Budget help for house buyers

More help for first-time buyers and plans for ‘homes on the High Street’ were among the measures announced in the budget by Chancellor Philip Hammond this week.

What does it all mean for house buyers? We’ve picked out some of what we think are the key points below.

Help to Buy

The Help to Buy scheme, under which you may be able to buy a home with as little as a five per cent deposit, is to be extended to 2023.

It had been due to end in 2021 so we reckon this is good news for people trying to ‘get on to the property ladder’. Our own market research has shown how important the scheme is to first-time buyers, with many telling us they simply would not have been able to afford a home without it.

The rules are being changed, though, so that the scheme will be available only to first-time buyers. At present, almost anyone can get a Help to Buy loan.

There are also changes to the rules about how big the loan can be. At present, there is one single limit for the whole of the UK outside London. In future, there will be different limits in different regions.

But don’t worry if you have already started your Help to Buy application – or even if you haven’t. The new rules don’t start to apply until 2021 so you have plenty of time.


Stamp Duty

It has always been a bit odd that most first-time buyers are exempt from Stamp Duty – unless they are buying a shared ownership property. Now the government has put that right and the same benefit will be available to shared-ownership buyers.

What’s more, the change is being back-dated to last year’s Budget (22 November 2017). So if you have bought a shared ownership property since then, talk to your solicitor to see whether you could be due a repayment of Stamp Duty. However, it would probably be best to wait a few days until we’ve all had time to figure out exactly how the details of the Chancellor’s announcements will work.


Funding for housebuilding

The Chancellor also announced that the government is putting another £500 million into the Housing Infrastructure Fund - a pot of money that local councils can apply to for help with building homes. Mr Hammond says this will “unlock a further 650,000 homes”.

And there are to be government guarantees for loans made from the British Business Bank to small builders to help them finance the building of homes.

Neither of these things is likely to have an immediate impact on house buyers – but, if they work as planned, they should mean more new houses being built over the next couple of years. And the market law of ‘supply and demand’ should mean that, with more homes being built, any rise in house prices over the next few years will be (slightly) less than it would otherwise be.


Homes on the High Street

The rules under which shops and offices can be converted into homes – usually apartments – are being simplified to make this easier. And money will be available to local councils to help with these conversions. Again, this should mean more new homes.

Have you bought your tickets for the big bang?

Have you bought your tickets yet for the fireworks at Bourne Abbey Primary School on Saturday (3 November)?

We’re sponsoring the event again, as we did last year, and are looking forward to a spectacular night of ‘bangers and flash’.

Right now, the weather forecast for Saturday evening looks good. Dry and (relatively) warm – but still best to wrap up well.

As well as the fireworks and bonfire there will be live music (from Pads Lad and The Overdubs) and food stalls (Groovy Foods, Panjab and Georges Fish Bar).

Gates open at 4:00 pm, the official welcome from the mayor is at 4:15 followed by music and then the bonfire will be lit around 4:45.  There is a ‘low bang’ children’s firework display from 5:15, more music at 5:30, and then the main display of fireworks (with accompanying music) from 6:30.

Advance tickets are on sale at the school and at Greetings in The Burghley Centre in Hereward Road and Stringers decorating centre in Manning Road - £18 for a family of five, £7 for an adult and £3 for a child.

If you prefer to pay on the night, tickets on the gate are £22 for a family, £9 for an adult and £3 for a child. You can pay by card as well as cash.

There is more information on the event’s Facebook page. We look forward to seeing you by the bonfire!

£8,100 per mile

£8,100 per mile is how much you can save on buying a new house if you move from central London to Peterborough.

The average price of a new-build house in the London Borough of Camden (home to King’s Cross station) is £849,000 according to the latest Land Registry data. Catch a train to Peterborough, less than an hour away, and you’ll pay an average £241,000 for a newly-built home.

It is just 75 miles ‘as the crow flies’ which makes the price drop per mile an amazing £8,100.
That’s less than the cost of a 12 month season ticket for rail travel between the two stations.

Of course, house prices aren’t the only reason to make the move. There are all the lifestyle benefits as well. Get out of the big city and enjoy a higher quality of life!

And if you want to take that idea a little further, maybe don’t look for a home in Peterborough itself but in one of the many towns and villages that surround it.

Like Baston, for example. If you have reached that stage in life where you no longer need a property as big as your current one, and you want somewhere that will fit your dream lifestyle, this could be your opportunity to cash in.

If you own a home in London, you have a hugely valuable financial asset that will help you to realise that dream. ‘Downsize’ to a new build home in Baston and you could pocket a small fortune when you sell your home – and enjoy a new lifestyle full of possibilities.

The Croft at Baston is designed to provide the over-55s (whether retired or still working) with the independence of owning their own homes combined with the benefits of being part of a community.

If you are looking for a new home in a community-spirited, friendly and tranquil village that offers age-exclusive living for busy modern lifestyles, then The Croft at Baston is for you. It’s not just a place to live. It offers a lifestyle of possibilities, leaving you with more time and energy to do the things you enjoy doing, every day, within a bustling community environment.

The new second phase of The Croft at Baston consists of one and two-bedroom bungalows all located around attractive walkways and gardens that help to create a pleasant community environment.

Located close to the bustling market towns of Market Deeping and Bourne, Baston boasts two excellent village pubs with restaurants, a church, a hairdresser, a post office and a general store. Other local shops and services are also conveniently located.

Its proximity to the A15 also means that The Croft at Baston offers easy access by car or bus to Peterborough, making commuting to London swift and convenient.

And, of course, what’s good for commuting for work is also good for commuting for leisure. All of London’s life and culture are easily accessible.

All the homes in this modestly scaled community have been designed to need minimal ongoing maintenance, so homeowners can benefit from the independence and security of property ownership without the day-to-day concerns of property upkeep.

Showing off new homes to Lynda

We love to show off at Larkfleet Homes (well, who doesn’t?) so we were delighted to be able to show Lynda Clark, editor of First Time Buyer Magazine, around some of our show homes last week.

In a ‘whistle stop tour’ we took in our developments at Collingham Brook, Nettleham, Boston Gate and Pinchbeck Fields (OK, some of these are actually developments by our sister company Allison Homes – but we could still bathe in the reflected glory).

When we dropped Lynda back at Peterborough railway station to return to London after her day out on site she said: “I was really impressed by your developments. The quality of your homes is outstanding and I shall be telling everyone they should move to your area!”

That’s just the sort of thing we like to hear, of course. Especially coming from an expert like Lynda who must see more show homes than you could ‘shake a stick at’ (though why you would want to shake a stick at a show home is a bit of a mystery).

Even so, you don’t need to take Lynda’s word for it. Come along and take a look for yourself. There are details of all Larkfleet Homes and Allison Homes developments here which will tell you which have show homes.

Most of our show homes are open from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm seven days each week (but check the website for details – we’d hate to miss your visit if you come along when we’re not open).

Our photo shows Lynda Clark of First Time Buyer Magazine at our Collingham show home.

Baby, it’s cold outside

Moving to a new home is not just exciting – it’s stressful. And there’s nothing more likely to dampen (literally) the excitement than rain on moving day. Or snow!

There’s lots of advice on our website about planning for your move. But the weather can throw in a few extra problems if it is wet and cold on the day.

With the clocks going back at the end of this month, and our ‘Indian summer’ apparently now turning to more typical autumn weather, here are a few tips for moving in the wet.

• Plan ahead. Take a look at the Met Office website a couple of days before you move and get a detailed forecast both for the postcode of your existing home and for your new one. We all take the mickey out of weather forecasts, but they are actually pretty accurate, especially if you’re only looking a day or two ahead. If the forecast says it is going to be dry at both ends of your move, you can stop reading right here!

• Protect what needs protecting. Wooden furniture, your washing machine and tumble drier, even cardboard boxes full of your precious possessions, won’t be damaged by a bit of rain as you load/unload them from the removal van. But you may want to think about protecting soft furnishings with a sheet of polythene to keep the rain off. Do the same with electronics such as computers and the TV – in our experience, water and electricity don’t mix well! Make sure plastic sheeting is well secured with tape – it will be more of a nuisance than a help if the wind gets under it and blows it down the street!

• Hot drinks and more. Have a box of ‘essentials’ kept separate from all your other packing. It should have mugs, a kettle, tea, coffee, milk, sugar (you may not use it but the removal contractor’s staff may like sugar in their tea) and a few snacks. If there is any doubt about whether electricity and gas may will be operating as soon as you walk through the door of your new home, take an insulated flask of tea or coffee. And maybe some hot soup!

• Clothing. Plan for moving day like it’s a ski trip. Lots of layers rather than one or two thick ones are best. You may work up a real sweat while shifting furniture and then cool down rapidly when you’re unpacking the plates. Being easily able to add or remove a layer or two of clothing will help you maintain a steady body temperature. And if you are expecting heavy rain, having a complete change of clothes (or maybe two) conveniently packed for easy access is a good idea so that you aren’t wandering around your new home soaked to the skin and dripping water everywhere you go.

• Snow shovels. Seriously – if you are expecting snow on moving day, make sure you have shovels and maybe salt or grit to clear drives and paths at each end of your moving journey. You don’t want to be sliding around on ice while moving heavy furniture. Or your best china.

• Floor coverings. If it is wet outside, you and anyone else involved in the move is going to be traipsing through the house in wet and, maybe, muddy footwear. Plastic sheets or some old bedding such as sheets and blankets can protect carpets and tiles – sort them out in advance and have them ready for moving day. But make sure you don’t create a hazard on shiny surfaces such as parquet flooring. Floor protection that slides out from under you while you are carrying heavy furniture is a recipe for broken limbs (and broken furniture).

• Inside team and outside team. If you have enough people involved in your move it can be a good idea to have an ‘inside team’ and an ‘outside team’ when moving in bad weather, with furniture and boxes being passed from one team to another at the door. Both can be dressed for the environment in which they are working, and this system cuts down on the number of muddy boots crossing the threshold. It could be bad news if you’re nominated for the outside team, though!

• Lights. It’s not just an issue in bad weather – if you’re moving in winter you could be moving in the dark at either end of the day. Make sure you have torches (with batteries!) packed somewhere that enables you to find them easily if you need them.

If the weather is really bad – think floods and blizzards – you may have to postpone your move. Again, checking the weather forecast should give you advance warning. If you are in a ‘chain’ you will need to talk to the people moving into your existing home to see if a postponement is possible. With a little goodwill all round you may be able to complete all the legal processes (and not break the chain) and just delay the actual move. 

No tricks - just treats

Our sister company, Allison Homes, is getting spooky in the run-up to Halloween. It’s running a ‘shared ownership event’ at its Pinchbeck Fields https://www.allison-homes.co.uk/new-homes/pinchbeck-fields/ development over the Halloween weekend – Saturday and Sunday 27 and 28 October.

Shared ownership can be a way to get onto the ‘property ladder’ without breaking the bank.

It is a scheme in which you can have a new home for perhaps as little as 50 per cent of the market value. You pay for the share of the value that you are buying and then pay rent on the rest. Later on, you can increase the share that you own - either in a series of steps or in a single purchase of all the remaining share.

Allison Homes has a number of three-bedroom houses available for shared ownership at Pinchbeck Fields, with prices from £85,250 for a 50 per cent share.

Over the Halloween weekend you can take a look at a home like the one you could soon be moving into. You can also have a chat with an independent financial adviser. She will explain to you how shared ownership works, what the best balance between ‘rent’ and ‘buy’ will be for your individual circumstances and where you can get the best mortgage deal on the part of the home that you buy.

And, if you reserve a new shared ownership home at this event, you get the chance to pull a prize from a Lucky Dip Halloween Cauldron. You could walk away with an offer for free carpets for your new house, free turf for your new garden or a range of options to personalise your new shared ownership home to your taste.

Pinchbeck Fields is at Wardentree Lane, Pinchbeck PE11 3UF.

Having a ball

We have bought two tickets to the Big Bold Ball – but no-one from Larkfleet is using them!

Having paid for the tickets, we’ve given them back to the organisers of this event which is raising funds for the Sue Ryder Thorpe Hall Hospice in Peterborough. So, two people from the charity who would not otherwise have been able to attend will get seats.

The Big Bold Ball takes place on Saturday (20 October) at the Holiday Inn in Peterborough. Starting at 7:00 pm and running until the early hours of next morning, there will be dining, dancing, probably a bit of drinking, a magician, caricaturists, raffle, auction and a whole lot more fun.

Your Larkfleet bloggers will be there (we’ve only handed back two tickets) having fun while contributing to a very worthy cause.

If you are coming, we look forward to seeing you at the ball!

Spice up your life

It is National Curry Week next week – starting on Monday 22 October and running through to the following Sunday. So, if you need an excuse to try out some spicy new recipes, this is it.

The event was the brainchild of the late Peter Grove, author of The Curry Connoisseur's Cookbook and general all-round curry expert and enthusiast. He set up the first National Curry Week in 1998 and it has been held every year since then, making this the 20th.

Peter Grove’s idea was to raise awareness and appreciation of the Indian restaurant industry, whilst also raising funds for charity. It seems to have worked. There are now said to be more than 9,000 Indian restaurants and curry houses across the UK.

Research shows that while Korma and Tikka Masala are still Britain’s favourite curries, tastes are increasingly changing. Hotter, spicier, curries are becoming more popular.

If you want to try creating your own dish for National Curry Week, there are 47 different curry recipes here https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/curry.

Or you could just go out for dinner – or get an Indian take-away. Many establishments are preparing special dishes for the special week, with part of the money they make on each of them going to Curry For Change http://curryforchange.org.uk/ - a charity dedicated to helping families in Africa and Asia suffering from hunger.

However and wherever you decide to celebrate National Curry Week, we hope your meal is second-to-naan. (Sorry)

Fried or scrambled?

Did you know that today (12 October) is World Egg Day? No? Neither did we until a short while ago. We assumed that was Easter – lots of lovely chocolate eggs.

But it seems World Egg Day doesn’t have quite such a long history as Easter. It was first celebrated (if that’s the word we’re looking for) in 1966.

It is the invention of the International Egg Commission (no, we’d never heard of that, either) which aims to “give a global presence to egg producers and to promote and popularize egg consumption as part of a balanced diet”.

As the publicity for the event points out, the egg is a versatile ingredient for both sweet and savoury dishes. From the humble boiled egg to the master chef’s soufflé, the egg has a vital place in many recipes. There is no country in the world that doesn’t make extensive use of the egg in its traditional cuisine.

So, today is the ideal time to try a new egg recipe. Here are four of our favourites:

1. Egg Florentine pizza. A bit of a stretch to call this an ‘egg recipe’ because it’s basically a pizza with an egg on top. Very good, though, and this is a ‘quick and easy’ pizza dough.
2. Omelettes. You can’t help but think of omelettes when you think of egg recipes. Here is a guide to the perfect omelette with lots of ideas for ‘jazzing up’ the basic egg dish with a variety of fillings
3. Baked eggs with potatoes, mushrooms & cheese  A great winter evening dish – and very easy to make
4. If you’ve a sweet tooth, try a traditional English custard tart. This recipe from Delia Smith includes (as you’d expect) making your own pastry. But you can always cheat and buy some ready-made. Or even cheat a bit more and buy a ready-made pastry case!

Whatever you do, have fun both cooking and eating.

Going with a bang

We’re delighted to be the main sponsor again this year for the fireworks at Bourne Abbey Primary School.

There will live music and a variety of stalls selling an array of goodies and treats. Plus a bonfire, of course. And fireworks, obviously. Lots of them.

It all takes place on Saturday 3 November on Bourne Abbey Primary Academy Sports Field, Manning Road, starting at 16:00 and finishing around 20:00. Musical entertainment between displays will be provided by local band The Overdubs.

There is more information on the event’s Facebook page . It's a great night for the kids (of all ages). Who doesn't like watching money go up in smoke?

You can save a few pounds if you buy your tickets in advance - £18 for a family of five, £7 for an adult and £3 for a child. They are on sale at the school and at Greetings in The Burghley Centre in Hereward Road and Stringers decorating centre in Manning Road.

If you prefer to pay on the gate, on the night, it's still a bargain and you can purchase your tickets with a credit card or with cash.

The Larkfleet Homes team is looking forward to a sparkling night which raises money for local charities. Do come and join us.

Young people priced out of housing market

We were interested to read this week a report from the Institute of Fiscal Studies (IFS) which says that “even the cheapest local homes are out of reach for at least 40 per cent of young adults”.

Of course, the figures vary greatly across the country and the average is driven up by the astronomical price of property in London. Still, the message is clear – it’s not getting any easier to get onto the property ladder.

And why not? Basically, because house prices are going up faster than wages and have been doing so for years.

The IFS says that in 1996 over 90 per cent of 25- to 34-year-olds would have been able to purchase a house in their area as long as they had a 10 per cent deposit and if they borrowed 4½ times their salary (the maximum that most lenders will now allow). By 2016, that proportion had fallen substantially. Even with a 10 per cent deposit, only around 60 per cent of young adults would have been able to borrow enough to buy even one of the cheapest homes in their area.

The IFS has put forward some ideas for tackling the problem. In a nutshell, it is about building more homes where they are needed.

At Larkfleet Homes we are caught on this ‘house price escalator’ along with everyone else. By far the biggest cost of building a house is usually buying the land to put it on and we have to compete with other builders to buy sites for development.

But we are trying to do what we can to help. There is advice on our website for first-time buyers (and that helped us win a nomination for the First Time Buyer Magazine Reader Awards for best website earlier this year). And we are pleased to introduce potential buyers to independent financial experts who can advise on the best mortgage deals.

We can also assist people get support from the government’s Help to Buy scheme. And it is worth pointing out that this is not just for first-time buyers – even those moving house can qualify.

So come and talk to us.

Coffee, cake and cash

The Larkfleet Homes team recently took part in the World’s Biggest Coffee Morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support.

Forget Bake Off! Staff at Larkfleet House baked or brought in a wonderful selection of cakes and snacks - that's just some of them above -  that were sold in our main meeting room to raise money for the charity.

Visitors joined in the fun, buying and enjoying a cake – or two – with a nice cup of coffee, all in aid of a great cause.

Visitors to Larkfleet Homes and Allison Homes show homes were also invited to buy coffee and cakes throughout the day.

The World’s Biggest Coffee Morning is Macmillan’s biggest fundraising event for people facing cancer. Since 1990, Coffee Morning has raised over £165.5 million for Macmillan. People all over the UK host their own Coffee Mornings and donations on the day are made to Macmillan. Last year alone saw a total of £29.5 million raised in aid of the charity.

This year Macmillan aimed to raise even more and the Larkfleet team was happy to help.

Walk to school month

October is International Walk to School Month. The aim of the campaign is to promote walking as a way to improve yours and your kids’ health, while also thinking of the environment.

But there is one thing that stops a lot of families from walking – the number of cars on the road around many UK schools. According to research carried out by Living Streets and YouGov, 54 per cent thought that there are too many cars around school gates. Half found that cars parking on pavements is the most annoying thing about walking to school while 45 per cent thought that there is too much traffic on the journey to school.

Motor vehicles are the biggest source of air pollution and one in four cars on the road at peak times are on the school run. As a result, over 2,000 primary schools in the UK are situated in pollution hot spots, putting pupils’ health at risk.

One solution, if you’re looking for a new home, is to find new developments that are within safe walking distance of local schools.

Most of our developments are situated within easy reach of schools - here are six as an example:

• Collingham Brook – John Blow Primary School is within walking distance of this new development in the Nottinghamshire village of Collingham.
• Farriers Reach, Oakham – There are a number of state and independent schools in Oakham that are within walking distance of our new development at Farriers Reach. These include Catmose Primary School, Oakham C of E Primary School, Brooke Priory School and Harington School.
• Whittlesey Green, Whittlesey– The Alderman Jacobs Primary School and Harry Smith Community College are close to our Whittlesey Green development.
• Gretton Valley, Weldon – The development is in Priors Hall Park Corby. As part of the wider development a nursery, pre-school, primary and secondary schools are being built, which will all be within walking distance of Gretton Valley.
• Thorney Meadows, Thorney – The Duke of Bedford Primary School is within walking distance of this development.

Currently just 53 per cent of children in England walk to school according to the National Travel Survey. This is down from a generation ago, when 70 per cent of children used to walk to school.

Living Streets currently works in over 2,000 schools across the UK to increase the number of children walking to school through WOW – the year-round walk to school challenge. WOW schools walk to school rates have increased by 23 per cent on average with a corresponding drop in cars around the school gates. Quite a result!

At Larkfleet Homes we are keen on delivering living communities, not just housing developments. That’s why our developments are situated in locations close to amenities such as shops and schools to provide a home for all the family. Will you walk to school this October?

Don’t let early frosts blanch your blooms

The evenings are starting to draw in and the clocks go back in just a few weeks. So now is the time to start thinking about hunkering down for the winter.

Part of the winter preparation is frost-proofing the garden. And you may not have noticed, but some parts of the country have had light touches of frost already.

In the past, you could expect a few frosty mornings by the end of October. Even though we are constantly reminded of the effects of global warming, there is still a chance of early frosts in dry weather when high pressure leads to clear night skies.

Frost causes the water in your plants to freeze, which damages their cells. Damaged plants can become limp, blackened and distorted. Where plants face the morning sun, problems can be made worse because rapid defrosting will cause the cell walls to rupture.

As with most problems, prevention is better than cure. So here is a handy list of things you can do to protect your valuable plants from the effects of early frost.

• Cover trained plants or tender plants growing in the ground with a fleece covered frame.
• Cover bulbs, corms and herbaceous plants that have been cut back with a layer of manure, leaf mulch or straw.
• Grow tender plants in pots so that they can be moved indoors or into a greenhouse when the weather gets worse.
• Cover low growing plants from wet weather with plastic or glass cloches.
• Choose frost-proof outdoor containers so that they don’t crack. Move them into a green house or shed if the weather is likely to be particularly bad.
• Dig up annual plants that are unlikely to survive the winter and throw them on the compost. This will give you more time to deal with other jobs that need doing.
• Watering plants before a frost will insulate the roots.
• Cover plants that are in the early-morning sun with sheeting to shade them from the sun’s rays so they don’t defrost too quickly.

The winter will soon be over and spring preparation will be in full swing. But, by preparing for the winter and protecting your plants from the elements, the quality of next season's offerings will be that much better. 

Quick organic British recipes

It’s British Food Fortnight - and Organic Food Month; the perfect storm if all you want is convenience food and a night in front of the telly. But it’s the perfect combination if you’re a family of foodies, or just looking for ways to break your frozen fishfinger and oven chip habit.

Cooking British food with organic produce doesn’t have to be difficult, inconvenient or expensive. It’s possible to prepare delicious family meals on a budget that are quick and satisfying. It’s healthy and, by involving the kids in cooking meals, you can bring the whole family together. After all, the kitchen is the heart of the home.

We’ve put together a little guide on sourcing organic produce locally and a few quick and easy recipes for you to try.

Most major supermarkets sell organic foods. If you are on a budget, check out your local Aldi or Lidl discount supermarkets. Aldi’s range includes groceries including eggs, milk and veg. Try its recipe for cheesy potato cakes. They’re a great alternative to chips and go well with almost anything.

At Larkfleet we are lucky to have developments in locations where there are also plenty of farmers’ markets and farm shops where you can find organic produce.

One such is Riverford Organics – one of their farms is at Sacrewell Farm near Peterborough. You can buy direct from the farm or go online here. And they have plenty of recipe ideas here.  You can also buy recipe boxes with all the fresh ingredients you’ll need for your favourite dishes.

Another Cambridgeshire grower is HolmSelect in March. They are passionate about organic farming and supply to the Organic Delivery Company. Your choice of British grown organic food is greater than ever before.

Recipes

You can cook just about anything. And they can be organic, as long as you source organic produce. The BBC website has some great quick British recipes – just make sure you use organic ingredients.

One of our favourites is herby Toad in the Hole which can be on the table in under an hour. Serve with freshly cooked organic veg like broccoli or peas, carrots and roast parsnips.