Category: Community
Manchester Residents: Home Security Tips This Winter
Unfortunately, when the nights get longer, this time of year can be open season for burglars looking to target your home. Now is the perfect time to review your home security and see what improvements you can make. Here are three tips to improve your home’s security. The simplest measures are the best Some of the most effective security precautions are simple and cost very little – apart from a bit of thought and effort. Such as: Make sure door and window locks are in good working order. Upgrade them if necessary. Don’t overlook garages, sheds and outbuildings, as thieves [...]
Three Helpful Apps for New Homeowners in Manchester
There’s nothing quite like becoming a homeowner for the first time. Stepping over the threshold into a place you can call your own is one of life’s memorable moments. However, as well as coming with a host of benefits, home ownership also comes with responsibilities. Unlike renting, where someone else handles the maintenance and most of the upkeep, these duties now fall to you as the owner. Thankfully, many useful apps are available to make life easier and less stressful for homeowners. Here are three of the best. Centriq This clever home maintenance app means you’ll never have to search [...]
Creating a Child-Safe Home: A Guide for Manchester Residents
As it’s Child Safety Week*, here’s a handy reminder for Manchester homeowners about how to keep your precious little ones out of harm’s way. Whether you’re a parent, grandparent or guardian, it’s important to ensure your home is child-proof. Babies and children are infinitely curious and love climbing on furniture and grabbing and tasting whatever they can get their hands on. So, here are seven practical tips to reduce the risk of accidents in your home and keep children safe. Secure furniture and TVs: Furniture and TV tip-overs are surprisingly common and can cause nasty injuries and, in rare cases, [...]
How Mortgages Differ around the World – A Guide for Manchester Homeowners
If you’re paying off a mortgage on a property in Manchester, you’ll be well aware of how the mortgage market works in the UK. But how do they do things in the rest of the world? Let’s look at how people in other countries get on the housing ladder. The Netherlands While UK lenders offer the choice of a fixed-rate or variable mortgage, the Dutch do things differently. A Dutch-style mortgage is a long-term deal (typically 20 to 30 years) in which the interest rate automatically decreases as the loan is paid down. This means the [...]
Home Improvement Scam Alert for Manchester Householders
Property owners are being warned to be on their guard amid a rise in the number of green home improvement scams across the country. Many local authorities and also Propertymark, the trade body for estate agents, have warned that people are being duped by rogue traders exploiting anxiety about high energy prices and confusion over green grants. What to look out for Often, a cold caller will ring or knock, offering exterior wall and roof coating products with the promise that they will cure damp problems and dramatically cut energy costs. In reality, the ‘improvements’ guarantee [...]
Simple Ways to Bring More Sunlight into Your Manchester Home
Who doesn’t love it when the sun’s out? Well, apart from vampires, mushrooms and raincoat makers. But seriously, natural light, especially sunlight, has significant mood-enhancing effects on our minds and homes. For homeowners and residents, understanding how to harness this natural marvel in home design isn’t just about aesthetics but also a step towards a healthier lifestyle. Let’s discover more. Why sunshine is significant: The health benefits of natural light Natural light is a natural mood enhancer. Exposure to sunlight increases the brain’s release of a hormone called serotonin, which is linked with boosting mood and aiding a person to [...]
Great Storage Tips to Help You Declutter Your Manchester Home
Close your eyes and picture your dream home. What do you see? A home that’s light, spacious and orderly? Or one that’s chaotic and cluttered with objects piled high and shoes and clothes strewn on the floor (along with bits of Lego that you inevitably tread on). The first scenario is the one that most people aspire to – and for good reason. Research shows that when our environment is tidy, we’re less anxious and more productive. In contrast, we feel more distracted and stressed when everything around us is in disarray. But creating a mess-free, [...]
Refill and Recycle: How You Can Reduce Waste in Manchester
Recycling is part of our everyday lives: at home, in the workplace, at school, in cafés and restaurants. We’re all more aware than ever of the importance of recycling, but how about stepping up a gear and really trying to reduce our use of plastic? Ask yourself this, and answer honestly. Do you do enough to protect the environment? Well, 16 June is the perfect opportunity as it’s World Refill Day – a global campaign to prevent plastic pollution and help people live with less waste. So, how can you get involved? According to the brains behind [...]
Feng Shui: Could It Bring Harmony to Your Home in Manchester?
The ancient Chinese practice of feng shui literally means ‘wind’ and ‘water’. So, is it a valuable guide for harmonious living or a load of hot air? Even if you don’t know exactly what feng shui is all about, you’ve probably heard LA celebrities and interior designers extolling the virtues of it. So if it works for Bill Gates, Madonna and George Clooney, could feng shui work for you? Here’s a rundown of the basics. History Feng shui is the practice of arranging work and living spaces to create harmony, and dates back to China 4,000 years ago. [...]
How to Keep Your Manchester Home Safe
Some days, it’s like your home is a minefield of accidents just waiting to happen. You trip up the stairs with a pile of washing in your arms, you break your favourite mug, and to top it all off, you burn the toast. Not fun. While everyone wants a home that is safe and hazard-free, sometimes little mishaps can cause a whole lot of bother. So, how can we make our homes safer for all? In this quick read, we look at some of the most common accidents that can happen at home and share some tips to [...]
Want to Live Happily Ever After? Don’t Fall for This Common Property Fairy Tale
As 26 February is Fairy Tale Day (yes, it’s a real thing), let’s look at the most common property fairy tale and how falling for it can cost you time and money. We love a good fairy tale as much as the next person. Whether it’s a frog that morphs into a prince or a feline in fancy footwear, these stories have stood the test of time for a reason – they’re imaginative and entertaining. But when it comes to helping people make their next big property move in real life, we think it’s best to save the [...]
How to Manage Multiple Rental Properties
How do portfolio landlords deal with the multitude of tasks and mountains of red tape that come with managing several properties? Read on to find out. Owning a portfolio of rental properties can be a great way to earn income and build up a tidy nest egg for the future. But be warned: you can’t afford to wing it. If you’re disorganised with deposits, rent payments, inventories and maintenance, you’ll wind up out of pocket. And if you don’t keep up with the hundreds of rules and regulations that apply to landlords, you could be fined [...]
How Manchester Homeowners Can Take Their Garden to the Next Level
If you’re planning to entertain friends or family at home this summer, check out the latest must-have garden gadgets and accessories. A two-minute read. Spending time in your own garden, be it pottering around alone or entertaining family and friends, is one of the true joys of summer. And there’s a host of products on the market to help you make the most of the experience. Here’s a list of what is proving popular at the moment. Garden fireballs – Fire pits were a hit last summer, but this year, it’s all about the fireball. Like a [...]
All You Need to Know about Double Glazing for Your Manchester home
Before you were a property owner, chances are windows were something you just looked out of to take in the view. You probably didn’t give them much thought and you might have cleaned them occasionally. That was it. Now, as a homeowner, your single, double, or triple glazing means so much more. And if you’re about to renovate a property or upgrade your windows, it’s worth diving into the fascinating world of double glazing to find out more. (Honestly, it’s pretty interesting.) In this quick read, we look at different types of windows and why they matter, especially [...]
Four Home Security Tips for Manchester Residents
This two-minute read looks at the best way to protect your home and outsmart burglars. With a raft of high-tech home security gadgets on the market, it’s easier than ever to keep your family, pets, and precious belongings safe. Whether installing a completely new system or tightening up existing security measures, Manchester homeowners have plenty of options to choose from. Smart system There’s an app for everything these days – including home security. A smart system wirelessly links alarms, sensors, and cameras to a hub that you can manage remotely from your phone. Some systems can also [...]
How Manchester Residents Can Save on Energy Costs
This two-minute read looks at how to trim down your energy bills. Householders were hit with budget-busting energy price hikes in 2021 – a trend that looks set to continue well into the new year. Here are some ways to claw back some cash on your heating bills and help the environment at the same time. Small steps Individually these measures offer modest gains but put them together, and you’ll notice the benefits. Use energy-efficient light bulbs. Switch off appliances at the socket when you’re not using them. Turn your boiler down by a few degrees. [...]
Sustainable Housing: Three Examples of Old-School Low-Carbon Living
In this two-minute read, we look at three remote communities that have long embraced sustainable living. With the interest raised by the COP26 summit highlighting the desperate need to cut carbon emissions, housing sustainability has become a hot topic. In the UK, there’s been lots of talk about using new technology to help reduce our carbon footprint. Given the average UK household emits 2.7 tonnes of CO2 a year from heating their home*, it certainly makes sense to utilise tech, where we can, to save the planet. But sustainable housing isn’t a new concept; some communities [...]
Whether You’re Buying Or Renting in Manchester, You’ll Regret Not Reading This … Probably
In this two-minute read, we look at avoiding regret when it comes to buying or renting a new home. We’ve all had it – that gnawing sense of buyer’s remorse when we’ve made a purchase. It could be the make of that new car you’ve ordered. Or the colour of that dress that looked good online, but will it have a wow factor when the delivery driver drops it off? Or something as simple as ordering a dish in a restaurant that you suddenly wish you hadn’t as your friend’s requested meal sounds infinitely more appetising. On a more serious [...]
Seven Top Tips for Renters in Manchester
In this two-minute read, we look at how renters in Manchester can take the hassle out of finding a place to live. Are you looking to move into a new rental property? Here’s a guide to finding a new home. Research 🔍 Identify where you would like to live and what kind of property you’re looking for. For example, if you work from home, you might need office space. If you have children, you may want a garden. Having a clear idea of your needs means you won’t waste time looking at totally unsuitable properties. Once you’ve made up your mind, [...]
Seven Ways Manchester Residents Can Avoid Cowboy Builders 🤠
We look at how Manchester homeowners can protect themselves from unscrupulous builders. We’ve all heard the renovation horror stories. The builder who does a runner halfway through a job, leaving a homeowner out of pocket and living in a construction site. The messy contractual dispute that winds up in court and ends in tears. Or the new roof that leaks at the first drop of rain. The good news is that by following a few simple steps, Manchester property owners can avoid getting ripped off. Jonny Greve, an experienced builder who runs the respected construction firm Greve and Son in [...]
