for sale boards are often questioned by vendors whether they are actually worthwhile in this digital age. What are the reasons for using them and what do they offer?

Estate Agent For Sale Boards – Why Use Them?

Full transcript below:

Alex: And this month we’ve got Beth and she’s got this for me.

Beth: Alex, the estate agent feels putting up a for sale board at my house will help the sale. I’m not so sure, I feel they’re just using it for profile, plus I’m mindful that the neighbours may now look my house up as they’re not currently aware it’s for sale. What’s the best thing to do?

Alex: Great question there Beth and one actually very commonly asked. Now, for sale boards are a very useful tool in the range of marketing options at an agents disposal. Firstly, you never know who’s going to be driving or walking past the property and of course this is free to you because the agent pays for it. Secondly, for viewing purposes, it clearly states where your property is and the last thing you ever want is a viewer running late due to traffic and then can’t find your house. You need to be waving from a distance where you are, so they can see it and start to relax before they come through the door. Now, regarding your neighbours, I would simply say that look everyone nowadays is actually connected online and therefore in fairness your neighbours probably already know about the sale, especially if they’ve got an automated website search set up. So, look overall I would certainly say go for it initially and if you feel it’s been up long enough then just ask the agent to take it down but at least at that point you’ve been able to make an informed decision.

Why should you look into professional property photography rather than just letting the estate agent take them? What value can a photographer add to the process and why it makes sense to instruct one. Hear it all from a photographer widely used by the agents to hear his viewpoint.

Professional Property Photography Top Tips with Ben Thornton of Planpics

Interviewer: Very exciting indeed to have Ben Thornton here in the studio with me. He really is a very experienced property photographer. Ben, thanks very much for coming in. I suppose, one of the main questions that you often come across, and certainly I come across, is why people feel that it’s necessary to use a professional photographer when at the end of the day, a lot of estate agents nowadays they’ve got the, I say, professional-looking digital camera kit. What’s the difference between an agent just doing a point and shoot camera versus someone like yourself at Planpics?

Ben: Well, I think the most important point is an estate agent has got 101 things on their to-do list, whereas a property photographer has one thing, and that’s to take images that will sell the house. Firstly, they’ve got the latest and the best kits, lighting, cameras, lenses, whereas the estate agent possibly won’t, will be just, in most cases, using their iPhone or point-and-shoot camera. The professional photographer will also advise on room layouts, you know, presentation, also revisit when the weather is better, possibly.

Interviewer: You mentioned about sort of presentation of a room, and I know this is very much a hot topic. What do you feel are the key points that you want to, I suppose, convey to people? Because often, it’s something that they get a bit het up about, they’re not quite sure what to do. With your experience, what are the key points they need to look for?

Ben: The advice I usually give is to de-clutter everything. That’s the first bit of advice I’d give. For an example, look at a sitting room. We’d normally pull all the sofas out as far as possible…

Interviewer: Yeah, good point.

Ben: …to make the ground space look as big as possible. What we’re not trying to do is to distort the truth by using fisheye lenses, but by, you know, moving the furniture to the edges of the room, we’ll make it feel lighter, brighter, airier.

Interviewer: Is it true that you want to be taking internal photographs on a bright day, or a rainy day, or how do you actually fit that in?

Ben: In the ideal world, it would be brilliant if we could have sun throughout the whole year in England, but for the majority of cases, an overcast day for internal photos is an advantage, because with the lighting kit that we use internally, we can control the lighting and create some really fabulous pictures.

Interviewer: I guess it’s a case of when you sometimes see that you’ve just got that big flash of white light against the windows, with what you use, you can actually see straight through into the garden. It’s as your eyes would see it.

Ben: Yes, that’s right, yeah. I mean, it’s down to a number of things. It’s down to the actual cameras we’re using, the techniques we’re using, and the lighting, but, you know, getting all of those things right makes the shots that we provide the agent essentially look like what you’re seeing. If anything, better.

Interviewer: Yeah, I know. And correct me if I’m wrong, I think it’s a common misconception whereby people almost get confused, because what you’re very sensitive eyes see versus, let’s face it, sadly, a bit of plastic camera kit sees, then has gotta be printed out, I think are two very, well, I think, extreme opposites and it’s how you sort of work the room and get the best presentation out of it.

Ben: Yeah, exactly. Yeah, I think it’s just getting the balance exactly right, everything from the colors to the room presentation, the lighting. We put a lot of effort, I would say probably over half of the time is in the editing, which again is over and above what your agent would do with a point and press camera.

Interviewer: Again, it’s a real hot topic because I often see, again, it’s two extremes. You often see these very heavily edited, evidently it’s done through on Photoshop where you’ve got the Mediterranean skyline that we had today, but hold on, the original picture was taken in winter, or it’s actually pouring with rain. Where’s that fine line for you?

Ben: As we talked about the internal pictures, it’s not always a beautiful day, so, but with the external pictures and blue skies, for about 80% of the time, we replace and add blue skies. But we do it in a very, very subtle way.

Interviewer: Yeah.

Ben: So to the untrained eye, it’s not noticeable.

Interviewer: I know there are alternatives such as masked photography, and just talk everyone through that because I know it’s, again, it’s a term widely thrown around, but what does that actually entail?

Ben: Yeah, so we use portable elevated masts. And basically, what they do is they give us…the camera sends up on a telescopic pole, around 40, 50 feet. In most cases, we only use elevation probably about 20 or 30 feet, max. And what it is is to, is basically to straighten the perspective of the property, rather than looking up at it. And it works just as well for a terraced house as it would do a £5 million country house. And the advantage of the ones that we’ve got, they’re portable. So, rather than driving a van through somebody’s garden, we can jump into the neighboring field, or tuck ourselves into a very tight space.

Interviewer: So it’s handheld, and it goes where you go, rather than, if you like, there are a few of them in and around the area whereby it’s actually bolted on physically to a van or a car, you are restricted by where that vehicle can go at the end of the day.

Ben: Yes, exactly. Yeah, the convenience is brilliant. So we can go into, like you say, neighboring gardens and get the perfect shot.

Interviewer: Where does it stand, once you’ve taken the images and you’ve…fine, you’ve given them to the estate agent? Who actually, I say, owns those photographs? Is it done on a license, is it copyright, does the agent own them, does the actual homeowner own them? Where does the land lie with you?

Ben: Well, usually the agreements that we have with the agent is that we own the photographs.

Interviewer: Yep.

Ben: The instructing agent can use that photograph for whatever purpose they see fit, whether it be for selling the house, for just general presentation on their website, other marketing. If a homeowner instructs us directly, they’ve got full use of the pictures, and if they swap instructing agents, they can take those pictures with them also.

Interviewer: So, if for example the agent instructs you, but it’s actually the homeowner that, effectively, is paying you directly rather than the agent, what happens then? Do the photographs belong to the homeowner, or do they belong to the agent?

Ben: Well, in that case, where the homeowner is paying us directly, yeah, the homeowner gets the full use of the pictures, and can do whatever they want with them. It’s only when the instructing agents pays [inaudible 00:06:25] it’s for their use only.

Interviewer: It all comes back to effectively, who’s paid you. Whether it’s the agent, in which case it’s over to them, and if it happens to be the homeowner, albeit could be through the agent, then they own it as well.

Ben: Yes, that’s right.

Interviewer: Got you. Just in summary, what should people who are thinking of coming on to the market, what do they actually need to look for? Because again, it’s a fairly competitive sector, property photography. There are quite a few people that do it. What are the key elements that homeowners need to look for in a professional photographer such as yourself?

Ben: Well, firstly, I think when looking for a photographer is to, well, for property, is to find somebody who only takes pictures of properties.

Interviewer: Yeah.

Ben: Rather than moonlights as a wedding photographer, as a portrait photographer.

Interviewer: That’s a very good point, yes.

Ben: You know, someone whose speciality is property photography. And then, secondly, you know, looking at the experience, what they’ve done. Because anybody can buy a camera from Jessops and call themselves a professional photographer. But, you know, you need to see examples of what they’ve done. Whichever agent you ultimately go with, they should be able to provide you with plenty of examples of, you know, what they’ve done, internal, external pictures, elevated shots. Obviously, with using a specialist property photographer, they’ll be able to give you the time to, you know, discuss property presentation, and if the weather is poor, to revisit.

Interviewer: That’s really great, Ben. Thanks very much indeed. Just tell everyone, if they want to reach you, just tell them the website and your contact number.

Ben: Yes. If you would like to contact me, please go to www.planpics.com, and my number is 07968-445329.

Interviewer: Ben, that’s great. Thanks very much indeed for coming on.

Homeowners and indeed purchasers, can often feel what is the point of having a good conveyancing solicitor on their side. After all, when you compare the prices, these online setups seem an obvious move. However what are the issues with doing this, why use a good conveyancing solicitor and what do you get with a more experienced solicitor?

Why use a Good Conveyancing Solicitor?

Full transcript below:

Alex: When you come to buy or sell a property please always ensure you use a good quality conveyancing solicitor. People sometimes think this is a easy way to cut a corner and save a bit of money when actually it’s the very thing that will cost them personally down the line. So, one side of things, when you come to sell, a good quality solicitor will prepare everything in advance, remain proactive and most importantly will be the single point of contact throughout the process. Going through a mass volume, conveyor belt type solicitor is really not the way to go. I recently came across a situation, it was a small chain, it involved this very type of solicitor, and what happened was that it took just over three months to exchange contracts. By comparison the other solicitor would have seen it through in under two months. That’s the difference. When you come to buy a solicitor needs to check all the legal options on a property. Again, the number of situations I’ve come across where a mass volume, low experience solicitor was used, historically when they’ve bought, they’ve failed to see the right of way at the back or the worst one I’ve ever seen, it’s an historic footpath coming right the way up the driveway to the front door of the property. So, the lesson is pay only a smidge more but get a good quality solicitor as you have to personally live with the consequences if they forget about that historic footpath. If you’re unsure who to use just drop me a line.

Property consultant Alex Goldstein delves into the world of decorating, interviewing a highly regarded Harrogate decorator Robert Crossman from Gold Standard Decorators. What tips and tricks would he advise? Look to redecorate your home – what should you look out for?

Gold Standard’s Robert Crossman divulges his numerous years of experience to give you the best advice out there when it comes to decorators.

Interview with Robert Crossman from Gold Standard Decorators

Full transcript below:

Alex: It’s great to have Robert Crossman from Gold Standard Decorators here in the studio with me. I often sum Robert up, he’s the only decorator I know that listens to dare I say Classic FM and that is all you need to know about the guy. Great to have you here Robert, thank you for coming in. I suppose getting straight into it, when it comes to selling your home I think a lot of thought goes into colour schemes, what is actually best, because I think the media say one thing, you’ve probably got a completely different angle on it all as well. Just talk everyone through your thinking.

Robert: Well you do have to go neutral. You might love aqua marine, you might love aubergine, but the chances are the people looking to buy your home won’t. So, if you’ve got a neutral colour my preference these days and it’s definitely on the upper curve of the designer chart is an off-white with a grey tint, looks chic, looks clean, doesn’t stand out as being yellow like magnolia might for example and people can see the size of the rooms much better in a lighter paint than a dark paint.

Alex: What’s the issue in your eyes with just going white? Because again a lot of the TV and the newspapers say take everything out, paint it white and away you go, what’s wrong with that in your eyes?

Robert: Right well, if you have a grand designs style contemporary home then you’ll probably already be white, so that would be good. If you’re a Victorian semi then white wasn’t and in my opinion generally has never been a colour of choice for people in period properties, and white all over might suggest that the owners have slapped on a quick coat of emulsion very quickly to hide all sorts of, goodness knows what rather than portray a sensible colour scheme as I’m suggesting.

Alex: You’ve obviously seen a lot of properties like myself, what do you advise in terms of presenting your room when it comes to selling? What would you say to homeowners?

Robert: Well you have to remember that somebody looking at your home isn’t going to comment on what a wonderful colour scheme you have or how gorgeous your furniture is, how super the carpets are in oatmeal or beige, they’re going to pick out the clutter, the untidiness the uncleanliness and any crack, crevice, hole or scuff mark they will definitely see. So, all of those have got to go, you’ve got to declutter, you’ve got to clean and although it’s time consuming a quick decorate throughout will resolve all of those issues and it won’t take you that much longer than a good deep clean and will probably add to the value of your property.

Alex: You mention about those hairline cracks and sort of plaster work defections sometimes you sort of get. What do you do from a decorating perspective, how can you get around this?

Robert: Well everybody will have heard of course, the secret to a good decorating job is preparation. That’s broadly true. I normally think that a decorating job you’re going to spend days on the prep and hours on the paint, so pitching has got to be right, cracks have to be gouged out, filled, sanded and if needed repeat the process.

Alex: And people often want to I suppose add value to their kitchens, very much something that’s a hot topic today, do they replace the kitchen, or can they add value to the kitchen in another way, what are your thoughts when it comes to kitchens?

Robert: Well in the old days people used to say that the kitchen probably added more value to your home than just about anything else in the home. In my experience these days people will almost certainly rip out the kitchen whatever it is, whether it’s high end, middle end or low end so I certainly wouldn’t recommend replacing the kitchen. If it’s looking a bit battered and a bit worn you can certainly smarten it up, there are primers available today that stick to anything, glass, Formica, metal and then onto that you can paint whatever finish and whatever colour you like, and it’ll make it look clean and respectable. And the people who buy the house will almost certainly rip it out anyway.

Alex: Quite right but I suppose for initial presentation purposes.

Robert: Yeah it stops them being hit with a big negative.

Alex: It’s often a bit of a hot topic in the decorating world, dare I say, you’ve got the brands out there, you’ve got the Farrow and Balls at the very high end, you’ve got the Dulux’s and you’ve got the trade paints and the more value end. What is the actual difference? Is there much? You can obviously colour match but how do you see it?

Robert: In terms of quality of paint, I don’t suppose there’s much difference. Farrow and Ball make claims about the quality of their paint. Most professional decorators don’t particularly like using Farrow and Ball mainly because often you have to use three coats, super finish though it’s absolutely dead flat matte, which gives an almost chalky like appearance. Not practical if you have pets or children because it can’t be washed. The trade paints like Johnston’s, Leyland’s and Dulux are all good quality paints and as all your listeners will know Alex, paint is a solid suspended in a liquid, either solvent based or increasingly these days water-based. The liquid evaporates leaving the solid behind, the solids generally speaking these days are vinyl, plastic. So, when you see vinyl matte, the water in the paint will evaporate off leaving a thin skin of vinyl, which is durable, washable and protects the surfaces, dries almost completely flat matte, it doesn’t have a sheen. I would recommend to anybody who still thinks that a shiny paint on the walls looks good, it doesn’t, get a matte.

Alex: What about window sills and skirting boards because that used to be the fashion of doing gloss on it.

Robert: Those people still when they’re looking at a decorating scheme still think the ceilings have to be brilliant white matte emulsion, all of the woodwork has to be brilliant white gloss. It doesn’t, and it shouldn’t, depending on the colour scheme your going for you can paint all of the wood and walls the same colour, which will make the room look bigger. And on the wood my preference certainly and I think most homeowner’s preferences would be for eggshell. It’s a nice flat-ish finish it doesn’t put a spot light on all of the imperfections that you’re going to get, particularly in older homes where you’ve got dents and signs of decades and generations of repair and redecoration to the wood and it gives a nice matte finish. But I know your listeners should think about being adventurous here and forego the white gloss on the wood, go for the same colour as the walls, try one room and see what you think. Always looks fantastic in my opinion.

Alex: And people often I suppose go to all the big DIY shops, they think it’s all fairly straightforward, with your experience why would you disagree with that? What are you putting in with your time that you’ve done in the trade?

Robert: As opposed to people DIY-ing or getting a decorator? Well I mean some DIY-ers are perfectly competent. I see a lot of houses where the DIY work has been terrific, I’ve seen more where it’s terrible. You’ve got to get paint on the surface that it’s supposed to go on and nothing else, clean lines between paint colours for example, blemishes shouldn’t be visible, cracks, blisters, holes shouldn’t be visible. People looking to buy a house will see all of these things, a quick slap over of a paint to hide badly prepared surfaces wont fool anybody, you’ve got to do a decent job and it is worth getting a decorator in. It’ll be a few hundred pounds you might not want to spend but it won’t give your possible purchaser a opportunity to knock something off your asking price because they’re going to decorate when they get in.

Alex: Quite and yes that’s one of your sort of cardinal sins with your experience in terms of as you said don’t cut a corner with the decorations and as you earlier said it’s all about the preparation work.

Robert: Yep it is. I have done a number of houses for customers where the house has been on the market, they’ve not been able to sell, we’ve gone in and we’ve redecorated top to bottom and it’s sold within a few weeks after that. It does make a huge difference and for relatively speaking a minimal outlay, it’s definitely worth doing.

Alex: Out of interest what’s your biggest frustration with other decorators within the industry because I suppose it’s got a bit more of a mixed reputation if you like?

Robert: Generally, it is a sweeping generalisation here, tradesmen in the main can be pretty untidy and when you’re working in somebody’s home they do expect you to treat it with respect and tidying up as you go around is a simple thing to do.

Alex: Yep and when it comes to redecorating a room finally what are your, one of the Robert Crossman gold standard top tips when it comes to that?

Robert: Clear rooms out and if you’re looking to decorate in order to help the sales process then don’t be tempted to go for daft colours. Just pick a nice neutral as I say something in the grey spectrum is definitely in and is chic. You can be adventurous and paint the wood the same colour as the walls as I’ve said. You don’t have to go completely crazy and strip off every bit of paper and put another bit of paper and paint over that, but blemishes that are visible to you will be visible to your purchaser so make sure you deal with those. If you’re just doing a redecoration for yourself and you’re not looking to sell your house then when you’ve cleared everything out of that room, go for a different colour scheme and don’t put everything back, take that opportunity to de-clutter, maybe even look at changing a few bits of furniture. These days you can buy side tables, lamp tables, lamps, things like that because the furniture of the room isn’t just what you sit on, it’s what you put books in and lamps on and the lighting in the room is crucial as well and all of that is affordable.

Alex: Some great top tips there Robert, thank you very much. And if people wanted to reach you what is the best contact details for you?

Robert: RCrossman@btinternet.com or 07793807991.

Alex: Fantastic Robert, thanks very much indeed for coming in.

Robert: My pleasure Alex thank you.

Join property expert Alex Goldstein and regarding home remover Val Evans from Evans International. Val discusses expert home removals top tips when it comes to this often misunderstood industry. Being a woman in this business sector is highly unusual. Val gives all her insight in to the industry, what you need to know when it comes to removals and moving home!

Home Removals Top Tips

Full transcript below:

Voiceover: The Property Hot Seat
Name?

Val: Val Evans

Voiceover: Business?

Val: Evans International Limited

Voiceover: Years experience?

Val: Twelve years.

Alex: Great to have Val here in the studio with me and just to get a real insight and feel for the home removals business sector. Val, just sort of kicking things off I mean a lot of removals is a very stressful time. What are you actually doing that’s different? There are a lot of removers out there but how do you set yourself apart?

Val: Yeah, well here at Evans International we actually pride ourselves right from the very first call we make to you on the pre-move survey is to make sure that we’re looking after your needs as the person who we are moving. We move people every single day so therefore the mechanics of the move to us are simple and straightforward but what I like to pride myself in is to take care of you, the person who is moving house, because your needs could be very different to the person that we moved yesterday or the person that we’re moving tomorrow.

Alex: So, in terms of if it’s a elderly couple or indeed a young family, I guess you will be a bit of a chameleon and react accordingly?

Val: Yes, we certainly do. We find that we get quite a lot of recommendations for families who now live quite a way from their elderly parents and if a significant person dies or they have to move into a care home then often the family could be either abroad or at the other end of the country, so they like to feel that there is somebody close to the family, that can actually help that person and be there for that person, to help them move house and look after their personal needs. We automatically look after moving the effects but what we also have to deal with is the emotions and the stresses and strains that that persons going through. And that’s where I feel as a lady in the industry I can actually really come into my own.

Alex: That’s a really valid point Val, I think because being a lady in the removal sector must be incredibly rare. Dare I say how many have you come across, ladies in the industry?

Val: Yes, we are quite a rare breed, especially a lady like myself, who prides herself being able to do all aspects of what happens within a removal. My philosophy in business has always been, I will never ask somebody to do something that either I can’t or I won’t do myself.

Alex: So, it’s a woman’s touch, which is unusual in that business. And what when people come to sell, what do they really need to be aware of when you’re looking for quotes from a removal company. It’s very easy especially on a estate agent side, you can get easily hoodwinked into sort of going one way or another. Is there things people should look out for when they’re getting removal companies out for the first time?

Val: Yes certainly, I think one of the most important things that you need to do when you are getting a quote from a removal company and this can start right at the first visit, the pre-move survey, when a member of the removal company will come out and visit your home and run through with you what it is that there is to move. That is an important part because we need to assess the number of staff and the size of the vehicles and also the service that you require from us. And I think the most important part for you as the customer is that you need to be comfortable with the person that is in your house, you need to have faith that what that person is telling you is that they are going to look after you and look after your possessions in a manner in which you want it doing.

Alex: How does it work? Because it’s not necessarily a case of pick up all the goods, throw them in a box or give them over to Alex and I pack it myself. What are the ins and outs and what do you sort of offer?

Val: Well as a removal company and especially Evans International, we can offer anything from just providing you with all of the packing materials and you do your own packing. There’s a very popular packing service which is what we call a fragile only service, that means that you pack anything that is not breakable, and we come in and pack everything that is. Or the one that I would always promote because it’s the one that takes the strain completely and utterly off the customer is just let us come in and do it all. It will take us maybe a day or two days to pack all of your goods, where as it will take you weeks.

Alex: What are your top tips when you come to move home, sort of getting the removals lined up, is there anything that you would advise people to do in advance or to be aware of?

Val: At the end of the day we need to remember that actually moving house can be a very stressful time. But, it is also one of the rare things in life that has to be done on that day, there is no movement, if you’re moving, you’re moving on that day. Everything else has to fall into place. So, what we need to do is we need to make sure that we’re ready. Because if you’ve packed yourself then basically that’s what you need to have done. You need to make sure that all your things are boxed up nicely and presentable and ready for the movers when they come in. If we do the packing service, then of course we will naturally do that, and we’ll make sure that we are clear of the house in time for the other removal to be able to come in and unload the truck that’s waiting outside. And you need to talk to the person that’s doing the pre-move survey and ask them at what level they are inured it because we all have different levels of insurance. Also, you need to make sure that there is things in place when accidents do happen because there is no removal company around that can ever say that they’ve never done something and that they’ve never damaged a piece of furniture or something hasn’t gone wrong, because accidents do happen.

Alex: That’s the way it goes.

Val: It does unfortunately so what we like to do is we need to make sure that we basically correct that, and we can either do it by repairing if it’s just a polished surface that has got a scratch mark on it, basically we can get that polished out or we can replace or just do whatever needs to be done.

Alex: Got you. And how, we’re moving on to I suppose the more international side of things, the clues in the name as they say with the Evans International, but how does that actually work in terms of logistics and shipping if I’m going to move say to Australia or Europe, how on earth do you actually bring all of those different threads together?

Val: Well it’s very different moving to Europe, well it is at the moment, the jury’s out on that one, but anyway we’ll move swiftly on. So, within Europe as it would be today then basically it would be our vehicle and our staff that prepare all of your furniture and move you to Europe. So, within Europe that actually stays in-house. If you’re moving to Australia as much as I would like to be that constant or consistent person, unfortunately I don’t want to travel in the shipping container all the way to Australia, but what we would do is we then work with a reputable shipping company and because we’ve been in business now for quite some time, twelve years, then we know who we like to work with. So, we work with the shipping company and we prepare all the goods for shipment in the UK, we then engage with the container and then the shipping company then takes over and appoints a reputable removal company at the point of destination and they take over from there.

Alex: Val, been really interesting indeed, thank you very much. If people want to sort of reach you and talk it through and all their issues with regard to moving, what are the best ways to get hold of you?

Val: The best way to get hold of me is to just pick up the phone, because I’m one of those people where I prefer to talk to you face-to-face than through emails. So, whatever you do just pick up that phone and call me on 01765 640882 and ask to speak to Val.

Alex: Fantastic Val, thank you very much indeed.

Found yourself asking how many estate agents should I use? Then you may wish to pause for thought. Alex Goldstein discusses what you really need to know when making this decision, what are the pitfalls to be aware of and avoid.

How Many Estate Agents Should I Use?

Full transcript below:

Alex: The property hospital is all about me answering your property woes and worries when it comes to your experiences in the property sector. This week I’m answering a question from Nathan who had this to say.

Nathan: Alex, I’m currently on the market with my second agent and I’m contemplating moving to a third agent. Is this worthwhile doing?

Alex: Nathan, just be careful. It strikes me albeit on the face of it that there could be an underlying issue. Just question yourself if your home is presented, is it best priced correctly and the marketing material looks good? Now with experience, moving to a third agent can send out completely the wrong message to the market and with the age of the internet buyers can obtain a lot of sales history about a property instantly. Third agent move could indicate that you’re desperate to sell or indeed you can’t sell, neither of which you want to draw overtly to the markets attention. One possible option is whether you actually bring in a joint agent and this is a much more subtle way of getting in this third agent but do ensure this new agent is very different to the existing one. You don’t want to be doubling up on efforts but it’s more a case of filing in any gaps. Bring in a third agent or indeed a joint agent should be thought through very carefully indeed and I’ll touch base with you just to ensure it’s actually the right option for you.

When you undertake improvements to your home – whether it be window replacement, building, electrics and plumbing – we often completely forget to do this…

Alex Goldstein shares his top tips on what to do when you undertake any works at your home and how not to be caught out!

Improvements to your home? This is a must!

Full transcript below:

Alex: When you have any works done keep all invoices and especially any guarantees in a specific folder. This may well sound obvious, but I tell you the number of times I’ve had transactions renegotiated or even fall through because the homeowner was unable to lay their hands on some appropriate certificate never ceases to amaze me. Whilst you can often secure these retrospectively the amount of time this takes can be onerous. If you keep work invoices, guarantees, warranties, building regulations certificates, planning details etc. all together then you know you will never have an issue when you come to sell. You simply just hand over the entire folder to your conveyancing solicitor. Job done.

Join property concierge Alex Goldstein whilst he discusses the hot and at times controversial topic of whether estate agents are worth their money?

What is the difference between online and high street agents, plus why such a price disparity? What do you pay for with a high street agent and when does an agent really come into their own?

Property tips, tricks and industry expert advice, from one of Yorkshire’s most renowned property consultants.

Are Estate Agents Worth their Money?

This month, we’re discussing whether estate agents are actually worth their money. We constantly hear in the news today how an established business sector has succumbed to the age of the internet. The estate agency sector has, obviously, long been involved with the emergence of the internet. Alongside the established High Street branches, and now a new breed of online and hybrid agents, these new startups market themselves as doing everything that the High Street guys do, but for a fraction of the price. Now, what’s not to like? They’re passing the saving onto you, the customer, because, after all, let’s face it, estate agency is just about taking some great photographs, placing it on Rightmove, and sitting back whilst the viewing pour in. Right. That is completely wrong.

Putting a property online is only a small fraction of the story, and, let’s face it, anyone can upload anything to a website nowadays. So what are you paying for when you go to a High Street agent, and why this price difference? As I think of it, it’s a common misconception that an estate agent’s fee is just put toward marketing and flash offices, which is what the online and hybrid agents would have you believe, but getting a property marketed and under offer, that is actually the easy bit. The real work and value comes once an offer is made, ultimately leading toward what actually matters, and that’s exchange of contracts. That is the key to great estate agency.

Like myself, many of the established High Street agents have spent years on the job. We instinctively know how to read a situation, manage people’s emotions, and predict what issues could occur before they actually crop up. Being face to face with a buyer, or a seller, is crucial in helping to avoid and preempt problems down the line. Property, at the end of the day, it’s a people business. A good estate agent never lose sight of this, being proactive for their client right up until the point of exchange.

As a recent client of mine said to me the other week, “Online hybrid agents, they can find you a buyer, but, after that, you’re very much on your own.” Your sale is passed to a large, faceless call centre where conversations are scripted, your file is flipped around between several teams, and they don’t know who you are. So, if there’s a problem, you’re probably gonna find out too late, and there’s very little on hand support to help you deal with it. And, all this comes after you’ve already paid them, because some online agents take their commission from you upfront, so their incentive to keep working on your behalf completely vanishes.

For most of us, our house is our most valuable asset. We invest time, love, and energy in creating a home that we treasure. We work tirelessly towards the day many of us dream of, that hallowed moment when we pay off our final mortgage installment, and, when we come to sell our homes, we hope our efforts are gonna be handsomely rewarded. And, whilst there’s certainly a market for the online hybrid agents, the key to great estate agency is being personally on hand, visible, experienced, and proactive. Currently, as I sit, the High Street agents have this corner covered, but time will, of course, tell.

Get expert property advice and insight, with the Alex Goldstein Property Show (Part 9) educational podcast. Property concierge Alex Goldstein delves in to the world of removals and high end decorators with his two guests. Plus we answer if estate agents are worth their fees, what to be aware of with joint agents and lots more property insight and tips!

The Alex Goldstein Property Show (Part 9)

Full transcript below:

Alex: Welcome again to the Alex Goldstein Property Show, the only property show on Stray FM. We aim to answer all your property questions, queries and quibbles with a show that is chock full of useful tips, tricks and industry expert information. If you need that property fix, then connect with the Alex Goldstein social media accounts to get the very best property advice whenever you need it. In this months show we will be getting the inside track from Evans International removals and Gold Standard Decorators. We also discuss whether joint agency is the best option and of course we have the Alex Goldstein top tips. We’re brimming with top information as always so we’re straight on with it.

This month we’re discussing whether estate agents are actually worth their money. We constantly hear in the news today how an established business sector has succumb to the age of the Internet. The estate agency sector has obviously long been involved with the emergence of the internet. Alongside the established high street branches, are now a new breed of online and hybrid agents. These new start-ups market themselves as doing everything that the high street guys do but for a fraction of the price. Now, what’s not to like, they’re passing the saving onto you, the customer because after all, lets face it, estate agency is just about taking some great photographs, placing them on Rightmove and sitting back whilst the viewings pour it, right? That is completely wrong, putting a property online is only a small fraction of the story and let’s face it, anyone can upload anything to a website nowadays. So, what are you paying for when you go to a high street agent and why this price difference? As I think of it, it’s a common misconception that an estate agents fee is just put toward marketing and flash offices, which is what the online and hybrid agents would have you believe. But getting a property marketed and under offer, that is actually the easy bit. The real work and value comes once on offer is made, ultimately leading to what actually matters in that exchange of contracts. That is the key to great estate agency. Like myself many of the established high street agents have spent years on the job. We instinctively know how to read a situation, manage people’s emotions and predict what issues could occur before they actually crop up. Being face-to-face with a buyer or a seller is crucial in helping to avoid and pre-empt problems down the line. Property at the end of the day is a people business and good estate agents never lose sight of this, being proactive for their client, right up until the point of exchange. As a recent client of mine said to me the other week, online hybrid agents, they can find you a buyer, but after that you’re very much on your own. Your sale is passed to a large faceless call centre where conversations are scripted. Your file is flipped around between several teams and they don’t know who you are. So, if there’s a problem you’re probably going to find out too late and there’s very little on hand support to help you deal with it. And all this comes after you’ve already paid them because some online agents take their commission from you upfront, so their incentive to keep working on your behalf completely vanishes. For most of us, our house is our most valuable asset. We invest, time, love and energy creating a home that we treasure. We work tirelessly towards the day many of us dream of, that hallowed moment when we pay off our final mortgage instalment. And when we come to sell our homes, we hope our efforts are going to be handsomely rewarded. And while there’s certainly a market for the online hybrid agents, the key to great estate agency is being personally on hand, visible, experienced and proactive. Currently as I see it, high street agents have this corner covered but time will of course tell.

It’s great to have Robert Crossman from Gold Standard Decorators here in the studio with me. I often sum Robert up, he’s the only decorator I know that listens to dare I say Classic FM and that is all you need to know about the guy. Great to have you here Robert, thank you for coming in. I suppose getting straight into it, when it comes to selling your home I think a lot of thought goes into colour schemes, what is actually best, because I think the media say one thing, you’ve probably got a completely different angle on it all as well. Just talk everyone through your thinking.

Robert: Well you do have to go neutral. You might love aqua marine, you might love aubergine, but the chances are the people looking to buy your home won’t. So, if you’ve got a neutral colour my preference these days and it’s definitely on the upper curve of the designer chart is an off-white with a grey tint, looks chic, looks clean, doesn’t stand out as being yellow like magnolia might for example and people can see the size of the rooms much better in a lighter paint than a dark paint.

Alex: What’s the issue in your eyes with just going white? Because again a lot of the TV and the newspapers say take everything out, paint it white and away you go, what’s wrong with that in your eyes?

Robert: Right well, if you have a grand designs style contemporary home then you’ll probably already be white, so that would be good. If you’re a Victorian semi then white wasn’t and in my opinion generally has never been a colour of choice for people in period properties, and white all over might suggest that the owners have slapped on a quick coat of emulsion very quickly to hide all sorts of, goodness knows what rather than portray a sensible colour scheme as I’m suggesting.

Alex: You’ve obviously seen a lot of properties like myself, what do you advise in terms of presenting your room when it comes to selling? What would you say to homeowners?

Robert: Well you have to remember that somebody looking at your home isn’t going to comment on what a wonderful colour scheme you have or how gorgeous your furniture is, how super the carpets are in oatmeal or beige, they’re going to pick out the clutter, the untidiness the uncleanliness and any crack, crevice, hole or scuff mark they will definitely see. So, all of those have got to go, you’ve got to declutter, you’ve got to clean and although it’s time consuming a quick decorate throughout will resolve all of those issues and it won’t take you that much longer than a good deep clean and will probably add to the value of your property.

Alex: You mention about those hairline cracks and sort of plaster work defections sometimes you sort of get. What do you do from a decorating perspective, how can you get around this?

Robert: Well everybody will have heard of course, the secret to a good decorating job is preparation. That’s broadly true. I normally think that a decorating job you’re going to spend days on the prep and hours on the paint, so pitching has got to be right, cracks have to be gouged out, filled, sanded and if needed repeat the process.

Alex: And people often want to I suppose add value to their kitchens, very much something that’s a hot topic today, do they replace the kitchen, or can they add value to the kitchen in another way, what are your thoughts when it comes to kitchens?

Robert: Well in the old days people used to say that the kitchen probably added more value to your home than just about anything else in the home. In my experience these days people will almost certainly rip out the kitchen whatever it is, whether it’s high end, middle end or low end so I certainly wouldn’t recommend replacing the kitchen. If it’s looking a bit battered and a bit worn you can certainly smarten it up, there are primers available today that stick to anything, glass, Formica, metal and then onto that you can paint whatever finish and whatever colour you like, and it’ll make it look clean and respectable. And the people who buy the house will almost certainly rip it out anyway.

Alex: Quite right but I suppose for initial presentation purposes.

Robert: Yeah it stops them being hit with a big negative.

Alex: It’s often a bit of a hot topic in the decorating world, dare I say, you’ve got the brands out there, you’ve got the Farrow and Balls at the very high end, you’ve got the Dulux’s and you’ve got the trade paints and the more value end. What is the actual difference? Is there much? You can obviously colour match but how do you see it?

Robert: In terms of quality of paint, I don’t suppose there’s much difference. Farrow and Ball make claims about the quality of their paint. Most professional decorators don’t particularly like using Farrow and Ball mainly because often you have to use three coats, super finish though it’s absolutely dead flat matte, which gives an almost chalky like appearance. Not practical if you have pets or children because it can’t be washed. The trade paints like Johnston’s, Leyland’s and Dulux are all good quality paints and as all your listeners will know Alex, paint is a solid suspended in a liquid, either solvent based or increasingly these days water-based. The liquid evaporates leaving the solid behind, the solids generally speaking these days are vinyl, plastic. So, when you see vinyl matte, the water in the paint will evaporate off leaving a thin skin of vinyl, which is durable, washable and protects the surfaces, dries almost completely flat matte, it doesn’t have a sheen. I would recommend to anybody who still thinks that a shiny paint on the walls looks good, it doesn’t, get a matte.

Alex: What about window sills and skirting boards because that used to be the fashion of doing gloss on it.

Robert: Those people still when they’re looking at a decorating scheme still think the ceilings have to be brilliant white matte emulsion, all of the woodwork has to be brilliant white gloss. It doesn’t, and it shouldn’t, depending on the colour scheme your going for you can paint all of the wood and walls the same colour, which will make the room look bigger. And on the wood my preference certainly and I think most homeowner’s preferences would be for eggshell. It’s a nice flat-ish finish it doesn’t put a spot light on all of the imperfections that you’re going to get, particularly in older homes where you’ve got dents and signs of decades and generations of repair and redecoration to the wood and it gives a nice matte finish. But I know your listeners should think about being adventurous here and forego the white gloss on the wood, go for the same colour as the walls, try one room and see what you think. Always looks fantastic in my opinion.

Alex: And people often I suppose go to all the big DIY shops, they think it’s all fairly straightforward, with your experience why would you disagree with that? What are you putting in with your time that you’ve done in the trade?

Robert: As opposed to people DIY-ing or getting a decorator? Well I mean some DIY-ers are perfectly competent. I see a lot of houses where the DIY work has been terrific, I’ve seen more where it’s terrible. You’ve got to get paint on the surface that it’s supposed to go on and nothing else, clean lines between paint colours for example, blemishes shouldn’t be visible, cracks, blisters, holes shouldn’t be visible. People looking to buy a house will see all of these things, a quick slap over of a paint to hide badly prepared surfaces wont fool anybody, you’ve got to do a decent job and it is worth getting a decorator in. It’ll be a few hundred pounds you might not want to spend but it won’t give your possible purchaser a opportunity to knock something off your asking price because they’re going to decorate when they get in.

Alex: Quite and yes that’s one of your sort of cardinal sins with your experience in terms of as you said don’t cut a corner with the decorations and as you earlier said it’s all about the preparation work.

Robert: Yep it is. I have done a number of houses for customers where the house has been on the market, they’ve not been able to sell, we’ve gone in and we’ve redecorated top to bottom and it’s sold within a few weeks after that. It does make a huge difference and for relatively speaking a minimal outlay, it’s definitely worth doing.

Alex: Out of interest what’s your biggest frustration with other decorators within the industry because I suppose it’s got a bit more of a mixed reputation if you like?

Robert: Generally, it is a sweeping generalisation here, tradesmen in the main can be pretty untidy and when you’re working in somebody’s home they do expect you to treat it with respect and tidying up as you go around is a simple thing to do.

Alex: Yep and when it comes to redecorating a room finally what are your, one of the Robert Crossman gold standard top tips when it comes to that?

Robert: Clear rooms out and if you’re looking to decorate in order to help the sales process then don’t be tempted to go for daft colours. Just pick a nice neutral as I say something in the grey spectrum is definitely in and is chic. You can be adventurous and paint the wood the same colour as the walls as I’ve said. You don’t have to go completely crazy and strip off every bit of paper and put another bit of paper and paint over that, but blemishes that are visible to you will be visible to your purchaser so make sure you deal with those. If you’re just doing a redecoration for yourself and you’re not looking to sell your house then when you’ve cleared everything out of that room, go for a different colour scheme and don’t put everything back, take that opportunity to de-clutter, maybe even look at changing a few bits of furniture. These days you can buy side tables, lamp tables, lamps, things like that because the furniture of the room isn’t just what you sit on, it’s what you put books in and lamps on and the lighting in the room is crucial as well and all of that is affordable.

Alex: Some great top tips there Robert, thank you very much. And if people wanted to reach you what is the best contact details for you?

Robert: RCrossman@btinternet.com or 07793807991.

Alex: Fantastic Robert, thanks very much indeed for coming in.

Robert: My pleasure Alex thank you.

Alex: The property hospital is all about me answering your property woes and worries when it comes to your experiences in the property sector. This week I’m answering a question from Nathan who had this to say.

Nathan: Alex, I’m currently on the market with my second agent and I’m contemplating moving to a third agent. Is this worthwhile doing?

Alex: Nathan, just be careful. It strikes me albeit on the face of it that there could be an underlying issue. Just question yourself if your home is presented, is it best priced correctly and the marketing material looks good? Now with experience, moving to a third agent can send out completely the wrong message to the market and with the age of the internet buyers can obtain a lot of sales history about a property instantly. Third agent move could indicate that you’re desperate to sell or indeed you can’t sell, neither of which you want to draw overtly to the markets attention. One possible option is whether you actually bring in a joint agent and this is a much more subtle way of getting in this third agent but do ensure this new agent is very different to the existing one. You don’t want to be doubling up on efforts but it’s more a case of filing in any gaps. Bring in a third agent or indeed a joint agent should be thought through very carefully indeed and I’ll touch base with you just to ensure it’s actually the right option for you.

Voiceover: Property Hot Seat
Name?

Val: Val Evans.

Voiceover: Business?

Val: Evans International Limited

Voiceover: Years experience?

Val: 12 years

Alex: Great to have Val here in the studio with me and just to get a real insight and feel for the home removals business sector. Val, just sort of kicking things off I mean a lot of removals is a very stressful time. What are you actually doing that’s different? There are a lot of removers out there but how do you set yourself apart?

Val: Yeah, well here at Evans International we actually pride ourselves right from the very first call we make to you on the pre-move survey is to make sure that we’re looking after your needs as the person who we are moving. We move people every single day so therefore the mechanics of the move to us are simple and straightforward but what I like to pride myself in is to take care of you, the person who is moving house, because your needs could be very different to the person that we moved yesterday or the person that we’re moving tomorrow.

Alex: So, in terms of if it’s a elderly couple or indeed a young family, I guess you will be a bit of a chameleon and react accordingly?

Val: Yes, we certainly do. We find that we get quite a lot of recommendations for families who now live quite a way from their elderly parents and if a significant person dies or they have to move into a care home then often the family could be either abroad or at the other end of the country, so they like to feel that there is somebody close to the family, that can actually help that person and be there for that person, to help them move house and look after their personal needs. We automatically look after moving the effects but what we also have to deal with is the emotions and the stresses and strains that that persons going through. And that’s where I feel as a lady in the industry I can actually really come into my own.

Alex: That’s a really valid point Val, I think because being a lady in the removal sector must be incredibly rare. Dare I say how many have you come across, ladies in the industry?

Val: Yes, we are quite a rare breed, especially a lady like myself, who prides herself being able to do all aspects of what happens within a removal. My philosophy in business has always been, I will never ask somebody to do something that either I can’t or I won’t do myself.

Alex: So, it’s a woman’s touch, which is unusual in that business. And what when people come to sell, what do they really need to be aware of when you’re looking for quotes from a removal company. It’s very easy especially on a estate agent side, you can get easily hoodwinked into sort of going one way or another. Is there things people should look out for when they’re getting removal companies out for the first time?

Val: Yes certainly, I think one of the most important things that you need to do when you are getting a quote from a removal company and this can start right at the first visit, the pre-move survey, when a member of the removal company will come out and visit your home and run through with you what it is that there is to move. That is an important part because we need to assess the number of staff and the size of the vehicles and also the service that you require from us. And I think the most important part for you as the customer is that you need to be comfortable with the person that is in your house, you need to have faith that what that person is telling you is that they are going to look after you and look after your possessions in a manner in which you want it doing.

Alex: How does it work? Because it’s not necessarily a case of pick up all the goods, throw them in a box or give them over to Alex and I pack it myself. What are the ins and outs and what do you sort of offer?

Val: Well as a removal company and especially Evans International, we can offer anything from just providing you with all of the packing materials and you do your own packing. There’s a very popular packing service which is what we call a fragile only service, that means that you pack anything that is not breakable, and we come in and pack everything that is. Or the one that I would always promote because it’s the one that takes the strain completely and utterly off the customer is just let us come in and do it all. It will take us maybe a day or two days to pack all of your goods, where as it will take you weeks.

Alex: What are your top tips when you come to move home, sort of getting the removals lined up, is there anything that you would advise people to do in advance or to be aware of?

Val: At the end of the day we need to remember that actually moving house can be a very stressful time. But, it is also one of the rare things in life that has to be done on that day, there is no movement, if you’re moving, you’re moving on that day. Everything else has to fall into place. So, what we need to do is we need to make sure that we’re ready. Because if you’ve packed yourself then basically that’s what you need to have done. You need to make sure that all your things are boxed up nicely and presentable and ready for the movers when they come in. If we do the packing service, then of course we will naturally do that, and we’ll make sure that we are clear of the house in time for the other removal to be able to come in and unload the truck that’s waiting outside. And you need to talk to the person that’s doing the pre-move survey and ask them at what level they are inured it because we all have different levels of insurance. Also, you need to make sure that there is things in place when accidents do happen because there is no removal company around that can ever say that they’ve never done something and that they’ve never damaged a piece of furniture or something hasn’t gone wrong, because accidents do happen.

Alex: That’s the way it goes.

Val: It does unfortunately so what we like to do is we need to make sure that we basically correct that, and we can either do it by repairing if it’s just a polished surface that has got a scratch mark on it, basically we can get that polished out or we can replace or just do whatever needs to be done.

Alex: Got you. And how, we’re moving on to I suppose the more international side of things, the clues in the name as they say with the Evans International, but how does that actually work in terms of logistics and shipping if I’m going to move say to Australia or Europe, how on earth do you actually bring all of those different threads together?

Val: Well it’s very different moving to Europe, well it is at the moment, the jury’s out on that one, but anyway we’ll move swiftly on. So, within Europe as it would be today then basically it would be our vehicle and our staff that prepare all of your furniture and move you to Europe. So, within Europe that actually stays in-house. If you’re moving to Australia as much as I would like to be that constant or consistent person, unfortunately I don’t want to travel in the shipping container all the way to Australia, but what we would do is we then work with a reputable shipping company and because we’ve been in business now for quite some time, twelve years, then we know who we like to work with. So, we work with the shipping company and we prepare all the goods for shipment in the UK, we then engage with the container and then the shipping company then takes over and appoints a reputable removal company at the point of destination and they take over from there.

Alex: Val, been really interesting indeed, thank you very much. If people want to sort of reach you and talk it through and all their issues with regard to moving, what are the best ways to get hold of you?

Val: The best way to get hold of me is to just pick up the phone, because I’m one of those people where I prefer to talk to you face-to-face than through emails. So, whatever you do just pick up that phone and call me on 01765 640882 and ask to speak to Val.

Alex: Fantastic Val, thank you very much indeed.

When you have any works done at your home keep all invoices and especially guarantees in a specific folder. This may well sound obvious but the amount of time I’ve had transactions renegotiated or even fall through because the homeowner was unable to lay their hands on some appropriate certificate never ceases to amaze me. Whilst you can often secure these retrospectively, the amount of time this takes can be onerous. If you keep work invoices, guarantees, warranties, building regulations certificates, planning details etc all together then you know you will never have an issue when you come to sell. You simply just hand over the entire folder to your conveyancing solicitor, job done.

That’s the Alex Goldstein Property Show (part 9) and yet again brimming with top tips and features, if you need expert information, videos and up-to-the minute property news then head over to the website alexgoldstein.co.uk The next episode is out in the first week of January so make sure you tune in for that. Until next time.

Join property authority Alex Goldstein in this fast-paced property podcast ‘The Alex Goldstein Property Show (Part 8)’ when we discuss the issues to avoid when letting out your property and as a tenant with property lawyer Mark Fagan from Winston Solicitors in Leeds.

We also discuss ornamental trees and how to add value to your home with expert Alexander Hunt.

What to be aware of when converting your attic and how emotions affect our decisions when buying and selling property, plus lots more!

The Alex Goldstein Property Show (Part 8)

Full transcript below:

Alex: Welcome to the Alex Goldstein Property Show. We are fast-paced, informative, insightful and push the boundaries when it comes to giving you the very best insider knowledge, know-how and expertise in the property market. We’re the only property show on Stray FM and our aim is to ensure you make the best decisions when it comes to your property. We’re available for podcast download on the first of every month, so sign up to Alex Goldstein social media accounts to get an earlier reminder or this and to get expert property advice whenever you need it. In this month’s show we’ll be speaking with a top Harrogate Lawyer on the pros and cons and tricks of the trade when it comes to renting out your home, a tree expert who supplies across Yorkshire and gives us insight into adding value to your home. Plus, of course the Alex Goldstein top tips. An incredible amount to fit in so let’s get straight on with it.

This month we’re talking about property and the emotions involved. It’s long been known that this is one of the most stressful things you can do in life and personally I think this is much because we’ve got to navigate through a series of time sensitive situations and this is often exacerbated by emotions running high and let’s face it sometimes to breaking point. Now property, if we think it through is probably the only deal we ever do in life where money, feelings and as a result stress all run equally high at the same time. So, let’s look at the property process itself. You come to sell your home, it’s a very big decision just to reach that decision, not only if you worked hard to secure the property first time around when you purchased it, that you’ve invested in improvement and had numerous highs and lows within it, the walls can talk as they say. As a homeowner you’ve invested emotionally in the property so when it comes to placing your home on the market you listen to the TV, the newspapers and the media and you get hoodwinked into thinking that making everything plain and white is the right way to go. Well that’s wrong because remember property is emotional, so play to these strengths, keep the photographs of the children on display, the log fire burning or perhaps some cookbooks out by the agar. People are buying into a lifestyle choice so present your home to a similar theme. You then invite a couple of estate agents to pitch for your business and whilst thoughts on guide price always rightly or wrongly seemed to be the defining factor in choosing the right agent, so does the way you feel about the agent personally. Do they love and infuse about the property as much as you would like and if they don’t I bet you’ll show them the door. If they do you’ve made more of an emotional connection with them. Now the very last step is as a seller. Once you’ve secured a buyer for your own property the tables now turn and you’re the one immediately under pressure trying to find that elusive right property and trying to bring all the different elements together at exactly the same time. You’ve also got to keep your own buyer happy and you’ve got to check everything is progressing smoothly, again it gets emotional. So yeah, buying and selling property is stressful. Our emotions play a huge part in how much we allow the anxiety pressure gauge to rise by. By taking a pragmatic approach and planning everything well in advance this will go a long way to ensuring that your next property deal is less stressful. Hopefully you may just surprise yourself and actually enjoy it.

It’s great indeed to have Alexander Hunt on the phone. You’ve got a couple of businesses actually, just talk everyone through, because they’re quite niche and very unusual actually.

Alexander: They’re two horticultural businesses here both in a village near Sevenoaks called St Mary’s Platt. Firstly, there is Potash Farm, where the cobnut and walnut are grown. I grow and pick about 40 acres of nuts here and we make a whole lot of specialist products and chocolates, biscuits, oils, a balm with the nuts. Then I’ve got the tree business which is the country’s leading nursery in the supply of fruiting walnut, timber walnut, almond, Kentish cobnut and sweet chestnut trees. And they go all over the country Alex as you well know.

Alex: Indeed, I mean you supply across the UK and Yorkshire. I mean whereabouts in particular, obviously we’re in Harrogate at the moment, so where in Yorkshire do you supply?

Alexander: We’ve got some very good garden customers, we split them up slightly into three categories here but the garden customers very much in the Harrogate area and the villages around Follifoot is a one that comes to mind. York, Richmond, Northallerton and these are people that are really sort of developing their gardens in a slightly specialist way and might be ordering one or up to half a dozen trees from us. And then we’ve got the larger sort of farmer and estate customer and one or two very well-known estates in Yorkshire that we serve near sort of Helmsley, Harewood, Barnard Castle, Ripon etc.

Alex: Wow, so you really are doing the prime points throughout Yorkshire, you’re mighty impressive. I suppose, depending on the amount of space because I know this is something we’ve always talked about, it doesn’t matter necessarily whether you’ve got an estate with a number of acres or indeed you’ve got a much smaller garden. I know you’ve certainly on the tree business side you’ve got sort of something that can help everyone.

Alexander: Very much so, I think for the smaller garden we sell a lot of cobnut and almond trees to those perhaps in Belgravia/Chelsea who have sort of gravel gardens and are growing nut trees in pots, to the small garden right up to the big estate or farm where they’ve got very much more space or houses with paddocks where of course sweet walnut or chestnut trees are very attractive to have as well, but they given time will be the height of the church tower of course.

Alex: What would the estates look to you for?

Alexander: I mean they are, they’re looking to possibly sort of grow them and increase their tree numbers in their very nice parklands or perhaps if they were redoing a avenue up to a house or the main house on the estate they would use our trees. But more oftenly or often than not it’s the timber selections that they’re after, and I’m one of the very few nurseries in the country that supply timber selections for the walnut timber which is used for furniture, veneers, inlays etc. And for some of these very big estates in Yorkshire a forestry and the sale of timber is very much part of their mixed income these day on modern estates.

Alex: Right ok and I mean what sort of things? Is it just purely on the forestry side that they look to you for or will they actually use the products that the tree produces or is it a mixture?

Alexander: Well I think it’s a mixture. I think a lot of people looking for advice whether the trees will grow well on a variety of soils etc. and then you know I give advice to the garden person who’s buying one tree to the farmer who perhaps wants to plant a block of fruiting walnuts, to the estate owner who wants to plant walnuts for Timber. We’re advising on all those and at the end of the day if there’s a bonus there where the family can pick some nuts and then make some nice dishes with them in the kitchen etc, particularly in the Autumn, the lead up to Christmas, so much the better that’s a really nice bonus.

Alex: Fantastic, and I know you also advise on new build development sometimes actually and in terms of softening the look of that.

Alexander: Quite a lot of new work now is often on the landscaping and design and planning with builders etc. I’ve got some very big clients, we’re doing some advisory work across the country and I’ve got no doubts that some of these schemes are greatly enhanced by the right planting of good nut or other trees. I think they’re adding value to the properties whether they be new or existing in quite a major way.

Alex: And I dare say all the different tree species that you offer, they have all different uses depending on what type of screening or otherwise that you’re looking for.

Alexander: We’ve got a very wide selection of freezing walnut trees and we do, I’ve just picked out two to talk about, one is the new one I’m introducing called the red Danube walnut which is a copper beech type leaf tree, most attractive with a sort of claret coloured nut that I think we should sell extensively with our purple filbert being one of the top nut species that we sell, that again has a reddish leaf, a reddish nut with a catkin, two are very attractive near a house or against the wall etc. Almonds of course can be trained onto any shape, or an espallia, lovely for a sort of cottage garden or perhaps a slightly enclosed or more sheltered space. And of course, you’re a little bit more frosty up there than we are in the South East, here we’ve got three particular selections of walnut that we recommend in Yorkshire going up to borders and Scotland, fernet and fern or franket which are later coming into budburst to miss some of those early or later frosts.

Alex: I know actually interestingly the BBC have been in touch with you and I know that you did a film feature with them. Just talk everyone through that.

Alexander: I was on Countryfile just three weeks ago with John Craven, they came and done a day and half’s filing here for the little slot on Country File. It was perfect timing for us in the nut world and the nut growers across the country to get the coverage as we did three weeks ago. Amazing with 10 million people viewing Country File and we’re also appearing at the beginning of December on a junior Country File programme called Down On Your Farm, which is going to be the early part of December at sort of 5:30, which is like a children’s version. We had a day filled filming here with the village primary school children and that will appear again at a very good time just for the lead up to Christmas.

Alex: Fantastic. I mean that’s the television side. What about, dare I say, you’ve been featured in Newspapers and magazines.

Alexander: We, I have a PR Consultant called Lisa, she’s extremely well known in the niche food business and she gets about six or eight national mentions a year, which is all part and parcel of the modern mix today and you know we’re heavily featured in one or two of the very popular food bloggers, with all their readers today. So not only have we got a bit of TV and radio coverage, we’ve got the basic magazines that pick-up articles and photographs of us, the social media side and of course all our range of direct customers, trade customers and website customers as well.

Alex: Fantastic. If anyone wanted to sort of delve into further detail, what are the best ways to contact you?

Alexander: I think the best way is simply on the farm office line which is a simple 01732 882734, if anybody Google’s Potash Farm near Sevenoaks we come up there and the tree business, if you Google in walnuttrees.co.uk that gives you the two websites, the main phone number or you look at my professional profile on LinkedIn, Alexander Hunt, you’ll find all those ways of communication.

Alex: Fantastic, Alexander great to speak to you and thanks so much for giving us an insight into your world.

The property hospital is all about me answering your property woes and worries when it comes to your experiences in the property sector. Now this week I’m answering a question from Lisa who’s got this to say.

Lisa: Alex, I’ve been into the estate agents to sign up to their mailings to get the brochures, but I’ve received so many that I feel irrelevant, why is this?

Alex: Lisa, interesting question there. Now, the simple answer is that as buyers we say and think we definitely want a specific type of property we’ve described to the estate agents, however as human beings we will also consider the grey areas when it comes to property. So, therefore estate agents are likely to send you properties that are going to push your boundaries as one might just tempt you. Don’t be put off by this and use it actually to your advantage and turn it around. Use the information they send to build up your own personal database to help you form a strong picture of what you definitely do want and what you do not want. As I mentioned earlier in the programme, property is about emotions and no estate agents will be able to know how you personally feel about property, unless they run it past you. I hope this helps.

Voiceover: The Property Hot Seat
Name?

Mark: Mark Fagan.

Voiceover: Business?

Mark: Winston Solicitors.

Voiceover: Years’ experience?

Mark: Seven years.

Alex: It’s great to have in the studio today Mark Fagan from Winston Solicitors. Mark, I hear obviously you’re very much a Leeds based company, but I hear you’re very much planned to foot at the moment.

Mark: Exciting times within the company, we are moving to Harrogate, it will be in the town centre, but I can’t say for definite as of yet.

Alex: Secret, all to look forward to but I know you’re an expert and lawyer on litigation. I thought we’d just sort of talk through the rental and the landlord and the tenant side of things, which I know you do a lot of and as you see it from a landlord perspective, what are the pitfalls that you really need to be aware of when you’re letting out your own property, your home at the end of the day?

Mark: Initially and surprisingly is the number of landlords that don’t actually enter into a written tenancy, even if you are renting to a friend or a family member its important that you do get the tenancy set out in writing. With regards to the tenancy itself the most common is a assured short hold tenancy of a residential property. Again, a problem which becomes common is whereby people are renting to employees or a company an assured short hold tenancy for a residential property must be in an individuals name as a tenant. You can’t name a company, if it’s a company it becomes known as a company let so a common law tenancy and then there are a whole world of problems that arise from that.

Alex: And I guess you also have issues if you’re renting to a friend of yours as well. You should get something in writing as a bare minimum but I’m assuming an AST, assured shorthold tenancy is the way to go.

Mark: Yeah definitely because it protects the landlord and also protects the tenant, so each party knows what their obligations are, what their liabilities are, so if there’s ever a dispute or an issue you can rely on the tenancy and what’s set out in that.

Alex: And what can you do? I mean often albeit it’s a lot of scaremongering out there but if for example you get unfortunately a rogue tenant, they do exist, they don’t pay for example, or they don’t treat the property particularly well, what can you actually do as a landlord to counteract that possibly in the first instance and B if it does happen what can you actually do about it?

Mark: With regards to rogue tenants, obviously it’s difficult to see who is a rogue tenant. You can carry out your reference checks etc, which you can do through your agent. With regards to if you’ve got a rogue tenant in the property, if they’re falling behind in rent, they’re not paying their rent, they’re in arrears, you can evict them within the fixed term of the tenancy, under what is known as the section 8 procedure. Now, that can only be used where the tenant is normally over two months in arrears. You serve the notice, it has to be in a prescribed format, you give the tenant two weeks to pay and rectify the issues, if they don’t pay then you can issue court proceedings to get them evicted.

Alex: But what are the costs involved, I mean if your drafting it yourself, you talk about lawyer costs and all of that, you’re going to court, I mean surely this is going to be quite a ordeal all round.

Mark: Well me personally I tend to do things on a fixed fee, so it will depend on the basis of the, you’re going for possession, so if it is purely rent arrears you’re looking at a couple of hundred quid plus VAT to deal with that. Court fee, unfortunately that can’t be avoided that’s £355. If you’re going on a section 8 procedure, providing the tenancy allows it, you can reclaim these costs from the tenant themselves, so they get added to the amount of the arrears which you’re claiming which is good. The downside is if the tenant has nothing and you can’t recover from them, then it’s possible you won’t recover any money at all.

Alex: But at least I suppose the flip side is you’ve got them out and can start afresh. I mean I suppose what you’re saying is there are no guarantees, you can sort of do the background check you can sort of gauge the type of individual the tenant is but at the end of the day, it is a gamble with your own home if you are going to let it out and the tenant lets the side down well, there are ways to get round it and get them moved on so to speak, but otherwise your taking a bit of a step in to the unknown, is that a fair comment?

Mark: Yeah definitely yeah. Obviously, you can’t tell just by looking at a tenant what they’re like. Also, a tenant they may have a great financial history in the past, things can happen, they can lose their job for example, if that’s the case and these are things that unfortunately a landlord cannot foresee.

Alex: True, I mean there tends to be a lot of confusion I think out there whereby someone’s looking to sell their property, they’ve got a tenant currently there, what rights as a homeowner, as effectively a landlord do you have to conduct viewings at the property to try and sell at as that’s your end game plan and indeed how can you go about exchanging contracts with a tenant specifically in the property?

Mark: Normally if the tenancy is well drafted it will have a clause in there that will allow the landlord to re-enter the property upon giving if normally 24 hours’ notice to the tenants and that will allow the landlord to go in obviously carry out viewings etc. but should also be a clause in there which will allow the landlord to put say a for sale sign or to let sign in the garden. When the landlord does enter the property, I advise that they always take a witness with them just in case there’s ever a issue over possibly missing items or whatever, at least the landlord is covered in that way. When it comes to actually selling the property, if you’re purchasing a property which has got a tenant in there and you don’t want that tenant to remain, you need to make sure that the seller has served the relevant notice on the tenant, otherwise the person purchasing the property is then stuck with the tenant and then has all the costs of dealing with it themselves.

Alex: Ok, now just I suppose to turn the tables for a moment, looking from a tenant perspective, you hear a lot about these new witty deposit schemes from the government and the new legislation surrounding them. Just talk everyone through what they are, how they work and whether they are actually worth while at the end of the day.

Mark: So, the tenancy deposit scheme was designed to safeguard a tenancy deposit. Now, just a quick point, what is classed as a deposit, obviously someone paid say £500 because that’s listed as the deposit then that’s fine. There has been a question over is rent which is paid in advance, is that classed as a deposit? If the rent paid in advance is used throughout the tenancy to pay rent then it isn’t classed as a deposit, however if it’s simply held as security, for example the rent isn’t paid then it will be classed as a deposit and a landlord has to apply with the rules of the tenancy deposit scheme. Now the rules themselves are pretty complex, they’re pretty severe for a landlord if they don’t comply with them. Now, a landlord has 30 days from the date that they receive the deposit, not the date of the start of the tenancy, the date they received the deposit in which to provide the tenant what’s known as prescribed information. Ok now, the prescribed information, it sets out things like where the deposit is held, how much is being held and how any disputes will be dealt with, how any deductions can be agreed etc. Now if a landlord doesn’t provide that information within 30 days, first of all a landlord cannot evict the tenant on what’s known as a section 21 ground which is the easiest route to get your property back, and also a landlord can be sued for the return of the deposit and three times the deposit amount. It does happen, I’ve dealt with cases where we’ve been successful suing a landlord because they haven’t complied with the rules. The rules have been in place since 2007 so this isn’t new but it’s still surprising how many landlords get it wrong and it can prove very very costly.

Alex: Absolutely yeah. And what do you do if you’re a tenant in a property and the landlord is not going to sort an issue? You often hear the boiler hasn’t been fixed for several weeks, there’s black mould here and here. What can you do from a tenant’s perspective, how can you actually get the landlord to pick up the phone and sort it out?

Mark: Yeah, you get a lot of what I call Google lawyers who will advise tenants to withhold rent and things like that. My initial advice is never withhold rent, as soon as you withhold rent as a tenant you’re automatically in breach of the tenancy agreement.

Alex: As you said you run the risk of getting kicked out of the property.

Mark: Exactly yeah. As with regards to repair, the landlord not carrying out repairs, this is quite common. This is one of the only ways you can withhold rent. If you write to your landlord and tell him that there’s a load of issues with regards to disrepair etc. and the landlord does nothing, you can serve him or provide to him estimates of the work that needs doing and the work that needs carrying out. If he still doesn’t do anything, then you have the work carried out, send the invoice to him or her, if the landlord then doesn’t pay you are then within your rights to withhold rent to the amount of the invoice. That’s the only time you could offset rent against any repairs etc. But, whilst I’ve made that sound pretty simple there is quite a rigmarole to go through to get to that point.

Alex: And would one of the deposit schemes that you mentioned, would they be able to help the tenant in that instance or not?

Mark: No because it’s not a deposit dispute, they’re only in play when you’re actually disputing how much of the deposit should be returned really. The landlords under an implied duty to keep the property in repair so if it falls into disrepair then they’re in breach on the tenancy themselves.

Alex: Fantastic. Some great top tips there actually and just dispelling I think some common myths at the end of the day. And also, what do you need to be aware of if I’m a tenant and I’m about to sign my AST, what things do I need to be mindful of?

Mark: Well first of all if you’re unsure of the terms that you’re signing up to then take advice. You don’t want to sign up to something where three months down you realise, I didn’t realise that, or I’m stuck in this etc. Other point, make sure you can afford the rent. Don’t go into a property and think well if I can’t afford it after three months I can leave. If it’s a 12-month tenancy you’re bound by the tenancy therefore your bound to pay the amount of the rent up to the end of the tenancy.

Alex: Yeah contractual law.

Mark: Yeah exactly. Make sure you’re happy with the property itself, have a good inspection of the property. You do get disputes where tenants will come along and say well there’s damp here etc. or I didn’t realise this, I didn’t realise that, all that does is cause a dispute between yourself and the landlord which again can go unresolved for some time and prove costly. So really, make sure you can afford what your going into, make sure you know what your entering into and most importantly make sure your happy with the property.

Alex: Yeah, go in with your eyes open.

Mark: Very much so yeah.

Alex: Fantastic, Mark really some fantastic tips and tricks and inside knowledge there. Obviously its very exciting about your move to Harrogate. Now if anyone on the landlord or tenant side wanted to touch base with you what are the best ways at the moment to reach you prior to the grand opening and new move?

Mark: Yeah well, they can get me on the telephone 0113 3205000 or if they want to drop me an email it’s maf@winstonsolicitors.co.uk

Alex: Mark, thank you so much again and look forward to catching up soon.

Mark: My pleasure, thank you very much.

Alex: On my travels seeing new and existing clients the one thing I often come across is the lack of building regulation approval especially when it comes to converted attics, whereby homeowners who have accidentally forgotten to inform building control at the council. Now, this is all absolutely fine until you want to sell. The buyer’s solicitor is going to find out and then it opens up a can of worms. They will be unable to insure your property correctly because they can’t be certain about the structure, or indeed what has gone on behind the scenes. This will also damage your buyer’s confidence in you and the property which more often than not will lead to a fall through in the transaction. Now if you are one of the people who have forgotten about this, my advice is to first of all speak with your solicitor. The advice is often probably going to be applying for retrospective approval, this will take a bit of time to do and maybe some minor costs involved but it’s going to be well worth it. The number of times in my career where I’ve seen deals fall through right at the last hurdle because of this, never ceases to amaze me. The best advice I can give is not to do it at all.

That’s the Alex Goldstein Property show. We really have crammed in some top tips and features yet again this month. If you really want some top expert advice come to my educational talk at the property investors network in Leeds in mid-November. This is going to be to about 150 people and is the largest meeting of it’s type outside of London. Full details are on my website alexgoldstein.co.uk The next episode is out on 1 December so make sure you tune in for that. Until next time.

Hear my “live” chat with Chris Dean on StrayFM about the amazing insight we have in the October edition of the Alex Goldstein Property Show.

Live with Chris Dean on StrayFM

Full transcript below:

Chris: Property Consultant Alex Goldstein for those that don’t know your voice, they should, but for those that don’t introduce yourself please sir.

Alex: Yes, I’m Alex Goldstein, Alex Goldstein Property Consultants here in Harrogate and have got the property show here on Stray FM.

Chris: Of course, what is that show about? I’m getting it in the title but a bit more detail?

Alex: Yeah, we give pure insight into the world of property. This months absolutely amazing packed with top tips and insight as ever. It’s also being picked up quite a lot by other media sources as well. We’re discussing the market post-Brexit, believe it or not it really is all positive. We interview the owner of the largest interior showroom in Harrogate to get industry expertise in this sector. We discuss mortgages, do you go direct to your bank, do you go to the mortgage broker? The hot topic of estate agents’ fees and what you really need to look for, plus a lot more.

Chris: You’re a man who clearly knows your stuff, you’ve got a particular interview though?

Alex: You know this month really is exceptional.

Chris: You’re proud of this one, aren’t you?

Alex: I am, actually I have bold it may be, he is a trainer of estate agent sales negotiators across the country and this is across high street agents, hybrids and indeed the online agent and probably the most powerful and insightful interview we’ve ever done, and this is pure inside knowledge and effectively double agent spy at it’s best.

Chris: Go on, what does that mean?

Alex: Basically, Boyd tells us all as he sees it, what the differences are between the estate agency types and why the online agents are gaining market territory? What agents do actually get wrong and why? Plus, what really goes on behind the scenes in each agency sector. Plus, with his industry knowledge, he’s been doing this for about 30 odd years, who he would actually put to instruct his own home on the market and why, it’s incredible stuff.

Chris: That’s a radio voice you got there Alex. Yeah so for those that want to catch the show, how and when can they hear it?

Alex: It’s out on the first day of every single month. You can go on the Stray FM website or of course the Alex Goldstein website and it is all there, all to look forward to.

Chris: Podcast to download as well. Alex thank you very much for popping in and got that to look forward to, thank you.

Alex: Thank you, Chris.