One Call Urges Homeowners to Prepare for the Thaw

Homeowners in Scotland have been urged safeguard their properties against damage caused by the Big Thaw.

Property maintenance company One Call Home Assist has warned people across the country to take extra care of their properties as the winter conditions come to an end – if they want to avoid paying for expensive repairs when Spring arrives.

The firm has highlighted some easy steps for homeowners to consider during the coming month or so to ensure their properties are suitably protected for the forthcoming thaw.

Among the top tips to consider are:

· Keep your house warm by leaving your central heating on at a constant temperature – to avoid freezing pipes and structural damage caused by the cold weather

· Check the insulation on your pipes, boilers and roofs – and install new lagging if necessary

· Have your heating system fully serviced to prevent fire or smoke damage

· Clear blockages from gutters and outside pipes – so they will not overflow or be damaged during the winter thaw

· Protect your garden taps from freezing by wrapping them with plastic sheeting

· As residential fires increase during the winter, make sure you test your fire and smoke alarms thoroughly

· Make sure you know how to shut off your water supply and that you know where your pipes are located. If your pipes freeze, the quicker you can shut off the water or direct your plumber to the problem, the better chance you have to preventing them from bursting.

John Dickson, national sales director at One Call Home Assist, said: “Although the big freeze has been in effect for the past month, it is never too late to start thinking about ways to protect your home against the winter weather and the forthcoming thaw.

“Even small things like making sure your house is warm, clearing your gutters and testing your smoke alarms can make a big difference when it comes to protecting your property – and your bank balance – in the future.

“It’s also worthwhile looking at bigger jobs such as re-insulating your attic or checking the lagging on your pipes and boilers. Getting an expert in to do the work now will be far cheaper than suffering a disaster further down the line.

“Remember that any improvements that you make now will help protect your home from the winter weather and thaw conditions for many years to come.”

One Call Home Assist is an Edinburgh-based firm that provides maintenance contracts designed to help homeowners and landlords save thousands of pounds in repair bills.

The company’s unique maintenance deals were set up for landlords and residential property owners in Edinburgh and the Lothians who did not want the hassle of maintaining their properties themselves – and designed as a low-cost alternative to the costly boiler repair contracts offered by British Gas and Homeserve.

Contracts cover all emergency repair work to electrical, plumbing and heating systems, as well as general maintenance issues and all PAT and gas safety testing.

8 Tips for Decorating Your Apartment

Here are some easy tips to decorate your home.   Taking a few moments to think about your home will help you fully enjoy it.

Think about your home, and answer these questions:

1.  What do you want it to be?    If you want your home to be a tranquil oasis in a busy world, are your colors soothing or do they shout?   If you want a fun place for friends to gather, do you have plenty of seating?

2.  What are your main hobbies and activities?   What do you need for these activities?  For instance, if you have a collection that you work on often, get storage containers for it that can be easily opened or put away.  If it’s a lot of trouble to get at your collection, you either won’t spend the time on it, or else might be tempted to leave it out and risk losing or breaking certain pieces.

3.  Who will be using the space?   How many people will be living there?  What ages?  It’s important for every person to have a space that’s their own.  Whether it’s a special chair, couch, desk or a section of a room, everyone needs ‘their space’.   If you’re planning to do video aerobics, you’ll need room to move around in front of the TV!

4.  What about your things?   It’s easy to become very messy if things don’t have a place.     A small filing cabinet is a must for many people – it’s a great place to store all the papers that you don’t know what to do with!

5.  How much do you really need?  Too much furniture makes a room seem crowded.  The bare essentials are a couch and chair, a table and chairs for eating, a bed and place for your clothes.   After that, think hard about what you need or don’t need.  Will you really use that computer desk – or would you rather sit on the couch with a laptop?

6.  Think about the traffic flow.   You want to be able to walk anywhere in the room without bumping into furniture.   Try drawing furniture placement on paper as a first step.

7.  Pick a focal point – your Greystone Properties home has unique features.  What do you want to see when your first walk in the room?   If you have nice windows with great lighting, are you emphasizing it?   Everyone feels brighter in sunshine.

8.  Think about order and organization.  Do you bring home work every day, or mail, or sports equipment?    Where will you put it?   A large bowl or box near the front door is a great place to drop mail until you go through it later.

Take advantage of free expert advice.  Every store and every product line employs professional designers to put furniture and accessories together.   If you’re unsure of your decorating skills, pick a design you like.   Study how they did it either by looking through a catalogue or going to a store.   It’s all there assembled and displayed for you.   If you like the look, simply do what they’ve done!

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New-Build Apartments at Horizons,Voyage development on Ranelagh Road

Time is running out to buy one of Fairview New Homes’ new-build apartments at Horizons, part of the successful Voyage development on Ranelagh Road. Only a handful of two-bedroom apartments remain, with prices starting from as little as £119,995.

The contemporary new homes at Horizons, set over 11 storeys, provide home buyers the opportunity to live in a riverside apartment with impressive views over the city of Ipswich and the surrounding countryside.

Each home has its own balcony or terrace to enjoy private outdoor space, as well as an ensuite bathroom to the master bedroom and an extra bathroom. The ample living area is connected to a separate fitted Symphony Kitchen with an integrated stainless steel oven, gas hob and extractor hood, integrated washer/dryer and integrated fridge/freezer.

The properties, which are available in a range of sizes from 417 sq ft, also come with television, telephone and satellite outlets in the living area, as well as door entry phone systems. There is also private allocated parking.

Horizons is located along the banks of the River Gipping, which feeds the tidal River Orwell, in the heart of Ipswich. Connecting the development with the town centre is the newly built Sir Bobby Robson Bridge. The town centre is a thriving area where modern life meets historical charm; the new shopping centres and the quaint cobbled streets together provide an excellent array of High Street shops, cafés, restaurants and bars.

The development is ideally located 500 metres from Ipswich train station from where there are regular services to Colchester in less than 20 minutes, Chelmsford in less than 40 minutes and London Liverpool Street in just over one hour.

Prices for the remaining two-bedroom apartments at Horizons start from as little as £119,995.

For further information on Voyage in Ipswich please contact the marketing suite, open seven days a week from 10 am to 5pm, on 01473 254807 or visit www.fairview.co.uk.

Or text Ipswich to 67007

Help With First-time-buyer Mortgages

In this day and age of low housing affordability, it is more difficult than ever for first-time-buyers to secure their first home. A shortage of housing stock has lead to a situation in which demand for housing far outweighs supply and this has, in turn, driven prices up and affordability down.

Because of this, many first-time-buyers no longer qualify for standard mortgage products even if they are in full-time, steady employment. Lenders have therefore been forced to invent specialised mortgages that are designed to help people take their first step onto the property ladder.

First-time-buyer mortgages are not a product of their own, but rather comprise a small set of products that are aimed at the first home buyer market. They include shared ownership, guarantor, no-deposit, key worker, and standard mortgage products that are only available to people who do not yet have their own home.

Shared ownership mortgages are fast becoming the most popular vehicle for first-time-buyer to buy their first property with. Shared ownership products allow people to purchase part of a property and rent out the other part, which is owned by the seller – usually a property developer. Over time, the buyer will purchase the remainder of the property from the developer one portion at a time.

A no-deposit mortgage is another product available to some first-time-buyers that is usually targeted towards individuals who have a steady income but who do not have enough savings to pay for a deposit. This type of first-time-buyer mortgage products is normally issued with 100% loan-to-value ratios.

Exactly which first-time-buyer mortgages are suitable for you will depend on the circumstances under which you are buying the property as well as your personal financial situation.

A careful assessment of your personal circumstances may be required by an independent mortgage adviser in order to ensure that you select the right product for your situation.

It should also be noted that the property market is always changing and with affordability continuing to decline lenders are constantly assessing the needs of first-time-buyers.

Because the first-time-buyer market is so important to lenders, they are constantly working hard to ensure they bring new and innovative mortgages to the market which can help them get a foot on the property ladder.

KIRAN SINGH provides a wide range of design and decorating services

As your interior designer,  KIRAN SINGH provides a wide range of design and decorating services, from colour and fabric coordination to decorative painting and furniture re-arranging. Whether you want to re-decorate your whole home or simply want to bring new life to an individual room, I can help you transform your house into a beautiful and functional home that expresses your individual style and meets your particular needs, without going over your budget. We customize our program to suit everyone’s budget and needs. In the coming weeks I shall provide you with salient tips when decorating your home. Feel free to shoot me an email if you have any questions:

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