What you need to know when buying a new home

When buying a new home, there's a lot to think about. At Larkfleet Homes we understand that buying a new home is a big move, literally!

So what do you need to consider when buying a new home?

• It's all about the money: With so many offers and options out there at the moment, find one that works best for you. For example, if you're aged between 23 and 40 you might be interested in buying a starter home.

• What makes you happy? Location is really important. There's no point living in the countryside if you love city life and not much point living in the city if you need space and peace. Make a list of the things that really matter to you. It could be a decent gym, good restaurants, schools for the kids or commuter links - so make sure you base your move near the things that are important to you.

• Visit a showhome: At Larkfleet, we are extremely proud of our showhomes and make sure they are all designed with real size furniture so you can see just how fantastic your new home will look.

For more help on deciding where to move, check out the Larkfleet locations page - and if you need any help in the process, just pick up the phone and we will be more than happy to help you make the right move!

Larkfleet's 5 top tips on a stress-free move!

At Larkfleet, we obviously want to sell lovely new homes. It's what we do and what we do well!

But Larkfleet Homes isn't just interested in selling you a new home. We want to make sure the process is a good one so that you can make the most of those first few special moments in your new home.

So Larkfleet has put together a top tip survival guide for when you move home!

1) Check mate!

At Larkfleet Homes we have to be organised so that we can keep building new homes in new places so obviously we're huge fans of checklists. This is a great way for you to get organised and make sure that you don't miss out anything major in the process of moving home.

2) Organise your life!

You would be surprised at just how much stuff you will have accumulated over the years so it's best to start early with the packing - that way you won't be so stressed out on the big day.

3) Do you really need that?

When you're packing ready for your new home, ask yourself - do I really need to take this? Us human beings have a tendency to  hoard things we feel have sentimental value but really they're just collecting dust! Now is the ideal time to minimise your space and start afresh with less stuff in your new home.

4) Get moving!

Once you've chosen your removal company, arrange a visit so they can see how much you have to move and if anything requires special handling.

5) Make sure you have the name of the best takeaway close to your new home and a box to sit on!


Enjoy the move and your new future!

Hurry and make the purchase of a lifetime!

Why not treat yourself to a beautiful new Larkfleet home this Christmas and receive a fantastic hamper as a welcome present?

You will need to be quick though as they are going fast!

We have two homes for sale at Parson's Prospect and not only can you move in for Christmas but you will also get a £10,000 discount on our 'home of the week' and your stamp duty paid if you make that purchase this week!

We have one home available at The Paddock in the desirable Stamford and for this week only, you will receive a £10,000 discount.

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Back to Stamford again and we have one home available at our popular Anvil Mews development. Buy now and you will get stamp duty paid. This property has flooring throughout.

Selling your house? Get prepared!

Before you move into your lovely new Larkfleet property, we thought it would be a great idea to offer you some top tips on how you can best sell your house. We've found a great article offering just that which we hope will make your new home buying adventure so much more fun and remove all the horrible stress!

Planning

Creating a budget

Are you one of those who think that selling a house will not cost that much, retrace your thinking process and evaluate again. Selling a house means that you have to make upgrades in order to make it more presentable to the potential buyers and to increase the sale-ability of the house, to set aside money for the agent, to plan the budget for moving and to buy things like packing boxes and tape for easy moving.

Creating a budget will help you deal with the expenses that come with selling your property, as you can make better decisions beforehand about what and where to spend money on, and be prepared to deal with the spending in an efficient manner.

Don’t sell your house before you buy your new one 

Many people make the mistake of thinking that since selling a house before buying a new one is a better choice, either because they think they can use the money for the house that they just sold to buy the new one, or that they think that the selling process would take a long time and would be a hassle, and it would be better just to sell it first and buy a new one later.

How very wrong!  The problem with this thought is that you lose precious amount of time and money if you think about selling before you have bought. It’s like putting a horse before the carriage—it just doesn’t work.

Buying a new home comes first, since you need to ensure that you have somewhere to go. If you don’t do that, the moving will be extremely difficult and costly. You will have the choice of renting a place until you shift to the new home, in which case the cost of rent and the cost of moving twice (to the rented place and to the new house) will probably empty all your savings, and put a constant strain on you as you would have to think about buying a new place and moving again.

On the other hand, if you sell your house after you secure a place for your family or yourself, you get the benefit of saving on hundreds and thousands of pounds and getting the peace of mind of finally settling in a home.

Don’t forget to get an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC)

In the United Kingdom, you are legally bound to get an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) before you sell your property. In case you don’t, you will be fined for it. You are required to show the EPC to the buyers as it helps them get an insight about the energy efficiency of your home. The ratings of EPC range from A to G, with A being the most efficient and G being the least efficient. The EPC also illustrates:

• The energy use of the house and the typical cost of energy.
• The suggestions about limiting energy use and saving money.

Make your decision about how you want to sell your house

There are three ways that you can sell your home:

• On your own–the traditional way
• Through a high street agent
• Through an online agent.

If you or your spouse has a former experience in real estate business, and you don’t mind spending long hours searching for buyers and doing the grunt work, then by all means sell your property the traditional way.

The middle ground is using the high street agent, and the most modern and easier way to sell your house is through an online agent.

Online agencies use property portals like Rightmove and Zoopla, which are checked by serious buyers, so you can ensure that the buyers that contact you are thinking about making a deal, and not just “window shopping”.

Decide when you want to sell your house

Almost all of the property experts agree on the matter that there are some times in the year that it is beneficial to sell, while others in which it is disadvantageous to sell. If you are not bound by any other considerations, like if you have to sell your house fast due to an emergency, then you should definitely time when you put up your house for sale.

The best and worst times to sell your property in the UK are spring and autumn, and summer and winter, respectively. Since spring and autumn are the times when people have free time to consider the lengthy process of looking for a house, there is a lot of traffic of buyers in the market. During summer, people are busy enjoying their holidays, and in winter, they are preparing for Christmas, so these times are often less successful.

Preparing

Now that you have planned everything, you need to prepare your house and yourself for the process of selling your house.

Most of the renovations that we will discuss here are the ones that improve the curb appeal of the house. This is because spending your money on improving the curb appeal gives the most returns when you sell your house in the UK. So, here we go:

Take care of the basics

If you are investing money on the expensive stuff and ignore the basic upgrades like leaking ducts or broken windows, all your hopes of impressing a potential buyer will be torn, shredded and burnt to ash.

If the buyer sees that the basic necessities are up and running, they might not even mind making some upgrades on their own!

Insulation

During winters, heating expenses increase, and if you show your viewers that you have insulation installed that will manage the expenses to an affordable level, you will get more points.

Front door replacement

More often than not, minor replacements can reap huge benefits and a front door replacement is one of them.

Replacing your front door is a simple, tried and tested method that can significantly increase the value of a home. Your front door is one of the pieces making up the curb appeal of your house.

New garage door

A new garage door will go a long way to improve the curb appeal of your house. The best part is that you can get it at quite an affordable price, so you don’t have to worry about overspending your budget, either.

Convert your attic into a bedroom

Whew, we’ve talked a lot about the exterior. Let’s now talk about the interior of your home.

Thinking out of the box comes in very handy when you need to get something done in a tight budget. If you think that adding a room will increase the value of your house, why not think about converting your dusty, old attic into a bedroom? Sure, it will cost more than replacing your front door, but it will also cost less than adding a new room. There is also less hassle as you don’t need to worry about the foundation costs and dirt work.

Not having to add on your house’s footprint keeps the remodelling costs under control while adding a functioning and pleasant living space in your home.

Use neutral paint and remove personalisation

If your home is personalised to your taste, it is time to remove that. This is because the potential buyers would need a blank slate to picture their house in, and if a house already brims with your personal touch, they will have a harder time imagining it from their perspective. This is why you should use neutral paint like white and beige to make it easy for the viewers to imagine themselves living in the house.

Set the price of your house

Once you have all the necessary upgrades and renovations, you need to set a price on your house. Check the pricing of the houses in the neighbourhood, and make an estimate about the price of yours. To get a calculated estimate, you can use the online free estimate by Zoopla, which takes the information about your house and guesses the price. You can use this estimate as a head start and discuss with your agent to make a more accurate estimate.

Prepare yourself for viewers

Viewers are going to come by according to their own schedule, and the house needs to be available even when you are not home. It is very disappointing to a potential buyer to see that a home that they wanted to check out is locked, and they are unlikely to come back. In order to prevent this, simply give a spare key to your reliable agent or trusty neighbour who will do the job of showing the viewers around when you are not at home.

Exchange contracts

Once you successfully negotiate the deal, you can now exchange drafts. This is the legal binding that transfers the property to the buyer. Because neither party can get out of this agreement without paying a penalty, you need to make sure that you are on the same page with your buyer and everything has been discussed and agreed upon before you exchange the contracts.

Packing (and moving out)

Once you have been through with the whole process of selling your house, you need to move out. You need to pack carefully, and it is better that you start doing that beforehand. All the items that are not in used should be boxed up so that you only need to worry about packing the essentials when it is time to make the move. If your new house is nearby, you can take all the stuff easily on your own, with some help from friends. However, if your new house is quite far, it is better if you hire a moving service to aid you.

We think that has it all covered and a big thank you to www.journalism.co.uk for publishing such a great article! So, now you know how to sell your house, give us a call at Larkfleet and buy your new one!

Choose your new Larkfleet home

Yes, it's the final bank holiday of the year (where has the time gone?!) and if you don't fancy the endless queues for fish and chips at the seaside, why not diarise a bit of time for yourself and your search for a new dream home.

Most Larkfleet sites have a gorgeous showhome for you to spend as little time, or as much time, as you fancy enjoying a gentle peruse in what could potentially be your new forever home.

Open daily between 10am and  5pm, seven days a week (some times do vary), the showrooms are furnished and decorated using the latest designs and trends which will give you an authentic vision of just how good your new home can look.

As we can decorate many aspects of your new home to your own personal taste, visiting a Larkfleet showhome is a fantastic way to draw some good old fashioned inspiration.

Don't get us wrong, it's great to sit at the laptop and make your own personal interior design 'wish list' but you really can't beat real-life inspiration, plus it's actually really fun too! You'll also be able to see how you new furniture will look as all the homes are designed with real-life furnishings.

For further info, give one of our friendly sales team a call on 0845 450 7872.

See you there!

Plans for a motorway boost for Cambridgeshire

Plans for extending the A1 motorway all the way from London to Peterborough could substantially reduce commuting times for those planning to buy a new home in the area.

The Eastern New Homebuyer website reports on a newly published government study into the future of the A1 which suggests creating this continuous motorway.  The study says there is a need for improvements to be made to the remaining parts of the route which are not already motorway, such as the section between Huntingdon and Baldock. 

For those looking for a new home in the Peterborough area, this is good news.  It will mean those who commute by car from Peterborough or the surrounding villages such as Eye are likely to have a shorter and easier journey.  The shortened drive times to Cambridge and London will be hugely beneficial to those who wish to continue their career in these cities but live a more rural lifestyle surrounded by the beautiful Fenland countryside. 

Whittlesey Green, Larkfleet Homes

The full report can be found on Eastern New Homebuyer

We are celebrating! We are 'House Builders of the Year.'

Last week, Larkfleet Homes won the Housebuilder of the Year title at the Construction News Awards.

The whole team was obviously delighted, particularly as the judges recognised our engagement with the communities in which we work and our commitment to sustainable development.

The judges praised a number of initiatives, including the Larkfleet Community Fund.  This fund is the brainchild of our CEO, Karl Hick, and offers up to £500 for each house built for sale on the open market to be put towards creating communities and integrating new housing developments with existing communities. We estimate this fund could pay out £500,000 over the next five years to local groups and initiatives.
Our passion for supporting local areas through apprenticeship and graduate recruitment programmes and through our support for local colleges and sponsorship of the Greater Peterborough University Technical College was admired.

The judges also complimented our research into developing new homes to overcome flood risk - an idea which we hope will permit the development of land that is currently unsuitable for housing.

In fact, they said: "Larkfleet's commitment to, and passion for, research and development was disproportionately high for the size of the business."

This latest award follows our trophy for 'Small Housebuilder of the Year’ from the national HouseBuilder awards that we were presented with earlier this year.

In the photo above from the awards ceremony are, from left to right: Paul Adams (director of The Larkfleet Group of Companies), Karl Hick (chief executive of The Larkfleet Group of Companies) with the award, Helen Hick and Adrian Evans (joint managing directors of Larkfleet Homes) and awards event host Kevin Bridges.

Starting from scratch

Your living room, lounge, sitting room, or whatever you choose to call it, is usually the room you spend most of your leisure time in.  Whether you are watching TV, relaxing, reading, chatting with family or friends it needs to adapt to fit your needs.  This can make it one of the trickiest rooms to decorate and furnish as there are so many functions you need to think about.

If you’re starting completely from scratch with a blank canvas, as you would be in your new Larkfleet home, it can be a bit daunting.  Firstly you should first think about where the fixed elements of your room are – the fireplace, the plug sockets, TV aerial port, the phone socket, the windows and doorways for instance.  Once you know, you can place your furniture to suit.

Use your fire place as a your main focal point

You need to think of the make up of your family and make sure you have enough seating to accommodate everyone who will be using the room on a regular basis.  You can use clever seating such as window seats or small but comfy chairs to help make up numbers, rather than cramming the largest sofa you can into the space!

Linking your colour scheme draws your room together

Once you have your furniture chosen, you will usually lead you on to your colour scheme and you can work on how you will link this together.  You might want a traditional room or a contemporary feel.  Either way you can cleverly use mirrors, accessories, cushions and throws, glass and plants to make the spaces feel larger and warmer. 

Let's get together this summer!

Showing off a new garden gives you the perfect opportunity to meet new friends and neighbours. 

A beautifully-designed garden is as important as a stunning interior. After all, our gardens frame our homes and contribute to first impressions of our new home.

Options for garden designs can be as elaborate or low maintenance as your lifestyle and preferences permit.  However, there are some basics to consider:

Position
It is worth checking which way your garden faces and where the areas of shade and full sun are.  This helps you plan your planting and seating areas.  Which way your seating is facing and where it is situated is vital.  You need to consider if you are looking for totally secluded seating areas, social seating with plenty of space for everyone, or just individual loungers for the sun worshipers of the family.

View
Are you looking for a far reaching view or can you situate your plants and seating areas to give a more inclusive feel?  Do you need to take care with your planting so you do not obscure a view or should you be looking for plants which create a more private and secluded feel?

Shelter
We all need shelter from wind, sun and rain.  Should you be considering awnings, overhung terraces or large, solid hedges or fencing to help you feel more secluded?

Gadgets!
It's fun to think through what you might use your garden for?  Will you work outside in the summer?  If so, does your WiFi reach?  Do you like music on?  If so, you may need suitable electrical sockets. Perhaps you fancy some external lighting or feature lighting or maybe you want to install some heating devices!

Planting
You will need to take into account the type of soil you have before you start any planting scheme.  Some plants will thrive and others will hate it.  A quick check solves any expensive mistakes!  If you have young children or animals, it is well worth checking if plants or any resulting berries are poisonous.  Other things to consider are tactility, scent and texture. 

Building societies compete over 10-year fixed rate mortgage deals

Recently a number of building societies announced their lowest ever mortgage rates.  As reported by Eastern New Homebuyer, Friday saw The Coventry Building Society launch the lowest ever 10-year fixed rate mortgage.  It is offering a 2.39 per cent fixed-rate loan to borrowers with a 50 per cent deposit.  

Gretton Valley, one of Larkfleet's latest developments

This new deal undercuts the latest offer from HSBC which was also announced last week.  HSBC is offering a 10-year fixed rate deal at 2.79 per cent up to 70 per cent loan to value.

As Eastern New Homebuyer goes on to report, although this is great news, new home buyers should still take the whole package into account before making up their minds.

Larkfleet Homes supports Bourne school

Larkfleet Homes will be supporting the newly built Bourne Elsea Park Academy Primary School this Friday as it holds its annual school summer fair.  The school is situated close to Larkfleet's Bourne Heights development.

This week's summer fair will be held on Friday from 3.15 - 5.15 pm at the school. Larkfleet has donated a number of prizes for the raffle (see photo).

Bourne Heights is perfect for growing families. It has a good mix of two, three, four and five bedroom new homes in a number of styles. 

It is bordered by unspoiled fens and magnificent ancient woodlands, all of which are within easy access via the special cycle and pedestrian paths which run through this new development.  The site also has plans for new local shops, play areas and sports facilities. 

Bourne Heights is near to a fantastic selection of local amenities including a leisure centre, theatre, cafes and restaurants, plus the twice weekly town market and independent and national retailers.

Residents at The Croft celebrate the Queen's birthday

Residents at Larkfleet's age exclusive development, The Croft at Baston, celebrated the Queen's Birthday this weekend with an afternoon tea party.

Organised by resident Margaret Wilson, this was the first event to be held in the development's community hub building.  With nearly every resident attending, the group got together and enjoyed tea and cakes throughout the afternoon.

                               Photo above: Larkfleet's Mike Smalley with Margaret Wilson.

Everyone was encouraged to wear red, white and blue and many took up Margaret's challenge!  The ladies in particular put in a huge effort.

The Croft is a residential development for those aged 55 years and over.  Perfect for new home buyers looking to downsize, it is not just a place to live but a community of like-minded neighbours who enjoy a lifestyle of possibilities.  The community hub is integral in this development and offers residents a place to entertain visitors, meet other residents and start new hobbies.  For the green fingered, allotments are on offer.

Contact Maureen, Jackie or Mike on 07825 275820 to find out more.

Deborah finds her perfect home at Parson's Prospect

Deborah Godfrey started her property search in Spring last year when looking to move nearer to her sister in Peterborough. 

Deborah was living in London at the time and she initially looked at properties in the Spalding area.  When she could not find something that suited her needs, she expanded her search and came across Larkfleet Homes online.  When she called us we suggested that she take a look the new Parson’s Prospect development in Eye on the outskirts of Peterborough.

Deborah said: “I visited the girls in the sales office at Parson’s Prospect and looked at the new homes under development off-plan.  I was really impressed.  I liked the area and site layout so I reserved my home, a three bedroom detached house, in May last year.

She added: “I had a challenging time selling my flat in London. I had buyers who were not able to take the sale forward and dropped out, so when it eventually sold in December I was delighted.  The Larkfleet sales team was superb and really patient throughout this period.  It was frustrating and stressful for me but they stayed with me and made the whole thing a bit more manageable.”

Since moving into her new home, Deborah continues to sing the praises of the on-site team and the Larkfleet after-sales service. 

She said: “There is obviously a snagging period with any new home and I have had a couple of small snags to deal with.  The sales team have always been there for me, sending me off to the right person.  They really have been responsive and genuinely listened to my queries. It has been refreshing to deal with a company which does not just stop caring after they have sold you the house!"

She added: “I am delighted with everything about my new home, from the quality of build to the customer care service I have received.  I would recommend Larkfleet Homes to anyone looking to buy a new home.”

Why buy old, when you can buy new!

As part of this week's New Home Buyers Week, Larkfleet Homes is supporting the Home Builders Federation to showcase the benefits of buying new and what makes a Larkfleet home different. 

Your brand new home, just as you want it.

Older homes just are not designed or laid out for modern-day open plan living.  A brand new Larkfleet home saves you from having to make expensive alterations and gives you open spaces for your family to enjoy right away.

We build homes for modern families which flow from room to room, are full of natural light and come with new, energy-efficient appliances.

A Larkfleet home is energy efficient.

Our new homes are far more efficient than older homes.  They are designed and built with  sustainable wooden frames and the latest building materials, which are far kinder to the environment.  We use the latest, efficient loft and cavity wall insulation and modern double glazing.  We also fit solar panels as standard.  This means most of our new homes will not be paying for all of their electricity, they will be generating some of it themselves! 

Your new home, your style.

Buying your new home gives you the greatest opportunity to explore your individual tastes.  You can visit our show homes for inspiration!

 

We are award-winning housebuilders.

We are proud to say we have won 45 national and local awards, which recognise the satisfaction of our customers and the pride we take in our company!

Our sales staff are committed to making your house move as painless as possible. Take a look at our latest developments.  Our sales staff at each development can explain the range of schemes we have to help both current homeowners and first time buyers find the house of their dreams.  

It's a great time to buy new!