You are here: Home / Archives for Patrick C

Give your apartment rental appeal

December 13, 2011 By

There is an absolute glut of property available to rent at the moment, mainly due to the property boom in the last couple of decades and the current recession we’re in. So, when a tenant is looking around for a place to rent, the world is their oyster.  There are so many places for them to choose from – how are you going to make your apartment the one they choose above all the rest?

Make sure you’ve got it advertised well, in places or on sites that people will actually see it. If you’ve decided to use an agent to handle the rental arrangements, make sure that you pick one with a good reputation, and whose fees reflect a level of service you would expect.

It can help to do a little secret shopping and pose as a potential tenant, and have a look at a few places being offered for the same kind of rent you wish to achieve. This way you can check out the competition.

Apart from asking the right kind of rent, you need to make your apartment shiny clean. If it’s furnished, make sure that it looks like a home rather than a depot for old furniture.

Spring clean the place as well as you possibly can, and decide whether you need to decorate – a fresh coat of paint can work miracles and only takes a couple of days to achieve.  Don’t forget to clean all the windows and woodwork – including the skirting boards and all the doors.  It may be worth hiring a steam cleaner to give the carpets a really thorough clean.

If you’re replacing any furniture find a local furniture sale, and you’ll be able to pick up some cheap but solid furniture.  Getting something different like recliner sofas and chairs may give your apartment a slight edge over the competition.

So, to get that rental is going to take a bit of elbow grease and a little spending, but these should pay dividends when you secure that contract!

Filed Under: Renting Property Tagged With: , , , , , ,

How to care for your leather sofa

December 6, 2011 By

If you’re planning to treat yourself to a leather sofa in the January sofas sale, make sure you know how to care for it as well.

Leather needs special care and should be conditioned or moisturized to prevent it from cracking and peeling, and to keep its shine.

First off – give your leather sofas and chairs a thorough vacuuming, and only ever brush them with the softest of fine bristled brushes.

Then wipe the leather with a soft duster without using any products at all at this stage. Now make up a very gentle solution to wipe it down with – using a tiny amount of detergent in warm water – or even a moisturising soap as you’d use in the shower. Clean the furniture gently by wiping it all over with a cloth slightly dampened in the solution, then repeat this process with clean non-soapy water to rinse it, and dry it, again with soft cloths.

You can see that leather furniture is like looking after your own skin. Because it is skin, at the end of the day.

So when it’s dry, it’s time to moisturise the leather. Be sure to read the supplier’s instructions at this point. If your leather furniture came with a moisturiser, then it’s safest to use this and to buy more of the same brand when needed. If not, check with the seller whether the leather has been treated or if it’s natural. If it’s the latter, just follow the manufacturer’s guidelines.

If your sofa wasn’t supplied with a moisturising solution, or if you have an old or second-hand one, then there are lots of specialist products available out there. You can even use actual moisturisers intended for skin, or Vaseline. Just try a small test area first in an area that won’t be seen.

Gently rub the moisturiser into the lather and wipe and wipe away any excess with a soft clean cloth. This should help your leather last for many years.

Filed Under: Home Improvement Tagged With: , , ,

Moving to and from France

December 5, 2011 By

If you’re thinking about moving to or from France – or even about moving a lot of furnishings to or from your French holiday home, it may be more cost effective to find a matching service for removals.

This is where a removal company waits until it has clients matched [Read more...]

Filed Under: Buying Property Abroad Tagged With: , , ,

Learn from the experts

November 22, 2011 By

The best way to win at the investment property game is by learning from the experts. It’s a bit like Monopoly – there are people who seem to win more than others in what may otherwise appear to be a game of luck. Anyone who has played the game enough knows that it isn’t about luck at all – it’s about having a winning strategy.

So let’s have a look at how one acknowledged expert, David Lichtenstein goes about things.

The company David founded is called the Lightstone Group. He founded it in 1988 and it has gone from strength to strength; clearly winning consistently at this giant game of Monopoly. The company has managed to do so through laying its strategy on solid foundations – literally!

The company has some very sound acquisition criteria which have spurred it on to steady success, First off, Lightstone consistently targets value-added investment opportunities in growing markets which display high barriers to entry.

The company looks for real estate opportunities that provide it with a genuine competitive advantage; an advantage that may not be apparent – or available – to other investors. Lightstone also looks for properties in distressed situations, particularly those with distressed sellers or troubled capital structures.

In other words, the company tries to buy quality real estate on what should turn out to be temporary market weakness – then to manage the asset well over time. This strategy has proven to work time and time again by investors in all walks of life.

So it isn’t exclusive to real estate by any means, but it works just as well here as anywhere.

By emulating this strategy and by being patient – you will win out at your own game of Monopoly given time.

Good luck!

Filed Under: Buying Property Tagged With: , , ,

Home improvement step by step

November 10, 2011 By

Making home improvements is vital if you’re looking to increase the value of a property with a view to selling at some point, but it can sometimes seem like a mammoth and never-ending task. Tackle each element one at a time however, and you’ll soon find it’s not as daunting as it first seems.
Whether you’re looking to make home improvements because you wish to increase the value of your house with a view to making a sale sometime in the future or simply because you want it to look nicer just for you, there is plenty you can do to improve the look of your home.
Of course, there are the big jobs, such as loft extensions, conservatories, and patios. These large jobs will take time and money and will usually require the assistance of experts. But there are plenty of home improvement jobs you can do yourself without spending huge amounts of time and money.
Start with the interior décor. Does your wallpaper need redoing or is there paintwork that’s chipped and peeling? Fixing issues such as these will make your home much more inviting and appealing to prospective buyers, and to you!
Next, consider the furniture in your home. If your living room is in serious need of a pick-me-up in the home furnishings department, see what great bargains you can track down in the next sofa sale. And if your dining room is looking neglected, consider investing in a new set of dining furniture. Look at each room in your house and decide what the priority in that room is, and plan your purchases accordingly.
Making small changes to your home on a room-by-room basis like this will soon see the overall look of your home improved no end. As a result, you’ll find you have a much more attractive property, both for any potential buyers, and for you!

Filed Under: Home Improvement Tagged With: , ,
Newer Posts »