• Downsizing, upsizing and right-sizing – MAKE THE RIGHT MOVE FOR YOU

    Are you thinking about making a change to where you live? If you no longer need all the rooms in your home, you might have decided to downsize into something smaller. Or perhaps it’s the opposite – you need more space, in which case, it could be time to upsize into a new place. On the other hand, if you love your home and it’s in the perfect spot, maybe you’re toying with the idea of getting the extra room you need by extending.

    report from UK Finance found that people stay in their homes for an average of 20 years, and selling and buying does tend to take time, money and effort. So, before you set the wheels of change in motion, try to look ten years ahead and think about how your needs might change over that time.

    Whether you’re looking for more or less space, the clearer you can be about what you want and need from your new home – and why – the easier it will be to narrow down your options and find something that’s going to suit you well for the foreseeable future.

    So let’s explore some of the options out there and what you need to consider as you move up or down the property ladder. You might even discover a great solution you hadn’t thought of before!

    Extending or converting your existing home

    If almost everything is perfect about your current home, but you just need a bit more space – perhaps a room you can use as an office, a bigger dining kitchen or extra bedrooms – it might be worth seeing if you could extend or re-jig the accommodation.

    Two key things to consider here are:

    1. Would the cost of transforming your home be reflected in an increase in value? You might not have any intention to move in the foreseeable future, but at some point you may want or need to sell. So, once you’ve got a good idea of what changes you’d like to make, it’s well worth asking a local agent to give you their opinion on how much the work could add to the price of your home. We’re always happy to help with this – just give us a call on 01706 356633.

    The best way to add value is to increase the amount of usable space in your home, perhaps by extending to add a reception room and bedroom above, or converting a garage or loft into living space. But bear in mind that your immediate local area will have a ‘ceiling’ for market values – that’s a price that a home is unlikely to sell above, simply because of the size and type of other homes around it.

    For instance, if you live in a road of mainly three- and four-bedroom homes with one or two reception rooms, it might not be worth increasing your accommodation to five bedrooms, three reception rooms and a granny flat. If that’s the kind of space you need, moving to an area that has more homes of a similar size might be a better option. Again, come and speak to us to find out what’s likely to be the best investment from a resale perspective.

    And remember that the best extensions feel as though they’ve always been there, so if you do go ahead with works, it’s advisable to choose an architect who has experience in designing for your particular age and style of home. While you may need to pay a bit more for the best solution, it’s well worth the investment to keep a good flow and feel to the home.

    1. How disruptive are the building works going to be? If you’re converting the loft, it might not be too intrusive, but if you’re extending, then parts of your home might be unusable for weeks or even months. In that case, you may want to think about moving out while the improvements are being made. Bear in mind that if you have to pay for an alternative temporary home, that’s going to add to the overall cost of the project.

    Something else to consider is whether you could gain the extra space you need by building separate accommodation in the garden – assuming it’s big enough. If what you’re after is an office or guest annexe, there are some excellent self-contained units on the market that you could have up and running in under a month. Going down this route could be easier, cheaper and quicker than carrying out works on your home.

    With any building project, it’s important to check with the local council whether planning permission is required and what building regulations you’ll need to comply with. And bear in mind that it could take up to eight weeks for the council to consider even straightforward planning applications, so factor this into your timescale.

    Moving up the property ladder

    If you need a bigger home and you’re ready for a change, or it’s not possible to extend where you live at the moment, then you’ve got a pretty open book of options. There could be plenty of homes for sale that are the right size, but how do you make sure you pick the one that’s really right for you?

    Well, when you’re moving for a specific reason, it’s important to be led by your head and not your heart. It’s all-too easy to fall in love with a beautiful kitchen, a fabulous view or the perfect family room, but if you let your emotions chip away at the square footage you know you need, you could end up running out of space again in just a few years.

    This is where an estate agent can really help. It’s worth spending some time speaking to them before you start viewing potential new homes, to explain exactly why you’re moving and the number of bedrooms, reception rooms and other spaces you need. Then they can make sure all the homes you view at least meet your minimum requirements, and you can be confident that anything you’re tempted by already ticks the size box. Give us a call and we can take you through what we’ve currently got on the market in your range – maybe one of them will be the perfect fit for you!

    And if you’re prepared to do some work to turn your next purchase into your dream home, again, be clear with the agents you speak to about how much of a project you’d be happy to take on, and they should be able to show you a variety of homes with potential.

    Downsizing to a smaller home

    At the other end of the moving spectrum is downsizing. Maybe you’ve spent years having friends to stay, entertaining and making full use of all the rooms in your home, but now that whirl of activity has come to an end, and you just don’t need all the space you currently have. You might be moving to a much more expensive area for work or lifestyle reasons, and your money simply won’t stretch as far, or it could just be that you’ve decided you’d prefer a smaller home.

    If you are looking to downsize, you might also want something you won’t have to spend much time and money maintaining. So, even if you’ve enjoyed living in period homes until now, it may be time to consider something modern that has guarantees and warranties and will be low-maintenance and energy efficient.

    It’s also important to think about whether you want this downsizing step to be your last move. If so, it’s worth planning ahead and making a wishlist of everything you think you’re going to want in your new home. Although compromises sometimes have to be made when you move, if this is your ‘forever’ home, it should be as perfect as possible – even if it takes a little longer to find.

    Whatever your reason for downsizing, it can be the trickiest move to make. Even though it might feel like the natural ‘next step’, the reality is that you’re not going to be able to take all your furniture and possessions with you. So, as well as cutting back on living space, you have to work out which things you really want to keep and what won’t be making the move with you. There are plenty of house clearance companies and auctioneers who will be happy to value the items you’ve decided to part with; then you can choose what to include in the sale and what you’d like to sell separately. And make sure your agent has a full list of fixtures and fittings with prices, so they can negotiate with buyers and hopefully help clear one job off your moving list!

    Whether you’re upsizing, adapting your current home or downsizing, we’re always very happy to chat through your options and lend our expertise to help you make the right move. Just give us a call on 01706 356633 or email us on enquiries@reside.agency and we’ll get right back to you.

  • 5 Ways to sell your house faster

    5 ways to make your home sell faster

    As the various May Bank Holidays head our way people start to think about selling their house. The lighter nights and sunny Spring days seem to trigger a change. However they can also show up the things that may put off a potential buyer. Hopefully this blog post will give you some ideas to maximise your property and get it sold and quickly.

    One of our early blog posts <<link here>>> dealt with the structural things you should look at fixing. This deals with a term much bandied about by the likes of Kirsty and Phil and Ms Beeny – staging. The following points will help you stage your house and get those buyers ready to buy.

    1 Simple beginnings

    A good place to start before you rush off to IKEA for a plate of meatballs and some soft furnishings called Kushuns, is to start by walking round your house. Start from the gate and follow the journey your buyer will take, hopefully the route you have set up to best show off your house. We all have that one friend who is blunt with their opinion, ask them if they would do the same and give you some feedback.

    This will probably show up a couple of things which could be detrimental to the sale of your house. Firstly, the ‘clutter of your everyday life’ – we all have it – and secondly, some areas that could do with a deep clean and possibly a lick of paint.

    2 Clean and paint

    We’re not suggesting you redecorate your whole house but there are a few quick and easy things you can do to improve your chances of a sale. We’re pretty sure that one of the first things you will have noticed on your walk around is the front door. If its a painted door give it a nice new glossy coat of paint. Don’t go for anything too strong in colour, unless it is in keeping with the house or the area, choose something classic and neutral.

    If you have a double glazed front door give it a good scrub with something non-abrasive. There are some excellent caravan cleaners which work a treat on uPVC. Whilst you are at the front door don’t forget the step, mats and porch if you have them. Nothing says neglected property like a threadbare welcome mat or a porch you can barely move in.

    If any of your rooms are on the small side or painted with a dark colour or north facing, give the walls a quick coat of a bright neutral colour, a slightly warm shade if you are painting a north facing room.

    This will always make a room look bigger and brighter, it also allows buyers the chance to better visualise the space.

    Finally, give the bathroom a clean, especially the grouting and shower tray.

    3 De-clutter

    Now you can get on to staging. De-cluttering doesn’t mean putting your personality in to storage, it does mean having a little less of it on view though. Anything you don’t use regularly put it in the loft or ask friends and family to store it. If there’s a lot of it then consider the short term rental of one of the ‘storage boxes’ that have sprung up all over.

    Buyers need to see what the house would look like if they were living there, cleaning your clutter allows them to see the room in all its glory.

    However don’t take out your personality, you’re not making it into a hotel, think more show home with some of your possessions added. Adding your lifestyle helps any potential buyer visualise their lifestyle in the space.

    4 Bringing it all together

    Now here’s the nice bit – time to add those finishing touches.

    Light is great at making a space feel bigger than it is, so try adding lights, particularly to dark corners. In smaller spaces consider adding some simple mirrors, especially useful in narrow hallways.

    Put fresh flowers in some of your rooms and an attractive bowl of fruit on the kitchen work surface. Whilst you are in the kitchen make some coffee or bake [make sure you tidy before they arrive], if you don’t bake, put the oven on a gentle heat and add a splash of vanilla essence to a baking tray – smells like you’ve just finished baking.

    And whilst we are talking pleasant smells don’t forget the less pleasant ones. Remove things such as pet food bowls and cat litter trays and empty the bins. If there’s a smoker in the house, bowls of vinegar work a treat but it does take a few days to work.

    If buyers are visiting at night during the colder months use some warm, reasonably bright, light-bulbs and light a fire if you have one or candles in place of a fire. Help them visualise how warm and cosy it would be to come home here after a long day at work.

    5 Sell your house with Reside!

    Reside are the fastest growing agency in Rochdale. Independent figures show we get 97% of the asking price and on average houses sell in under 6 weeks – some have sold in one day. Even if your house is on with another agent and it hasn’t sold then you should consider moving to Reside. We recently sold a house in less than a week, it had been on the market with an agent previously for over two years!

    So, if you want to sell quickly and for a great price then you need to be selling with Reside.
    Just go to our website

    www.reside.agency

    and book your free, no obligation, valuation now.
    If you have any other ideas you’d like to share about staging a house then go to our Facebook page and leave a comment on the ‘staging’ post, the best one gets a bottle of summer fizz.

    www.facebook.com/resideestateagency

  • We love Mondays!

    In fact we love all 365 days but what can you do with 130 days?
    130 days is a long time. 3120 hours, 187,200 minutes, we will stop before we get to sound like an annoying hit record!
    However, if someone could give you an extra 4 months of life you’d be thrilled, well here at Reside we can do just that! WhichMoney? recently discovered that the average length of time to sell a house in the UK is 191 days. With Reside you could have sold your house 130 days earlier. That’s 130 days to be in your new home, to have done the decorating, fitted a new kitchen, had 32 barbecues. A whole 130 days to relax having sold your house and moved into your dream home.
    So Reside can not only get you in to your dream home but we can give you an extra 130 days in which to enjoy it. With this gift of time maybe we should put Jason forward as the next Doctor Who!
    So, the sooner you list with us the sooner you get the extra time in your life.
    As we always say we SELL HOUSES – 7 days a week.
    Call us now for your free, no obligation, professional valuation to get your house sold!
  • Life in Marland and Castleton

    Castleton and more so Marland, are often seen as no more than places you drive through; going to Heywood in the case of Marland and Middleton and beyond for Castleton. However, as with much of Rochdale, there is far more than meets the eye.

    Again, as with a lot of Rochdale, you are never far away from lovely green spaces. Walking distance will see you in the lovely Springfield Park, which is great for a family picnic or just sitting and it hosts some great events during the year. You can also take a walk along the towpath of the newly restored, historic, Rochdale Canal and check out the history of the Blue Pits which used to produce naturally blue clay. If you want more of a ‘day out’ walk, then you can yomp your way the scenic route to Tandle Hill Park!

     

    Sunny Springfield Park Rochdale

    With great communications, you can easily catch the train and tram to Hollingworth Lake or further afield to Didsbury or Leeds. With the M62 motorway so close, as well as great bus and train services, makes the area a great place to live for commuters.

    castleton_railway_station-640

    The housing is a typical Rochdalian mixture of Victorian with pockets of newer build, It really is a great mix with something for everyone from first time buyers to more established families. Although Castleton dates back to the Domesday Book, it was the site of Rochdale Castle, and it has a beautiful Gothic church, it is not an area to live in the past.

    All the amenities you need are here, whether leisure or retail therapy, there’s something for everyone. There are lots of independent shops or larger supermarkets and the All in One garden centre is a stone’s throw away.

    For leisure there are two golf courses, swimming pool and the aforementioned parks and canal. If golf isn’t your thing then you can enjoy rugby, soccer, bowling and even indoor karting and there are plenty of activities for the younger ones.

    fairground-wheel-at-night-640

    As you would expect of anywhere in Rochdale you’re not short of a range of different pubs and cafes.

    If you want something more substantial to eat or a place for a celebration then the area is well served with a range of dining options. The Royal Toby is always a favourite as is Cenetta or Success to the Plough.

    Castleton also is home to a fabulous 4 star hotel, the Norton Grange, which is not only a great place to stay but has great food.

    There are always some great value houses of all sizes in the area and we are always adding new.

    Just go to our website

    https://www.reside.agency

    type Marland or Castleton into the search box to see the great houses for sale now.

    Make 2017 the year you look at Marland and Castleton in a new light.

  • Life in Norden and Bamford

    It seems that even people from outside the area have heard of Norden and Bamford, in many people’s eyes Bamford is the home of big houses and famous people. Whilst it’s had it’s fair share living and entertaining themselves in the area – 10CC, Anna Friel, Lisa Stansfield amongst others if we must name drop – the area is so much more than that.

    Norden and Bamford are both right on the doorstep of some beautiful countryside. Great for family walks or outdoor sports like mountain biking, horse riding and running being popular. Ashworth Valley provides some lovely walks along Naden Brook – reputedly once the home to over 200 working water mills, you can still see the evidence of some. If you want amazing views go high up out of Norden to Greenbooth Reservoir for stunning views back over Rochdale, Manchester, Cheshire and on a good day Jodrell Bank.

    image

    From the outside it’s hard to find where Norden stops and Bamford starts [or vice versa], if you live there you ‘just know’ and the locals all have their own views. Whatever the geography, broadly speaking Norden tends to be for younger families and Bamford for the older families, of course there are always exceptions to the rule.

    The area does have great amenities, with great schools, medical facilities and leisure on your doorstep. It also boasts a great selection of independent retailers, pubs and restaurants as well as some up and coming cafes. The main areas are Oulder Hill shops, Bamford Precinct, Norden Village and the nearby Cutgate Precinct.

    bamfordchapel

    If you’re looking for places to eat or have drink with friends The Elephant and Castle, The Crimble or slightly further afield, Nutters will all serve you well. We’d need a whole directory just to name them all.

    elephant-and-castle-bamford

    If you’re looking for leisure and entertainment then there’s Rochdale Golf Club with Oulder Hill Leisure Complex and the Gracie Fields Theatre all within easy reach.

    It’s definitely worth checking out some of the amazing properties we have in the area and we are always adding new. Reside Estate Agency are somewhat specialists in the area and one of the biggest agencies serving Norden and Bamford, at anyone time we have a third of all the property for sale in the area and most sell within 6 weeks.

    Just go to our website

    https://www.reside.agency

    type Norden or Bamford into the search box to see the great houses for sale now.

    Make 2017 the year you move into one of these great areas.

  • Springhill Hospice Business Buddies

    Here at Reside we are thrilled to have partnered with Springhill Hospice to become one of their Business Buddies.

    We wanted to join this excellent scheme because here at Reside we are huge believers in being active members of our local community. We take Corporate Social Responsibility seriously and over the next 12 months you’ll see the other things we are getting involved with to add to our community.

    However, this isn’t a blog post to pat ourselves on the back, it is intended to bring Springhill Hospice and all the amazing work they do to your attention.

    It still surprises us that more people haven’t heard of the Hospice as it is such an integral part of care in the Rochdale area. Although we appreciate that they can only do so much marketing and promotion with the limited budgets they have.

    It takes around £8000 per day for the Hospice to function and whilst they do get some of their budget from the NHS the remainder has to come from fundraising. That’s where we’d like you to come in.

    There are many ways they raise funds so there are many ways you can get involved and they’re not all ‘tin rattling’ either.

    Next time you fancy a cake and a cup of tea why not visit the Tea Rooms, have afternoon tea and know that you are helping the Hospice. Maybe you could join in the Hospice Lottery or fundraise for them yourself. Maybe the next step from there would be to register as volunteer, who knows you may have what they need to become a Trustee.

    springhill.org.uk/fundraising

    If you are a business owner consider becoming a Business Buddy as we and others have done.

    Whatever you do, please try and get involved, it’s not for the staff but the patients and their families. You’re making a difference to their lives not the Hospice, so go on, help out, you never know if you’ll need them one day.
    springhill.org.uk/who-we-are-and-what-we-do

  • Welcome to our new blog

    Hi and welcome to our new blog and news pages. Here you can find out new properties, information on selling and letting your property, state of the market, mortgage advice. In short all the advice and information you need if you are thinking of buying, selling or letting a property in the Rochdale area.

    Each week myself and my team will be posting articles and information we know will be useful to you. We will also be posting on Twitter and Facebook for the faster moving stuff such as ‘Property of the day’ or recent successful sales.
    With the market every changing with Brexit and record low interest rates now, more than ever, it is important for buyer’s, sellers and landlords to have the latest information to hand. Here we will make sure you have all the relevant information without some of the nonsense that so often goes with it in the press.

    Don’t forget that in this age of social media where we Tweet and Facebook and Instagram you can still give us a call or pop-in for a chat and a coffee.

    So if you’re in the market to sell or let please give us a call and find out what the Reside effect can do for your property.