Centrick Property

Here at Centrick Property HQ, we love to celebrate all good things, and the recent opening of our new Birmingham office on Colmore Row gave another opportunity to do just that.

We invited some of our nearest and dearest to join us as we opened the doors to the newly re-located Birmingham Sales and Lettings Office (our Commercial Street office near the Mailbox will now function as our Asset Management base) The weather did try to rain on our parade, but the turnout remained great. Banter was aplenty and enjoyment was had.

Being the celebratory people that we are, we partied in style: with live music, a fully stocked bar and of course nibbles for the hungry few. Also, to help keep things ticking over nicely, we hired the assistance of a ‘well-dressed’ waiter and waitress. Though none of that could deter people from taking in the new surroundings that had a noticeable Centrick Property twist in the choice of decor and furniture.

We’d like to thank everyone for coming along to help us celebrate a new chapter in the Centrick Property story. It was great to see so many friendly and familiar faces.

If you weren’t able to make it to our opening party, don’t worry! The office is open 6 days a week for all your Birmingham sales and letting enquiries.

(We’ll likely have more reasons to throw a party in the near-future too!)

See you soon!

We’re truly happy to announce the opening of our second Birmingham office on Colmore Row!

In a prominent and active city centre location, our fourth residential sales and lettings office will now serve the city centre, Edgbaston, Moseley and Harborne markets. This follows a growing surge of sales and lettings activity in the Birmingham area, for which we felt expansion was necessary.

Our new additional residence, at 102 Colmore Row, is a spacious 1,100sq ft ground floor suite that includes a client coffee lounge and bar (alongside all the tools we need for our day-to-day duties of course!)

Director James Ackrill said: “We are now the third estate agency on Colmore Row with a strong shopfront presence. It’s accessibility and convenience for the professional community, our core client base, means it became a ‘must’ for us to make this our next location. The corner site provides windows on to both Colmore Row and Bennetts Hill, which is great for displaying our client’s properties to their maximum potential.”

The office will be open Monday to Saturday with office hours being 9am – 6pm during the week, closing at 7.30pm on Thursday throughout the spring and summer, and 10am-6pm on Saturdays.

Take time to come along and check out our new abode!

It’s never too late for a spring clean, especially with the late arrival of spring in Britain. It gives your home a freshness that it hasn’t seen in a while, hidden away behind all the winter blues. So with that in mind here is how you can give your house a little lift and a new lease of life.

Why not paint over those coffee splatters on the wall? A quick coat of paint will make your walls look much fresher and give the room a newly decorated feel, for little effort.

When was the last time you washed your cushion covers and curtains? You’ll be amazed at what clean cushion covers and curtains can do to make them look brand new.

It’s remarkable what a quick shuffle of furniture can do to change the feel of a room. Why not place the sofa on the other wall, and pull the TV round. If you don’t like it, you can always move it back.

Can you remember the last time you dusted the light fittings on your ceiling, and wiped the skirting board? Clean skirting board will help your carpet stand out, and a dust free light fitting will allow the full light to shine through.

Give the windows a good clean, both inside and out. This will allow the sun light to filter through without highlighting dirt and smears.

Hopefully with these little tips you will soon feel ready for spring, even if the weather isn’t quite there yet.

Original article from the BBC can be found here.

When buying a home, having a survey done seems like a costly, arduous task. Many are shunning surveys in order to save up for their homes. However the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors warn that in doing this, people risk huge repair costs after finding nasty surprises later.

One in five people who didn’t bother with a survey later uncovered faults in their property. (Taken from research involving more than 1,000 buyers.) Repairs on problems found at a later date have been known to sky rocket to prices well above the house value. Yet a full building survey costs around £1,000. Whilst this does seem like a lot of money, especially on top of other house buying costs, and in this economic climate, in the long run it is much more cost effective.

Many have been relying mortgage provider valuations instead of seeking out surveys, but it has been said that people shouldn’t rely on this as many mortgage provider valuations do not include full inspections, and are usually done from desks miles away.

Not having a proper survey can leave you with a house you can no longer afford, and that no one else wants to buy, which is less than ideal.

Buying a new home is a tough task with lots of steps to it. Many people find that they are unsure of what they should look for when house hunting, and find themselves buying properties they aren’t too happy with. They could very well end up moving again soon, which we all know is a lot of hassle. For that reason we’ve put together a list of things you might want to consider if you’re thinking of making a move.

Location
The most important thing to consider when looking for a new house is the location. You can change many things about a house, but its location is not one of them. Think about where it is in regards to your work, schools for children, proximity to amenities that you require etc.

Furthering on the idea of location, would a hillside property cause you problems? Do neighbours have a good view of your property if privacy is a factor? If you require a garden, is it suitable for your needs e.g. child/plant friendly?

Size
Before you start looking you should consider how many bedrooms and bathrooms you require from a property. There is no point looking at houses that do not have all the room you may need. It’s best to look at houses that contain the amount of rooms you require or more, rather than less.

If you do see a house that may be too small, check to see if you can get planning permission to extend if you have the budget.

Lighting
The lighting of a room can affect the way a person feels about it. If you like light, bright spaces make sure you check any potential properties in the daylight. This will then give you a feel for how bright a room will get. Looking around a house in the evening when it’s already dark out will only give you an indication of how strong the light bulbs are.

Ignore Other Belongings
There is no point dismissing a property because you dislike the rug or lampshade. They won’t be there when you move in. It’s a classic tip, but imagine it with your belongings in, not the belongings that are already there.

Internet Connection and Signal Strength
We all know how frustrating it is when we’re visiting a friend who lives in an area with poor phone signal. You wouldn’t want that in your own home. Whilst viewing the property keep your phone out and keep checking its signal strength. If you are one of the many people that uses the internet a lot, ask about internet connectivity. Will the speed be acceptable for your standards?

Happy house hunting!

With the weather here in England lacking the sunshine factor and with an array of bank holidays approaching, many are choosing to hop foot to a sunnier climate; and who can blame them? However, one thing people often neglect to think about whilst they are planning their jet setting adventure, is whether their home will be secure. With that in mind, here are some tips that will help keep your home protected whilst you are sunning yourself in a foreign country.

1) Get a neighbour, family member or friend to collect your post for you. A build-up of post promotes the fact that nobody has been home in a while.

2) Consider investing in a home-automation system. This works by turning on lights and appliances to make it look like someone is home. If you can’t afford to get a whole system like this, consider getting plugs with a timer on, so various lamps come on in the evening.

3) Be a good neighbour. Build a relationship with your neighbours so that they will be more willing to keep an eye on suspicious behaviour for you.

4) Although it sounds obvious, make sure all doors and windows are locked and keys are hidden. Even floors that aren’t ground level need to be properly secured.

5) Reduce the volume on your telephone to the lowest setting. If someone hears the ring of an unanswered telephone they may be able to deduce that nobody is home.

6) Draw the blinds and park expensive cars in a garage. You don’t want to showcase wealth or anything worthy of stealing.

Don’t let theft ruin your holiday.

Not too long ago, leisure facilities in residential properties were few and far between. Kim Mead, in this post, says that at first, home gyms were fitted to make ‘the most out of a very awkward space.’  Mead goes on to say that home gyms ‘went from a late addition to the budget, to a substantial portion of it, deemed a major attraction for buyers.’

We all know that we should be making a conscious effort to take care of ourselves and try to lead a more active lifestyle. However we also know that the 10-minute trek to the gym always seems that bit more treacherous after January has passed. Yet what would be our excuse if we had a gym two seconds down the hall? More people would be able to fit in their 30 minutes a day if the gym was in their home, as well as allowing you to work out comfortably and privately.  The average increase in price for a leisure facility in an apartment building is just £6.75 per apartment per week[1], whereas a membership to an upscale gym can cost you over £10 a week, plus travel expenses.

Another reason for the increase and rise in popularity of these facilities is due to the air of luxury that is added to your property. Although becoming increasing popular, these leisure facilities still feel like a novelty to property owners, and they still carry an upscale luxurious environment.

So how can this rise in popularity add value to your property?

‘A bespoke fitness facility enhances the exclusivity of the development and adds extra value to the development,’ says ResiGym, meaning these facilities will entice and attract potential buyers to your property.

Properties that include leisure facilities add extra value to your property and will help aid re-sale. It is a high selling point whether you’re a home owner or letter. Properties such as these rarely stay on the market long, which is great news if you’re looking for a quick sale.