Why You Shouldn't Sell Your House without an Estate Agent

With the global economic crisis, it has become second nature to a lot of us to try and save a few pennies wherever we can. The housing market is no exception.  

Using An Estate Agent 

One such way that has seen a huge increase in popularity is to sell your property privately, cutting out the middleman and in turn their commission charges, but does selling to someone directly cost you in other ways? We show you why you shouldn't self sell and should opt for an estate agent for whichever area you are looking to sell in or move to.  

Marketing 

All marketing and advertising costs fall onto your shoulders. This can be an expensive deal and whilst you can advertise online, you can't be sure that you are targeting the right buyers or the people that might usually use an estate agent Islington. 

You need to go with your own gut instincts. Without having the knowledgeable assistance of your estate agent Islington, you are left to meet with potential buyers alone and make a sound decision on whether they are serious about investing and if they are going to offer a smooth business transaction. 

By enlisting the services of an estate agent you will get a realistic market valuation for your home, by self selling you may find that you price your property too high to attract buyers or too low and lose out on some valuable equity. 

You will be responsible for showing potential buyers around your home so will need to make yourself available at inconvenient times. An agent takes this part of the job out of the equation ensuring that it doesn't encroach on your personal time more than necessary.  

Negotiations 

Negotiations can be tough, even more so when you have an emotional connection to what you are selling. A home is more than a house and it can be very difficult to look at a property objectively when you have put your heart and soul into developing and decorating a house. This tie can put you at a disadvantage when it comes to discussing a deal that an agent would be able to negotiate effectively. 

You may be self selling to save paying a commission to an agent, but buyers will use this as a negotiating tool and often expect to pay a lower price because of the money you are saving. You need to be prepared to hardball.

Whilst selling a house on paper sounds as if it would be a fairly straightforward transaction, it can run much deeper. You would need to have confidence in the legalities surrounding a house sale and have a clear understanding on the financial setup. You could seek professional help for this aspect of the deal but by hiring an agent, all this stress and hard work would be handled on your behalf. Moving home is one of the most stressful things we do in life and keeping it as simple as we can is only going to be a good thing!  

AUTHOR BIO S. James is a part of estate agent islington community and writes regularly for a number of property websites and publications. With a background in property development, James likes to draw on her personal experience to help other buyers and sellers.

Early Dessert

We planned to order Poffertjes with melted chocolate for dessert; but it served earlier, before our main menu -the sausage pizza. That's ok, no problem :)

 My husband's drink was Noni Green Juice. He said it tasted very fresh. The juice is totally green but the slice of pineapple made me can link this post to

Mellow Yellow

Blinds and Awnings to Help Make Your Conservatory Greener

Windows and glass can be inefficient when it comes to contributing to your home's green rating, particularly for conservatories. Blinds and awnings can contribute to making your home greener by ensuring heat doesn't escape and keeping sun light out.

Your home's green rating

There are many factors that contribute to the green rating of your home. House insulation, recycling, turning off appliances and saving water are all ways to make your home greener and conserve energy. Glass in windows and doors can do particular harm to your home's green rating and if you have a conservatory which includes glass doors, walls and ceilings this can be a particular problem. Glass is a poor insulator and so heat will escape relatively easily from your home. Not only does this mean that heat is escaping into to the atmosphere but your energy usage may be higher. For a conservatory this can either mean you have a very cold room or that your heating bills are very high. For those living in warmer climates using air conditioning systems glass is also problematic. The sun will come through the glass and make the room hotter causing the air conditioning system to work harder and so use more energy. In a conservatory where there is a lot of glass the room may be hotter or bills to run the air conditioning system will be higher.

Types of blinds to help make your home greener

Blinds can be used to insulate glass in windows and doors in your home to improve your home's green rating. Blinds can be particularly effective in a conservatory to insulate glass ceilings and walls. There are many types of blinds on offer that work well to achieve better insulation. These include conservatory pleated blinds, venetian blinds and roller blinds. Not only will they help maintain a pleasant climate, they can add to the ddcor and ambience of the room. It is recommended that blinds used to help with insulation and keep a room warm are closed at dusk or when it gets colder.

Blind materials can help enormously in contributing to insulation. There are fabrics available for blinds that have thermal insulation properties and they can be very useful in making sure heat is kept in and cold stays out. These types of fabrics can be used for conservatory pleated blinds. In the summer months or for people living in hot climates, many blind fabrics will work to block out sunlight successfully so your conservatory stays cooler.

Awnings to help keep your home cool

Outdoor awnings are also effective in keeping a room cool. A patio awning will give shade to the patio itself and providing a cool place for friends and family to relax. Awnings also prevent heat from the patio bouncing onto windows and glass doors, so contributing to a cooler room and usage of air conditioning unit should be less. An awning will also protect furniture from the sun so ensuring less maintenance and more longevity.

Overall it is worth spending time to research types of blinds and awnings that can help with climate control in your home and your conservatory. As well as improving your home's green rating there will also be savings in energy bills. Blinds and awnings can also add to the look of your home in colour, style and ambience.

Are You Looking for Pasadena Homes for Sale?

When talking about the city of Pasadena located in Los Angeles County, California, USA; what do you have in mind? Even though I haven’t got a chance to visit this beautiful city, I’ve known for years that Pasadena is the home of a very famous annual international event called the Tournament of Roses Parade, which is held on every first or second day at the beginning of the year.  After reading more information, I learned that Pasadena also hosts other annual worldwide events including the Rose Bowl football game and the Pasadena Chalk Festival.  Pasadena is a special city indeed; wouldn’t you agree?

This city is the place of many scientific, educational and cultural institutions. You’ll also enjoy a large quantity of amenities like shopping, schools, nature, and a variety of attractions. For those people who are searching for business and employment prospects, Pasadena is a growing city with a large focus on business and advanced companies.

Being known as the most unique and historic city in California, Pasadena offers many values and benefits to every resident. It’s no wonder that for different reasons, many people are interested in moving and looking for pasadena homes for sale. If you plan to buy a Pasadena home, various housing choices are available for you. To avoid any trouble in your quest of finding the right Pasadena home that suits your budget and specific requirements, you should allow professionals to help out. So, are you ready to live in Pasadena?