A Local shop for local people.......

Just been reading on the BBC website an intruiging tale that a family has been banned from selling their house to a Scottish couple because of a covenant preventing a sale to anyone without links to Dorset.

Phillip Collins thought he had sold his former council house in Dorchester to a couple from Glasgow offering £192,000.



But Synergy Housing Group, which took over Purbeck District Council's housing stock, blocked the sale.

The group said they should have been aware of the rule but Mr Collins now fears he will not find a buyer quickly.

Mr Collins said: "That creates an exceedingly restricted market for us in a time when the housing market is already at one of its lowest points.

"There is no date by which we can sell it outside the covenant.

"This property could be on the market for 40 years and we would still only be able to sell it to Dorset people."

The covenant was part of Right to Buy government legislation brought in in the 1980s.

The Collins' house is in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

There are some exemptions for key workers and people with close relatives in Dorset, the BBC has learned.

Brian Miller, of Synergy Housing group, said: "The covenant was there when they purchased the property and they should have been aware that there may be these issues on re-sale."

There's been chatter, in recent years, of similar covenants returning, in a bid to stop second home buyers pricing locals out of rural beauty spots. While this former council property languishes on the market, its value diminishing, I'm sure the Collins's will be keen to tell all just what good such a covenant does for the local community.

Until the next time,

Mr Jackson.

Love your garage.....

The garage is like Aladdin's other cave - the one where he keeps all the scuffed, burnt-out and broken stuff he just can't bring himself to throw away.

They are no longer places we keep cars, but elaborate death-traps, where 12 cans of creosote can be balanced on top of each other while dumb-bells, running machines and collapsible canoes are wedged behind broken tumble dryers.

Which begs the question: is it the beginning of the end for the humble garage?

No home-buyer in decades has been able to walk past a house being sold with its own double garage without thinking: 'Well, that would be useful . . .'

As wages rocketed and consumer prices plunged, the desire to buy, buy, buy gripped the Nineties, with the result that cars were relegated to driveways.

When I bought my house two years ago, I was instantly beguiled by its double garage - but not because I wanted to park the trusty family Espace in various spots in it on different days.

Like many men, I had my eyes on turning it into something else. This could be the games room, I pondered. A home cinema. Is it OK for us chaps to have a room dedicated just to drinking?

Of course, logic won out, and my garage was converted to become a nice new entrance hall to the house, plus a side room to store junk.

The Espace is surviving remarkably well without a concrete roof over its head.

In a straw poll of friends, I found that 80 per cent of them were not using their garages to park their cars.



Many, especially those in their 20s and 30s, had never deployed them for their intended purpose. They were using them as guest rooms, bathrooms, even a sauna.

'People are using their garages less and less to park their cars,' says Paul Hammond, manager at Moray Property.

'There are some modern townhouses in both Elgin & Forres, where the house is built over the garage, and owners have turned them into gyms, offices or somewhere to keep a hot tub. It's rare to open the garage door and actually find a car.'

Older properties fare no better, because garages have stayed the same size, while the cars have got bigger.

'Some garages are so weeny that you could drive in, but couldn't get out of your car,' says Paul.

Lee Coan, a 29-year-old journalist from Inverness, converted his garage into an office after giving up his job in London to go freelance - and claims it was a masterstroke.

'When I had my house valued, I found I'd added maybe £40,000 to it, all thanks to my fancy "annexe". So I sold up and moved on,' he says.

Lee hasn't yet got round to tinkering with the garage at his new home.

'At the moment, it's got an old Morris Minor in it and some paint,' he says, but he admits he has grand plans for it, which include the word 'mezzanine'.

He's not the only one with garage nirvana in mind: The Garage Conversion Company (0800 587 0262, garageconversion.com) claims to have done up more than 2,000 garages in the past four years.

The company's speciality is the part-conversion of a double garage: the front bit is retained to load up with oily lawn-mowers and bikes, while the back becomes a useful sliver of extra living space.

The process is, of course, far cheaper than an extension. And yet this rising tide of garage 'reimagining' seems to have bypassed Britain's homebuilders entirely; indeed, the shutters are down.

When I asked, none of the big names would tell me why they were still building garages - which, via some admittedly lateral thinking, brings me to the alarming conclusion that they're all secretly in cahoots with Britain's beleaguered car industry.

How else do you explain a new development by Muir Homes near Biggar, South Lanarkshire: four bedrooms, three bathrooms - and a nice triple garage.

It'll be a laundry room by Christmas, mind. . .

Adios amigos

Mr Jackson.

Schoolyard Tales.....

I asked the chaps at Moray Property recently what they thought about some of the other agents in the area. With a smile and to their credit they simply advised me that there were some better than others and it would be unprofessional of them to comment on their competitors.

"We let our qualifications and experience do the talking", said David. "You are only as good as the staff you employ and we have exceptional staff !".

What a good answer and what a refreshing change this made - Just this week I've been into two separate agencies, one in Forres and one in Elgin and spoke with the company partners of each. It was the first time I had met these people and within seconds they were quick to tell me not to use Estate Agent X or Letting Agent Y, as to quote "they're struggling for buyers, they are a waste of space, they're bargain basement, offer poor service and drab marketing".

Frankly I was astounded to hear such blatant condemnation of other professionals - I know the industry has not got the best of names and with company partners like these it's not surprising ! It was like being in the school yard.

I find that the best way to choose between any product or company is by a recommendation from an independant reliable colleague or friend. If this is not available then choose the one that is best qualified to meet your needs.

Though I for one won't ever be using either of the two agents I spoke to. Time to grow up boys....

Caveat emptor (and seller and landlord) !

Until next time,

Mr Jackson

Chocolate box / Tea caddy cottage......

Beckside, in Staithes, near Whitby, is one of Britain's most photographed homes, featuring on souvenirs, postcards and calendars of the village by the seaside.

The historic property, now a holiday cottage, which sits by the quayside next to the lifeboat station overlooking Roxby Beck and the harbour, is on the market at £295,000.



Beckside started out as a fisherman's cottage 250 years ago and was at one point the home of the lifeboat coxwain.

But thanks to the village's popularity, the property has turned into a successful holiday property.

Andrew Revitt, who owns the home with business partners Clare Revitt and Chris and Fran Peace, said: "A friend saw it and picked up the brochure for us. When we saw it we fell in love with it and bought it.

"It was a bit tired so we renovated it but we really tried to keep its character because we didn't want to spoil it at all."

"This area of the village is one of the UK's most photographed places, so the cottage features on everything from postcards to the Millennium calendar and on brochures and adverts promoting the East Coast, and, of course, on the Yorkshire Tea box.

"I've lost count of the number of people who have said: 'We've seen your cottage on a chocolate box, tea tray, tea box and so on."

What an ideal place to 'have a break' ......

Enough puns, until next time.

Mr Jackson.

Scam of the day

Turn up to a viewing at an expensive house in your best togs, boasting about your homes in Jamaica and Barbados, make a cash offer, ask if you can rent in the period up until completion because you've sold your previous property, and then move in claiming squatters' rights. Hmmm, crafty. But who could pull that off?

A couple in their 60s called Richard and Hazel Jerome, apparently.

The couple who posed as affluent house buyers to con sellers into renting their homes before squatting in the property were facing prison today. They did not pay rent or utility bills and had no intention of ever buying the properties, the jury was told.

They repeated the scam on two different properties with a combined total value of over £800,000 and squatted in them for a total of 18 months.

The elaborate scam left their victims - including a top criminal barrister - unable to sell their homes until the couple had been evicted following lengthy court proceedings.

One victim, Janet Jarvis, of Milton Keynes, Beds., and another of Mrs Jerome's former colleagues at a primary school where they both worked, died of cancer before the trial took place.

The con artists were finally arrested for driving a stolen car after it was spotted by police operating an automatic number plate recognition camera in January 2008.

A police detective, who first came across Mr Jerome 30 years earlier in an earlier case, then unearthed their web of deceit.

Today, the husband and wife, of no fixed abode, pleaded guilty to two charges of fraud at Huntingdon Crown Court in Cambridgeshire.

Mr Jerome pleaded guilty to an additional charge of fraud and a charge of obtaining money by deception.

Still at least they'll soon have a place to call their own home, even if it is a 8' x 6' cell.

Don't have nightmares.

Mr Jackson

Who'd be a landlord ?

The month starts rather badly... attending a legal update course on property management I learn about risk assessment, legal compliance and the new Housing Act (with all its delicious new penalties). Juggling 15 hours of concentrated learning with free-flowing coffee is not so easy for someone of my age; battle with the yo-yo of reading glasses up and down the nose whilst trying not to appear senile or incontinent in front of the lithe young things from the national agencies. Leave the course with the stark realisation that if I were starting a property management company I would not choose to start with the one I already have.

On Wednesday morning miss the opportunity to dash into the back office as Kim Possible(Not her real name) arrives at the front door - she calls in every month and after three years in her property still fails to pay the correct rent in one go - a young single mum she embarks into lavish detail to explain why her social life/holiday plans/the CSA/young daughter have conspired to her offering short rent (sometimes by £100 but sometimes by only £5).

Each month she asks if I think the Landlord 'would mind' if she pays when convenient - every month without fail I grimace sweetly and inform her that there is no problem as her mother is her guarantor so I'll call her for the shortfall... within the hour she is back with the balance of the money, now complaining about the ugly carpet (which, to be fair, was ugly when she moved in and is still just as ugly now).

The problem is that it actually IS an Axminster (a real claim for once - not one from Landlord who seeks replacement of a bonded felt hotel-lift style monstrosity with something far more superior). This carpet will not wear out until the third millennium - come dogs, children, upturned Ribena and fag ends - do your worst! Kim will live with this carpet until the end of her days. (Have you noticed how the durability of any carpet is in inverse proportion to its attractiveness?)


Call on another new property - one handed to us by a Landlord disgruntled with her previous agent - the nightmare logistics of this set-up (a very large pleasant house with a very UN-self-contained annexe) could produce an article of its own (and probably will one day). Suffice it to say that we called for an initial inspection of the annexe to find a large bin outside full of dog-poo bags. Rapid barking inside stopped instantly when we knocked, and we were ushered into the rather dank interior by Wayne Kerr (Not his real name) - a young man seemingly lacking in any charm or ability, he smiles, giving us a dentist's eye view of his remaining teeth.



The smell of dog is overpowering - 'Do you have an animal in here?' I ask 'Oh no' he replies 'It's not allowed on the tenancy agreement'. He glances furtively back towards a large cage in the corner of the bedroom area covered by a blanket. We start the inspection, which takes only a few minutes due to the restricted size of the place. Curiously the blanket on the cage moves as we walk around, rather as though a mystical periscope lies underneath. Bite my lip, and determine not to catch my partner's eye for fear of collapsing into giggles. Attempt to get Wayne and Mrs Wayne to understand that they need to remember to pay rent every month.



This concept seems to prove problematical for them them. They smile sweetly and say ' we've been in much worse arrears than this before, so we're getting better'. I glance down and realise that his self-tattooed arm contains the two words 'war' and 'pease' -I have the temerity to assume that he is neither a keen student of Tolstoy nor an epicure dedicated to mashed pulses - I remain mesmerised by the spelling mistake and begin to think that we may be onto a lost cause here with a man who can suffer so much pain intentionally to advertise a vegetable on his arm. As he starts to point out that he really does need to use BOTH the parking spaces for his (small) car as he can't reverse accurately enough to get the car into one or the other, I begin to lose the will to live and say we will call again.

I'm off to drown my sorrows.....

Mr Jackson.

The Tour Continues....

Fresh from huge success in America, the bargain hunter property bus has driven all the way from the states to pick up passengers on the Costa Del Sol in Spain – offering tours of distressed real estate for sale at rock bottom prices, so get your tickets now…



Ahhh, the world of bus tours – from oohing over celebrity houses in Hollywood to creeping across Austria with a group of pensioners, to living it up on an 18-30’s coach.

Now, there is a new trend in bus tours – the credit crunch bus. Already hugely popular with bargain hunters in Florida and Arizona, the bus, which tours distressed property for sale, has made it to Spain.

Organisers Circulo Financiero Internacional, a property investors club, is offering tours of luxury properties on new developments, some of which have had their prices slashed by as much as half.

The organizers said that all properties featured on the tour were ‘real bargains,’ with other developments all offering discounts of between 20 and 40 per cent.

The first tour of the Costas took place earlier this month with a bus-load of Spanish, German and Russian bargain hunters sniffing out the best deals on new developments in Marbella, Estepona and Benehavis.

They saw golf and beach real estate and penthouses, one of which had 50 per cent slashed off its £967,000 original guide price.

On a new development in Puerto Banus, 250 square metre penthouses were going for under £440,000 and 200 square metre apartments were on offer for £351,000.

On a golf development, 200 square metre semi-detached properties that had been repossessed by the bank were for sale at £262,000, a reduction of almost 50 per cent on their original asking price.

The tour is free for members of the CFI investors club and £17 for non members and the property prices can be negotiated still further with the Spanish banks, which is currently far easier than it has been in the past.

A CFI Spokesman said, “The market is stagnating and developers need to shift new homes that in some cases they have built and paid for or are being repossessed or belong to the banks.”

Following the initial success of the credit crunch bus in the Costas, CFI are now planning to introduce similar bargain hunting bus tours in other parts of Spain, possibly in Barcelona and Madrid.

Lets hope you don't see that bus in Moray anytime soon !

Mr Jackson.

Grand Designs For £40.00.....

With the housing market still in turmoil, increasing numbers of people are choosing to stay put and make the most of the space they’re in. But home improvement means more than just a lick of paint. Talk to an architect, and you could improve not just your home, but your quality of life, too.

Architect in the House, in partnership with the NHBC, is an innovative scheme that matches homeowners with an RIBA chartered architect who gives up an hour of their time for a design consultation. In exchange, the homeowner makes a suggested minimum donation of £40 to Shelter, the housing and homelessness charity.

Whether it’s inspiration for a study, an extra bedroom, or just better living space you need, an RIBA chartered architect can offer creativity and professional advice that will help bring your ideas to life.

Shelter works tirelessly with the people worst affected by the current housing crisis, helping them find or keep a home that’s decent, secure, and permanent.

In the current climate, Shelter’s services are under unprecedented strain. A donation from you means that Shelter can be there for even more people in desperate housing need.

Over the past 13 years, Architect in the House has raised £800,000. In an uncertain housing market, why not unlock the potential of the home you’re in?

What a great way to develop your home and ulock its potential whilst giving to a worthy cause. You'll find details of how to apply here :

Architect In the House

Well worth a look !

Mr Jackson.

Hero to zero.....Again....

Many of the once paper millionaire landlords out there could soon be worth nothing.

That's right .... zilch, zero, diddly squat, absolutely nothing.

I'll tell you why....

Many landlords have built property portfolios based on refinancing on the increased equity values.

Each time a property went up in value they refinanced, typically at 80% LTV, taking the new found equity out of one property to finance the purchase of another.

Many property investors built large portfolios based upon this very simple business model.

As there property portfolio, of say 30 properties, worth £6 million sat there with a LTV of 80%, they felt happy in the knowledge, that on paper at least they were worth £1.2 million.

However, as property price falls start to touch 20%, these same millionaire landlords have seen there equity in property fall to 0%, and are now worth nothing.

To add insult to injury many are now facing almost impossible re-financing options.

It would of been far more fun losing a million at the Casino in Monte Carlo, than on the steady decline of maisonettes in Lhanbryde.

Hope you're not one of them !

Until the next time.

Mr Jackson

Hop to it....

Browsing through property listings a few weeks ago I came across a picture of a house with a herd (if that’s the correct collective noun) of alpacas in the garden.

Apparently it’s quite the thing for the country set to have a few of these woolly blighters wandering round the paddock.

But the wheels of fashion – and social one-upmanship – are ever turning. Alpacas, it seems, are now oh so last season, and this year people with acres of lawn to keep trim are turning to wallabies as an alternative.

Yes, you read that right: wallabies – the hoppy little marsupials from Down Under.



According to The Times, suppliers are reporting a surge in demand (please note that I resisted the temptation to say jump) from homeowners keen to keep the grass in check.

Back in the day, this was done by a team of gardeners, or a flock of sheep, but in these credit-crunched times gardeners are expensive, and sheep, well, let’s face it, they’re just a little bit common (and dumb with it).

Wallabies, on the other hand, are cheap, amusing and, apparently, very good with children.

They have the added advantage of making you look like a genuine English eccentric - “Old Binky … capital fellow, but absolutely bonkers. Pair of wallabies in his grounds, you know.”

Mind you, if you want to really make a statement, take inspiration from Dante Gabriel Rossetti who back in the day kept quite a menagerie in his garden: monkeys, armadillos, gazelles, peacocks, a kangaroo, a wombat, and a large black bull.

Apparently he yearned for an African elephant to complete the picture. Rossetti, incidentally, lived at Cheyne Walk, London SW3, so you need not worry yourself.

Now that wallabies are de rigeur, I’m sure Moray council would look sympathetically on a recreation of that particular project.

Hopping off now....

Mr Jackson.

Rent out your driveway.....

Parklet.co.uk is a portal for parking spaces and garages to rent. Great for commuters looking for a safe place to park and as the founder of parklet points out in a recent interview it has added security for the the home owner who has let out his drive during the day as it provides the impression someone maybe in.

With an average annual revenue between £1,000 and £1,800 to be made it is worth considering.

Somehow I don't think this one is suitable for the Moray market, with the main company emphasis being on larger cities - London, Manchester & Edinburgh.

I've seen them parking 3 abreast on Queen Street in Lossie before now - Who needs a garage or a driveway ?

All the best,

Mr Jackson.

Mr Jackson returns !

Hello my friends !

I am now fully recovered after my somewhat lengthy stay in Raigmore hospital. I wanted to thank everyone for their best wishes, their cards, gifts and cakes (especially cakes).

Thanks to my son Adrian Jackson (Jackson JR) Who has filled my blogging shoes admirably in my absense. I've a lot to live up to !

Thanks also to David & Paul at Moray Property Ltd, for allowing me to re-join them and continue to write the property blogs - something which I really enjoy. Something which I don't enjoy is looking at that wallpaper in your property shop ! Modern it may be, but you'll need to wear sunglasses whilst you work !

They will be pleased to know my son installed wireless broadband whilst I was away and I can now blog from the balcony at Findhorn, whilst watching the seals on the far shore at Culbin - Life just doesn't get any better !

I look forward to 'Blogging' with you all again soon.

Take care,

Mr Jackson.

Let with your pets....

Thanks to The Property Owl for their blog about letting with pets I have been inundated with pictures of budgies, cats, dogs and goldfish. The Dogs Trust have launched their campaign, Lets with Pets.

Anyway, a glossy brochure arrived through the letterbox and I have had a few emails from various sources encouraging me to be aware of renting to pet owners. The glossy guide for landlords and letting agents goes on to suggest that Landlords are missing a trick by excluding pet owners.

Elsewhere, emails have stated to me that 75% of landlords don’t allow pets and this pet discrimination is really unnecessary as pet owners do not equal bad tenants. Fair point, I know of plenty of bad tenants who didn’t lick their bottoms clean, smell of old carpet and provide safe havens for the travelling flea circus. Indeed, I suspect some of them did.

It is just this sort of prejudice that the Lets with Pets manifesto sets out to negate and good luck to them. As a landlord, I have enough trouble deciding whether the latest tenants will destroy my flat and would I really leave it to the agent to judge the ability of a pet, perhaps not....

There is even a suggestion that one should ask for a pet reference with such questions as ‘...did their pets cause any damage to [a previous] property...’. I wonder how many people will admit that their little pooch destroyed the floors, paintwork, furniture and carpets (wear and tear I guess).

I am sure I will have the Pet Police down on me and some pet loving readers may take offence, but I have never really understood why we have pets in the first place. To me it has always seemed a little sad to drag around an animal on a lead or cage it or put it on a mantle piece to watch it swim in a circle, purely for ‘our’ enjoyment!

Now whilst I am playing a little, there is a serious point. Within the UK there are apparently 8 million dogs and 8 million cats and with the rental market become ever more popular, Landlords may just need an edge so perhaps allowing Shep to reside within your property could be just such an edge.

I like the advice of Paul from Moray Property Ltd when he says ‘...It is important to meet the pet in question prior to granting a tenancy...’ Wise words indeed and if the maxim that pet owners resemble their pets has any merit then think carefully about tenants with snakes!

Anyway, I am off to see if I can rent a two bed flat for me and my pet chickens - Cheep !

Until the next one,

Jackson.

Football Brain.....

The world's star football players never fail to amaze with their staggering salary packages and extravagant lifestyles. However, while they might make millions in hard currency on the pitch, they're losing loads of cash in dud property deals.

Journalist Duncan Farmer says for the past five years, dressing-room banter among the Premier League stars has focused on how to jump on the bandwagon of rising house prices. Now, says Farmer, the "big question on the team bus is: Who is going to lose the most?"

The dunce of the footballers' property class is believed to be Wayne Rooney, who the Daily Mail says is likely to take the most pain. It's apparently tough call, however, between him and United boss Sir Alex Ferguson.

Rooney is believed to be among dozens of sportsmen and showbiz stars who invested a total of £25m to build two new apartment blocks in Aldgate and Whitechapel in London's East End through their financial adviser, Formation Group," said the newspaper.

"Most of the 142 flats at the 17-storey Whitechapel block were sold 18 months ago to a single investor, who has since exchanged contracts but will not complete until May. However, the other building, above Aldgate East Underground station, hit the buffers when Iceland's Heritable Bank, which was funding building work, went under in November," it noted.




Ferguson, meanwhile is expected to lose all money he ploughed into aAim Ltd, a commercial property investment that owned dozens of pubs, car showrooms and factories across Europe.

Others highlighted for their lack of financial prowess include footballers Michael Owen and England teammates Joe Cole, David James, Paul Scholes, Kieron Dyer and Gary Neville. They were reportedly among the investment herd who galloped onto the man-made Palm Jumeirah island. The Daily Mail recounts how they each paid about £900 000 in 2003. Recently property prices have been plummeting in Dubai and are expected to come down further.

Owen, meanwhile, has made some poor judgment calls back home. A flat he bought in Liverpool in 2004 is expected to fetch (£96 000) half the price he paid for it (£205 000), says the publication.

Not all footballers have got it wrong, though. Former Blackburn Rovers' Robbie 'Nosestrip' Fowler is allegedly "still raking it in as a landlord", thanks to a portfolio of about 100 houses and flats thought to be worth £31m. He started buying in the 1990s apparently, so his units are worth far more than what he paid - even though prices have fallen in recent years.

Nice one son....

Jackson.

Landlord Repossessions....

Mortgaged-up landlords seemed to be getting away with it during the first months of the crash... with repo-figures looking modest compared to domestic properties.

Not any more.

The latest Council of Mortgage Lenders figures show 1,700 buy-to-let properties repossessed in the first quarter of 2009. But factor in instances where the lender opts for appointing a receiver and continuing to collect rent and the figure leaps to 4,100.

Part of the story is about a trend... lenders opting to hold onto and rent out properties rather than simply repossess them and chuck them onto the market at diminishing returns. Very sensible.

The other part of the story is about the market finally catching up with landlords. Using the figures that include the appointment of a receiver of rent, and three times as many landlords were repossessed than private owners across the period.

Seems like the crunch is hitting everyone..... :-(

Jackson.

Fake queue's.... Whatever next....?

A Belfast house builder has been criticised for staging a queue of first-time buyers outside an estate agents, in a bid to stimulate interest in a new development.

The PR agency for Bradkeel Developments, which is building Belfast's Sugar Walk scheme, sent out a press release entitled 'Worth the Wait', with photos of people queueing, one sat in a deckchair and wrapped in a sleeping bag.



The press release claimed: "A group of potential purchasers queued outside the Templeton Robinson estate agent's Lisburn Road office yesterday, preparing to register for an iconic apartment in the Sugar Walk complex, based in the heart of Cathedral Quarter in Belfast."

However, the photos have been exposed as at least partially fake, according to the Irish Times. The woman in the deck chair at the head of the queue is actually a model paid by PR agency Michelle McTernan Management.

"I did put a good-looking girl at the front of the queue and paid for her to be there as a model," admitted the agency's Michelle McTernan. "I know if there's someone good-looking in the photograph it has more chance of being in the papers."

Bradkeel Developments' Paul Fitzsimons defended the stunt, saying the other people standing in the photos were genuine potential buyers who had been told to gather there last Thursday to receive brochures and see a special sculpture of the complex made from sugar cubes.

He said deposits had been paid on 35 of the apartments retailing from £135,000.

John Davis of property consultants Davis and Armstrong, told the newspaper: "Everyone and his dog is trying to talk up the market so that people again feel panicked that they should get back on to the ladder.

"The reality is that there is very little demand for property in the north of Ireland."

David at Moray Rentals unhappily commented that 'You never see any good looking women queuing to get into our shop.......'

I won't tell your wife David.....!

Until the next time,

Jackson.

Furnish your home like an M.P.......

The lavish sums spent by some MPs on homewares have been one of the most shocking aspects of the expenses scandals. Sums such as £1,067.49 for a washer dryer when you can buy an Idesit model at Comet for £289.97. In one voice, the nation has been asking: “Have these people not heard of Comet, Argos, Homebase, Ikea or Tesco?” Or, for that matter, of Wilkinsons?

At this discount store, Jacqui Smith, the beleaguered Home Secretary, could have purchased a bathplug for just 69p, 19p less than the amount she charged the taxpayer. There is a Wilkinsons (known to fans as Wilco) in her Redditch constituency.

Lynne Jones, MP for Birmingham, Selly Oak, treated herself to Farrow & Ball wallpaper, which sells for as much as £45 a roll. The downturn has obliged most Britons to turn instead to the bargain range at B&Q, where wallpaper start at £3.48 a roll.

Paul Keetch, Lib Dem MP for Hereford, furnished his South London flat with a sofabed costing £690. At www.sofasofa.co.uk, the Madrid sofa bed (rather smart, actually) is £369.

Though I'm afraid I can't get you a floating duck island any cheaper than £1645.00 that Tory MP Sir Peter Viggers purchased. Perhaps with all the recent fuss he'll sell you it at a discount.

Why not make him an offer ? I can just see it it adorning the garden pond of a house in Lhanbryde now....

Until next time,

Jackson.

Get your home on the big screen.....

Think your house could be a star of the big screen ?

It may be the tale of a simple country girl, but when Thomas Hardy's novel Tess of the D'Urbervilles was filmed at Pat Cutforth's home in Wiltshire last year, the size of the operation was anything but modest.

"It was like being occupied by a small army," she recalls. "There were 30 or 40 parked cars, there was a lay-by full of trucks, there was a generator for the electricity, and there were these huge trailers from which they fed everyone.

"On the day they filmed the scene with the agricultural labourers binding the straw bales, the location manager told me the kitchens were cooking for 90 people." Which is rather more lunch places than are usually laid at the Cutforths' Georgian farmhouse, in the middle of the Wiltshire countryside. So was it worth all the disruption?

"Most definitely," she says. "It was great fun. And, of course, the money came in very handy." Ah yes, the money. For handing over your home to a film crew, you can expect to make anything between £750 and £5,000 per (long, 12-hour) day. Even a magazine or catalogue shoot will earn you from £500 to £1,500 a day.

Which is why there has, in recent months, been a sudden increase in the number of home owners contacting agencies that specialise in finding film locations. With the great scenery and coastal locations in and around Moray has your unique property got what it takes ?

"Everyone's looking to generate extra cash, and hiring out your home is an obvious way of doing it," says Sarah Eastel, whose agency has many hundreds of bricks-and-mortar hopefuls on its books. "In the past, perhaps, a lot of people have just thought about doing it. Now they're taking things that stage further."

What you need to know:

- First approach an agent And send them photos of your house (without pets, children or yourself in them). Best to make a whole CD's worth.

- Play the field It's perfectly acceptable to be on more than one agent's books.

- House nothing special? Not necessarily a problem. Most agencies have properties classified under "Down To Earth" or even "Derelict" (fashion photographers love the contrast between rough brickwork and pretty clothes).

- Always expect visitors A production company may visit four or five times before deciding to hire your home; don't get tetchy, this is quite normal.

- Be on hand to help on filming day The crew are bound to have questions; where are the power points, can they dismantle your garden fence?

- But don't get in the way Keep out of the way of the cameras, and don't get in the stars' hair.

- Know what to expect It should be made clear in the contract whether or not the crew can keep coming in to use your loo, for example.

- When the filming has stopped You should still get paid. Most agencies charge 50 per cent of the normal day rate for set-up and takedown days.

I'll look out for you on the big screen soon......

All the best,

Jackson.

Hic...You're my best mate......

We all know estate agents don't have the best of reputations (sorry guy's - obviously I don't mean yourselves at Moray Property) and stories like the one below from the Mail certainly don't help their cause.

An estate agent went on a rampage in a luxury home his firm was selling while the owner was abroad, a court has heard.

After a heavy drinking session, Joseph Young, 23, collected the keys to the £650,000 house from his office so he and two friends could continue to party.

Once inside, the trainee estate agent and friend Bradley Conway, 23, ripped out door frames and smashed chairs, statues and picture frames. They poured Tipp-Ex fluid over duvets and damaged a vintage car in the garage.

Conway was acting 'like a raging bull', smashing windows and hammering keys on the piano in the house, Guildford Crown Court heard.

He then stole the keys to the owner's Skoda and took it for a drunken joyride with Young. They smashed the car into a tree near the four-bedroom property, writing it off.

The pair, who caused £5,200 worth of damage inside the house in Deepcut, Surrey, were arrested by police soon afterwards.

Yesterday Young pleaded guilty to causing criminal damage but was cleared of stealing the car keys and aggravated vehicle taking. Conway had already admitted all three offences. The pair, both from Frimley, will be sentenced later.

The court heard that Young worked at Vickery & Co estate agents in Frimley, but had handed in his notice shortly before the incident on April 11 last year.

The owner of the house, Anthony Clench, was in Spain when the incident happened.

He told the court it was 'obviously not the happiest occasion' when he returned to find the scene of devastation.

Mr Clench sold the house for £650,000 two months later - All's well that ends well !

Until the next time.

Jackson.

No eviction here.....

News from the BBC this morning is that a pied wagtail that set up home on a construction site in Kent where a reservoir is being built has had her nest carefully fenced off by builders.



South East Water said workmen did a double take when they found the bird nesting on the site, where construction vehicles were constantly moving around.

Ecologists were called in to assess the situation in Cranbrook, and a protective barrier was built.

The firm said careful planning allowed workers to continue work around her.

Project manager Joe Yip said: "Thankfully, the bird seems to be perfectly happy sat on the nest and generally ignores what we are up to."

He said she built her nest on a ledge inside a piece of wooden shuttering on the corner of the partly-constructed storage reservoir.

Cute but true....

Jackson.