tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90268867348814343302011-08-15T23:11:10.264+01:00With too many years to recall under my ever expanding belt in the landlord, property investment and estate agent business the chaps at Moray Property asked if I would endeavour to write a blog for their website. I agreed, providing they kept me topped up with mugs of tea, homemade cake and a Wi-Fi connection. I hope that buyers, sellers, landlords and tenants, both existing and prospective may find it useful and informative.Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comBlogger1911100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-6845826980501732022011-04-19T15:51:00.003+01:002011-04-19T15:57:14.882+01:00

On 01 April 2011, Reginald Jackson passed away at his home in Findhorn. Our thoughts are with his family and friends at this sad time. Among many other interests Mr Jackson managed to write his blog for our website for over two years and his knowledge of the property and investment market was second to none, he will be sadly missed by us all. Please take your time to read through his many

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-34180533451456417542010-11-18T12:36:00.003Z2010-11-18T12:40:23.603Z

Sponsored by a Louisiana-based US architecture firm, the 2010 Zombie Safe House Competition features four homes designed to be safe from a zombie attack (something which the Home Information Pack never really explored, but if you're concerned you could always ask your surveyor). There are four designs to choose from. Go and vote... your future may (or may not) be at stake.Vote For Your Zombie

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-12284956308827132712010-11-18T12:21:00.002Z2010-11-18T12:24:15.984Z

Sir Stirling Moss - Robbed by his tenants. His Italian chef and girlfriend tenants are said to have failed to pay rent for seven months, before scarpering on the eve of the bailiffs' arrival, and taking the Pimlico flat's furnishings with them. Crockery, furniture, bed linen... all gone. Moss's daughter, who manages her father's portfolio, describes her initial concerns:Alarm bells did ring when

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-84792229703605130612010-09-03T16:29:00.003+01:002010-09-03T16:34:08.090+01:00

A conman who stole his landlord's identity to sell his £1 million house in one of London's most exclusive areas was jailed three years today. Steven Rice, 43, was part of a gang of fraudsters who used false names to rent two houses in South Kensington.Using bogus identity documents, Rice then adopted his landlord's name to sell the home for just over £1 million, Southwark Crown Court heard. The

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-76159351660143548532010-09-03T16:19:00.004+01:002010-09-03T16:27:31.323+01:00

Afternoon All,This little story was told to me by Tracey Kellett at BDI Homefinders, after chatting with a local agent recently"There are no buyers," says the grim-faced estate agent. "Transaction levels are going through the floor." "Well at least you have the lettings side to see you through," I say cheerfully. "Ah yes, lettings", he says. "That's kept us afloat the past few years. But no more,

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-48966402003124707842010-08-17T15:41:00.003+01:002010-08-17T16:08:32.668+01:00

Reading in the P&J today, the Ministry of Defence confirmed that it owns more than 900 houses either outright or under a private finance initiative. Gordon(Nice Guy with Elvis hair)Hay, of Harvey Donaldson & Gibson chartered surveyors in Elgin, said closure of the bases at Kinloss & Lossiemouth would over-saturate Moray’s housing market in the rental and home-ownership sectors.Sellers would be

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-61791798308956300972010-08-16T13:22:00.002+01:002010-08-16T13:25:37.464+01:00

From the Guardian today and the mystery to many how ordinary people can afford to live in the UK's capital. Consistently ranked one of the most expensive cities in the world, London's house prices are ever more ludicrous, even in these dark days of pay freezes, mass redundancies and bankruptcy.Visit one of the campsites encircling the city and it becomes clear how some people make the sums work:

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-20821312457560238072010-08-11T12:29:00.003+01:002010-08-11T12:59:53.441+01:00

Sorry for the lack of blogging of late - Avid readers may remember my previous exploits and my resulting broken hip. Unfortunately, of late my hip has been giving me 'jip' and I've spent a few days being looked after by the excellent staff at Raigmore.I'm pleased to say that I'm back on the mend and I am all wi-fii'd up and ready to get back on the blogging wagon - which I've really missed, (

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-14194238842749586122010-07-27T16:58:00.002+01:002010-07-27T17:00:01.719+01:00

A genuine design from the Bauhaus school, with the Naef Bauhaus Building Game by Alma Siedhoff-Buscher now available to entertain and educate your children.In truth, it's more likely to entertain than educate, but if you like the idea of your little one being an architect, it's the perfect place to start. During her training at Bauhaus in 1924, Alma Siedhoff-Buscher designed this building game,

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-46580308564953554542010-07-27T16:55:00.002+01:002010-07-27T16:57:10.758+01:00

Starting with... what it actually is. A new survey by Reallymoving.com really suggests Brits are really ignorant about the realities of the property exchange. Thirty-seven per cent didn't know what "conveyancing" meant; 54% thought conveyancers organised the survey; 16% thought the conveyancer negotiated the price of the property on their behalf. Amazingly, that 37% who had no idea what

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-12309320856311495222010-07-09T13:04:00.003+01:002010-07-09T13:12:00.383+01:00

From 'Estate Agent Today' they report that Rightmove climbed into the top ten web domains in June alongside the BBC website, Google and Facebook.The latest statistics were produced by web monitoring agencies including Comscore and counted UK page visits for the month. Miles Shipside, commercial director of Rightmove, said: “To be amongst the top ten web domains in the UK is a notable achievement

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-34424792218088899262010-07-09T12:48:00.002+01:002010-07-09T12:55:25.476+01:00

Estate agency boards have returned to the streets of conservation areas in London’s Kensington and Chelsea after a 15-year ban expired.The re-emergence of the For Sale and To Let signs in some of London’s finest streets have prompted fury among local residents.Agents said the streets could be fairly targeted after the lapsing of the Regulation 7 restrictions first imposed in 1995, and said that

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-63843620548177942882010-06-22T16:54:00.002+01:002010-06-22T16:57:50.377+01:00

From the ever popular 'Rat & Mouse' blog.....Thanks guys !Ever wondered who would be the UK's preferred celebrity house-sitter? Me, neither. But thanks to a survey of moneysupermarket.com users, that data is available:1. Jeremy Clarkson (28%)2. Christine Bleakley (23.9%)3. Sarah Beeny (23.8%)4. Cheryl Cole (14.2%)5. Lord Alan Sugar (6.3%)6. Wayne Rooney (3.7%)The results are surprising. Remember,

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-33186164738465536832010-06-08T14:32:00.004+01:002010-06-08T14:35:49.407+01:00

An extraordinary recent poll by Barratt shows:71% rated home ownership an eight or above in importance (out of ten)46% rated marriage as important44% gave having children the same rating27% considered an active social life an eight or moreBetween the ages of 18 and 24, that 71% rises to 81%How many wished to live in a Barratt house though ? The poll doesn't say...Surprisingly Yours,MR J

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-59615434439362127512010-06-08T14:28:00.001+01:002010-06-08T14:31:41.619+01:00

It's a new show, planned for BBC 1, looking for six individuals with ambitious grand designs. The show will fund the projects through to completion, and film the process. But - and here's the twist - only the "winner" (judged by an as-yet-unannounced property "guru") will get to keep their home. It's like Britain's Got Talent, crossed with Grand Designs, crossed with Property Ladder, crossed with

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-62413554102208060812010-06-08T14:16:00.004+01:002010-06-08T14:22:50.682+01:00

LANDLORDS of Edinburgh's "party flats" could be served with Asbos under new plans to crack down on trouble sparked by visiting stag and hen groups.Edinburgh Central Labour MSP Sarah Boyack said the Scottish Government had agreed to consider changing the law to make it easier for councils to tackle the problem.Residents plagued by drunken revellers causing a disturbance in the early hours have

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-30590162194671117582010-05-25T11:15:00.005+01:002010-05-25T11:27:50.431+01:00

This from the Daily Mail made me think this week !The most recent figures from Nationwide say house prices rose one per cent last month, and are up more than ten per cent in the past year. Halifax says they're nearly seven per cent higher than a year ago, while the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors is predicting a post-Election bounce, with modest increases expected across most of the

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-90657570574290163312010-05-20T21:28:00.003+01:002010-05-20T21:39:07.994+01:00

The recent Government change in Westminster will not have any effect on home reports north of the border, according to a leading Edinburgh property firm. The Conservative Party has announced it will be scrapping home information packs (HIPs) in England & Wales, which has caused confusion in Scotland over whether home reports will also be axed.But Edinburgh property solicitor Warners has stressed

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-88371650289105764982010-05-17T13:15:00.005+01:002010-05-17T13:22:21.489+01:00

How to read a floor plan - This interesting article was in last weeks Times. Did you know that you can have a margin of error of up to 10cm - In the city centres this could almost be another bedroom ! Though presently there's not many agents in Moray use these apart from Moray Property and a couple of out of town 'higher end' agents. Enjoy....1. Floor plans help you (and your mortgage valuer) to

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-46402493131105408722010-05-13T13:34:00.003+01:002010-05-13T13:39:14.119+01:00

Peter Rollings, the thoroughly nice chap from Marsh & Parsons wrote this great article below, I thought you, my reader may well be interested in, it's all about how anyone can sell a house....It’s true. However, that’s the straightforward part. The role of your estate agent is not just to sell your property but to use their marketing capability and knowledge to obtain the very best price that the

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-78603570745335272512010-05-10T11:25:00.003+01:002010-05-10T11:32:38.104+01:00

A rather unusual story over at Estate Agent Today.....A falling-out between former friends and colleagues has resulted in one firm of estate agents being ordered to pay a competitor £15,000 in damages after admitting unfair tactics on the internet which involved porn.Eddisonwhite, a south-west London firm, brought the case against SW19 and SW19’s proprietor, Luke Bennett. Bennett had bought the

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-19789522398918004852010-05-05T15:11:00.005+01:002010-05-05T15:22:52.970+01:00

Do you fancy looking out of your window in Lhanbryde or Elgin and seeing the Golden Gate Bridge....? Or even the East Beach at Lossie.... ?Well perhaps soon you can - take a look at this - Modern technology never fails to amaze me. I'm all for a giant sized Kirsty Alsop outside my window, again best not mention that to Mrs Jackson.Until the next time.J

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-61656033138250553992010-04-29T11:01:00.004+01:002010-04-29T11:06:36.231+01:00

House-building... a good thing. House-building, by Tesco, conveniently around its stores, the home purchases funded by Tesco mortgages (it's easy to imagine favourable mortgage terms on Tesco properties)... sinister. It reminds me of the perspective you get of some medium-sized American towns as you fly above them, really just large consumer machines in which people live, work and mall-spend to

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-62248124930454222812010-04-24T10:20:00.002+01:002010-04-24T10:24:30.791+01:00

I, like tens of thousands of other Britons, am stranded overseas with little idea of when I might return home, thanks to volcanic activity thousands of miles away. But far from feeling anger, frustration and helplessness – I simply cannot believe my good fortune.While horror stories continue to surface of epic overland journeys and airport slumber parties – plundering the reserves of both the

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-15145211134570039292010-04-14T13:20:00.002+01:002010-04-14T13:26:16.305+01:00

Today from the 'Property Hawk' Landlords looking for a buy-to-let bargain will have to head west & north according to the latest figures released by Mouseprice.com.Mouseprice have released figures for the cheapest streets in the UK.The one street they have identified as being the cheapest is Fernhill in the Welsh region of Mountain Ash where the average property costs just "28,600. This street

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-50975567924404655152010-04-13T11:52:00.002+01:002010-04-13T11:56:24.073+01:00

Early on Easter Monday, I joined in a BBC Radio Scotland discussion about the Scottish property market. I was on as the bear (obviously) and the other participant, representing ESPC (the Edinburgh Solicitors Property Centre), was to be on as the bull.But it didn't quite work out as the BBC had planned. I was participating in the discussion from my car (I couldn't get to the studio and there were

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-69714429197343948272010-04-09T15:47:00.002+01:002010-04-09T15:50:08.629+01:00

Poverty and homelessness in a wealthy society is not just an UK issue. Spotted in Madrid Spain was this poor soul.I was all for offering a helping hand and taking her home with us, unfortunately Mrs Jackson would have none of it - She's normally so charitable too....Yours wishfully,Mr Jackson.

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-73699127663734152052010-04-09T15:35:00.007+01:002010-04-09T15:54:54.993+01:00

Continuing on from my good neighbours theme, this from The Telegraph yesterday made me laugh and also wince a little !A millionaire property developer harassed her neighbours for months by peering through windows, screaming insults and placing curses upon them, a court heard yesterday.Patricia Bailey peered through other people’s blinds, pushed open windows and threatened “damnation” upon all

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-46420006286281603222010-04-06T15:58:00.004+01:002010-04-06T16:11:21.636+01:00

Just a reminder to my 'newer' readers (Where have you been up until now....?) To check out the Property Snake for cut-price house bargains in your area.This great, easy to use website shows you which houses have been reduced recently, some by as much as 50%, however the best reductions I could find in Moray were 10%, better than nothing though !This just goes to show the Moray property market is

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-63848924439577864662010-03-31T16:02:00.004+01:002010-03-31T16:23:33.077+01:00

(Lossiemouth, pictured above, this afternoon).Once again the weather in Moray has turned cold & frosty (like when Mrs Jackson found out I've been talking to an 'attractive lady' on the beach at Findhorn - why I mentioned the words attractive and lady I don't know...Won't be doing that again).However I digress, the weather is particularly poor at present, with snow, rain and strong winds. Not a

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-55111582732247661782010-03-29T15:31:00.005+01:002010-03-29T15:40:20.441+01:00

Following on from my earlier post this month, I've just been reading another great article by Jon Canter, the novelist and scriptwriter, about the very same, in yesterday's Guardian. He suggests that you pay hundreds of pounds for a survey. Why? No surveyor answers the £164,455 question. (That, according to the Land Registry, is the current average house price in England and Wales.) Without an

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-47443508878747901352010-03-25T15:28:00.005Z2010-03-25T15:42:11.511Z

"I've just sold a house for £1.85m to a hard-working family, not millionaires," said Lindsay Cuthill, head of the property agent Savills' South West London division, as he drove round Fulham on Wednesday afternoon. "They've worked hard to get there. We're not dealing with Russian oligarchs."Selling a house for £1.85m is not uncommon for Mr Cuthill. His average sale touches £2m and some of his

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-20434498219005909032010-03-23T11:59:00.003Z2010-03-23T12:10:45.983Z

According to the BBC It has been a tough couple of years for people trying to earn a living in the property market.The slump in home sales that followed the onset of the credit crunch and the recession led to widespread job cuts among house building firms and saw thousands of estate agency branches closing down.With lenders restricting their funds, and in some cases ceasing lending at all, people

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-55692754037976565922010-03-18T13:20:00.003Z2010-03-18T13:23:42.949Z

Here's how to show it... lettings agency Corporate Homes has launched a 2010 Best Landlord competition. If your landlord has been more than landlord (and - presumably - less than a lover) you can show your appreciation by going here and nominating him/her. The deadline is May 15, after which CH will pick 20 finalists, and the final poll will be thrown open to the public. (Presumably the reasons

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-31866772426729274482010-03-16T11:06:00.004Z2010-03-16T12:27:34.268Z

Reading the Telegraph today and it seems that neighbours from hell have led to more than 360,000 Brits moving home in the last year - and can knock £30,000 off the value of a home, a study suggests.Nearly one in ten have moved because of poor relations with irritating neighbours, and the number of disturbances are on the rise - up a third in the last two years.And despite the postcode lottery of

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-21311029513989091952010-03-15T13:50:00.006Z2010-03-15T14:02:08.847Z

No, it's not a new gameshow, starring Noel Edmonds and a latex suited delnquent.This is about the residents of Bolton who are getting het up by Manchester United footballer Gary Neville's plans for a flower shaped eco-home on green belt land. Quotes - here - from a meeting in a Methodist church hall show how the message is in the subtext."Why do we have to have this dirty great big house because

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-67241868013323106062010-03-10T14:47:00.002Z2010-03-10T14:54:35.891Z

You heard it here first.....!The most comprehensive 360 degree map ever made of Britain will go online tomorrow, thanks to a mammoth undertaking by Google. Their Street View tool is being extended from a few select cities to almost every street in the UK - which amounts to 238,000 miles of public road.The street-level imagery will cover all areas both urban and rural from Penzance in Cornwall to

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-70174053201541152792010-03-09T17:03:00.004Z2010-03-09T17:08:09.832Z

Our good friend Phil Spencer advises to sell and rent ! Somewhat bravely - we believe - Phil (looking quite menacing in the above photo) is advising homeowners to sell now, buy again later.Clinch a sale at today’s prices, but buy after the election, when values might dip and you can get more for your money.All the logic's in Phil's favour. Wages are about to be squeezed, taxes are about to go up,

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-44433505285475506682010-03-09T10:46:00.003Z2010-03-09T10:56:27.358Z

As you may have heard the Government are considering making changes to planning law. If they do this, the effect would be that if you want to let out a house or flat which you have previously rented to a couple or a family then you would have to obtain planning permission from the local authority should you want to rent it out to a group of three or more unrelated individuals. The same could

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-84044312401118921492010-03-06T10:51:00.003Z2010-03-06T10:57:05.642Z

This just in from Tracey Kellett - At BDI Homefinders.I was out with the pickiest rental client in the world today, seeing a peach of a bachelor pad on the banks of the Thames. He was late of course, him being a very important person and me being a service provider. He liked it, he wants it. Now I just need to finalise "a few bits". New carpets are needed, obviously. The slippery roof terrace

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-22940363371074901232010-03-01T13:31:00.005Z2010-03-01T13:38:17.361Z

Less than two years after it collapsed into administration, the men behind the notorious buy-to-let property club Inside Track are back, targeting UK investors with a new get-rich-quick property scheme, the FT reports. Promising that members can “make £100,000+ in five minutes”, a nationwide programme of seminars has begun to recruit investors eager to participate in the UK’s next property boom.

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-71220655199463670752010-02-28T12:15:00.004Z2010-02-28T12:23:47.043Z

A nuclear bunker and surrounding land in Derbyshire is expected to fetch up to £25,000 in an eBay auction.The decommissioned cold war bunker, built in 1959 into a field in the Peak District, has attracted hundreds of hits.The bunker has lighting and a phone line and can be used as living accommodation for short periods.It is described by the private seller as "a rare opportunity to acquire a

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-29783765765969844502010-02-27T10:26:00.005Z2010-02-27T11:06:42.218Z

Yesterdays Daily Telegraph asks 'Would you spend £15K just to find a home?'Once upon a time, the only people who used buying agents were celebrities looking for £5m-plus houses... Now, though, even we little people are paying as much as £3,000 upfront for someone to sniff out and secure us the house of our dreams. At which point we have to cough up another 2.5 per cent of the agreed purchase

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-88267837176712361912010-02-22T14:57:00.005Z2010-02-22T15:14:39.262Z

Having just returned from a winter break in the South of France, I was excited to see the new Moray Property website is now live.One word - 'Wow'... It certainly is colourful, I like the way how they have their shop wallpaper integrated into the website. Plus, it's a doddle to navigate around, even for an old boy like me. The pictures and descriptions are first rate and I really like the new

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-73008221340390653162010-02-22T14:55:00.002Z2010-02-22T14:57:14.218Z

The Office of Fair Trading report into UK estate agency has found that haggling over rates is to be recommended; estate agency laws discourage Tesco-style online competition; competition is weaker than it should be (although it didn't find any examples of local price-fixing); and the majority of buyers and sellers are happy with the service they've received. One would have thought that agents

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-65268859204027347852010-02-05T16:41:00.003Z2010-02-05T16:46:26.360Z

Not as 'Crazy Frog' as the title suggests. In a new research, scientists have found out that frogs perform the architectural feat of building floating foam nests using a meticulously timed, three-stage construction process. Tungara frogs, like many frogs species, create foam nests to protect their young as they mature from eggs to tadpoles. But while these floating meringue-like refuges look

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-26471497590640800072010-02-03T16:27:00.007Z2010-02-03T16:35:31.789Z

A farmer who built a castle hidden behind a stack of straw bales has lost a High Court bid to save it from being demolished.Robert Fidler, of Salfords, Surrey, built the home - complete with turrets - without planning permission. He kept it hidden until August 2006 but was ordered to tear it down by Reigate and Banstead Borough Council in 2008. Mr Fidler appealed on the basis that his house had

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-19486360140546959122010-01-29T15:37:00.003Z2010-01-29T15:43:25.729Z

Be careful how you advertise your property.... As this excellent YouTube clip shows !Enjoy !Mr Jackson.

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-31003593902176622962010-01-22T14:56:00.002Z2010-01-22T15:02:56.430Z

GWYNETH PALTROW and CHRIS MARTIN have sparked complaints from neighbours over plans to put up a metal wall around their London home, so reports Entertainment Daily !The stars are seeking planning permission to replace a wooden fence with a 10-foot (3-metre) barrier to separate their garden from those of their neighbours.Paltrow and Martin allege they need to erect the wall for security reasons -

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-63058763881656097622010-01-22T14:47:00.001Z2010-01-22T14:51:50.298Z

The Property Ombudsman Scheme (POS) received over 10,000 complaints last year against estate agents, lettings companies, developers and surveyors.According to the Ombudsman, complaints about letting agents alone saw an increase, while the number of buyers and sellers complaining about Home Infomation Packs also rose.However, The POS can only rule on complaints made against agents which are

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-46372738249672169682010-01-16T10:14:00.003Z2010-01-16T10:27:29.162Z

A recent Office of Fair Trading enquiry found that 78 per cent of us feel estate agents offer poor value for money. It hardly made the news. In comparison with the legal and removals costs, estate agents' fees can seem excessive, particularly at a time when many people are financially stretched to breaking point anyway. How much you pay for an agent's service will depend largely on whether you

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-72034793007152939212010-01-13T15:48:00.002Z2010-01-13T15:58:37.884Z

I've received many e-mails and letters lately, asking for advice on the property market, also tenant queries, landlord queries etc.... I do my best to answer each one personally, however I have had quite a few of late and my typing is still quite slow since I broke my wrist.Then it occurred to me, why not post my response on the blog ? That way if anyone else had the same question I could simply

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-76915286668459392582010-01-09T10:50:00.001Z2010-01-09T10:52:37.770Z

Just a personal note of thanks to blog reader Pauline Masson, who after reading about my love of all things sweet, sent me a fantastic home made pineapple upside down cake. Having just sampled it I think it would be prudent for her to go into the cake making business, as well as a having a property portfolio. If any of you other readers would like to do the same, I'm quite happy to sample and

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-10030091732596342362010-01-09T10:33:00.002Z2010-01-09T10:45:12.816Z

A quarter of couples who have split up are being forced to continue living together because of the high cost of housing, research has showed. The figure's 28%, and the research was by EasyRoomMate. Two-thirds of those enduring a colder atmosphere inside the house than outside (that's saying something with the recent cold-snap), they admit it's because of the high cost of living. One in forty are

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-26732786030867126082010-01-07T12:44:00.003Z2010-01-07T12:48:39.507Z

Thinking of selling your flat or house in the near future? Cleanliness adds up to £5,000 to the value. We all know that selling your house in today's market can be a tricky business. That's why it's more important than ever to make sure your home is in tip-top condition. Recent research carried out on behalf of Domestos UK by ICM has shown that a clean house is a more profitable house. The

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-12137823177044394742010-01-05T15:26:00.002Z2010-01-05T15:32:09.233Z

Don't worry, Jimmy Saville is not featured anywhere below....1) Carry out thorough research. Check local rental conditions, analyse rental demand and determine the types of renting in your area. Look for obvious clues such as a large company relocation, the opening of trendy bars and shops, or the existence of good schools nearby and choose a property with features that will appeal to your market

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-73819077200574569432010-01-04T14:35:00.002Z2010-01-04T15:00:22.069Z

Well to some anyway......As the temporary stamp duty holiday on properties worth between £125,000 and £175,000 ended on 1 January 2010.It means buyers will again have to pay 1% tax on the value of homes worth more than £125,000. The tax was lifted temporarily in September 2008, and the concession later extended, to help stem the rapid slump in the property market. In the past year, sales and

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-1414955760227146182009-12-22T10:03:00.002Z2009-12-22T10:14:04.361Z

Never worry about the size of your Christmas tree. In the eyes of children, they are all 30 feet tall....Until next year,Mr Jackson

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-43154616600375588452009-12-17T11:33:00.002Z2009-12-17T11:46:20.894Z

Rents are likely to go up, is the message from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Remember the rise of the accidental landlord... the frustrated vendors left high and dry by a dead property market and forced to let their homes? Now - apparently - they've all rushed to sell while the market's revived. The net effect... that surplus of privately rented property has dried up into

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-63737560408147278382009-12-17T11:24:00.001Z2009-12-17T11:28:52.865Z

Perhaps it was a blessing in disguise that 15 West Heath Avenue in Hampstead, North London failed to sell 2008. It appeared on the market in the midst of the financial crisis when property prices were in free-fall, so it was hardly surprising that no one bit at the £6.25 million price tag. But almost as soon as developer Matthew Frayne took it off the market, it was talent spotted by Talk Back

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-73338686511176904902009-12-17T11:17:00.003Z2009-12-17T11:24:34.689Z

A FAMILY are cashing in on their house - by officially calling it TalkTalk Towers. Elaine and Darren Snow are being paid £250 to give the phone company "naming rights" to their home for a year. The deal follows bigger-money deals for places like the O2 Arena and the Emirates Stadium. Elaine, 33, Darren, 42, and sons John, 11, and Michael, nine, now have TalkTalk as part of their formal address in

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-64458048720600990412009-12-04T09:17:00.003Z2009-12-04T09:27:37.391Z

The BBC Reports that Google is set to launch a property dimension to its UK mapping system.The new service will allow both estate agents and private sellers to put their property as an overlay on Google Maps. The plans were outlined at a conference called Estate Agency Events last week, which David attended (though has to keep tight lipped about this - well done so far after my questioning!),

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-31938164290681687962009-11-23T15:31:00.005Z2009-11-23T15:45:07.024Z

Apologies to my faithful readers - I've been in hospital, after falling in the Cairngorms (Only low-level walking) however a sharp frost overnight ensured that some of the paths were very slippery. I somehow managed to go over on my ankle breaking my wrist as I fell. Fortunately Copernicus was with me and his barking attracted some nearby fell runners (I am extremly grateful for your assistance

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-89445781988020529422009-11-06T14:27:00.004Z2009-11-06T14:59:58.808Z

I was stopped by the police this morning on my way to do my periodic tenancy check on our rental cottage in Cawdor. I thought there may have been a major incident, such was the officious manner of the policeman.It turns out that there is a 'celebrity' wedding taking place at the church and the police were instructed to discourage fans and on-lookers from parking or camping on the road. After

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-18258609800348234402009-10-27T14:52:00.003Z2009-10-27T14:59:56.033Z

More news on the development of RAF Lossiemouth as a 'Spaceport', courtesy of Jenny Davey at The Sunday Times. Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic is seeking government support to launch commercial space flights in Britain. Will Whitehorn, president of Virgin Galactic, has held talks with Lord Drayson, the science minister, in the past few weeks about establishing an operation at the

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-48555176952451517852009-10-23T10:20:00.004+01:002009-10-23T15:15:08.414+01:00

An unusual but comforting blog for a Friday....Thanks to Jocelyn Beattie at Findaproperty.com. Cadbury’s recently bucked the trend of most other businesses when they announced their profits were up by 11 per cent over the last quarter.There’s got to be a connection between that and the general gloom that’s going around, surely?We might not be able to heat our homes anymore but goddammit, we can

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-55899921454452507632009-10-19T16:33:00.007+01:002009-10-23T15:18:09.445+01:00

I like a nice homely shed, but I'm also partial to a bit of upmarket architectural eye-candy, so imagine my delight when we discovered that some genius has created a super cool, Kevin McCloud approved … shed for living! My thanks go to Michael O'Flynn of Findaproperty.com for this article. I haven’t been this thrilled by a design ’solution’ since eglu applied a bit of i-Mac styling to the humble

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-62773255406509840812009-10-19T16:24:00.004+01:002009-10-23T15:18:41.232+01:00

Are you a security obsessed real ale drinker who just wants to be left alone to brew beer in the middle of the sea?Maybe you’re a patch-eyed, cat stroking genius who’s in the market for a discrete bomb-proof bolt hole? (This place used to have anti-aircraft guns mounted on the roof so a giant molecule-melting laser should be no problem.)Then again, perhaps you’re a more traditional business type

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-87893551265437605662009-10-16T16:46:00.005+01:002009-10-23T15:19:54.744+01:00

Remember when you drew houses when you were a child? Was it just me who always put a slide instead of stairs? Of course not! We all did it, because that’s what makes houses fun. Why climb stairs when you can slide down them? (Obviously don’t try that while carrying anything precious like the cat or your LEGO collection).If you’re looking to live out your childish fantasies then look no further!

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-55755566567412417662009-10-09T14:26:00.003+01:002009-10-09T14:38:24.229+01:00

Homeowners across the land are holding their collective breath as daily reports show the housing market threatens all out collapse. The likelihood, however, is that losses over the next year or two will not nearly be enough to reverse the huge gains of the last ten years. But not every real estate investor is this fortunate. I've put together a list of some of the worst property investments ever.

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-8120685991032600182009-10-07T15:27:00.003+01:002009-10-07T15:36:15.430+01:00

It doesn't work for books, but it does for houses – judging them by their façade I mean. A property's outer appearance, its kerb appeal, is often the deal maker (or breaker) when it comes to buying a home. It takes potential buyers no more than eight seconds to decide whether or not they like a house.Some houses have natural kerb appeal; the wisteria-clad Queen Anne rectory with a tree-lined

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-87516418469247734672009-10-06T13:55:00.003+01:002009-10-06T13:59:22.907+01:00

A house builder has been criticised for building "rabbit hutch" flats and then renting out the ground floor of the new development to a self-storage company. Homeowners could end up paying £1,400 a year or more to store their wellington boots, sports equipment, children's toys and Christmas decorations. Barratt Homes has just finished its New South Quarter development in Croydon, a collection of

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-79664392207723246202009-10-02T16:55:00.005+01:002009-10-02T17:03:09.142+01:00

The BBC reported on Saturday about bogus landlords trying to trick students out of money. The scam usually involves bargain ads posted on free listing websites in student cities.Victims are told that the “landlord” will only let them view the property if they give their bank account details. Their money is then stolen, the BBC reports. “Things to watch out for are adverts where there are no

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-35614124549825145912009-10-02T16:44:00.005+01:002009-10-02T16:49:10.616+01:00

Prince Philip has taken a pot shot at supermarkets and second-home owners who he says are threatening the traditional village, in remarks published Wednesday.In an interview with Shooting Times magazine, the notoriously straight-talking Duke of Edinburgh also blasted industrial farming methods, which produced cows with horns like a "hat-rack with an udder attached."They also created the "bizarre"

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-54488590817711932452009-10-02T16:39:00.003+01:002009-10-02T16:42:22.166+01:00

Because, apparently, it matters. A survey of 3,000 homeowners by Sandtex paints suggests that owners of blues houses are likely to be the most economically successful, earning, on average, £38,000 and taking at least two foreign holidays a year. If your house is green, you might want to consider a change. You're likely to be earning £13,100 a year. For more of this nonsense, and a rundown of the

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-13681592340842819862009-10-01T13:44:00.004+01:002009-10-01T13:57:26.792+01:00

It's a property that has everything: a fisherman's cottage a mere five minutes from the sea, with a private driveway, half an acre of garden and sweeping views across some of the most beautiful coastal landscape England has to offer. Oh.... and a gigantic nuclear power station only yards away.....The three-bedroom "not to be missed" bungalow at Romney Marsh, Dungeness, is being sold for £247,000

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-83269415814834404172009-09-24T15:48:00.002+01:002009-09-24T15:52:19.312+01:00

If the idea of being able to do a spot of wildlife watching from your window and having coastal walks right on your doorstep sounds appealing, this former lighthouse keeper’s cottage in Aberdeen is well worth a look.In fact, the quaint cottage is so close to the sea that you can hear the water crashing against the rocks. The cottage forms part of a walled community of five homes within the

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-46434010180012904512009-09-24T15:29:00.002+01:002009-09-24T15:38:23.380+01:00

Westminster Council sells its street signs on Ebay !Including Bow Street, Abbey Road and Covent Garden... original street signs complete with Westminster Council authentication certificates. The council is replacing them with anti-graffiti models. The Ebay sales are said to offset the cost. Abbey Road is expected to be the most popular.Click here to viewPerhaps Moray Council may follow suit

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-90109697564138828862009-09-22T15:10:00.003+01:002009-09-22T15:19:12.397+01:00

Kinross House, north of Edinburgh, was called the most beautiful piece of architecture in Scotland by Daniel Defoe and it is still a hugely impressive building. The property is on the market with a guide price of £4.25 million, reduced from its pre-launch “unofficial” guide price of £5 million. Designed and built in the late 17th century by Sir William Bruce — sometimes called the Christopher

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-80853206304000119202009-09-18T13:52:00.004+01:002009-09-18T14:01:59.110+01:00

What seems like a nice little investment property in Blargowrie is listed on e-bay at present. It's a lock up shop, currently leased out to a Bridal Studio with a 5 year ongoing lease until 2014. The seller is looking for £33k, with a rent of £3120.00 per anum, this equates to a 9.45% return.Might be worth a look, especially if you are a cash buyer with money in the bank gaining a paltry 1% or

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-46589748187487556232009-09-18T11:13:00.004+01:002009-09-18T11:16:45.413+01:00

A 98-year-old woman (not pictured above)became one of the oldest people in Britain to be evicted from her home after being branded "the neighbour from hell". A judge told Mary Plaisted she had 28 days to leave the sheltered housing flat in Southampton where she has lived for 28 years.Southampton City Council took the court action after Mrs Plaisted made the lives of her neighbours a misery for

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-78621038412334006242009-09-18T11:06:00.004+01:002009-09-18T11:17:04.584+01:00

His music had his neighbours Rockin' All Over The World - but now Paul Lloyd is risking going Down Down.Blasting out Status Quo rock songs at all hours of the day, Lloyd was proving to be a menace to his neighbours.But he has now been silenced after he was hit with a two-year anti-social behaviour order (Asbo) preventing him from playing loud music. Lloyd has also had thousands of pounds worth of

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-57303031035675448282009-09-16T15:42:00.003+01:002009-09-16T15:50:22.300+01:00

The New York Times reports on the case on an Iraqi estate agent who is now serving three years in jail for bouncing cheques. Mr Ali Fariq 33, was kidnapped and beaten by an Iraqi diplomat, Birhan al-Yacoubi, who blamed him for an investment deal gone sour.Mr Al-Yacoubi is alleged to have forced Mr Fariq to write cheques drawing on funds he did not have. The cheques were then presented to the

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-51018471977385935452009-09-15T12:54:00.003+01:002009-09-15T13:02:17.627+01:00

Dragons' Den's James Caan is teaming up with Hitachi Capital to offer high loan-to-value mortgages to borrowers, via his Look4aproperty.com website. How crazy could Caan's loans get? I hear 95% crazy.C'mon James, we're all stocked up here - go sell crazy someplace else.... Less we get into the same trouble as we did before.Yours tellingly,Mr Jackson.

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-62005924198390266302009-09-10T12:24:00.003+01:002009-09-10T12:29:57.568+01:00

1 It’s a buyer’s market. But with few sellers around, competition is limited. According to Hometrack, the number of new buyers has risen by 32 per cent over the past three months while the number of homes on the market has grown by less than 10 per cent. 2 Keep the price down. Do not be swayed by the estate agent who offers you the highest valuation: many are overvaluing homes simply to get the

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-44570782162740089432009-09-07T12:47:00.004+01:002009-09-07T12:54:24.982+01:00

Always one to keep up with the latest technology fads, (even at my age) I was interested to see that last Tuesday, Rightmove launched their new iPhone app and early signs are promising with it topping the 'Top Free Apps' on iTunes. It’s no surprise that the UK property portals want to get involved with iphone apps as they become increasingly popular and more and more people are using mobiles to

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-20672661743435674232009-09-07T11:58:00.004+01:002009-09-07T12:11:02.039+01:00

Less than a week after my posting about the 'steal' of a property at Marine Court, Stotfield Road, Lossiemouth, it's now already under offer....I hope to bring you more properties of a similar nature soon, for all you bargain hunters out there.Glad to see things are drying up in Moray - Looks like a nice sunny start to the week.Yours (a bit drier now....),Mr Jackson.

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-71057681830738472952009-09-05T10:58:00.002+01:002009-09-05T11:20:49.850+01:00

Once again Moray bore the brunt of the downpours which closed roads and schools across the north-east, with Lossiemouth recording a month’s rainfall in a single day. But council officials said recently-completed flood defences in Forres and Lhanbryde had coped well with the deluge. That's all well and good, but what about the people of Elgin & Fochabers ? Flooded in 1997, 2002 and again in 2009

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-48642381886071398962009-09-05T10:49:00.002+01:002009-09-05T10:54:11.866+01:00

"Funny" Somerset estate agent Jules Bending's apparently going into the obsolete light bulb business, and admits he's been stockpiling traditional hundred watters in a farmer's shed in the Mendip Hills, in readiness for the ban. Guardian readers are apparently furious. Until now, Bending – who runs an estate agency in Glastonbury, Somerset – has been better known for his tongue-in-cheek property

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-5957526137795251742009-08-28T12:26:00.007+01:002009-08-28T12:54:55.881+01:00

I've just been out to Keith this morning to have a look at a large steading, with full planning for conversion into 4 residential units (2-4 beds each). It's in a superb setting - even the heavy rain couldn't spoil the views. Though wellies and waterproofs were pre-requisites. Prices start at £60k, or £285k for the whole development - With a conversion cost of around £60k - £80k they don't look

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-14090223434038119802009-08-28T12:01:00.003+01:002009-08-28T12:13:13.664+01:00

Brookside Close, the set of Channel 4’s famous and long-running soap opera, has gone under the hammer…The street, which includes 13 houses, is now the proud possession of a mystery Liverpool buyer who paid £735,000 to acquire what was once the UK’s most famous cul-de-sac.The trailblazing and often controversial programme, which ran on Channel 4 for more than twenty years, filled our screens with

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-85634328166954741522009-08-27T14:09:00.004+01:002009-08-27T14:23:13.844+01:00

Stop Press - Get your home on TV and madeover at the same time.... My good friend Phil Spencer, who features regulary in the blog, has just told me of a new series of Kirstie's Homemade being commissioned. Word has it that they require some Scottish properties for the new series - What better than those in Moray.Of course I know if yours is featured as a result of me letting you in on this '

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-67667191751925356052009-08-27T13:11:00.004+01:002009-08-27T13:27:25.223+01:00

Following on from my last post, on the breaking and entering estate agent - I've actually found something that may legally be termed as 'a steal'.I just popped in to Moray Property in Lossiemouth, to have a chat with them about the local property market (but mainly to be offered a cup of Ringtons and a lovely Blueberry muffin - made by David's wife). A new for sale instruction on the board

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-36518085163489207072009-08-27T13:00:00.007+01:002009-08-27T13:09:19.008+01:00

I've just read the above Time magazine article about the state of the country's number one casino town. The author meets Brooke Boemio, "a bouncy, sweet, recently remarried 31-year-old mom whom I met years ago when I was on another assignment. Boemio is doing great during this recession. In fact, she's never had a job that paid as well: she made more than $100,000 last year. Even better, she's

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-26200778895772790942009-08-26T12:38:00.003+01:002009-08-26T13:01:35.144+01:00

With its fjords and glacial scenery, Norway has seen a steady increase in the number of British tourists. It's landscape in the South is stunning and very much like Scotland. Property prices, which have risen quite steeply over the past few years, have now slowed, and there is a strong rental market in the capital, Oslo, with an average 5% yield; holiday houses and flats are found along the

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-47339563793772943812009-08-25T10:36:00.003+01:002009-08-25T10:42:50.621+01:00

A row with a millionaire property developer ended with a neighbour's hand being sliced open by a samurai sword, it has emerged.Simon Carson flew into a rage and grabbed the antique weapon - worth thousands of pounds - to confront neighbour Simon Korn. 'Mr Korn complained to the night porter about noise downstairs and this led to Mr Carson coming upstairs armed with a samurai sword,' said

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-6599751243290683712009-08-18T16:11:00.003+01:002009-08-18T16:39:08.607+01:00

I really like this one - Link to particularsI'm sure you will too...Now where did I put that spare £2.75m ...??Mr Jackson

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-73372461171728846092009-08-18T15:32:00.007+01:002009-08-18T16:05:26.925+01:00

It seems the nice chaps at Moray Property really have put the 'cat amongst the pigeons' in the local estate agent market. Similar to they way they did with the rental market last year. They are offering a fixed price to sell your property of just £1250.00. On average a local estate agent will charge a fee 1.00% of the sale price, so if your house is worth over £125,000, there are some huge

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-19483940043662495172009-08-17T15:23:00.004+01:002009-08-17T15:48:52.219+01:00

The sofa won't fit into the living room. There's not enough room for children to play in the kitchen as you cook. And where's the recycling bin meant to go? These are some of the complaints from residents of new-build developments surveyed by Cabe, the Commission for Architecture and the Built Environment. The floor area and room sizes are the smallest in Europe - the average room in a newly

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9026886734881434330.post-84277107704563858312009-08-15T09:51:00.004+01:002009-08-15T10:17:20.430+01:00

With the current trends and a flat sales market I thought I would advise on what the smart money is doing at present. So if you're looking to buy, have some money saved or if you are just searching for a good investment opportunity now could be the time. Why not consider : RedevelopmentPut a low offer on a house in need of a lot of work, or buy a down-at-heel place at auction (where prices are

Mr Jacksonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04602720970850032403noreply@blogger.com