The Oliver James Blog

Should You Renovate Your Property Before Going to Market? Before selling your home, you might be thinking about ways to add value or unlock potential so buyers can get a feel for what it would be like to live there themselves. But...

Best Ways to Contact Your Landlord Problems in the home are a nuisance. Like when you’ve got a leaky tap and the drip drip drip drives you to distraction, or when your fridge packs up and food goes to waste. When things go...

Is Self-Building Really Worth It? Come on, we’ve all done it. Switched onto a property programme and fallen into the daydream of building our very own house. A walk-in wardrobe, a home cinema, a room just for shoes… sounds...

Keep It Formal – Why You Should Maintain a Professional Relationship with Tenants As a landlord, it’s important to build a good relationship with tenants. You want them to feel comfortable in their new home and to care for it,...

Buying a Probate Property: What Buyers Need to Know Picture this: After a long and exhausting property search you finally find the home that’s just right for you. But then the estate agent mentions that it’s a ‘probate...

Top Tips to Get a Tenancy Off to a Good Start If you’re a landlord about to settle a new tenant into a property, there’s one phrase that should be your guiding mantra: “Start as you mean to go on”. Because what you do in...

The sun is out, we enter June. Rates increase yet again. Last time they went up, the market went swiftly down and a little bit sideways. This is the May Property Market report for Irlam and Cadishead. Enjoy Thursday 11th May saw...

Plants that Could Knock Thousands Off Your House Price Post pandemic, having outside space has taken on a whole new level of importance and can add significant value to a property. But what happens when your garden oasis threatens...

Is Renting Better Than Buying? The pitfalls of renting are always shouted about: too expensive, dodgy landlords, broken appliances and so on and so on. But what about the positives? With rental reforms on the horizon and changes...

Should You Sell Your Home to a Loved One? If you’re selling a property, you might think that selling to one of your nearest and dearest is the answer. After all, they know what they’re buying, you’ll save on professional...