1. Decide if you should sell first. If you are already a homeowner, it can seem risky to sell first, but there are upsides. In particular, you will be able to pounce quickly when you find the house of your dreams, and won’t be trapped in a chain.

2. Decide on your budget. This might be dependent on how much of a deposit you can get together. Don’t forget the variety of one-off and ongoing hidden costs, these can put an extra 15% on the cost of your home; more if you are doing serious building work.

3. Get your finances in place. Ask your agent for recommendations of financial advisors. A mortgage broker can be particularly helpful if you would like advice and to scan the full range of mortgages, or if you have special circumstances such as being self-employed. Work out how much of a deposit you would have. While you can’t get a mortgage before you buy, you can get a mortgage in principle, which will put you in a stronger position.

4. Choose a specific property. Research the area, and make yourselves familiar to ourselves and other estate agents. Visit as many properties as possible, ask questions, and make sure you understand whether the property is freehold or leasehold.

5. Make an offer – and get it accepted. Make sure you’re in the strongest possible position as previously mentioned. Decide how much you want to pay, make your offer, and it will be referred to the vendor straightaway.

6. Arrange a mortgage. Ideally you have your finances in place – see step 3. If so, you now need to go back to your mortgage company with the agreed offer and complete the process. You will need the lender to make you a formal mortgage offer before you can exchange contracts.

7. Hire a solicitor or conveyancer. They need to handle the legal work to transfer ownership of the property to you. Ask your estate agent for recommendations of reputable local firms, however your lender may require you to go with one that is on their panel. The solicitor or conveyancer will do the searches, such as with the local authority and Environment Agency, to ensure there are no major problems with the property. Please note that local searches are taking some time at present, and does not happen overnight.

8. Decide if you want a survey. Your mortgage lender will require a valuation by a surveyor. This is a simple survey. You can get the valuation upgraded to a full survey, or commission your own. Unless you are very experienced with property, it is worth getting a survey done.

9. Exchange contracts. When you exchange, you become legally committed to buying the property – and the sellers are legally committed to selling it to you. You can only exchange contracts after the solicitor/conveyancer is satisfied with the searches, a formal mortgage offer has been received (unless it is a cash purchase), and arrangements made for the deposit. You need to ensure you take out buildings insurance from the date of exchange, as you are responsible for it from then on.

10. Complete the sale. This is when you pay for the property and take ownership of it. It normally happens between 12pm – 2pm. The money is transferred and the deeds of the property are transferred, between each side’s conveyancer.

11. Pay stamp duty and solicitor/conveyancer. After completion, your solicitor will send you an account, covering all their costs, as well as the purchase price of the house and stamp duty. They will normally pay the stamp duty for you, and ensure that the change of ownership is registered with the land registry.

1. Get your grout on! Even if your shower is already as clean as possible, grouting can get discoloured over time so regrouting will make the shower look fresh and clean, even almost brand new! You could also get new chromeware fitted, which will make the shower look brand new without ripping the whole thing out.

2. Check out those cupboards! The bottom shelves of cupboards can often become marked and stained, especially under the sink where bottles of cleaning products are stored and little water leaks may have happened. Get some peel-and-stick tiles to cover up these marks and make the cupboards look new. Wallpaper is also a great thing to line drawers with, and can add some interest if it has a nice pattern or colour. Check out these tiles: https://www.diy.com/departments/b-q-white-marble-effect-self-adhesive-vinyl-tile-1-02m-pack/307353_BQ.prd

3. Get stuffed! You don’t have to spend loads to improve your sofa and armchairs, simply get them re-stuffed to add some life back into them. It’ll stop them looking so saggy and make them comfier as well; win-win!

4. Get a handle on it! Are the kitchen cupboards looking a bit old? You don’t need to replace them, or even replace the doors! If you just get some new handles for them, and maybe paint the doors too, it’s a really easy job, as well as saving time and money. You could even replace the handles on your chest of drawers and wardrobe too, to give the bedroom a new edge as well. Have a look at these handles https://www.homebase.co.uk/hot-bed-handle-black-140mm_p47441 and this paint http://www.johnstonespaint.com/paint-types/johnstone-s-revive/cupboard-paint

5. Throw the towel in! Maybe the towels in the bathroom are a bit faded? Perhaps there’s still that one with a make-up stain on you couldn’t quite shift? Not to mention that one that you spilled bleach on that time, yikes! A new set of towels hanging up in the bathroom can do wonders to improve it and make the room itself look like new. Also, there’s nothing better than the feel of a soft new towel! You don’t have to ditch your old towels into landfill – keep them to use as dustsheets, to mop up spills or to help with other mucky jobs. Have a look at Dunelm’s collection here: https://www.dunelm.com/category/home-and-furniture/bathroom/towels

1. Keep it light! Paint the walls a neutral colour to make your hallway light, bright and welcoming. You don’t want to overpower visitors with highly patterned wallpapers or too bold a colour the second they walk in. Dulux Timeless is a good choice – it’s not a boring white, and it’s not cream either, which can sometimes be old fashioned. It’s the perfect balance! https://www.dulux.co.uk/en/colour-details/timeless

2. Focus on the floor! Flooring is important in a hallway. Again, it’s important to keep things simple and welcoming to match the walls, but you can either go for carpet or hard flooring. Hard flooring isn’t for everyone, but it is practical for the room where people come in with their shoes on, or pets run inside from their walk with muddy paws! However, if carpet is more your style, you can still get a nice light-coloured carpet but keep it clean by putting a doormat at the front door to catch the dirt. A fitted doormat is good because it won’t slip, move or get caught on the bottom of the door. Have a look at this selection: https://www.makeanentrance.com/entrance-door-mats/mat-well-mats.html

3. Keep it bright! Adding a stylish light fitting can add a nice focal point of a hallway. It also helps make the room bright and welcoming. It’s also a good idea to get a light fitting that points in different directions to make sure the whole room is well lit. Just make sure it doesn’t hang too low – I went into someone’s hallway recently and bumped my head on the large chandelier! This one from B&Q is neat and stylish: https://www.diy.com/departments/mantus-chrome-effect-3-lamp-ceiling-light/1702671_BQ.prd

4. Make it bigger! We don’t mean that you should start knocking out walls and physically extending, but if you add a large mirror to one wall then it will make the space seem loads bigger with minimal effort. It’s also a handy thing to have in the hall so you can check you look fabulous before you leave the house! Have a look at this one:https://www.therange.co.uk/home-furnishings/mirrors/full-length-mirrors/sophia-lean-to-mirror/#120136

5. Keep it tidy! Hallways can sometimes get cluttered and messy, especially when shoes get piled up. There are many types of shoe rack available, but we love the pull-down cupboard style. It organises the shoes while also keeping them out of sight, which keeps your hallway looking neat and stylish. You can then use the top of the cabinet as a place for a letters, keys and other hallway essentials. This one from the Range is inexpensive and fits up to 10 pairs of shoes – perfect for a big family and guests too!https://www.argos.co.uk/product/6197429?clickOrigin=colourSwatch

*Featured hallway image is from a beautiful property we have for sale with our Carlisle office. Click here to view more of ‘The Beeches, Tarraby.

1. Out with the old! Be ruthless and get rid of any plants that aren’t their best any more. Plants don’t last forever, so dig the old ones up and you will have improved your garden instantly. If you put a new plant in their place then you will improve it even more!

2. Make it lush and green! The lawn is often the main area of the garden, so make sure you keep it mowed nicely, and also invest in some lawn food for when it gets a bit brown and neglected. If you water your lawn, do it in the early morning or evening too so the water will evaporate slower. Your lawn will look perfect in no time! This lawn food gets rid of most weeds as well as feeding the lawn: https://www.hayesgardenworld.co.uk/product/scotts-lawn-builder-lawn-food-100sqm

3. Do some border control! Plant some colourful shrubs in borders or raised beds, and ensure they are kept trimmed and neat so you don’t feel like your garden is a mess. Adding some lavender is a good idea as then you also have that lovely smell, and it will last all year round too.

4. Grow your own! You could start by planting some common herbs such as parsley, rosemary and thyme in plant pots near the back door, then they’re handy for just trimming bits off to use in cooking. If you want to start a little vegetable patch, you can get some raised planters to make it easier to tend to them and keep them contained. Check out these 200 litre raised beds: https://www.primrose.co.uk/200-litres-the-chamberlain-wooden-raised-grow-bed-lacewing-100cm-h20cm-p-6357.html?cPath=2_11728_679

5. Light it up! Outdoor lights are a lovely way of making the garden a useful social area even into the evening, as well as adding decoration. A lot of them are solar powered, so you don’t have to worry about having a nearby plug or replacing batteries. You can get string lights which are perfect over the patio, lights that stake into the ground to light up a path, or these simple lanterns which you can either hang, place on the ground or set on the table. https://www.therange.co.uk/outdoor-living/outdoor-lighting/solar-lights/solar-silver-lantern#606154

1. Clean up! Patio slabs can get really mucky, more than you’d realise. Give the patio a blast with a pressure washer and you’ll realise how clean it can be! It will also shift most of the debris that gets stuck between the slabs, so it can be easily swept away. Pressure washers can be inexpensive, or alternatively they are available to hire, or you could borrow a friend’s. Check out this one from B&Q: https://www.diy.com/departments/pressure-washer-1400-w/1581255_BQ.prd

2. Put on a fresh coat! Old faded wooden seats, benches and swing seats can make the whole area look tired too, so get a tin of varnish or even some nice bright outdoor wood paint, and paint your old seats to give them a new lease of life.

3. Keep it green! Pot some evergreen plants to pop on your patio. This will keep it looking full of life all year round, and also evergreen plants are often easy to look after. Junipers, boxwoods and Bosnian pine trees thrive in containers and are really hardy so will last all winter.

4. Turn up the heat! A chimenea or firepit is a wonderful addition to a patio. You can then make use of the patio on cool summer nights and the cold winter months – and you could even toast some marshmallows! Check out this traditional clay chimenea: https://www.diy.com/departments/blooma-diogo-cast-iron-steel-chiminea/1829825_BQ.prd

5. Cover up! Invest in garden covers for your outdoor furniture. This will protect them from getting battered by the weather, and prevent them getting covered in dirt and bird poo, so you won’t have to clean them every time you want to sit outside. Argos has a good selection here at very reasonable prices:https://www.argos.co.uk/browse/home-and-garden/garden-furniture/garden-furniture-covers-and-cushions/c:29395/type:furniture-covers/

1. Ask them! It’s often nice to have surprise gift, but sometimes there might be something the new homeowners actually want for their new place. You could also ask what colours they’re going for in their new house – for example, they might say they’re going for neutral in the bedroom but a blue theme in the kitchen, so you can bear this in mind when choosing a gift. You could even ask them to send you their Amazon wish list!

2. Pass the smell test! Room and pillow mists are a lovely gift idea, and this will help a new homeowner settle into their new home by spritzing it around to make it smell divine, and add a relaxing scent to the bedding. This one from Sanctuary Spa will have them relaxed into sleep in no time after their busy moving in day!https://www.superdrug.com/Sanctuary-Spa/Sanctuary-Spa-Sleep-Dream-Easy-Pillow-Mist-100ml/p/768748

3. Turn over a new leaf! A houseplant is always a good idea – it will improve the air quality as well as looking lovely. Easy to maintain plants are a good idea, especially if the new homeowners aren’t green fingered! An aloe vera plant is a great choice as they only need watering once a month at most, and thrives in a sunny window. Also you can remove parts of the leaf easily and use the cooling gel inside for a number of things. It heals dry, irritated or inflamed skin, soothes sunburn, lessens the visibility of stretch marks and can be used as a non-greasy moisturiser, perfect for those with oily skin without leaving a greasy feel. Find out more here:https://www.joyusgarden.com/aloe-vera/

4. Cook up a storm! Cookbooks are often difficult to choose for other people, but this is one that should be on everyone’s kitchen shelf. ‘The Dairy Book of Home Cookery’ is the perfect choice for both novices and experienced cooks, and is cited by millions as one of the most trusted recipe books of all time. It tells you how to make all the much-loved essentials, has all the basic cookery information you could need along with easy to follow advice and tips, and has more complex recipes to experiment and branch off once you’ve mastered the basics. This 50^th Anniversary edition has over 950 recipes including soups, roasts, gravy, fish, desserts, cakes, pastries and confectionery, as well as new classics such as pesto and paella: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dairy-Book-Home-Cookery-Anniversary/dp/1911388231

5. Crack open the bubbly! This personalised bottle of prosecco is a perfect house warming gift – it comes in a lovely gold gift box with gold tissue paper and can have any name, message and date on the front. The new homeowners can even put it on display to remember moving-in day even after it has been drunk. Have a look at it here https://www.findmeagift.co.uk/gifts/personalised-prosecco.html or check out a great non-alcoholic alternative: https://www.champagneandgifts.co.uk/personalised-non-alcoholic-fizz.html

Penrith Farmers and Kidd’s PLC are pleased to announce the appointment of a new PA to Head of Land Agency and Office Manager. Jessica Knight joined the company in April 2019.

Jessica is 23 and lives in Crackenthrope near Appleby. She has lived in the area her whole life and studied at Appleby Grammar School. Since then, she has had experience in the event management industry, and more recently kicked off her career as a Lettings Manager at one of the estate agencies in Penrith, which she really enjoyed. Jessica brings with her a wealth of experience in the lettings industry, and hopes to bring both organisation and creativity to the role as well. She is excited to be a part of PFK, and is looking forward to building on our Land Agency department’s continuing success.