Helping Innovate Property (HIP) – Blog, Housing Market News and Articles

With the costs of cancelling a policy set by most insurance companies, you need to get it right first time round and make sure you select the cover that is right for you. Luckily, these days we have comparison sites to brush us up on our insurance knowledge by asking all the relevant questions. In case you’re still lost in the world of home insurance, here are five things to look out for.
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It is extraordinary how swiftly having an efficient broadband service has become a key lifestyle requirement.  As our homes acquire more and more smart devices and our work and leisure activities become increasingly internet dependant, a fast, data generous broadband service has become an essential component of modern life.  Our reliance on broadband will only increase as more and more smart devices become available and yet, according to Ofcom, ‘One in seven homes could be paying more than they need to for broadband and could get faster services for the same or less money.’

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We are helped out in this day and age when it comes to wanting to switch energy suppliers, but most of us are still very cynical of the whole process. Did you know it can take as little as five minutes to switch, and you could save around £200 in the process over the whole year? Think what else you could spend that money on. Home interiors? Holiday money? Clothes? For just five minutes of your time, it’s silly not to save yourself some money.

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The kitchen is the hub of the household. What with preparing and cooking meals, and often eating them too, as well as washing up and popping the kettle on for a cup of tea, it’s where most of the action is, and where a large proportion of household energy goes. Here are a few ways to cut down on energy use in the kitchen without compromising on a cosy, good-looking room, or tasty meals.

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Ask anyone who has stayed in their home whilst they are remodelling what their advice is, they will tell you not to stay in your home during the process under any circumstances. However sometime this is not always an option, especially if you are under pressure financially. Sometimes you just have to deal with the dust and grin and bare it.

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If you’re already looking forward to retirement, this will just be extra encouragement but, if you’re one of those few people having concerns, you might want to take a closer look at just what retirement living can offer.

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Gas provides a cost effective energy source that is relied on by many home owners for a range of essentials including warmth, food and long hot baths. When a gas appliance goes wrong it can be extremely disruptive, but it can also prove to be dangerous if you don’t pick up on any issues quickly.

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If you’re currently in the process of trying to sell your home and are looking to move to another property, then space and storage will become a major part in this process. When selling your home you want to make it look as spacious as possible and having things packed away ready can help speed up the moving process. Equally, if you are downsizing, you’ll need to start thinking about just what you do/don’t need in your new home.

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Unfortunately, these days we are all, through necessity, more security conscious then we have ever been. We always lock our doors and our cars, we don’t leave valuables where they can easily be seen and when out and about we are alert to the risk of pickpockets and, as the now depressing familiar announcement goes, we make sure we “keep our personal belongings with us at all times. We are careful when going online and everyone seasoned web surfer knows how to spot a phishing attempt, so we ought to be pretty well equipped to repel attempts at fraud and theft. But how many of us consider whether we are protecting our houses from being stolen?

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Maintaining and caring for a wood floor can bring back its brilliance and increase its life span. Whether you’ve just moved into a new house or have an old floor in need of restoration, buffing a wood floor can revitalise the room, without having to replace the boards themselves.

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Have you ever considered what would happen if your home was destroyed in a flood or fire? Would you have enough money to build your home back to its original state? As much as thinking about worst-case scenarios is often something we put to the back of our mind, by being prepared with buildings’ insurance for such disasters it could save you a lot of money and heartache in the future.

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