The AnswerBank Articles

How much is my house worth

How much is my house worth Selling a home can often be a stressful process. With the house market always fluctuating in terms of price, it can be difficult to choose when to buy or when to sell, especially if you’re not in the know.Let’s not forget hiring estate agents, house hunting and arranging v...16:37 Mon 24th May 2010

Buying or Renting a Property

Buying or Renting a Property As anyone who has taken a step on the property ladder will know, buying, selling or renting a property can be a difficult task, resulting in numerous headaches and tenuous relationships! With the aid of the internet you can avoid the sky-high stress levels by taking your house hunting...16:37 Mon 24th May 2010

London Property Gems Are Often South Of The River

When it comes to London property, for the uninitiated, it’s all about homes north of the river. In fact, a significant proportion of buyers looking for their first property in London won't even give the south side of the capital a second thought, often buying into outdated prejudices. However, the savvy buyer is...16:37 Mon 24th May 2010

Pay For What You Use May Not Be The Saving It Seems

In these days of itemised phone bills and transparent online banking, it may seem strange that, when it comes to utilities bills, a significant proportion of UK consumers are still not being charged for what they actually use. Instead, some of the Big Six suppliers offer their customers the chance to pay a set monthly...16:37 Mon 24th May 2010

House Prices Are Rising

House prices are continuing to rise to the highest level since 2006, with the cost of the average house going up by 1.1% to around £159,000. There were early signs that more people were beginning to put their homes on the market as conditions improved, a trend that could lead to a relapse in recent price rises. ...16:37 Mon 24th May 2010

Pre-Payment Tariff May Give Cost Savings As Well As Energy Savings

Recently, much has been made of the potential long-term benefits of smart energy meters. Not only will they help save consumers money, their supporters argue, but they will also help the UK to dramatically reduce its overall carbon emission levels and reach ambitious European Union-wide environmental targets. However,...16:37 Mon 24th May 2010

A guide to buying new apartments

Buying an apartment can be a hassle-free and relatively affordable investment option, though others are wary of their potential downsides. Buying a new apartment For the most part, details of new apartments are readily available, with developers advertising projects well in advance both online and in newspapers....16:37 Mon 24th May 2010

Homeowners Face More Flood Misery

Homeowners are facing more traumatic winter floods and steep home insurance premiums if the government doesn't live up to its pledge on flood defences, home insurance companies have warned. Local flood defence should be boosted by £300 million a year just to keep track with global warning, a home insurance repor...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Parties Could Cost You A Billion Pounds

You may think you would be saving money by holding a party at your own house rather than hiring a venue, this may not be the case, however. Even inviting friends over for a visit may be costing us more than we think. It may well be that we should be offering to visit people in their own homes according to recent resear...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Parts Of The UK Could Become ‘Uninsurable’

Many homes have been devastated in recent years by frequent flooding. This is a terrible thing to happen and can have long lasting effects not least of which are not being able to live in your home for a few weeks and having your home insurance premiums bumped up by your provider. However, it seems the problem could be...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

The Hidden Price Of Partying At Home

By opting to hold a party in your own home over hitting the town many people may think they are saving themselves a packet, but home insurance firms have warned that it may not be as cheap as they think. People planning their parties at home spend on average around £200 on drinks and nibbles say home insurance f...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Home Insurance Firms Warn That Flood Cover Guarantee Dependent On Investment

A few years on from the Carlisle floods, the worst in the UK for over 100 years, home insurance companies are warning that the country is still vulnerable to rising waters. Over two million homes in the UK are still at risk of flooding, and with the effects of climate change this number is expected to increase to 3.5 ...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Homeowners Warned Of 30 Day Home Insurance Rule

All those who thought that they had made a smart move by relying on home insurance to cover their house 24/7 for 365 days of the year should do a reality check. There is a caveat in what home insurance promises. Home insurance companies are warning that up to 561,000 homes which owners have left believing to be fully ...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Quarter Of A Million Households Face So Called Fuel Poverty

When the winter comes around most of us think nothing of turning up the heating to keep the house warm. But for some this is just not an option, these are people who are in so called ‘fuel poverty’. Fuel poverty is defined as when a household is forced to spend more than ten per cent of total income to hea...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Not So Happy Neighbours

There are many reasons why we move house. Your family is expanding and you need more room or the kids have finally flown the nest and you are downsizing to release equity to cover your retirement. It is not something many of us relish as it is expensive and time consuming. Plus there is all the old rubbish in the loft ...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Over Five Million Vulnerable To Household Inferno

Would we all know what to do in the event of a fire in our homes It seems many of us would not according to a recent study. Over five million adults in the UK live in property with no fire safety devices such as smoke alarms, fire extinguishers or blankets, warn home insurance firms. Every year 11,500 injuries are c...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Record Number Of First-Time Buyers Forced To Ask For Family Help

With the house buying market still turbulent it has been increasingly difficult for first-time buyers to get their foot on the property ladder. However, it seems that more and more young people are turning to their nearest and dearest for financial assistance. Government figures have revealed first time buyers are ask...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

TrustMark Sends Cowboy Builders To OK Corral

Many of us can do simple DIY jobs from changing a light bulb to unblocking the sink and even putting up a shelf. However, for more ambitious jobs obviously we would have to ‘get a man in’. It is true to say that most of us would prefer to rely heavily on word of mouth when it comes to getting a handyman in...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Millions Planning Equity Relief To Avoid Inheritance Tax

Despite being persistently portrayed in the popular press as the generation that loves to 'Ski' and ‘Spend the Kids Inheritance’ two million retired people are finding other ways to avoid inheritance tax. One in five say they plan to avoid heavy death duties from eating into their property and savings by d...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010

Scotland Launches Fire Awareness Campaign

Scotland is launching a major campaign on fire awareness amid fears that increasing numbers of people will be drinking and smoking at home now that smoking is banned in public places. A recent report by the Scottish fire services revealed that matches and cigarettes started 46 per cent of all house fires in the countr...16:36 Mon 24th May 2010