How does Help To Build work? Here’s the latest quick summary of how Help to Build equity loans will help you build a house with a 5% deposit from a presentation at Build It Live’s exhibition in Bicester, delivered by Homes England. I took a trip to the event to get the latest info for […]
THE ESSENTIAL STEPS TO BUYING YOUR FIRST HOME BUY THE EBOOK NOW
What’s Grand Designs The Streets REALLY Like? HTSLAB 063
I decided to take a trip to Graven Hill, the first self-build village in the UK, and the star of more than one series of Kevin McCloud’s Grand Designs: The Streets. They have new build homes there now too, but are developments like these really the future of house building in the UK that are […]
Should You Invest Or Buy A House? Own It! by Iona Bain – HTSLAB 059
I’m sharing another book chapter, this time from Own It! How our generation can invest for a better future, by Iona Bain of the Young Money Blog. Let’s see how Iona answers ‘should you invest or buy a house?’ (I suppose you could say should you invest in the stock market or property! She covers […]
Could You Live In A Tiny Home?
A tiny home might just be the perfect solution for some would-be first-time buyers, but they seem rarer in the UK than the US despite their advantages. We’re taught bigger is better as children. It seems ironic that in the land of giant everything for the sake of it, more and more Americans are rejecting […]
Are Fixer Uppers Worth The Savings To First-Time Buyers?
First-time buyers can make big savings with fixer uppers in snazzy locations. However, some projects might swallow any discount with the glam work needed. What is a fixer upper? Fixer uppers might need renovation, or refurbishment. These words are sometimes used interchangeably. However, when doing your research, expect renovation to refer to things like making […]
Grand Designs: The Street Recap
Grand Designs: The Street followed a group of pioneers trying to get better value for money in the biggest self-build neighbourhood in Britain. The participants included would-be first-time buyers who had decided to do things their own way, and some existing property owners who wanted to design their own forever home. The Grand Designs: The […]
Your Home Made Perfect Recap
Your Home Made Perfect is a BBC2 property show and another opportunity for first-time buyers to learn from existing homeowners. The programme’s premise is that two architects compete to redesign a house on budget, pitching their designs via virtual reality. The homeowners then bring the winning commissions to life. The first series of eight episodes […]
Sarah Beeny’s Renovate Don’t Relocate Recap
Sarah Beeny’s Renovate Don’t Relocate has a mansion’s worth of tips for first-time buyers, even though the volunteers on this TV show already own their home. Property developer and renovations expert Sarah helps the show’s existing owners redesign instead of sinking the cost into moving. She’s zapped this kind of magic before with shows like […]
Cherry Healey’s Property Virgins Recap
Cherry Healey’s Property Virgins was a two-parter made for BBC Three to help wannabe first-time buyers. I watched this several times before buying my first house so that I could make head and tail of mortgages and the homebuying process. Maybe it’s a compliment to the producers, but I find both episodes still relevant today. […]
How to Live Mortgage Free With Sarah Beeny Recap: Episode 6
Welcome to the final part of my notes on How to Live Mortgage Free. This six-part series was presented by property expert Sarah Beeny for Channel 4. The show was designed to provide alternatives to traditional buying and selling because the UK market has got so expensive. This show is for you if you don’t […]
