Houses of the Future
The UK property market is already on the path to “doom”, but we expect the shadow to pass sooner or later. When the situation becomes a little more favourable, houses will continue to be sold at a good clip. Many years will pass, and then houses will become almost unrecognizable for connoisseurs of homes today. The homes of the future wouldn’t look out of place in any of our science fiction movies, but practically unheard of in this era. Some of the homes for sale in the future are sure to suprise you
The first thing that would strike you as different about these houses would be the shape, in my opinion. The futuristic shapes are bound to transcend the imagination of our generation - I wouldn’t be surprised to see each house have a dynamically customisable shape, depending on the whims and fancies of the home owners on that particular day. Actually I believe that the most noticeable aspect of the future homes would be their dynamism. Everything from shape to size to architecture in play would probably be adjustable. I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of houses being carried around in pockets in the form of inflatable capsules, making the concept of caravans and trailers not just redundant, but incredibly obsolete.
Another change which I can think of, off the top of my head, is in the choice of furniture - God alone knows what contraptions will be dreamed up to be used for something as simple as sitting. I am sure that a few decades ago, no one would have envisioned the multi-purpose chairs we have today or even ‘bean bags’ being used as a seat. The advancements in technology would probably mean that each house would have an electronically secure door and each appliance in the house would probably have its own AI (Artificial Intelligence). The concept of robot servants which producers so lavishly dabble in while making most of the futuristic television programmes (remember Irma, the robot maid in Jetsons?) would probably not sound so surprising after all.
With land becoming such a premium, the possibility of all homes being airborne does not seem bleak at all. On the contrary, building houses in space would probably pave the way for residential colonies to set up on the moon, and who knows, maybe even beyond that.
To sum it all up, futuristic homes will, in all probability, touch heights quite outside the realm of our mental faculties today. Let’s just hope that the banks will be more careful in the future while lending out money.
Buying Your Dream House
A dream house - your dream home - is a very emotional and sentimental issue. You spend years planning each and every part of the house, down to the tiniest detail. You would have a hard time finding your dream when looking at homes for rent. In your mind, the construction of the house goes on unabated as you subconsciously tinker with the furniture, the curtains and the painted colours et al of your mansion. On your travels, or even on your usual walk, if you see houses which come a tad close to matching your fantasy, you let out a sigh and wonder if you’d ever get to feel the satisfaction and pride of living in the house you’ve always wanted to.
The term ‘building castles in air’ comes to mind; but it’s a privilege which all of us enjoy, irrespective of our status, power, wealth or physical abilities. Of course, it does help when it is within reach, but our dream home shines forth in our minds’ wanderings regardless. There’s always a harbinger of hope which keeps reminding us of it. If there was anything good which came out of the subprime mortgage crisis, it was that with steady decline in house prices, at least some people can probably afford to buy the homes they had always wanted to. It probably sounds selfish and inhumane to make hay when the economy’s plummeting, but there’s no harm caused by those who choose to make a bad situation play to their advantage. In essence, it’s not as if they have caused the downslide.
Alright, so now for those of you who have not yet been badly hit by the downturn of the economy (those of you who haven’t been dependent on stocks and the global market), you should probably star narrowing down your dream house. Once you’ve picked it out, it all boils down to getting the right offer. With the lull in the property market, desperate vendors and sellers have come out with new schemes such as ‘try and buy’ wherein you can actually live in the house for a month before deciding whether to buy the house or not.
Once you’ve identified the right house, arrived at a reasonable scheme and haggled over the prices with the vendors, you are ready to move into the dream house which you had always drooled over. Make sure to furnish it the right way, and you’re in for a ‘happily ever after’ ending.
Selling Your House Today
A few years ago we were in a seller’s market and in four out of five cases a potential buyer met the asking price set by the seller almost immediately. Since then though, the doubling of mortgage interest rates has produced a loss in confidence in the property market and prices have started to progressively fall.
More and more homeowners are trying to sell their properties but demand from buyers is dropping sharply. What this means is that the property market is very quickly turning in to a buyer’s market, so many sellers have been forced to lower their asking prices. This would only be classed as good thing where you thinking of purchasing a house in the not too distant future.
With all this in mind, if you are thinking of selling your house, there are a few of things you should do to ensure that your property receives the best sale price possible.
First and foremost, if you have a viewing booked, make sure that your house is tidy. This is vitally important in the current climate. Clean everywhere you can and make sure you de-clutter, as minimalistic is definitely the way to go. It has the effect of making your property look more spacious.
When it comes to viewings, make sure you are available all the time. Don’t get choosy about when potential buyers can or cannot view your house as you may be declining the opportunity of a quick sale or even the possibility of selling, full stop. Do not forget that most people work so you are probably looking at most viewings occurring in the evenings and at weekends.
Complete all the outstanding DIY jobs around the house before the viewings start. This is a no-brainer as there is nothing worse than viewing a property and thinking that work needs doing on it. It gives the impression that you just don’t give a damn about your homes for sale.
Make sure you are prepared for all the paperwork and legalities that will be involved. Have a good solicitor on hand and make sure you have everything in place to guarantee a quick sale should you receive an offer.
Make sure that your asking price is sensible and obtain a valuation from as many estate agents as you can. Check the average prices of houses for your area by doing a check online.
Selling your house in today’s market conditions is not going to be an easy undertaking. Spring time is traditionally a buoyant period for the market but the way things are going, even that customary period of buoyancy may fall by the wayside.
Selling a House- Maximise Your Profits
In today’s prevailing housing market conditions, more and more people are searching for different ways of obtaining more equity from their property investments. As house prices have been levelling off, or even decreasing in some places, it is becoming increasingly apparent that sellers need to search for more resourceful ways to boost their potential profits.
And it is looking like estate agents will bear the brunt of this as it could be their commissions that are at risk. Obviously some people are still going to need an estate agent to act for them but an increasing number are realising that they can market their own properties themselves. Why pay thousands of pounds to get someone to show other people around your house when you are perfectly capable of doing just that yourself?
Government figures value the average price for a UK property at a little over £218,000. So, by taking this into consideration, if the estate agents fees were at 2%, that would be a total of around £4300, VAT not included. This would mean that even if you owned your house outright, the savings on the estate agent fees alone would be the equivalent to having a 2% rise in the equity from the property. If you still have a mortgage to pay off however, the equity will actually be less as the percentage of the profit an estate agent now takes will grow.
The market for selling your own home personally is increasing year upon year in the UK and is forecast to keep increasing to the levels being experienced in the United States where this is a recognised practice. Lots of websites, although differing in quality and price with the services they offer, will generally allow you to buy a ‘for sale sign’ which you are able display outside your property, and also an online advertisement, for under £150. The adverts are shown on major property websites which are utilised by the majority of estate agents to advertise the properties they are representing.
These are websites that can help sellers reach millions of prospective buyers each and every month and it must be said that the picture private sellers now portray is just as professional as a traditional estate agent. If you are looking to put your house up for sale and are concerned over the state of the current housing market, then it is well worth considering your options as it could turn out very costly not to.