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There is nothing wrong with wanting to add value to a property. In fact, it can be exciting to think altering, enlarging or upgrading your home may allow you to recoup more than you’ve spent when you come to sell. There are, however, high points and pitfalls when it comes to adding value, especially if you’re looking to undertake much of the improvement work yourself.

With 2023 well underway, a pattern is emerging for this year’s property market. While house price reductions may sound alarming, they’re minimal and against a backdrop of unusually high appreciation.

Burning wood is the most primitive way to keep warm but fashionable log burners have elevated the humble fire into a home must-have. Their cosy credentials coupled with an impressive heat output has prompted a rise in wood burner sales but the downside – increased air pollution – has sparked a flurry of new rules and regulations.

There are times when even interior purists tire of a blank canvas, with prints and patterns the only way to add interest. It can, however, be a little frightening to find yourself in a world of colour, shape and swirling geometric form. Here’s our advice for those taking the plunge into 2023’s most fashionable prints and patterns.

January serves a lesson in how to interpret the house price data that is released to the media. As the month drew to a close, two different house price indexes caught our eye. They told slightly different stories for the same month.

Buyers tend to rely heavily on what they see – and there’s nothing wrong with that – but we explain how other senses can help you make informed choices and ask the right questions.

Buy-to-let continues to be a popular investment vehicle as it’s still a simpler concept to understand when compared to investing in stocks, shares or even crypto currency, for example. Now the job is to match the intent of ambitious landlords with the best property type for 2023. Here are 5 reasons why a flat maybe a failsafe investment in 2023.

There is one forecast that is perennially sought in January and that is ‘will it be a good year to buy my first home?’. Our immediate answer is always ‘that depends.’ First and foremost, a first-timer buyer will need to assess their own personal circumstances to start answering the question.

A large number of pet owners will also be tenants, who are often made to choose between a pet or a property. Many people think this is unfair and this year could see the Government make the biggest change to lets with pets for a generation.

Historically speaking, the property market is cyclical with familiar, repeating patterns – and moving into an anticipated new phase was particularly evident in December. While there was a traditional and circumstantial pause in the sales market – the lettings sector powered ahead.

Property fraud was in the press recently, after a tenant tried to sell his landlord’s property using fake documents and a fabricated estate agency. Thankfully, incidents like this are extremely uncommon, thanks to legitimate estate agents like us, legal protocols and a robust conveyancing system.

When we think of the colour red, we often think of danger or anger – not always attributes we want to introduce to our homes. This primary hue, however, should not be dismissed when decorating or accessorising, especially as there’s a shade to suit everyone, including soft blush, rich cherry and deep oxblood.