Happy Christmas Everybody

Source:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K5bo4VDEH-U

What Is The Process For Buying My Neighbour’s Garage?

Question: I want to buy my neighbour’s garage that backs on to my garden. I am going to make her an offer, which I expect she will accept as she doesn’t use it. But, once she has said yes, what do I do next?

Answer: Instruct a solicitor to undertake the conveyancing work for you, and your neighbour should do the same thing. A Land Registry compliant plan showing the garage will be necessary, and your neighbour’s solicitor should provide a draft contract, transfer and title documents, which your solicitor will check.

Your solicitor should also ensure that there are no restrictive covenants affecting your neighbour’s property, which preclude the garage being sold separately, and if your neighbour has a mortgage that her lender is prepared to release its charge over the garage.

Make sure you are granted any necessary access rights to enable you to enter your neighbour’s property so you can repair or maintain the garage, and also consider boundaries and their ownership.

Think about how you will gain access from your property to the garage and, indeed, from the public highway to the garage.

If you intend to drop the kerb on the public highway/pavement for easier access, you will need permission from your local authority to do so.

Your solicitor will register your title to the garage at the Land Registry after you complete the purchase.

Source:- http://www.homesandproperty.co.uk/property-news/legal-qa/what-is-the-process-for-buying-my-neighbour-s-garage-43071.html

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12 Reasons Why You’ll Be Happier In A Smaller Home

Recently, my parents bought a smaller house. And this past week, while on vacation in South Dakota (yeah, I vacation in South Dakota), I got to see it for the first time. During our stay, I was surprised at how often my mother commented that “they just love their smaller house.” I wasn’t so much surprised that she felt that way (I am a minimalist after all), but I was surprised at the frequency. It was a comment that she repeated over and over again during our one-week stay.

Toward the end of the week, I sat down with my mom and asked her to list all of the reasons why she is experiencing more happiness in her smaller house. And this post is the result.

12 Reasons Why You’ll Be Happier in a Smaller House by Joshua and Patty Becker (I get top billing because it is my blog).

People buy larger homes for a number of reasons:

• They “outgrow” their smaller one.
• They receive a promotion and raise at work.
• They are convinced by a realtor that they can afford it.
• They hope to impress others.
• They think a large home is the home of their dreams.

Another reason people keep buying bigger and bigger homes is because no one tells them not to. The mantra of the culture again comes calling, “buy as much and as big as possible.” They believe the lie and choose to buy a large home only because that’s “what you are supposed to do” when you start making money… you buy nice, big stuff.

Nobody ever tells them not to. Nobody gives them permission to pursue smaller, rather than larger. Nobody gives them the reasons they may actually be happier in a smaller house.

So, in an attempt to break the silence, consider these 12 reasons why you’ll actually be happier in a smaller house:

1. Easier to maintain. Anyone who has owned a house knows the amount of time, energy, and effort to maintain it. All things being equal, a smaller home requires less of your time, energy, and effort to accomplish that task.
2. Less time spent cleaning. And that should be reason enough…
3. Less expensive. Smaller homes are less expensive to purchase and less expensive to keep (insurance, taxes, heating, cooling, electricity, etc.).
4. Less debt and less risk. Dozens of on-line calculators will help you determine “how much house you can afford.” These formulas are based on net income, savings, current debt, and monthly mortgage payments. They are also based on the premise that we should spend “28% of our net income on our monthly mortgage payments.” But if we can be more financially stable and happier by only spending 15%… then why would we ever choose to spend 28?
5. Mentally Freeing. As is the case with all of our possessions, the more we own, the more they own us. And the more stuff we own, the more mental energy is held hostage by them. The same is absolutely true with our largest, most valuable asset. Buy small and free your mind.
6. Less environmental impact. A smaller home requires less resources to build and less resources to maintain. And that benefits all of us.
7. More time. Many of the benefits above (less cleaning, less maintaining, mental freedom) result in the freeing up of our schedule to pursue the things in life that really matter – whatever you want that to be.
8. Encourages family bonding. A smaller home results in more social interaction among the members of the family. And while this may be the reason that some people purchase bigger homes, I think just the opposite should be true.
9. Forces you to remove baggage. Moving into a smaller home forces you to intentionally pare down your belongings.
10. Less temptation to accumulate. If you don’t have any room in your house for that new treadmill, you’ll be less tempted to buy it in the first place (no offense to those of you who own a treadmill… and actually use it).
11. Less decorating. While some people love the idea of choosing wall color, carpet color, furniture, window treatments, decorations, and light fixtures for dozens of rooms, I don’t.
12. Wider market to sell. By its very definition, a smaller, more affordable house is affordable to a larger percentage of the population than a more expensive, less affordable one.

Your home is a very personal decision that weighs in a large number of factors that can’t possibly be summed up in one 700 word post. This post was not written to address each of them. Only you know all the variables that come into play when making your decision.

I just think you’ll be happier if you buy smaller—rather than the other way around.

Source:- http://www.becomingminimalist.com/12-reasons-why-youll-be-happier-in-a-smaller-home/

Trapped In Homes That Are Too Small

 Average family loses 11sq ft of space in just three years

Millions of families are being squashed into homes that are too small, with one in eight children now enduring overcrowding.

In the past three years the average family has lost 11 sq ft of living space, an alarming study shows.

Many families are trapped in homes that are too small because they cannot afford to buy or rent a larger property.

Budge up: Families are stretching their living space more than ever by converting lofts and in extreme cases, using cupboards as living space

Squeezed in: Modern families are facing increasingly smaller living spaces because they can't afford to move to a bigger property

Often they 'stretch' their space by converting the loft or garage into an extra bedroom, said the report by investment firm LV.  

In extreme cases they are turning cupboards into living areas. Some families even risk unsafe extensions.

Many 'space-starved parents' are squashed into a two-bedroom home that was fine when they were a young couple but has no space for their children.

With the average home doubling in price to about £160,000 over the  past decade, grown-up children often cannot afford to leave.

Many do not want to live with their parents but are unable to rent or get on the property ladder, adding to the 'big squeeze'.

Overall, the average size of a family home, which is defined as one containing at least one parent and one child, has shrunk from about 937.8 sq ft in 2008 to 927.3 sq ft today.

For a home to be the right size, the parents must have their own bedroom, according to Government guidance.

Children aged under ten can share, as well as same-sex children between the age of ten and 20. A child over 21 needs their own bedroom.

The report estimated nearly 200,000 children are living in bedrooms that have been partitioned to create two smaller spaces.

It said the squash was also fuelled by a rise in people working from home, converting a bedroom, cupboard or even a corridor into a home office. John O’Roarke of LV Home Insurance said: 'British families are feeling the squeeze as they are being forced to live in smaller homes than are suitable.

'Many are resorting to desperate measures to create extra space.'

Tanya de Grunwald of job-hunting website Graduate Fog said the situation was extremely frustrating for those in their twenties or thirties.

She said: 'They want to be earning their own money and sharing a flat with friends, not living at home with Mum and Dad and having to ask for money for their bus fare.'

A separate report, from the Halifax, said property sales have plummeted over the past decade.

From January to June this year there were just over 270,000 homes sold in England and Wales, compared with more than 530,000 in the first half of 2001.

The cost of stamp duty, which is charged at up to five per cent on homes above £1million, is also stopping many families from moving.

But in some areas property sales are picking up. In Bury, they have jumped 44 per cent in the past year.

Source:- http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2048924/Trapped-homes-small-Average-family-loses-11sq-ft-space-just-years.html