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Published: 11 July 2023

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To buy, or to rent, that is the question

Whether you’re going to rent, or if you’re planning to buy, your next home move is a personal choice. There are pros and cons for both, and some thinking will need to be done before making a decision.

While many people want to own their own home, for others renting is the best option for them.

It’s not just younger people who are renting either. A large proportion of renters are those who cannot yet find enough money for a deposit to get on the first rung of the property ladder, but there is also a growing number of older people who are renting as they downsize or move to be near family.

But what are the pros and cons of renting or buying?

What should you consider?

Here, we look at some of the things you should be thinking about.

Renting to keep costs down?

It could be said that renting doesn’t cost as much as buying because you don’t have to find a deposit for a house. This is indeed true – but not always! Monthly rents are sometimes cheaper than monthly mortgage payments but this is not always the case. You will need a deposit (which is protected by government-backed schemes), and you will usually need to pay a month’s rent upfront. This however, is still a lot lower than having to find upwards of a 15 per cent deposit to buy a house.

Renting may initially be cheaper, but you will not be on the property ladder and you won’t be investing in bricks and mortar and the potential profits that can accumulate as a property’s value rises.

What about maintenance costs?

This is often a tricky question to answer. Why? Because as someone who rents, your landlord will be expected to keep the property well maintained, and legally they have to make sure that the house is safe to live in, with regular electrical and gas safety checks.

But, as the person who rents, you will need to look after the property and there is an acceptance by many that it is up to you to keep the property in good condition. If you break items, the likelihood is that it is in your contract to replace like for like.

Of course, if you own the home, then all of the maintenance will come down to you and you will incur the costs – but on the plus side it is your home and you are investing in it.

Top Tip: Think about your finances and whether or not you can afford to keep your own property in tip-top condition.

It’s flexible

Renting is a way for you to live somewhere where you may not be able to afford to buy, or where work means you have to live. Renting can be a good option in this case because if you have to move often due to your work, you’re not going to want to go through the selling and buying of a property multiple times.

This is a real benefit to renting, but please be aware that if you are tied into a contract for a specific length of time, then you may not be able to get out of it easily.

Top Tip: If you can, specify the length of your rental contract. If you think you may only be somewhere for six months, make sure you are not tied in to a contract with a no break clause.

When it comes to renting or buying, it’s best to take the time to make a list of all the pros and cons. Circumstances may mean that you have to rent, but if you look at the figures, you might think it better to get on the property ladder.

You will need to do all the financial calculations based on your circumstances to get the answer to these particular equations, but we at Warren Powell-Richards can offer you our professional advice to help you make an informed decision.

For more advice pop in and see us. We might even have a house for sale that is perfect for you!

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Published: 11 July 2023

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Is Your Home A Safe Place For Your Family?

Since we spend around 90% of our daily lives indoors, ensuring that your property in Grayshott is a safe place for your family to live couldn’t be more critical. With our complete healthy home checklist, you can make simple changes in every room and keep stale air, chemicals, and unseen pathogens to a minimum.

In Your Bedroom

• Buy a quality mattress. Getting enough high-quality sleep is essential for good health, with obesity, cardiovascular disease, depression, and type II diabetes all associated with insufficient sleep.
• Air your duvet and sheets. Before making your bed, allow the duvet and sheets to air for at least an hour to control dust mites.
• Maintain a healthy sleep environment. Bedrooms should be kept at a temperature between 15.5 and 19.5 degrees Celsius. Use blackout curtains and wear earplugs to promote more restful sleep.

In Your Bathroom

• Eliminate mould. Maintain the caulking and grout to prevent mould growth around the sink, bath, and shower.
• Use a fan. After showering, always run your bathroom fan for at least 20 minutes to draw the damp air out of the room and avoid mould spreading.
• Close your toilet lid. Every time you flush, make sure you shut the lid! If you don’t, microscopic particles will be blown out and land on everything inside a 2m radius.

In Your Kitchen

• Bin your sponges. Your kitchen sponge retains food particles and water and is full of bacteria. Use a scrubbing brush or thin cloth instead.
• Disinfect the sink. You should disinfect the bottom and sides of your sink at least once weekly to eliminate germs.

In Your Living Room

• Switch soft fabrics for machine-washable alternatives. Ensure all your throws, cushion covers, and curtains can be machine-washed to keep allergens and dust under control.
• Clean carpets regularly. Your carpets are full of mould spores, pet hair, and dust mites that can cause allergic reactions. Vacuum them regularly and wash them at least once a year.
• Buy house plants. Indoor plants have been proven to reduce psychological and physiological stress.
• Clean the TV remote. Your TV remote gets handled every day multiple times and by multiple people, so it’s not surprising that it’s full of germs. Use a disinfectant wipe to clean it and kill the bacteria.
• Use homemade cleaning products. When cleaning hardwood floors, forget chemical cleaners that can irritate your lungs. Instead, use a mix of water and lemon oil or vinegar. It will keep your floors looking spotless without any harmful elements.
• Open a window. Compared with the amount of chemical pollutants in the air outside, the air inside your home contains up to five times more. Chemicals are found in everything from paint to flame retardants in your furniture, so opening up your windows to allow fresh air to circulate is the best way to ensure your indoor environment remains as healthy as possible.

If you’re ready to make a fresh new start with a healthy new home, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Warren Powell-Richards.. As experts in the local property market, we will help you find the perfect home!

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Published: 28 June 2023

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While surveys aren’t compulsory when you buy a home, it’s highly recommended. They mostly provide reassurance to buyers. But they also give you an objective view of the property’s condition and a heads-up about anything that needs fixing, either immediately or in the future.

Since a home can be one of the biggest purchases you make in your life, it’s natural to worry about the results of a survey.

If you’re concerned about what your survey could show, here are three common issues found in UK properties and how serious they are.

1. Asbestos

When buying an older property, there may be asbestos lurking within. While it’s not dangerous to simply have something in your home that contains asbestos, it is dangerous to remove it unsafely. If proper precautions aren’t taken, fibres that cause severe lung damage can be released into the air of your home.

Asbestos is commonly found on the roof, in pipework and within floor tiles. If your home renovation plans include needing to remove something that contains asbestos, it can be a costly experience because of the dangers involved.

Since asbestos was banned in 1999 in the UK, you don’t have to worry about asbestos issues cropping up in your survey of a new build.

2. Unchecked Electricity

Surveyors will visually check the property’s electrics. But since they aren’t electricians, they won’t be able to identify specific issues. The main thing they’ll do is check whether the property has a recent Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR).

Without a recent report, it’s likely the property doesn’t meet the latest safety regulations. That means you may have to have a full rewire of the property’s electrics, which can cause a lot of damage.

Before jumping to any conclusions, it’s best to get an electrician round to check things out if the survey identifies no recent EICR.

3. Damp

Damp in a property is an important issue that needs immediate fixing. Leaving it can cause significant damage to the property and your health. A surveyor will do two main things to check for damp. They’ll look at everything at a visual level, including the walls, floorboards and loft, and they’ll do a sweep of the property using a handheld moisture meter.

Damp is usually caused by two things: water getting in from outside or water leaking from inside the house itself. Sometimes, changes to heating and ventilation systems can fix the issue. Other times, you’ll need to fix the damp course or even the roof.

A survey may not identify the specific cause of the damp. But they should be able to tell if your property has it.

Looking to Buy?

If you’re looking to buy a home in our area, Warren Powell-Richards are your local property experts. Our friendly team are happy to chat with you about our available listings and offer advice on the home buying process.  Email us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or pop into one of our offices.

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Published: 28 June 2023

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The best reason to renovate any room in your home is because you want to make it more comfortable or in-keeping with your taste. However, it could also be because you want to improve the aesthetics of your home whilst you are living in it, absorb the costs of the renovation, and then when you are ready to sell, reap the rewards from having a more valuable home. That being said, when renovating, it is important to be smart about your investment. A new kitchen can add a lot of value to your home, but only if it is done correctly.

It’s the Heart – or stomach – of the home

The kitchen is one of the most used rooms in the home. It is the heart, or stomach! And designed well, the kitchen can become the true social hub of your property. That is why a well-designed kitchen is so critical. It is the personality of the home, and if a potential buyer falls in love with this personality, you will have them hooked.

It is also one of the trickiest renovations for buyers. Changing the colour of the walls is easy to do on their own, and arranging their furniture is all possible without the help of professionals, so if you can offer them a beautiful space that they want to keep exactly as is, then they may be willing to go above their budget because they no longer need to think about renovation costs.

It’s the preferred renovation of choice amongst buyers

Buyers want beautiful kitchens. In a survey conducted by MoneySuperMarket, it was discovered that kitchens were the most desired renovation at 22%. The second most preferred renovation? A garden makeover.

With the position of many kitchens being towards the back of the home towards the rear garden, this is your opportunity to really make a cohesive, stunning space that flows and enriches. A garden can be purely aesthetic, it could have an outdoor dining area for those sunny summer days, and it could even have elements of a kitchen garden. All of these features will sell your home faster, because you aren’t just selling a property, you’re selling a lifestyle.

It adds monetary value to your home

Kitchen renovations add, on average, 5.5% to the value of your property so it’s important to be careful and not overspend on a renovation. An overly expensive kitchen will not automatically mean that the cost is added to the value of your property.

To put this into perspective, consider you own a property valued at £300,000. Adding a kitchen renovation that costs £100,000 is not going to make your property worth £400,000. Instead, keep your renovation in line with the rest of your property.

Typically prices for a new kitchen start at £2000 and average out at around £12,000. It is in this range you will see the most value for your money.

It’s the fourth most worthwhile renovation

Kitchens are the fourth most worthwhile renovation in terms of value increase, coming in behind a new bedroom in the loft which offers approximately 10.8% increase in value, a rear extension which adds 8.8%, and a conservatory which adds 6%.

This means if you increase the size of your kitchen into an extension in your home, you can potentially see a huge increase in the value of your home and an improvement in both the functionality and design of your property.

It’s the most cost efficient renovation

Of all the renovations listed above, a kitchen renovation also happens to be the most cost-effective, meaning you’ll get more value added for your investment. The average kitchen renovation costs between £2000 to £12,000, and that money can add 5.5% value to your home.

There are also plenty of opportunities to bring the cost down. If you are moving plumbing or electrical wiring, then you will need professionals, but if you have some skill in tiling or laying flooring then you can reduce the cost substantially.

A great kitchen can result in achieving the asking price

If your home is beautiful, with a fabulous kitchen which welcomes you as a true hub of the home, plus it’s also in a great location and does not require any work then you potentially have the perfect property to bring in many interested buyers who will be happy to pay the asking price.

For a free valuation of your property, please contact our expert team here at Warren Powell-Richards; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.