houses

Rise in failed deals prompts more to buy homes differently

Think buying a house and you think estate agents. But increasingly people in the South-West are turning to auctions to buy a home or land because they want the certainty a deal will go through.

The number of “fall-throughs” – the term used for when the house buying process falls apart for after a sale has been agreed – has increased by 12% since 2013. Combined with the popularity of TV...

Stamp Duty optimism boosts demand for houses in SW

House prices and the number of potential new buyers in the South West rose in December, bucking the general trend across most other parts of the UK, according to the latest RICS Residential Market Survey.

In the region new buyer enquiries turned positive, with 23% more chartered surveyors seeing an increase in December 2014. 22% more respondents in the South West are also seeing prices...

Don’t go on overload!

Electricity is a major cause of accidental fires in homes. Faulty electrics, appliances, wiring and overloaded sockets all cause around 7,000 house fires across the country every year.

Many people have extension leads in their homes, often using four-way bar adaptors to increase the number of appliances that you can plug into a wall socket.

Devon & Somerset Fire &...

South West house sales at highest in six years

The number of house sales in the South West has reached its highest point since 2007 according to a survey by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS).

The survey showed that sales in December were more than double that f the lowest point of the downturn.

Prices are also rising with a net balance of 56 percent more chartered surveyors reported growing prices in the...

Bigger team to tackle rogue landlords in Plymouth

Plymouth’s expanding its team to get tougher with rogue landlords in the city and improve support for tenants.

£68,000 of funding has been awarded to the City Council by the Department for Communities and Local Government. A new support worker will be recruited to help tenants who are suffering at the hands of unscrupulous landlords and the inspection programme will be extended....

Be flood aware this Christmas

People who are set to be away for the festive period are urged to check the flood risk for their local area and, if necessary, take steps to protect valuable items left at home.

Drivers are also urged to check the latest flood updates ahead of their journey - and urged not to drive through dangerous floodwater. The warning comes after a joint Environment Agency and AA survey found more...

Fears that the housing market recovery could "overheat"

As the South West housing market continues to show signs of economic recovery commentators have warned of the danger of the market may “overheat”.

A new report by the National Housing Federation (NHF) argues that “whilst economic growth has returned to many areas, this has caused the already over-stretched housing market there to overheat.”

In their “Home Truths” report they...

South West Water advises customers to Get Ready for Winter

With forecasters warning of icy weather conditions around the corner, South West Water is reminding customers to take precautions to avoid leaks and burst water pipe damage.

Burst pipe damage cost homeowners over £680 million nationally in property claims following the post Christmas thaw in 2010.

South West Water's Head of Drinking Water Services Guy Doble said: "We want to...

OFT launches market study into providers of quick, discounted house sales

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is today (18 April) launching a study into the 'quick house sale' market and is calling for people who have used, or considered using, these businesses to contact the OFT about their experiences.

Quick house sale providers offer to buy a house or find a third party buyer very quickly, usually at a discount from the full market value. While providers may...

Pages