The good news for anyone looking to purchase their dream home is that there is plenty of information out there to help you. The bad news? There is so much that it’s hard to know where to start.
Blogs are the internet’s more informal way of spreading tips, hints, tricks and information. They can be an extremely helpful accompaniment to have open in a tab next to your property listings pages and the kind of factual ‘house price’ information that pages such as Zoopla and Right Move can provide.
Here are five essentials to pop into your bookmarks right away:
The Rat and Mouse
The design is basic but as a resource this is anything but. This is regularly updated with short sharp snippets of property news gold, from house prices to tax changes and trends in the market. It’s a great signposting tool and has been running for more than ten years now, building up a good reputation in the process.
This is a regularly updated and varied blog that covers all aspects of the market. It’s split into ‘fun and fabulous’ – a mixture of lighter lifestyle, location and opinion pieces to you and I – Home Improvements, Money, and Property News sections. Make sure you click on the ‘see more’ button to see the articles in full though, otherwise you’re faced with a long and awkward slab of text.
Property Owl
Another well designed and well written blog, this is a comprehensive collection of material and looks at pretty much every angle you might want to explore from a property perspective. From tips on making the move less stressful to the latest changes to tax rules and locations where there is growth in the market, this is essential reading.
Don’t just stick to blogs that are purely based on property news and tips. There are plenty of sites that can also help with inspiration for the interior of your dream home too. Take a look at sites such as this one before you start your property search so that you can get a feel for what size and shape rooms you’re looking for to deliver the best possible home.
Want to see what the other side (sellers that is) are up to? Home Truths is a punchy collection of advice pieces aimed at those selling a property but is highly useful for buyers too. Laugh at the howlers on the ‘Wall Of Shame’ and make note of the tactics sellers will use to try to tempt you to part with your cash.
Other options
These five are a great place to start and most will probably point you in the direction of other good resources too. All major estate agent sites will also have blog pages while any newspaper site worth its salt will also carry opinion pieces and columns on the property market that should help to give you insig