Here at Perry Bishop and Chambers we sell brand new homes on behalf of some of the UK’s leading house builders, as well as for a number of smaller regional and local developers – many of which can be purchased off plan. These range from houses and apartments suitable for first-time buyers to high spec large detached family homes.

Here are just some of the benefits of choosing to buy a brand new home:

1. Start from scratch – a new home is a blank canvas. Being able to personalise your new home, i.e. choosing kitchens, tiling and flooring in some cases means there are no expensive extensions or disruption to everyday living when building work is required.

2. Live for less – investing in a home which is more energy efficient, quality windows with double / triple glazing helping to keep energy bills down.

3. Everything new – including appliances, boilers / heating systems, up to date technology as well as flooring.

4. Specification – the internal specification, i.e. kitchens, work surfaces, bathrooms, tiling, flooring and appliances (if included) will be of a superior quality and if purchasing off-plan can be chosen to match your own personal tastes.

5. Helping you to move – often there are a wide range of offers, incentives available to help you whatever your personal circumstances. Help to buy, Part exchange, and Easymover.

6. Space – new homes are now designed to make the most of the space available. Designs can offer super flexible living with large open plan areas in some cases.

7. Low maintenance – with everthing brand new less chance of major maintenance. You can now relax and do the things you love, knowing you have a super new place to come home to.

8. Safe as houses – new homes have a high level of safety standards which include smoke alarms, security locks and in some cases either wiring for alarm systems or alarms installed.

9. Minimum stress – a new home will have no onward chain, survey issues or vendors changing heart – making the purchase a far less stressful move.

10. Warranties – All new homes have to adhere to a 10 year warranty which is normally a NHBC or its equivalent from the date of completion. This is an insurance to cover the cost of putting any damage right caused by defects in specified parts of the home.

Take a look at some of the beautiful new homes our branches are currently marketing across our region. There’s something to suit most budgets.

The long-awaited Tenant Fees Act was introduced across England on 1st June 2019. This government has released a guidance note for those in the industry.

From June 1st, it has become illegal to charge a tenant a fee relating to their tenancy unless it is one of the seven areas listed here.

Deposits are now capped at a maximum of 5 weeks’ rent for properties let with an annual rental of up to £50,000, or 6 weeks’ rent for those at or above £50,000.

Holding deposits are capped at one week’s rent and payments to amend the tenancy agreement to £50.

The latest survey of English Housing indicates over half a million more households now privately rent compared to five years ago (MHCLG). Read the full guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/tenant-fees-act-2019-guidance

If you are concerned that you may have noticed signs of a woodworm infestation in your home then continue reading to see our top woodworm tips on how to deal with a woodworm infestation.

1. Woodworm are not actually Worms

Woodworm is just the generic term applied to the wood-boring larvae of certain species of beetle. They begin life when an adult beetle lays its eggs in a wooden surface in your property. From there they will begin a larval stage which has the appearance of a small white worm or grub. Unfortunately this larval stage is when they actually cause the most damage to your wooden structures as they can stay embedded in your structural and decorative timber for anywhere between two to five years as they feed themselves on the cellulose in the wood, potentially leading to the timber becoming structurally compromised.

After this period the larvae will transform into an adult beetle and make its way out of the timber to mate and begin the life cycle all over again

2. Check if the infestation site is Active

Perhaps the most familiar sign of a woodworm infestation are the small round ‘exit holes’ that the adult beetles leave behind when they exit the wood. However, spotting these alone does not actually tell you whether the site is active or not.

In order to determine whether your wood and timber are still infested with woodworm larvae it is more useful to examine the exit holes for signs of ‘frass’. This a fine powdery substance that looks pretty similar to sawdust, but is in fact woodworm droppings. While we recognise this is not the most attractive of tasks, if you can see evidence of frass then you can be fairly certain that there are indeed woodworm present in your home.

3. Prevention is critical

As a general rule prevention is always preferable to treatment, however this is easier said than done when it comes to woodworm.

Certain species of woodworm prefer timber with a higher moisture content – and in order to deter them from making a home out of your wooden furniture or flooring you could take steps to provide adequate ventilation into the property. This would help to clear damp and humid environments that contribute to some woodworm infestations. If you are testing your timbers with a moisture meter then anything below 12% is what you should aim for.

4. Remove affected items
If you do spot exit holes with evidence of frass in any decorative wooden furniture then you should be prepared to simply remove it from your home.

Whether in a chair, wardrobe or decorative wooden object, once the adult beetle emerges from the structure they are free to lay their eggs in any wooden surface thus spreading the size of the infestation. Unless the object has some serious financial or emotional value then the most sensible course of action is to reduce this risk by clearing it out of your home.

5. Structural Timber can be repaired
Whilst the point above refers to items that are fairly easy to remove from your home, woodworm infestations in structural timbers are a rather more worrying prospect.

Thankfully woodworm are more often a nuisance rather than a threat to the structural integrity of your property, however even serious woodworm infestation that have compromised structural integrity can be solved through timber repair services. Infected timber sections are cut away and can be replaced with a resin repair section. This is more economical than replacing full beams and has the additional benefit that resin repairs are insusceptible to woodworm infestations.

Professional woodworm treatment may be required in some cases.
Small and localised cases of woodworm are often fairly simple to treat by yourself, however if you find that the issue persists after treatment, or if the infestation is particularly serious then it would be sensible to consult with woodworm professionals to make sure no serious damage has been caused to the property.

To make absolutely sure that your property is in safe hands we would suggest that contacting an approved and certified Woodworm solutions company is the safest way forward. If necessary, infestation sites can be treated with Safety Executive (HSE) approved woodworm formula for both bare timber and coated surfaces to ensure that the woodworm problem is comprehensively dealt with

Guest Blog supplied courtesy of property preservation experts Peter Cox

Preparations for the 2019 Ride for Ryder – in aid of Sue Ryder Leckhampton Court Hospice – are well underway and our Cheltenham branch are thrilled to be sponsoring this year’s event. They have already had a record number of sign-ups, but they are hoping that as many people as possible can join them on Sunday 23rd June to take part in this wonderful event for cyclists of all levels.

Choice of distances: 40km, 90km or 120km.

Registration Fee:

Five things to do over the Bank Holiday Weekend in the Cotswolds
(courtesy of Cotswold Life)

Gloucester Tall Ships and Adventure Festival
Whether you’re a history buff or an adrenalin junkie, there is something for everyone at the award-winning biennial Tall Ships and Adventure Festival, taking place May 25-27. Visitors can sample a slice of maritime life climbing aboard the vintage vessels, you can zipwire across Gloucester Docks or enjoy a Gravity Jet Suit display, plus wakeboarding competitions, food and drink stalls, and much more.

Cheese Rolling at Cooper’s Hill, Gloucester
On Monday May 29th, challengers from far and wide prepare to tumble with enthusiastic abandon down the near-vertical Cooper’s Hill in an effort to catch a 9lb Double Gloucester cheese. Although the organisation responsible for organising the “official” Cheese Roll withdrew their involvement in 2010, local supporters still ensure this annual tradition goes ahead.

Winchcombe Festival of Music and Arts
This year’s festival, taking place from May 20-27th, will feature a record number of artists on the ever-popular Art Trail plus workshops, poetry, talks, a gin tutorial, storytelling for youngsters…all ending with a street fair on Bank Holiday Monday. There’s to be a Tudor link this year, with Sudeley Castle recently discovering its long-lost Tudor garden.

Blenheim Palace Food Festival
The Blenheim Palace Food Festival promises a gastronomic weekend (May 25-27) packed with engaging and educational demonstrations from celebrity and local chefs, as well as a multitude of interactive family-friendly activities within the stunning grounds of the palace.

Tetbury Woolsack Races
We are pleased to sponsor Tetbury Woolsack Races, an age-old tradition that continues to this very day, with woolsack races for men and women as well as a street fair taking place on the last bank holiday Monday in May. Competitors, burdened with the heavy sacks of wool, must race across the 240yd course, with Tetbury’s undulating Cotswold hills providing an additional challenge.

Clutter can play a significant role in how we feel about our homes and ourselves, while a messy house can send signals to the brain that work is never done, making it more difficult to relax and leaving us feeling anxious and overwhelmed.

A UK wide survey by the Mental Health Foundation found last year, 74% of the UK felt overwhelmed with stress at some point in the previous year. And whilst there is a wide range of stress factors, one of the least recognised but easiest life stressors to fix is decluttering your home.

One concept said to bring about positive energy and improve mental wellbeing is Feng Shui, a lot of which refers to how to position things and avoid cluttering. To mark Mental Health Awareness Week (13th-19th May), ScS has teamed up with Feng Shui consultant and teacher, Nikki Bishop, on what it can do for mental wellbeing, and how you can achieve this in your home.

Nikki Bishop, a Feng Shui consultant for almost 20 years, says: “Making a house a home is a familiar phrase, and anyone who has been house hunting knows that some attract us more than others. Feng Shui is an understanding of energy. When this life force energy is present and vibrant, people, animals, and plant life are also vibrant and prosper, but when it is adversely affected then plants can wilt and die, animals suffer, as do humans. We need this energy to be vibrant to support us, in the same way as we have this energy inside of us, a house also contains this energy.

In our modern urban environment, properties are being built in locations where we would never have built many years ago. As a result, there is an increasing number of properties that could benefit from an improved flow of energy.”

Nikki advises on ten basic principles that anyone can apply to their home:

1. Keep the path to the front door clear of any rubbish, weeds, or clutter.
2. Avoid clutter and homeware pieces that are too large for the size of the space it sits in to allow the energy to flow freely.
3. Position sofas so you have a solid wall behind you and where you have a clear view of the door into the room. Having a clear sight of the entrance to the room helps those with anxiety to relax in their own home.
4. Don’t feel that your furniture is fixed, move it around to freshen up the atmosphere of the room.
5. Stick to a lighter palette of colour as they’re more versatile but use stronger colours to accent certain rooms or areas through soft furnishings and artwork.
6. If placing mirrors, be mindful of what they reflect. Ensure they reflect something nice.
7. Consider the symbolism of the art you place on your walls and how it makes you feel personally.
8. Have a variety of lighting that you can adjust to the time of day and uses of the room. This works with the yin and yang energy of the space.
9. Fresh flowers contribute a good feeling, but ensure you remove them once they are past their best.
10. Make use of a variety of forms and shapes. Earth shapes can become dominant. Earth shapes are square – break this up by adding some rounded or oval shapes.

Dale Gillespie, Head of Acquisition at ScS, comments: “After a while, our home interiors can feel tired and uninspiring, however keeping up with all the latest interior trends and fashions can be time-consuming and expensive. Meeting in the middle by playing around with the furniture and home accessories is a smart go-to before considering any huge DIY changes and it can have a significant impact on how stressed you feel. Hopefully these tips will help people to bring a little more positive energy into their homes.”

Article courtesy of Property Reporter

Doom-mongering is commonplace just now with many vendors using Brexit as a reason to delay listing their properties to sell. They could be missing out.

On average over the last five years (2014-2018), the period between June and August accounted for more completed sales than in any other period across the year. Around 30% more sales occurred in these months than in the first three months of the year*.

On average, in the last five years around, a quarter of a million homes sold each year in England and Wales between June and August.

Assuming properties were listed around 8 to 10 weeks before completion, then it is properties listed now which will be completing in this busy period.

List now and you could be spending your long summer’s evenings in your new home!

Book your FREE valuation now.

*2016 excluded from this analysis due to unusual activity in March due to introduction of additional SDLT for second home buyers and investors.

Townhouses built in the heart of the five valleys. A view of the mill pond. Quiet, calm surroundings. What more could you really ask for?

How about high quality specifications with an eye for detail that for most would simply not cross their minds? A home that is not just aesthetically pleasing but well thought out to make your day to day life easier and more efficient, giving you more time to be you.

Lewiston Mill ticks all the boxes.

So, you’ve bought the home of your dreams with the open plan living/dining/kitchen area, the sun is shining and bouncing off of the mill pond outside, the patio doors are open and you see the ducks land gracefully on the water. Your friends and family are here for your housewarming party and enjoying a cool refreshing drink. You are in charge of cooking all the food and a nibbles for your guests, thankfully your kitchen has a double oven for you to use. No need to worry about temperatures and timing when cooking for so many.

With your integrated fridge/freezer, you’ve got plenty of room for food and drinks to be stored, all while keeping your kitchen sides clear of muddles. Who wants muddles when you can look at your shaker style kitchen with under pelmet and plinth lighting?

The sun is starting to set and everyone is having a wonderful time. You are now relaxing in your upstairs living room. With the cool summer air you have the doors open to your balcony. No need to have all the internal lights on as your balcony has down lights, giving you the evening atmosphere you always wanted. Now you can see the stars.

Time for a quick cup of tea before everyone leaves? Your instant hot water tap means no waiting around for the kettle to boil and with your integrated dishwasher cleaning up should be a breeze. With a moment for everyone to appreciate your oak staircase and doors, you say goodbye.

Your guests have all gone home after spending a fabulous day in your new home. Now is your chance to have a long soak in your en-suite bathroom. With the underfloor heating on all you need is a scented candle and your day is complete. Thankfully, you have underfloor heating throughout the downstairs and in both bathrooms. When a warm day brings a cool night, you can be as cosy as you want.

You get your dressing gown out of your beautifully crafted built in wardrobe; no need to be concerned about rummaging through your clothes, having a thoughtfully installed built in light makes your final task a breeze.

Finally relaxed and happy in bed, what is left to dream about when you are already in the home of your dreams?

To make your dream come true contact us now to arrange your viewing. With homes ready, you could be in your new home before the summer.

Stroud Office:

T: 01453 762306

E: stroud@perrybishop.co.uk

Nailsworth Office:

T: 01453 836736

E: nailsworth@perrybishop.co.uk

Cheltenham Office:

T: 01242 246980

E: cheltenham@perrybishop.co.uk

Cirencester Office:

T: 01285 655355

E: cirencester@perrybishop.co.uk

At times perhaps our job appears easy. People sometimes think that property just sells itself. That a buyer appears from nowhere, loves a house or flat and agrees to buy it – just like that. Some think the sale then speeds effortlessly to a satisfactory conclusion and without any other assistance. Let me explain, it doesn’t always work like that – well not for most of the time anyway.

A ‘proper’ estate agent’s job is not to sell houses; rather it is to move people. Moving anything is often complicated, can be fraught with difficulty and have unforeseen consequences. Just think about moving twin six-year-olds singlehandedly from home to school every morning, or moving a central heating boiler, or moving 250,000 tons of crude oil half way round the world or moving a herd of sheep from one hillside to another. It all takes planning, patience, knowhow, experience and resolve. It means expecting the unexpected, problem solving and, when other people are involved, the highest level of tact and diplomacy.

I don’t know about you, but if I wanted to move a herd of sheep I would hire a shepherd. And, in a way, that’s what estate agents are. We arrange for something with lots of moving parts – each with a mind of its own – to end up where it should be on the date it is supposed to be there. Estate agents shepherd people, contracts, surveys, mortgages, removals, withdrawals, gazundering, false starts, disappointments, the unforeseen and triumphs from one place to another. Sometimes it’s a smooth process. But all too often it isn’t. You may not think it’s worth paying for a shepherd at the beginning. But believe me, at the end, when it has been sheeting down with rain all day, the quad bike has broken down, a fox snatched a lamb and a large group of unreasonable ewes made a long break for freedom you will think a shepherd is worth every penny.

Why are we estate agents? We do it because we enjoy being shepherds. Some may think that selling houses is not much of a job, and in many ways they might be correct. But moving people and families on to the next stage of their lives and making it as seamless and stress-free as possible is a job we enjoy and think is well worth doing.

Are you a fan of The Antiques Road Show or Cash in the Attic? Do you have an antique that you would like valued by the Cotswolds’ leading Auction House? Drop into our Faringdon office this Friday, between 10am and 1pm, for a free valuation from an expert valuer from The Cotswold Auction Company.

Any of the following items are of interest

• Silver and Jewellery
• Ceramics and Glass
• Medals and Militaria
• Toys, Dolls and models
• Paintings and Prints
• Books and Collectables
• Photos of Furniture

Please call our Faringdon office on 01367 240356 to secure your slot.