Top Tips for Selling Your Home

Top Tips for Selling Your Home

Top Tips for Selling Your Home discussed by Smart Move North East

Selling, buying and moving house can be stressful so we have put together our Top Tips for Selling Your Home which will make things easier for you, your family and ensure you can enjoy the whole experience.

1) Selling Your Home & Preparing for Viewings

There is nothing worse than your estate agent calling you and asking if they can bring someone round to view your house on the same day. If you haven’t spent time preparing your house before you put it up for sale then this can make it stressful and your home won’t seem as appealing as it could do to potential buyers. It also means you will have fewer things to move on moving day and this will make it cheaper when you’re using a removal company

Declutter as much as you can, think about what you want to keep and what you want to get rid of and be as brutal as you can with this. Try to sell as much as you can on local facebook pages or free selling sites and if it doesn’t sell then advertise it as ‘free to collector’. This takes the time and hassle of moving large and heavy items yourself and taking them to the tip. Anything you can’t sell, take to charity shops or recycling centres. Don’t forget to include decluttering your roof space, garage, garden shed, and garden when you are doing this. Get everyone involved and make sure everyone knows what their aim is.

Give a room a lick of paint if it needs it and keeps your rooms as clutter-free as you can. Spending money on storage will help with this and if done in the right way will make your home more appealing to prospective buyers.

Keep your home as clean as you can and do little and often and this means if you have that last-minute viewing request you don’t have the stress of knowing your house looks like a bomb has hit it.

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Moving into Student Accommodation

Advice, Tips, FAQ’s for Students Moving into Student Accommodation for the First Time

You may just be thinking about going to University or College and trying to decide if it’s for you, you may have already visited universities that you want to consider and are just waiting for exam results to see if you have secured your place. If any of these apply to you then we understand there is always excitement mixed with nerves when you are thinking about moving into student accommodation and being away from home for the first time to go to university or college.

Moving and living away from home for the first time is a challenge as you are not only learning to live and manage on your own, you are balancing meeting new people, having a new social life as well as taking on probably the hardest study time of your life. This article will tell you everything you need to know about the different types of accommodation you can consider, what you should think about when choosing your accommodation and what you should and shouldn’t take with you in your first year.

If it is your first time moving away from home and to a new City or area of the country then we understand it is a very daunting prospect so we hope that this article will ease your nerves and ensure you know more about the unknowns so you can be prepared and enjoy the build-up to your move.

What Types of Student Accommodation are there?

Halls of Residence Accommodation

Halls of Residence are normally owned by the University or College that you are going to and are generally for first-year students only. Halls of residence are a brilliant way of adjusting to life away from home and they enable you to quickly and easily make new friends who you will be studying with. There are normally a few accommodation options available but these depend on the university or college you are attending. They include; catered/self-catered and ensuite or shared bathroom rooms.

House or Flat Shared Accommodation

House or flat share is the most common type of private student accommodation for students in their second-year upwards. You can spend your first year in halls of residence getting used to university or college life and decide which friends you want and would be best to share with. Most cities with universities will have student accommodation estate agents who will advertise student lets which are flats or houses set up for multi-occupancy.

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Self-Storage FAQ’s Everything you Need to Know

Self-Storage FAQ’s Everything you Need to Know

Self-storage FAQ’s – Find out everything you need to know from the Smartmove Experts

Our Self-storage FAQ’s will give you all the information you need to know, whether you are looking for furniture storage, general belongings storage, business storage, document storage short or long term.

What is storage?

Storage is when you don’t have space for an item and you want to store it so you can use it at a later date. Generally, storage is when belongings are packed into a container or containers and they are kept in a secure and dry location for long periods and when you don’t need access to it. Some companies will offer collection and delivery as a service if you need it.

What is self-storage?

Self-storage tends to be used you want to store items that you still need to be able to access when you need or want to. It could be when you are moving house and you want to store furniture or boxes if you don’t have the room in your new home or whilst you get settled, you might want to clear some space in your home or garage, when you are renovating or redecoration your home or office and you don’t want your items to be damaged whilst it’s going on. Self-storage is a more cost-effective, flexible solution for short or long term needs compared to container storage in a warehouse type storage unit.

Self-storage can be varied in size and can be short or long term and the cost will depend on all of this. Access should be available at all times with either a key, security code or by pre-arrangement. Some companies will offer collection and delivery as a service if you need it.

What is the difference between storage and self-storage?

Storage is normally for items that you want to store for longer periods of time and you don’t need to have access to it compared to self-storage which is a unit that you can access whenever you need to.

What types of storage are there?

There are 3 main types of storage, storage, self-storage and document storage. Storage is when belongings are loaded into a container or pallet and stored long term in a warehouse type facility where you cannot access it. Self-storage is normally individual units that you can arrange your belongings in and access it when you need to. It can be short or long term and will be a highly secure facility. Document storage is a storage option for documents that you don’t need access to regularly and it gives you an option for freeing up space in your workplace.

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Removal Services FAQ’s

Removal Services FAQ’s

Everything you need to know about Removal Services

Moving home is a really daunting process from the time you are looking for your new home, to offering and having your offer accepted, throughout the legal process, to exchange, completion and then moving day. Many people say it’s one of the most stressful things you will do in your life so being organised and knowing everything you can in the build-up and on the day will ease some of the pressure that naturally comes with probably spending the most amount of money you will ever spend in your lifetime. Here are some Removal Services FAQ’s which will help you when you are moving home.

Should I use a Removal Company when moving house?

A good and well-established, reputable removal company will really take out some of the stress on your moving day and in the weeks leading up to your move. They will have the experience, expertise and removal services to manage your move and will be efficient in packing boxes, loading and unloading your belongings so you are out of your house at the time you legally need to be and into your new home as soon as you get the keys.

What should I look for in a Removal Company?

There are lots of removal companies out there and they will range from one person with a van to larger removal companies who have a fleet of vehicles of all sizes to move your belongings as well as a team of removers and removal services. We would always advise that you ask family members and friends for recommendations for removal companies and look at the companies reviews before you book them for your moving day. If you are considering hiring one person with a van always be aware of the potential downfalls of this. Although it will be cheaper it can make your moving day stressful if there is illness or if their van breaks down. A single mover will have to make numerous trips to and from your new home to unload and if they don’t have a vehicle big enough to move all of your belongings in one go then it is really difficult to get out of your existing home in one go at the time you legally have to and where do you store your belongings whilst they are being moved in several journeys whilst you are waiting for the keys to your new home.

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Spruce up your Home in Newcastle

Spruce up your Home in Newcastle

How to Spruce up your Home in Newcastle to Sell

Discussed by Smart Move North East Removals – Spring is coming and whether you are looking to sell or you want to Spruce up your Home in Newcastle to stay in then our top tips will help.

When the nicer weather and the lighter evenings start it can highlight areas in your home that need a good clean, tidy or lick of paint and in general we all feel a bit more motivated to get those jobs done. If you are thinking of selling your home then sprucing it up before you get it valued is always a good idea to ensure you get the best price, or if you are staying in your home then a spruce up will make you fall in love with it all over again.

Most house buyers will want to view a property and be more likely to make an offer on it if it is clutter-free, clean and fresh so checking your home room by room is the best way to start and will make it feel less daunting. Spring is the time when the highest number of homes are sold in the UK so don’t miss the opportunity and start your spruce up now.

Newcastle and the surrounding areas is now a prime location for people wanting to move to or in the North East so if you do it right your house won’t be on the market for long.

So, start with the inside of your home and when you’ve finished the inside you can then start to look at what needs doing outside as the weather gets warmer.

Make yourself a plan of which room you will declutter and give a deep clean and when. It’s great to make a list as crossing a room off your list is so satisfying. When you are clearing and decluttering a room ask yourself these 3 questions:

  • When did I last use this item?
  • What purpose does it have for me or my home?
  • Can I sell it or does it need to be taken to a charity shop or the tip?

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Average House Prices in Newcastle

Average House Prices in Newcastle

Average House Prices in Newcastle discussed by Smartmove North East

If you are looking to move home or buy a new house in Newcastle then its always a good idea to understand the Average House Prices in Newcastle or the area before you start looking or viewing houses. Buying a house should always be an investment but you always need to consider a few things before you start your search as this will help you decide on the area you want to move to and the type of house you want to buy.

  • Why are you moving house to start with?
  • Are you looking for a better area, better schools, more bedrooms, more living space, parking or a bigger garden
  • What is important to you in your home? Is it the house or the area and amenities that there are around you?
  • How long do you want to stay in your new house? Is it a short term stop gap, is it a short or long term investment, are you looking to make money quickly on your home or is it a home you want to move and grow into in the longer term?
  • Are you happy with on or off road parking in your new home?
  • Do you want a house that you can move into straight away with no work, a bit of work or a complete project?
  • Think about the location of your home for walks, shops, family and friends

Always do your research and use a website to review house prices in a specific area and road and how they have changed over the last few years. Talk to estate agents and get their view on areas that are popular and the areas that they think are up and coming.

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