RICS Information Guides

Are now available for download from www.collier-stevens.co.uk/RICS Information Guides.htm, these are really useful and cover the following topics:

• Buying a Home
• Selling a Home
• Property Surveys
• Party Walls
• Rights to Light
• Boundary Disputes
• Flooding
• Extending your Home

Best of all they're free

Nationwide puts up mortgage rates

BBC NEWS | Business | Nationwide puts up mortgage rates

Interesting property have we've surveyed this week 1

A nice conversion flat in Rochester, Grade 2 listed and really rather nice.

Rightmove details here

Go ahead for Stratford residential scheme - Property Week | Residential news - Property Week

Go ahead for Stratford residential scheme - Property Week

Health & Safety

Ever wondered why you need a hard hat, ever wondered why it's preferable to knock down a builidng from the outside, ever wondered why some people are just dopey...

Property slump? House prices in London just keep going up | Evening Standard

Property slump? House prices in London just keep going up | Evening Standard

And then of course a completely contrary view...

Bargain hunters reignite UK housing market - Times Online

Bargain hunters reignite UK housing market - Times Online

Well, what a surprise. We didn't see much of a peak around 14 December, in fact most sellers now seem to have accepted HIPS. Not of course that Estate Agents are making much use of them, yesterday an agent told us that we were the first surveyors to ask to see a HIP. We like HIPS, look past the bumf and the energy appraisal and there is good stuff in there that helps us to help you, if we know where the drains run or there is a right of way we can fully advise on extensions and alterations for instance.

steve

BBC NEWS | Business | Average house prices fall further

BBC NEWS | Business | Average house prices fall further

Yep, it's true. We're watching values fall right now, most of the stuff we've looked at this year is definitely slightly down on value from say September. Will it continue, we don't know - we're surveyors not economists - but we suspect that some onward down movement is inevitable.

steve

BBC NEWS | Business | House price gloom 'recalls 1990s'

BBC NEWS | Business | House price gloom 'recalls 1990s': "House price gloom 'recalls 1990s'"

RICS UK Housing Market Survey December 2007

RICS UK Housing Market Survey December 2007

Here it is! The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors market survey, the one that says house prices are dropping faster than they have for 10 years - well, actually it doesn't say that despite what the papers say. What it says is that most chartered surveyors are seeing prices falling slightly in their areas.

Steve - http://www.collier-stevens.co.uk

Here We Are

Welcome to the Collier Stevens blog, not quite sure how we're going to use it yet but watch this space. I think we'll have building defects, mad building things, the occassional woodworm, rants raves and everything else. We'll also keep you posted as to what our surveyors are up to in their spare time...

Steve - http://www.collier-stevens.co.uk