Britain’s Green Home: a modest bungalow in Cheltenham
This is a legacy post from the findaproperty.com blog which is now maintained as an archive within the Zoopla blog. Links have been preserved.
The search to find Britain’s Greenest Home came to an end earlier this week when the winner of a national competition, sponsored by FindaProperty.com, was announced.
And, although on the day the prize went to a modest semi-detached bungalow in Gloucestershire, the stars of the accolade were really its owners Glenn and Frances Simpson, extraordinary people who have put being green at the heart of their daily life.
We took the train (of course!) to drop in on the couple, who are both in their early 50s and live on the outskirts of Cheltenham – but who don’t fit the customary ‘green’ label.
The winners of competitions like this are often either ‘eco warriors’ or rich home owners keen to show off their expensively green credentials; but the Simpsons don’t fit either mould.
Growing the green dream: competition winners Glenn and Frances Simpson from Cheltenham
Rather, they are a gently-spoken, modest working couple who are passionate about reducing their environmental footprint and who have made small but numerous changes to their lives to achieve it.
So, on a sweltering day Glenn and Frances were given the obligatory comedy cheque (see pic, below) handed over by TV weather forecaster Michael Fish representing competition main sponsor HomeSun and one of our team, property analyst Nigel Lewis.
The assembled crowd of sponsors and journalists keen to interview the couple were acutely aware just how un-green all our lifestyles were by comparison. Like most people, all of us admitted to separating our rubbish and maybe using a compost bin but Glenn and Frances have considered every aspect of their home life – and beyond – from an environmentally-friendly perspective.
Highlights include the five water butts in the garden (the main element of their rain harvesting system), wall cavities stuffed with sheep’s wool within their home and eco bulbs throughout plus the obligatory loft insulation.
Two points Glenn made that struck us as particularly super-green were his car – he’s taken the back seats out to lower the vehicle’s fuel consumption – and their rubbish. The couple’s lifestyle is so green that they only put out their traditional rubbish bin once a month, not weekly.
So what will they be spending their £3,000 first prize on? Glenn says he wants to put feed-in-tariff solar panels to his roof to further help reduce his already miniscule energy bills, which are just £400 a year and make his home, in theory at least, carbon negative.
Renting blog: Can tenants love thy neighbour, asks Jeannie
This is a legacy post from the findaproperty.com blog which is now maintained as an archive within the Zoopla blog. Links have been preserved.
It’s one thing homeowners dread –living next door to tenants. Because they don’t own their property there’s this misconception that people who rent don’t care about maintenance, noise levels or being on friendly terms with their neighbours as they’re not committed to any permanence in the ‘hood.
With this in mind I’ve tried to be a good tenant-neighbour. I chat to the people living behind us about the weather when they see me get home from work (they even gave me a barbecue they didn’t want anymore), I try to keep the outside of our house clean and tidy – I’ve planted pansies in the window box after admiring the roses in the garden on the left of us and for the most part adhere to the 10.30pm noise curfew, shushing friends after a late-night dinner party.
Occasionally there have been a few lapses. We’ve had complaints for being too loud outdoors, letters through the door about putting the wrong refuse in the recycling bin and, of course, the issue of parking where we’re not supposed to.
So I was rather anxious when approaching the house one Friday night to hear music blaring, the front door open and a lot of noise on the patio. My housemate had decided to have party. Oh dear, I thought, we’ll be getting another note in our letterbox in the morning.
To my surprise, who should I find in the living room, but the people living next door! It seems my housemate had taken good neighbourly relations a step further than I had.
Now let’s just hope those nice people behind us don’t have reason to complain – I might just have to invite them round for a barbecue…
Zoopla launch heatmaps of UK property values
Heatmap of UK property values
We’ve just launched a very exciting new and unique way to look at UK property values on Zoopla.co.uk.
Welcome to our property heatmaps which show the average current property value of homes across the UK in a clear and easy to visualise format. The new heatmaps can be found on all maps across the Zoopla website and can be viewed at varying zoom levels down to individual postcodes.
In addition to the new heatmaps on the property market overview pages, we have also added a variety of other valuable local property information that provides an essential research tool for potential house hunters. This data is located on the ‘market overview’ pages of Zoopla.co.uk. These newly launched stats include (for any geographic area):
- the number of properties on the market
- average asking prices – property for sale and to rent
- the average size of properties in the area
- the average price per square foot
We feel that the addition of heatmaps to our site allows our users to easily visualise the relative property values in any area of the country. Together with the unique market data we are now making available, this is all part of our mission to empower our users with the information they need to make the right property decisions and to become the most useful property resource in the UK.
So, if you like them why not click the buttons at the bottom of the post or leave a comment and let us know what you think.
How the heatmaps work
To generate our heatmaps, we use our current value estimates to generate a color gradient overlay. In this color overlay, different colors correspond to the different average property values in each geographic area. Higher value areas tend towards red, and lower value areas tend towards blue. The value scale is dynamic and relative: Red in one locality may not have the same value as red in another locality, but on any given map, red is always higher value than blue. By making the scale dynamic, we make it easier to see the variation that exists within any locality. If we didn’t do this, West London would be red, and the rest of the country subtle shades of blue – clearly not very useful! To determine which colours correspond to which values, you can consult the value pin markers displayed on the map. The value pins show the average value for that specific location, and contain links to the market overview pages for those specific localities.
Heatmap of London property values
London Heatmap (click image to zoom)
Heatmap of Glasgow property values
Glasgow Heatmap (click to zoom)
Heatmap of Manchester property values
Manchester Heatmap (click to zoom)
Heatmap of Birmingham property values
Birmingham heatmap (click to zoom)
Heatmap of Bristol property values
Bristol Heatmap (click to zoom)
Heatmap of Nottingham property values
Nottingham Heatmap (click to zoom)
Heatmap of Liverpool property values
Liverpool Heatmap (click to zoom)
Heatmap of Leeds property values
Leeds Heatmap (click to zoom)
Heatmap of Sheffield property values
Sheffield Heatmap (click to zoom)
Heatmap of Edinburgh property values
Edinburgh Heatmap (click to zoom)
Heatmap of Cardiff property values
Cardiff Heatmap (click to zoom)
As always, please feel free to share and use this information, all we ask is that you credit the source as Zoopla.co.uk and link to Zoopla.co.uk. Thank you.
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First-time buyer blog: Is there an art to making an offer, asks Emma?
This is a legacy post from the findaproperty.com blog which is now maintained as an archive within the Zoopla blog. Links have been preserved.
My boyfriend and I have now been looking for our first home since the end of May. We have had a couple of weekends off, so all in all we have spent seven Saturday’s looking.
As we have gained more experience we are now a bit more selective. The first three or four weeks we looked at anything and everything. This really helped us decide on what we would and wouldn’t compromise on. It also gave us a good idea on how prices vary. For example, we will compromise on walking straight into the living room but won’t compromise on having the bathroom downstairs.
When we found a property we both liked, we booked a second viewing for later that week. The second viewing is a completely different experience. It’s all very practical, rather than the initial “oooh, what a lovely house”. Having a better look at the walls, floors, ceilings, the roofspace and the condition of the exterior.
We still liked the house, and agreed to make an offer. We had done a lot of research on selling prices of similar houses in the area, as well as on the same street.
On the day of making our first offer I actually felt quite nervous. Our initial offer was low, and to be completely honest I would have been very surprised indeed if it was accepted. Turns out, it wasn’t. So if I knew in the back of my mind that our offer wasn’t going to be expected, why did I feel so disappointed? We gave it more thought, and upped our offer. Rejected again. Oh.
We were entering into the unknown. I felt nervous, and didn’t particularly enjoy this negotiation stage (or rather, lack of it). Two weeks on and we are still not in any negotiation with the vendors. In the meantime, we are continuing to look at other properties on the market.
To be continued….!
TV’s newest property show: All aboard the house hunting bus
This is a legacy post from the findaproperty.com blog which is now maintained as an archive within the Zoopla blog. Links have been preserved.
So far this year we’ve had Caroline Quentin saving country manors in Restoration Home; Sarah Beeny being dramatic in Help! My House is Falling Down; Mary Portas taking a pop at estate agents in Secret Shopper; and Kirstie and Phil trading property details for swimming togs in Vacation, Vacation, Vacation.
All aboard the property bus: First stop home ownership
Now it seems ITV is readying itself to climb aboard the TV property bandwagon with a new offering – intriguingly named Drive to Buy.
As far as we can tell, the concept is a kind of Amazing Race meets Escape to the Country hybrid and, to be fair, it’s a new one on us.
Essentially the programme features four pairs of house hunters in a bus driving around various bits of the UK and looking at three homes for sale at discounted prices.
The house hunters are all looking for similar properties at similar prices and the competition part of the show comes down to the fact that each pair can make just one official bid on one of the properties. The sting in the tail is that offers can only be made immediately after viewing the property and before the bus drives away from the home – after which the property goes “off the market”.
Unfortunately the identity of the host is still top secret, although we think Jonnie Irwin or Jasmine Harman would look great in a bus driver’s hat.
While we wait to find out who’ll be collecting the fares on the Drive to Buy bus, house hunters keen to test their property poker faces against home buying rivals can now apply to take part in the show.
Applicants need to be in a position to buy a property from August this year and should contact production company Renegade Pictures for more information and an application form by emailing drivetobuy@renegadepictures.co.uk or calling 020 7449 3298.
What’s happening to Olympic area property values?
Olympic Stadium CGI
With one year to go till the London 2012 Olympics, we’ve looked into how property values have performed since London won the title as host city for the games.
There’s no doubt that the redevelopment to a number of areas across the UK as a result of the Olympics has had a positive impact on property prices. Much of the focus to date has been on East London but there are many other areas benefitting from the investment and attention of the Olympics.
Key findings:
- Property prices around Olympic sites up 11.9% since Games announced
- Outstripping average UK house price growth of 7.2% over same period
- London’s Olympic venues underperform overall strong growth in capital
- £30.8bn added to residential property values around Olympics sites
Property prices in close proximity to the UK Olympic venues have recorded an 11.9% increase since the Games were awarded to London in July 2005, outstripping the UK average of 7.2% over the same period, according to our data.
Over £30bn has been added to the total value of residential properties located in close proximity to the UK Olympic sites since the announcement, with £6.4bn in added-value to house prices in East London alone. The budget for delivering the Olympics is currently on target at £9.3bn with exactly one year to go.
Outside London, properties nearby seven of the ten major Olympic venues have recorded noticeably higher price growth than the surrounding areas. In Lee Valley, Hertfordshire where the White Water Centre has been developed for canoeing events, house prices have risen 12% since the announcement compared to 7.2% growth on average in the region. And in Eton Dorney, where the rowing facility has been upgraded to accommodate the Olympics, average home values have risen 14.3% compared to the regional average of 8.2%.
However, in London property values in direct proximity to the Olympic venues have underperformed having risen 18.9% since the games were awarded compared to overall house price growth of 27.2% in the capital since July 2005.
The underperformance of the London venues says far less about the Olympics than it does about the overall London property market which has outperformed the rest of the UK by a wide margin in the last few years. And it is unlikely that property in East London would have seen anything like the value growth it has recorded without the Olympics.
Change in property values in Olympic areas since July 2005 (%)
| Olympic Area | All Areas | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside London | 18.9% | 27.2% |
| Outside London | 7.8% | 5.1% |
| All UK | 11.9% | 7.2% |
Source: Zoopla.co.uk
Change in property values in Olympic areas outside London (%)
| Venue | Olympic Area | Region |
|---|---|---|
| Millennium Stadium, CA1 | 11.00% | 0.80% |
| City of Coventry Stadium, CV5 | 2.00% | -2.00% |
| Brands Hatch, DA3 | 9.60% | 7.20% |
| Weymouth & Portland | 6.80% | 6.30% |
| Lee Valley, EN9 | 12.00% | 7.20% |
| Hampden Park, G42 | 11.10% | 17.90% |
| Hampton Court Palace, KT8 | 16.70% | 7.20% |
| Old Trafford, M16 | 2.90% | -1.50% |
| Eton Dorney, SL4 | 14.30% | 7.20% |
| Hadleigh Farm, SS7 | 3.90% | 8.20% |
Source: Zoopla.co.uk
As always, please feel free to share and use this information, all we ask is that you credit the source as Zoopla.co.uk and link to Zoopla.co.uk. Thank you.
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Truman Capote’s home for sale: perfect setting for breakfast in Brooklyn
This is a legacy post from the findaproperty.com blog which is now maintained as an archive within the Zoopla blog. Links have been preserved.
FindaProperty.com’s thoughts have turned to American literature – there seems to be connections everywhere of late. First, Victoria and David Beckham call their daughter Harper – we like to think it’s after the great Harper Lee – author of To Kill A Mockingbird. And now, comes news that the former New York home of Lee’s great friend Truman Capote is still on the market – despite a hefty price cut from £11 million to £9.7 million earlier this year.
Capote lived in the garden apartment of the distinctive bright yellow 70 Willow Street, Brooklyn for ten years between 1955 and 1965 as a tenant of the artist Oliver Smith. The story goes that Smith was often away travelling and during these times Capote would move upstairs, invite guests over and play lord of the manor instead of tenant.
While living at 70 Willow Street, Capote penned some of his most famous books including Breakfast at Tiffany’s, In Cold Blood and a short story called A House in the Heights, a tribute to 70 Willow Street in which he summed up his feelings about his home: “I live in Brooklyn by choice”.
Today, 70 Willow Street, which is for sale through Sotheby’s International, is no longer divided, but stands as a single residence, specifically a five-storey townhouse with 11 bedrooms, seven bathrooms, 11 fireplaces and 38 windows.
Built in 1839, it’s had a long process of renovations over the past few years, but retains many of its original charms, incuding a rather lovely porch that run across the rear of the house leading to a lush looking garden.
Inside, things are grand and decadent enough to make Holly Golightly feel at home. There’s even a three-storey mahogany staircase with a rosette oculus window at the top – something you don’t see every day.
The home first came onto the market in May 2010, had its priced slashed by £1.3m earlier this year and remains for sale.
We wonder if anyone’s told the Beckhams yet …
