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As the days grow colder and the nights draw in, it's the perfect time to turn our thoughts to creating a cosy haven at home.
As we prepare to turn on our heating but monitor our energy usage, we have focused on clever ways to keep our homes feeling even snugger this autumn season. With so many choices on you can certainly ramp up the cosy factor with some cost effective choices, and transform your home into the perfect sanctuary.
Rugs can be simple yet impactful
Rugs are a firm favourite, whether you have hard floors or carpet – they can instantly add warmth and a feeling of comfort. A brightly coloured or textured rug can act like a piece of 'floor art' and give a room real personality and a focal point. Layering rugs is also an option for a feeling of deep pile sensuality underfoot. Rugs are really versatile and can work in every room, and you can play with large and smaller sizes to suit your style and budget. With thousands of rugs to choose from you are bound to find your perfect one.
Add warmth with lighting
As the daylight fades and the darker evening draw in we rely more and more on artificial lighting. Our lighting works harder in the autumn as it needs to illuminate our space as well as creating the right atmosphere. Having a mix of light providers, either floor, desk or wall is a great way to be able to dial up and dial down a room's ambience depending on your needs. Light bulbs also play a key role, so selecting the correct wattage for the light can be another way to add extra warmth to your room.
Comforting colours and textures
Colour and materials can instantly change the feel of a room, and adding pops of warmth with cushions and throws can be really cost effective. If you are feeling brave you can mix and match or you can keep the overall look neutral so as not to distract from your rooms' decor. Throws are really versatile and can be used to snuggle under on colder evenings, or can be artfully draped over furniture during the day to add personality to your space.
Cosy curtains
Curtains not only provide privacy and frame our windows, they also play a role in keeping the heat inside our homes – preventing it leaking out of our windows. Thermal curtains and blinds can really help solve this problem and can reportedly reduce heat loss by up to 25%. They can also work on internal doors, preventing heat loss to porches, hallways and conservatories.
Create a sleepy sanctuary
Seasonal changes always prompt us to re-think our bedding. Swapping to a higher tog duvet and flannelette sheets help us all get more cosy and achieve the perfect nights sleep. By adding extra layers with warm blankets and throws it means you can add more or take them away so that you are the perfect temperature as you drift off.
Article courtesy of https://www.bairstoweves.co.uk/blog/market-update/get-cosy-for-autumn/?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=octobernews&utm_content=ufurnish-cosy-autumn-F4#/
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THOUSANDS of buyers could benefit from the Stamp Duty cut today.
The Chancellor yesterday slashed stamp duty rates (SDLT), saving the average buyer in England £2,500 in tax on their property purchases. This now means 47% of purchasers will no longer pay any SDLT, compared to just 12% who didn’t pay SDLT when the nil-rate band was £125k.
The Chancellor has doubled the nil-rate stamp duty band from £125,000 to £250,000 in England and Northern Ireland. This means an extra 200,000 buyers will pay no stamp duty whatsoever.
It also means that a third of all homes currently for sale in England are now exempt from stamp duty, according to property website Rightmove. Here’s all you need to know…
What is Stamp Duty?
Stamp Duty is the tax that must be paid when you purchase a property or a piece of land. The amount of money payable duty depends on the overall price of the property as well as factors like whether it is residential or non-residential and whether or not you are a First Time Buyer.
How much will first time buyers save in tax?
There’s more great news for first time buyers. The old threshold at which stamp duty was paid for first-time buyers was £300,000 but this has increased to £425,000. The Chancellor has also increased the value of the property on which first time buyers can claim relief, from £500,000 to £625,000.
The changes come into effect immediately. The changes to the first-time buyer rates will really help buyers, and also give a saving of £2,500 for all for purchases over £250,000.
If the property was worth between £125,001 and £250,000, the stamp duty land tax rate was 2%. So if the property was valued at £250,000, you would have had to pay an extra £2,500 in stamp duty tax.
For the next £675,000, the rate was 5%. If the property you are purchasing was valued between £250,001 and £925,000 bracket, the buyer will not pay any stamp duty on the first £125,000 but would have paid a 2% rate on the next £125,000 and a 5% rate on the following £675,000.
First-time buyers in England and Northern Ireland were always required to pay stamp duty. However, it didn’t apply to the first £300,000 of a main residential property if it costs less than £500,000.
Are there any changes that landlords should be aware of ?
Mr Kwarteng did not announce any changes to the remaining tax bands and he didn’t announce any changes to the additional homes surcharge, so that will remain at three percentage points.
Details provided by Barstow Evevs : https://tinyurl.com/3nk79mjp
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Whilst undoubtedly, over the past twelve months, the market has seen a significant reduction in levels of sales that are occurring, due to a combination of significantly increased values over the past five years and what seems to be ever increasing interest rates following the mini budget. I think it is fair to say the market has changed, however, is still good, so long as we approach the market correctly.
They key to selling currently is a realistic asking price. Gone are the days of being able to add an extra two/three per cent to see “what happens” and often actually achieve it, realism is the reality now.
Since march - April of this year, here at Acres, we have seen levels of properties coming to the market and sales agreed significantly improved. On a multitude of occasions still, when a property is brought to the market across our network of offices at the correct current figure we are very selling close to asking price. As mentioned before realistic initial asking prices are key.
So in summary, don’t believe everything you see in the press! The media seem to be actively talking the market down by way of “house prices are going to crash” and “property sales are stagnating” “property prices are falling”. Here at Acres we are certainly not seeing this excessively.
Have prices reduced? Yes, but as mentioned previously, in real terms No. They have just reverted back to where they should have been. The hope factor mentioned above has gone from the market place.
Where do we see the market going? Realistically as a continuation of as it is at the moment, prices will not rise again, on that we feel fairly sure in the short to medium term, however, given a relatively strong economy, strong employment rates and the demand for housing. We are not in the same situations we have seen previously when property crashes have happened where the whole of the economy has conspired against the property market.
If you are thinking of moving, be that to sell, or purchase, please contact your nearest Acres office for expert advice and guidance. Thank you for your interest in Acres, our property and services.
Nigel & Jayne Deekes - Partners
