Do something positive for you, your community, and the planet’s health by celebrating National Gardening Week. A two-minute read. There’s nothing quite like a bit of digging, watering, or pruning to calm the nerves and soothe the soul. Gardening is good for our mental and physical health, reducing the risk of depression, osteoporosis, and stroke and – added bonus alert – it’s great for the...
Selling a home is not a solo project – well, not if you hope to achieve top selling price. A three-minute read. If there’s one piece of property advice worth remembering, it’s this: be wary of anyone who tells you that selling a home is so easy that you should do it yourself. Many things in life are easy, like singing Baa Baa Black Sheep out of key or eating a whole packet of chocolate...
Hold on to your waistbands, Easter is here. That festival where no matter your age, clothes size, or BMI, you’re allowed to eat as much chocolate as you want. So, while the kids run around on a sugar high and you polish off yet another egg, here are some facts about the chocolatey goodness no one can resist. It’s very old The earliest evidence of chocolate dates back to 4,000 years ago. The...
Taking that first step on the property ladder is simultaneously exciting and terrifying. No matter how old you are, buying your first property will make you feel like a proper grown-up. Before you even find the right property, there’s lots to learn, so in this quick read, we’ve pulled together our top five tips for first-time buyers. Be mortgage savvy There are so many different options when...
If you’re taking out a new mortgage or about to refinance your property, have you considered a green mortgage? No? Never heard of it? Well, that’s what we’re here for. A green mortgage is not actually new. In fact, the concept was first launched about 30 years ago but wasn’t used much. However, in the last few years, green mortgages have been gaining momentum, and are being offered by more and...
Housing, and therefore housing policy, affects us all. We’ve witnessed another spring statement that has done nothing to address the housing crisis gripping London and the rest of the UK. I may own a central London estate agency now, but my roots are firmly in the social housing sector, having been born and raised on a council estate. So unlike those in power and many commentators discussing housing, I...
From left-handed loo roll to crime-fighting dachshunds, read these five April Fools’ Day pranks and choose your favourite. A three-minute read. No one’s sure exactly how April Fools’ Day started, but pranksters have been at it for centuries. In one early caper in 1698, an anonymous cheeky wag sent out invitations to watch the ‘Washing of the Lions’ ceremony in the Tower of London moat. When...