7/31/2019 The Journal Homemaker. July 2010. Move and Improve. Old Mill Conversion. Period Charm Property.

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homem a ke r.co.uk Saturday July 3 2010

agents this we

4-16:Your Move

18-25:Pat t ins on

26-34:Reeds Rains

35-39:Rook Matthews Saye

41-44Sarah Mains

46-47:George F White

48-49:Strutt and Parker

50-51:Sanderson Young

52-53:Foster Maddison

55:Jan Forster

56-57:Andrew Craig

58:Harrington Brown

59:Smiths Gore

60:Launchpad Homes

inside this week

The property weekMarket is on the upHOUSING activity in the North East is set to improve, sayproperty experts from across the region.

A number of factors are combining to boost the marketthey say, including the new Governments suspension ofHome Information Packs, greater consumer confidence,an increase in the number of instructions, plus Englandsfailure in the World Cup finals.

Full story: page 17

Falling costs for ownersTHE cost of owning and running a home in the UK hasfallen by 6% over the past two years, according to researchby Halifax. In the two years to April the average annualcost associated with owning a home fell 544 from 9,564to 9,020. Mortgage costs are the most-significant singlefactor (41%) with electricity and gas charges accounting forthe second-highest share (15%), followed by council taxcharges and domestic rates (14%).

Good address has its valueTHE address of a property can have a significant influenceon its value, according to research. Homes on hills andlanes are worth 50% more than the national average,while streets and terraces have the lowest averageproperty values across the UK.

Meanwhile, homes on Church Lane are worth morethan double those on Chapel Street.

Full story: page 60

Contact us ah o m e m a ke r

WORK andned out toter bettching

d flop out ofld Cup lastd but only

s my turn toand paintroom and I was determinede defeated by awkwardor dreadful dribbling.tunately, I wasnt as on as I thought, and myurns and tricks with theon me nothing but injury

e was huge goal differencealf-time. After seeing thef my handiwork, I wasnto touch on my skills andues by my coach/better

l-time my woefulmance had won me a red

Id managed to paint not walls, but also the light, the floor and myself

e was no golden goalt for me. As central

er, I was left licking my, saying: Well I didng right, except for the

usband remains man ofch for now...

d Cup defeat, however, isnews for everyone. Insideaker this week, we revealh that shows buyers areto move again instead ofued to their TV screens.e 17.e doctor Peter Falles the problem of summern page 40.

we look at some brightideas from Barker &

ouse on page 45.ening columnist Hannahnson talks to TV gardeningan Titchmarsh aboutther plants on page 54.hose seeking a new-buildy, theres some fantastictarting on page 64.

your weekend!Aranda Rahbarkouhi

Editoria l

Editor:Karen Overbury, (0191) 201-6k are n.overbu ry @n cj me dia. co

Reporters:Francesca Craggs, (0191) 20fran ce sca .cra ggs@n c j media .Karen Wilson, (0191) 201-60k a re n . w i l s o n . n c j @ n c j m e d i a . cMieka Smiles, (0191) 201-624m i e k a . s m i le s @ n c j m e d i a . co . u

Design:Aranda Rahbarkouhi, (0191) aran d a .ra hb a r kou hi@ nc j med

A dve r tising

Property manager:Sue Catterall, (0191) 201-630

Residential sales:Lorraine Bell, (0191) 201-616Glenda Losh, (0191) 204-338

New build:Glen Minter, (0191) 201-6163

Classified and lettings:

Claire Dejonge, (0191) 206-7

m ove and improvea lick of paint and new

ts, this three-bedroomerty would make a greator people looking to get onroperty ladder. property has a spacious

ge and good-sized dining, which leads into the

ertys kitchen.stairs there are threeooms and a familyoom.

nne Tinkler of sellings Reeds Rains in Durham,

It is in a very nice villager from Durham city and Ithe property is very

tically priced, though ther is open to offers. property backs on to a

ng field, making it great fories.nne said: Theres not a lot

h needs doing, just a goodoration and new carpets

and there, but its great forime buyers. house in Alston Walk,urn Village, is for salegh Reeds Rains, at

000, tel: 0191 384 1222.

Property ofthe week

back page

pages 68-69

Fresh ideaspage 45

Turning tropical

Out intheg a rd e n

page 54

New homesfrom page 64

7/31/2019 The Journal Homemaker. July 2010. Move and Improve. Old Mill Conversion. Period Charm Property.

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homem a ke r.co.Saturday July 3 2010

MORE PICTURESvisit our gallery at www.homemaker.co.uk

See pages 18 25

n ewGreat mix of old and

y Hannah Layford

ALTHOUGH this historic millconversion in Northumberlanddates back hundreds of years, itoffers all the mod cons of a new-

uild.The owner of the four-bedroom home,

Marie Dunne, moved into the property whenwas converted in 2007. I havent needed to

o anything to the property since, well, exceptve here!, she said.Marie, 50, lives in the property with her

ons Stephen, 22, and James, 21.Marie, who also has a daughter, Rebecca, 23,

aid: It is extremely rural, but close tohilbottle and also Warkworthillage.

Were only six miles from Alnwick, andwere not too far from Alnmouth station

ither, so its easy to jump on a train and goo Newcastle.

The property has a tiled hallway andraditional mahogany staircase.

Living accommodation to the ground floorncludes a cloakroom, study, lounge,itchen/dining area and utility room. Thetudy, lounge and kitchen and dining area all

ave oak wood floors.The lounge has a multi-fuel stove and

ranite surround and hearth. There are tworched windows, one of which has a door

eading out into the back garden.Marie said: Its lovely because youre

literally looking out to your garden and thenits open countryside beyond.

The dining area has a sash window to the

rear and door leading to the garden and patioarea.Marie said: The property has an

interlinking lounge, breakfast room andkitchen so if youre entertaining you have avery large area.

Upstairs, the galleried landing extends toprovide a sitting area. Two of the bedroomshave en suites with showers and underfloorheating. There is also a family bathroom.

An unusual feature is that Grange Burnruns through the garden. Weve got afootbridge linking the north and south partsof the garden, said Marie.

Marie added: The main reason for movingis that my sons have finished university, andare struggling to find jobs here. My daughter,Rebecca lives and works in London, and Ithink we need to live in a city where therellbe more jobs. I havent settled on any area inparticular yet.

Im going to miss everything about thehouse. Its a beautiful property and I love thelocation.

4 Sturton Grange Mill, Warkworth, Morpeth,is for sale through Sanderson Young at480,000, tel: 01665 600170.

HOME SWEET HOME The historic mill conversion provides a house in a stunning area, with all mod

Looking for a home to rent

in the North East? Turn

to our le t t i n g s section foravailable properties from

page 61 or go to

Looking for a brand new

home in the North East?

Turn to our new homes

section from page 64

or go to

See pages 64-65

HomeBuyNow Available

www.yuilloffers.co.uk

NA

2727ca08

www

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homem a ke r.co.Saturday July 3 2010

Good all-roundPurchase & Remortg

Trac ke r ;Rate: 2.59% APR 2.6%, V

remaining term: 2.59%;fees: None

Benefits: Free vaEarly repayment charge:

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The above products are for informnot to be viewed as recommendatio

require evaluation for individual nepenalties may apply to the a

Your home may be repossessedrepayments on your mortgage. Th

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Variable rate for remaining term: 5.79%Arrangement fees: 495 arrangement fee that can bead d e dBenefits: Free valuationEarly repayment charge: 3% before July 31, 2013. Plus 160discharge fee(Chelsea Building Society/Yorkshire Building Society)

Mortgage m o n i to rThis weeks best buys include...

Purchase & Remortgage Offset Tracker RateRate: 2.79% (APR 2.8%)Variable rate for remaining term: 2.79%Arrangement fees: NoneBenefits: Free valuationEarly repayment charge: 149 closing fee(First Direct)

Purchase & Remortgage 5 Year Fixed RateRate: 3.99% (APR 5.2%)Variable rate for remaining term: 5.79%Arrangement fees: 495 arrangement fee that can beaddedBenefits: Free valuationEarly repayment charge: 4% before July 31, 2011. Plus 160discharge fee.(Chelsea Building Society/Yorkshire Building Society)

Sou

at RuthBlezard Bus

NE13

Poor England a boost for markeH

OUSING activity in theNorth East is set toimprove, say propertyexperts.

A number of factors are combiningo boost the market they say,ncluding the new Governmentsuspension of Home Informationacks, greater consumer confidence,n increase in the number ofnstructions and Englands failuren the World Cup finals!

Estate agents Your Move says theWorld Cup could be one of the

iggest influences.Area sales director Claire Milburn,

ased in Newcastle, said the agencyas analysed the number of propertyansactions completed during and

fter World Cups. According tonalysis of Her Majestys Revenue and

Customs figures, transactions haverisen by an average of 8% followingthe competition compared to its firstmonth. For instance, in the lastWorld Cup, 2006, in the monthfollowing the tournament, propertytransactions rose by 10% from160,000 per month in June to 176,000in August.

She said that despite Englandsfailure to qualify for the 1994 WorldCup, the trend was still evident

albeit slightly subdued withtransactions rising by 5% followingthe World Cup.

Ms Milburn said: When footballfever grips the nation, many buyersare glued to their screens. But,historically, a flurry of buyers hit thestreets in the month after thetournament. Consumer confidence

has risen this year, and more buyershave been entering the market.

She added that housing marketactivity has never dropped followingthe competition, but in two of theprevious seven World Cup years (1990and 1998), transactional activityremained steady in its wake.

Clive Rook, managing director ofestate agents Rook Matthews Sayer,said the suspension of HomeInformation Packs was one of the

strongest influences in encouragingmore people to enter the propertymarket.

He said that 48% of Home SaleNetwork members felt this was thestrongest influence. A further 19%cited low interest rates as the maininfluencing factor, and 19% indicatedthe summer weather was responsible.

Mr Rook said: We believe thesuspension of HIPs is good news forthe housing market. Our business hasindeed seen an increase in thenumber of properties being put onthe market since the announcementwas made last month. This may havebeen a result of people holding back,but estate agents have welcomed thesuspension of HIPs by the newGovernment.

He added that the Energy

Performance Certificate remainsmandatory.

Mortgage availability is still anissue for many buyers, however.

Craig Armstrong, an independentfinancial adviser from Gordon Brown

Associates, said: A mortgage is still afairly tricky thing to get and I thinkthat banks and building societies are

being much more lending.

They are definitat applicants with whole process has

It may be peopaccepted for a morhave to fulfil otheronly to find that thmay at any time demortgage. I think tslowing the marke

There are signs but I think that recare also going to imquite a lot.

Were going to maybe both partnepublic sector thinkmoving because ofabout their jobs.

Impressive periodproperty with charmHIS five-bedroom periodome offers space for all themily, set on just under half

n acre of land.The property is in

Whickham, a sought-afterrea with great schools,hops, pubs and restaurants.

The property was originallyuilt in 1895 and has beenpdated, but still retains itsriginal charm.

With many originalatures includingreplaces, panelled doorsnd some of the originaladed and stained-glassindows this is a home hasts of character.Living accommodation on

he ground floor includes anntrance hall leading to aeception hall, cloakroom,rawing room and sitting

oom with open fireplace,rge kitchen with breakfast

rea and dining room.The property also has a

tility room and playroomn the ground floor.

There is also a rear hall,

which houses a back staircaseleading up to the firstfloor. To the first floor there

is a large gym room, whichcould be used as a study oreven converted to anotherbedroom.

There are three bedroomson the first floor the masterbedroom with en suite andthere is also a large familybathroom.

The second floor also hastwo more large bedrooms,

one of which has an ensuite. The grounds of thebuilding are just as

impressive as the homeitself, with half an acre ofland, and mature bordersfeaturing a range of trees,shrubs and plants, offeringprivacy.

The property in MillfieldRoad, Whickham, Gateshead,is for sale through RookMatthew Sayer at 1,200,000,tel: 01661 860228. SPACIOUS SURROUNDINGS The five-bedroom home comes with half an acr

In a sought-after suburbHIS beautiful home in Jesmondetains a wealth of periodatures.Located on one of the suburbs

most sought-after roads, the end-rraced property offers spacious

ccommodation over three floors.riginal features include marblereplaces, coving and stainedass windows.Features include a reception

allway, living room with cast-on fireplace, dining room withreplace and spacioustchen/breakfast room with

ange-style cooker. There is also amily/playroom, cloakroom and

tility.On the first floor there is a

master bedroom with en suite,hower room, and two furtheredrooms. On the second floor

here is a sitting room andudy/bedroom.

There is a small town garden atthe front of the property and rearyard.

73 Highbury is for sale throughSanderson Young at a price guideof 449,950, tel: 0191 213 0033.

EXTERIOR The house in Jesmond retains many period features.