It's that time of year again when temperatures start to take a tumble. To make sure you stay safe and warm, have a look at our checklist below.
1 Check your boiler insurance. A new boiler can cost upwards of £3000 and some home insurance policies will include Home Emergency cover but others will require you to buy it as an add on. These usually provide cover for boiler breakdowns.
2 Get your boiler serviced annually. Some cover will include a free service each year, and most insurers will not pay out if the breakdown is due to 'wear and tear'.
3 Lag cold pipes - this should stop them freezing and avoids blockages.
4 Make sure your guttering is clear of debris. This prevents damp from getting into the walls which can cause damage.
5 Going away over the festive period? Selling an empty property? Set your heating to come on for an hour or so each day to stop the pipes freezing.
Homes are spending more than eight months on the market on average before being sold amid Covid. They also need eighteen viewings before they sell.
1 per cent of vendors fear catching Covid while showing buyers around, the poll by Atomik Research and home buying service Spring found. In February 2019, Zoopla estimated homes took an average of 50 days to sell.
UK house prices are 6.5per cent higher than a year ago - the sharpest rise for nearly six years the Nationwide has said.
The acceleration came as the housing market remained robust despite the economic effects of the pandemic, the lender added. House prices were 0.9 per cent higher in November than in October, with the average property valued at £229,721, the Nationwide said.
That is the fourth month in a row that house prices have set a new record. Prices have been climbing thanks to strong demand post lockdown coupled with the Chancellor's stamp duty holiday.
A post-lock down stampede for home loans has seen Britain's lenders approve the most mortgages since 2007. Bank of England data showed that mortgage approvals for house purchases hit 97,532 in October, up from 92,091 in September and higher than all forecasts.
Analysts called the rush for mortgages a 'stampede'. The figure was about ten times higher than the trough of 9,400 in May.
The housing market has gone in to top gear due to the stamp duty holiday and a high demand for bigger properties post lockdown.
Average mortgage rates are soaring, Bank of England figures show. The average two-year fixed rate for borrowers with a 10 pc deposit jumped from 2.05 pc in January to 3.55 pc in October. Buyers with a 40 pc deposit saw rates creep up from 1.3 pc to 1.47 pc.
Fox Estates, 94 Brent Lane, Dartford, DA1 1QX
Tel: 01322 479660 | Email: chris.fox@foxestateagents.com
Properties for Sale by Region | Privacy & Cookie Policy | Complaints Procedure
Fox Estate Agents Ltd. registered in England no. 07343061
Registered address, 8 Twisleton Court, Priory Hill, Dartford, Kent, DA1 2EN
©
Fox Estates. All rights reserved.
Powered by Expert Agent Estate Agent Software
Estate agent websites from Expert Agent