Bauhaus Blocks....

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, as part of the children’s room in the 'Am Horn' model house in Weimar.

Now it's available once more - a 22-piece set retails for £99 - Wow ... Your parents would need to be architects to afford that.... !

Play Nicely Now.

Mr J.

Confused by conveyancing....

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 conveyancing was only dropped to 23% when the poll was narrowed to include homeowners who've been through the process themselves. Reallymoving have published a guide in response... here.

Happy Reading,
J.

Rightmove In Top 10....

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 for us.

“Rightmove is synonymous with home-hunting but this underlines our position as one of the most popular overall consumer brands on the web.”

Despite concerns that the World Cup could bring a slowdown in search activity, Rightmove measured an 11% increase in pages viewed on its website compared with June of last year.

Shipside added: “In spite of the World Cup distraction, it’s a sign of growing pent-up demand that people continue to search for properties.”

I would have thought that the World Cup proved no distraction for the people of Moray, perhaps only the England v Germany game, when I could hear cheering for each German goal echoing around the area !

Only another 4 years to wait, by which time Rightmove should have cemented its place in the top 5 and Wayne Rooney will be at his prime (perhaps...).

Seems incredible but still many local agents are not listed with them. When buying a house 'out of area' it's the first port of call for all potential purchasers.

Off to the Highland Games in Forres this weekend, please say hello if you see me there, I'm always keen to meet any of my blog readers.

Until next time,

Mr J

Bored about Boards....

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 once one firm put boards back up, the others had to follow or risk losing business.

It emerged that Kensington and Chelsea Borough Council wanted to renew the ban but there had been disagreement over how extensive it should be. Last year, it applied to extend the ban to 80% of its area, but the Secretary of State refused permission.

Other London boroughs, including Hammersmith and Fulham, Camden and Westminster, have also sought Regulation 7 controls.

Meanwhile the reappearance of boards in Kensington and Chelsea from the likes of Hamptons, Savills, Marsh & Parsons and Foxtons has prompted heritage groups to call for a blanket ban across the whole of central London.

Amanda Frame, chairman of the Kensington Society, said: “The more the boards go up, the more it shows they need to be controlled. The agents are cutting their own throats by putting them back up. It blights all areas, not just those with conservation status.”

Ian Dungavell, director of the Victorian Society, said the boards were “an anachronism” in the internet era.

The conservationists have an unlikely ally – in the form of an estate agent.

Ed Mead, of Douglas & Gordon, said: “My view is very strongly that boards should be banned – period.

“I think they are a blight and they are just used to advertise the agency. Why on earth, at a cost of £6 a board, should an agent be able to blight a street when everything is done on the web these days?

“A ban would get rid of much of the stigma attached to the estate agency industry.”

Personally I can't help but smile when I see David's new boards (above), they certainly brighten up any street - they match the shop wall paper in case you hadn't noticed.

Hope you're not 'board' reading this - Until the next time.

Mr J