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There are very few instances where you’ll need a five- or even six-figure sum to proceed with your plans but buying a property is one of them. It’s not the amount you can usually find down the back of the sofa so what are the options if you need to lay your hands on a substantial amount of cash quickly?

House building trends in the UK haven’t changed for years and it’s common for homes to have different sized rooms. Not all of the dimensions are, let’s say, generous but we have to work with what we’ve got.

Before you lament about the amount of rain we’ve had this summer, remember the old adage ‘it’s good for the garden’. In fact, the wet conditions may help budgets as well as flower beds, if new research is anything to go by.

Politics, especially the period before an election, can be hard to keep tabs on. With a new Labour Government assembled, our job is to make sense of what was contained in the party’s manifesto, what was verbally discussed by then shadow ministers and what will actually be delivered now Sir Keir Starmer is Prime Minister.

As we write this blog, the temperatures are rising to the mid 20°C, the air is filled with the scent of barbeques and sales of sunscreen are soaring. We are, however, about to break the early summer spell by mentioning the C word. Christmas.

If you have a passing interest in property, you will know that some people ‘stage’ their homes during the marketing phase in order to increase the appeal. Common tactics involve dressing sofas with stylish cushions, removing bulky items of furniture to create more space and using vases of flowers to add colour. There is, however, a more unique trend that’s found its way into the national press.

Everybody needs good neighbours but what if the people next door are a nuisance? When it comes to selling a property, the requirement for full disclosure means admitting if you’ve ever complained about the people living either side of you, or if you’re currently involved in a neighbourly spat.

May has been an interesting month for the property market. There’s speculation on how a General Election may affect movers’ intentions in England. In Scotland, there’s rumour of an urgent review of The Housing (Scotland) Bill.

We often talk about ‘adding value’ to a property but what does this actually mean? In residential terms, it means making changes or alterations to a home that increases how much it may sell for. A crucial aspect, however, is ensuring the amount of value added exceeds the cost of any work completed.

There are different types of keen home stylists. There’s the ones that change their accessories in line with current fashions, those that switch looks with every season and those who only open a tin of paint when their walls desperately need a fresh coat.

One thing that fills the property market with optimism is better weather. It’s a weird correlation but we see an uptick in activity when conditions are more clement. While it’s not full-on summer just yet, spring conditions have woken home movers from their winter slumber.

As soon as the sun peeks out from behind the clouds and the mercury rises, many of us rush to improve our outside spaces. We do, however, have to be mindful of what we grow and build in our gardens, as it can have a detrimental effect on the property’s overall value and general appeal.