http://www.bethemiddleman.com/blog No Agents, No Fees, No Fuss Wed, 06 Jan 2010 17:52:38 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Watching the news last night I was really pleased to hear that the government had announced a new scrappage scheme for old and inefficient boilers. Any boilers rated "G" (which I take to mean 'crap') are eligible to be replaced with the help of a £400 grant from the government. ... http://www.bethemiddleman.com/blog/hard-cash/british-gas-offer-discount-scheme-instead-of-400-boiler-grants/ The Financial Times asked a group of economists if they thought house prices were fair and the answers are pretty interesting. Although the concensus is that house prices are NOT fair, the reason that crops up again and again isn't quite what I expected. Factors like low interest rates and ... http://www.bethemiddleman.com/blog/hard-cash/are-house-prices-fair-yet/ The Telegraph reported yesterday on some research by Savills that suggests house prices will remain stagnant over the next decade. The Savills report raised points such as; the house price bubble created by cheap credit over the last ten years; the huge amount of flats that remain empty; the inability ... http://www.bethemiddleman.com/blog/bethemiddleman-news/no-house-price-growth-for-the-next-decade/ The Office of Fair Trading have published a pretty scathing report that should have estate agents blushing with shame. According to the report, what we've suspected for years is true - estate agents really do lie to homebuyers on a frequent basis. I wish they'd asked me to take part ... http://www.bethemiddleman.com/blog/selling/estate-agents-lie-to-homebuyers/ That's the info coming from the Residential Landlord's Association this week. They cite a report by Landlord Assist, who help landlords overcome problems like rental arrears - the report says that 150,000 tenants will face legal action because of rental arrears by the end of 2010. A staggering 75% of ... http://www.bethemiddleman.com/blog/landlords/almost-75-of-landlords-face-rental-arrears/ Zoopla, the property portal for estate agents, have been busy bees for the last few months. They acquired both Thinkproperty and Propertyfinder for undisclosed sums and are now integrating them into the main website, taking over their user bases in the process. Zoopla seem to have taken a really aggressive ... http://www.bethemiddleman.com/blog/happenings-elsewhere/zoopla-integrates-acquisitions-stays-aggressive/ We (my boyfriend and I) moved house a couple of weeks ago - slightly odd for twenty-somethings but we actually downsized from a house to a flat. Okay, the flat has nicer views and off-street parking, but with no garden shed or understairs-cupboard it was a challenge to find a ... http://www.bethemiddleman.com/blog/property-services/the-best-way-to-move-home/ Ok… let’s get a few things straight. I’m 23, I’ve never owned a house, I’ve only just flown the nest, and the prospect of being a ‘grown up’ and renting is a scary one. Feel like you know me? No? Well, I’m 5 foot 2, and look suspiciously like the ... http://www.bethemiddleman.com/blog/buying/first-time-buyers-to-buy-or-not-to-buy%e2%80%a6-that-is-the-question/ If the Conservatives win the next general election, they've vowed to scrap Home Information Packs. According to the BBC, Grant Shapps (the Shadow housing spokesman) has called HIPs 'pointless red tape' and said the Conservatives will simply get rid of them as part of a raft of changes to housing ... http://www.bethemiddleman.com/blog/selling/hips-to-be-scrapped-under-tories/ I've rented loads. Pretty much every single year since I was 18 I've rented a different house or flat, and this year is no different. This weekend I'll be moving from my town-based terrace house, to a flat in a pleasant village about 10 miles away. The experience this time ... http://www.bethemiddleman.com/blog/renting/how-accurate-are-estate-agents-adverts/