The Baker's Dozen - Lizzie Baker of Spencer Sheffield #Blog #whoarewe

The Baker's Dozen…

introducing Office Manager, Lizzie Baker

1.    I was born at home in Sheffield but it was nearly The Crucible. My poor mother had to drive herself home in a mini because my dad didn’t drive!
2.    I’m absolutely petrified of heights, not ideal when I’m on site visits.
3.    My happy place is Ecclesall Woods. It’s so peaceful.
4.    My other happy place is the pub!
5.    I’ve been on the Antiques Roadshow.
6.    Listening to The Archers is a massive guilty pleasure!
7.    Baking & cooking is my therapy (preferably with a glass of wine!) I can’t understand how anyone couldn’t enjoy it.
8.    I’m a huge fan of social media. I’ve made some really good friends through Twitter and even got my job at Spencers thanks to it!
9.    It took me 5 attempts to pass my driving test but when I did, at the age of 23, I did it without any major or minor faults.
10.  I would love to learn sign language. I think it’s an amazing skill to have.
11.  I love to hate to run.
12.  My two wonderful boys are my world and if I’m not at work, I’m probably in a park with them.
13.  I love to dance after a few glasses of wine, I’m always one of the last ones on the dance floor at a wedding. Without my shoes on!

www.spencersestateagents.co.uk 

Get to know #Spencer's People! This is Tom! #lettings #Sheffield #hero

1)      Who would you like to share a pint with, either dead or alive?
Louis Theroux and Karl Pilkington.

2)      What is the most embarrassing thing you have done?
Whilst I was at University, I somehow slept walked across campus and ended up in the library in just my boxer shorts and t-shirt. Because I had locked myself out of my room, I had to climb through some randomers window to get back into the building as well. Quite a sight I imagine for all concerned!

3)      What is your Guilty Pleasures?
Horrible Histories (a program on CBBC) and I am quietly fond of Made in Chelsea.

4)      Who is your sporting hero?
AP McCoy – these jump jockeys are incredibly tough and to ride 4300+ winners is something that will not be topped in my lifetime. An unbelievable achievement for someone who has broken every single bone in his body at some point in his career! Made being a jockey look easy. Unbelievable attitude and drive in becoming the best.

5)      Favourite Musical Artist + Film?
Tough one – I would probably opt for The Smiths, but with an honourable mention to The Stone Roses, The Streets and Oasis.  As for film, I would say Dead Man Shoes.

6)      What is your biggest fear?
Balloons. I cannot stand the things. I have to leave the room if someone starts to play with them in front of me. The fear of it randomly popping is too much for me to cope with. I also have a huge hatred for the smell of bleach and feeling dizzy (both alcohol and non-alcohol induced).

7)      What would you sing on a Karaoke night?
I would probably pretend I was Noel Gallagher and sing Don’t Look Back in Anger.

8)      Have you ever had a nickname?
At University, I was called “Asbo”. My second name is Aspinal and I am probably the last person who would ever get an actual “Asbo” so it was quite an ironic one and just stuck. However, being introduced to parents and other people I did not know as “Asbo” might not have given the greatest first impression!

9)      List two pet peeves.
Slow walking pedestrians who walk in front of me & people who put milk in before the hot water when making a brew. 

10)   Do you have any weird celebrity crushes?
Nothing out of the ordinary, but there is something about Alex Polizzi (the hotel inspector) and Lorraine Kelly.

www.spencersestateagents.co.uk 

How to get your home ready for sale! #Sheffield #Property #Blog

How to get your home ready for sale!

When selling your home first impression count, you have only 8 seconds to impress them. Here are some tips to help get your property ready for market.

Curb appeal

This is the first thing the viewers will see, so take a good look at what you're presenting.  Peeling paint, dirty windows, and dead plants, you have work to do! Remove debris such as fallen tree branches and leaves. Keep grass and shrubs trimmed, freshen up flowerbeds. Putting some flowers in front of the house or by the front door always makes people smile. Have a FOR SALE sign it helps your buyer find you!

Decluttering

Decluttering is so important you want the viewer to imagine living in the property. Removing excess furniture, clutter, personal items will make you home feel bigger. Clean your home from top to bottom, i.e.  Wash windows inside and out, dust down the cobwebs, polish chrome and mirrors, hoover, dust furniture and light fixtures.

Unfinished jobs

Get round to it, Now! If there’s a cupboard door hanging off or a tap that’s dripping – get it repaired. If the grouting in your shower has gone black or the carpet in the dining room is threadbare – get it replaced.  You might also want to think about removing all traces of your pet. Some people are allergic to cats.  Some people are scared of boisterous dogs.

The temperature

First impressions aren’t just about what you can see, they are also about what you hear and what you feel! Having the heating on in the winter months allows your viewers to view the property without wanting to get out as quickly as possible. It also applies in the summer try keeping the property cool. You can do this by shutting the curtain before the viewing (make sure you re open just before the viewing takes place)

Hope all these tips help you. Good luck!

www.spencersestateagents.co.uk 

SPENCER CHRISTMAS OPENING TIMES #SHEFFIELD

SPENCER CHRISTMAS OPENING TIMES

Christmas Eve – 8:45am until 1pm

Christmas Day – CLOSED

Boxing Day – CLOSED

27^th December- 10.30am – 2.30pm

28^th December - 10.30am – 2.30pm

29^th December – 8.45am – 1pm

31^st December – 8.45am – 1pm

1^st January 2019 – CLOSED

2^nd January 2019 – Business as usual

Merry Christmas to Everyone and Happy New Year! x

The ‘right and wrongs’ of selling your house by our Philippa Peasegood - #Spencer #Sheffield

The ‘right and wrongs’ of selling your house

It has the potential of being the most stressful thing you’ll ever do, so to alleviate the pain here are a few useful tips of what to do, but more importantly what not to do when selling your home.

Choose your agent wisely

Many people consider online agents cheaper, but when you’ve weighed up all the hidden costs you may find they could cost you more. Ensure your chosen agent as an excellent reputation and are proactive. Virtual agents aren’t ‘real’ estate agents.

Marketing

A great way to accentuate your sale is social media and property forums. Most people rely on this, rather than traipsing through agents’ websites. Also ensure you have a board outside. Unless people know your house is for sale, they can’t buy it!!

Overpricing your property

You may have an figure in your head, but let the agent advise you as they will be able to use their experience and knowledge of the market to assist you. Going with a valuation which is too high can actually backfire and be reduce the amount of interested buyers.

Get ready!

Most buyers will know in the first 60 seconds of walking through the door of your home if they can see themselves living there, so be prepared. Declutter and tidy your home are the key to selling.

Be prepared!

Along with tidying and decluttering, get those little maintenance jobs done. Most buyers don’t want to renovate, simply move in, so holes in the walls, peeling wallpaper or damp patches will put potential buyers off. If you need to paint a wall - do it.

Flexibility

Be prepared to be flexible. This may involve doing viewings at times when you simply want to sit down with your feet up. Some viewers work long hours, so if you can go the extra mile it may just work in your favour.

Use your agent

Let your agent guide you. They’re used to every question, stumbling block and eventuality. If you’re not sure - ask! It’s what we’re good at, but also what you’re paying for.

Keeping these common mistakes in the back of your mind will help you avoid them during the selling process.

Spencer. The Estate Agent

Avoiding Common Mistakes as a #Property Landlord - #Spencer. #Sheffield

Property Management Avoiding Common Mistakes.

Owning a property and renting it out is a challenge in itself, with the amount of time and effort that needs to go into advertising, viewings and then there’s the management side once a tenant moves in, not to mention all of the additional legal and regulatory processes that need to be followed.  Landlords have a lot to think about.

A good Managing Agent should take care of all of the legal obligations on the landlord’s behalf.  However, landlords should also make sure that they maintain a good relationship with their tenants, as happy tenants will generally pay their rent on time and look after the property.

A few common mistakes that landlords make which can upset their tenants, leading to future unnecessary problems are,

Ignoring property maintenance issues, as a landlord, it is your responsibility to ensure that the fundamental utilities of the property are maintained to a good standard. For example faulty heating or water leaks etc. are up to a landlord to repair and it can be annoying for tenants if landlords take too long to fix these problems.  Not only can this cause friction in the  relationship with the tenant, it can also cause the property to deteriorate, by not repairing the leak can cause bigger problems in the long run, leading to greater costs and at worst can even make the property uninhabitable for a period of time, potentially resulting in a loss of rental income.   If the property management issue is an emergency i.e. it relates to heating, plumbing, gas or electric it is useful to have some type of Home Emergency Cover in place to help with the cost of repairs. 

Not allowing tenants a bit of flexibility, whilst landlords should ensure that the relationship with their tenant remains professional at all times, it is also good to remember that they are also people who are using your property as their home.  As such, offering a bit of flexibility when it comes to decorating etc. This can go a long way in making tenants happy.  It can also add value to your property by increasing the rents if it is modern/desirable for future tenants.

Having the wrong insurance, Standard home insurance is not designed for landlords or rental properties, landlords will need to take out specific landlord insurances that cover their needs.  Specialist buy-to-let insurances can cover buildings and contents policies, as well as public liability insurance is needed as well, which allows a landlord to be covered against all possibilities of claims.  Landlords can also take out rent guarantee insurance, which can cover unpaid rent if a tenant fails to make their rent payments and remains in the property, along with the cost of issuing notices and court costs etc.

Not familiar with property management & legal requirements, Many landlords choose not to use a managing agent, which can save money in the short term, but often leads to greater costs in the long run, in terms of time and resources as well as financial. By having a good managing agent dealing with the administration and legal obligations the landlord can take a back seat focusing on enjoying the monthly rent coming in.

To speak to Spencer about renting your property, please call us on 0114 268 3682 or have a look through our website: Spencer

Love thy Neighbour #Blog #Sheffield #EstateAgent

Love Thy Neighbour

Whether you are a home owner, renting or living in a block of apartments most of us have neighbours and if you have them here’s my top tips to being a good neighbour in Sheffield.

Introduction

Neighbours can be a source of useful information when you are settling into your new home. So it’s well worth a friendly hello when you meet them for the first time. They can after all fill you in on the everyday stuff like where’s the nearest shop, bin collections and the do and don’t of street parking, if you don’t have sufficient driveway to house you and any visitors.

You don’t have to become best of friends, but neighbours on your side can be a valuable asset, they can look out for your property when you are away from it, offer you use of some extra parking if you have a party, be understanding if you are having some property maintenance carried out. So it’s worth keeping them in the loop and returning the favour when they are in need of a little help from you!

Be Considerate

With Bonfire night round the corner, you might want to pre-warn neighbours if you are planning a fire, so they are sure not to have washing out or windows open. If they have small children with a set bedtime, you could agree a time when the fireworks will be done or ask them round to join in with the fun, then you’ll be sure to have them on-side, or at least you’ve given them the opportunity and pre warned them of the event.

If you are planning a special occasion with a D J or band in the garden, it’s worth being clear about your intentions giving neighbours the date and time when there will be noise disruption and keep to the timescale, if you’ve said quiet by 10-30pm, everyone knows where they stand and there’s less chance of you getting reported to the local council/ police. 

Also if you’re coming and going unsocial hours for your work or just coming in late from a night out show them consideration and keep the noise down. No-one likes to be woken in the night by car doors slamming and shouting, it’s sure to be annoying for them to hear.

Disputes

We are all different people with varying standards and without realising it disputes can come around and that’s just life. If you need to approach a neighbour with an issue, try and keep your cool, explain what the cause of the problem is and listen respectfully to what they have to say . There could be a reason you were unaware of, sure as there garden being untidy due to illness, or bereavement in the family. Give them a chance to respond to you, try and understand from their perspective and hopefully you can work towards a suitable solution for all, even if it means you rolling up your sleeves and offering to lend a hand. Before you go down the path of reporting them to the authorities, it’s worth giving them a chance to redress the issue.

If someone comes to you with a concern, even if you think it’s petty, for them to seek you out, it is something that they are finding an issue. Be respectful and give then a timescale of when you look to have the problem dealt with, if it’s down to lack of money be honest and tell them to  bear with you until you have the funds to resolve this.

Peaceful Times Ahead

If you follow my top tips I am sure in the majority of cases you will be able to hold your head up high on seeing your neighbours, give them a friendly greeting and get on with your day. They may  be of help to you one day, taking in a parcel while you are out or pushing through some important post delivered to them in error.

After all “ Neighbours, everybody needs good neighbours”  and  “ That’s when good neighbours become good friends”

www.spencersestateagents.co.uk