Blog
BROADCAST NINE
Thu 28 October 2010 09:02The problem with Autumn is the leaves. Despite their splendid glory and the fantastic hues and textures at this time of year, they are a real cause for concern when it comes to your home.
All week I’ve been faced with choked gutters and over spilling drains which is a real messy affair. But if these problems are not treated and left to persist the results can be costly.
BROADCAST EIGHT
Mon 18 October 2010 14:02It’s been good news for the housing industry of late.
The Scottish Government has issued its first interim report on the Home Report which has been given the thumbs up, unlike their English counterpart which has been scrapped. Granted there are always improvements to be made, but for consumers it has been a welcomed positive change.
BROADCAST SEVEN
Mon 04 October 2010 11:25Bonjour mes amis, just back from a week in France so feeling very chilled but still have the Ryder Cup to look forward to it so not so bad.
Before I went off I was rushed off my feet to complete transcripts for lenders. Transcripts are required by banks at the point when a potential buyer makes an approach to a lender for funds. This is always a strong indicator that the market is busy.
BROADCAST SIX
Fri 01 October 2010 09:01I’ve never really had green fingers but I have become a bit of an expert on one dreaded plant, which makes home owners shake in their shoes – Japanese Knotweed.
The king of all weeds, Japanese Knotweed will literally destroy your home once it gets into the garden and embeds itself in the fabric of the building.
Unfortunately, it’s rampant at the moment probably because its easy to recognise and worse still, it is extremely difficult to remove – and even worse still (!) lenders are tightening up their policy. If you have the weed in the garden then its unlikely you will be able to sell your property or obtain a mortgage for a property which is blighted with the plant.
BROADCAST FIVE
Thu 02 September 2010 14:00I’ve been enjoying some of our rare Scottish sun in style this week, feeling that I’m in the Costa Brava rather than the Costa Southside for I’ve had the pleasure of visiting two spectacular £1 million properties.
Inspecting a property of such value however, is exactly the same process for a small flat but unusually both properties benefited from the addition of indoor swimming pools!
BROADCAST FIVE
Tue 17 August 2010 15:26At some stage in the ownership of a home there’s always the dilemma of whether to make alterations to enhance the value of a property.
New additions, such as a conservatory or sun room, can substantially increase a property’s valuation. But equally, alterations which are not properly carried out can lead to a more serious and costly mistake, sometimes resulting in the property not being fit to market for sale.
BROADCAST FOUR
Tue 03 August 2010 09:46It’s been all hands to the pumps this week with colleagues off on holiday.
It’s also been a week of real contrasts, visiting everything from some of Glasgow’s finest West End traditional properties, to modern new build villas in Whitecraigs, in the city’s Southside.
BROADCAST THREE
Mon 26 July 2010 11:31One of the questions I get asked most often by home owners when I am doing Home Reports is how to improve a property’s energy efficiency. There are two really easy and inexpensive ways to do this before the surveyor even rings the bell:
BROADCAST TWO
Thu 22 July 2010 09:49Spent the Glasgow Fair out on the golf course trying to replicate the skills of the world’s finest golfers who played in St Andrews in the Open at the weekend. Alas, the Castle course proved to get the better of me, not to mention our fine Scottish summer weather!
BROADCAST ONE
Mon 12 July 2010 10:10Welcome to the first broadcast of my blog, which I hope will be informative and raise a smile.
I’ve spent my career working as a chartered surveyor and I’m often asked ‘what exactly do you do?’ so hopefully this will provide you with a taster of my working week.
This week I’ve been wrestling with bats in Inveraray and preaching to the converted in Langbank.
© Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors 2010.