Improve home value 'through small changes'

23 2008
Homeowners hoping to make the most of their asset when they sell in today's falling property market have been given some advice on how to improve its value.

Celebrity designer Anna Ryder Richardson has suggested that the bigger changes available to homes aren't necessarily those which will have the most impact.

Ms Ryder Richardson said: "It's not really about spending lots of money. Maybe in the past we've been guilty of thinking that we had to lavish our homes with great design because then it would be worth more and we could sell it.

"Sprucing them up can be as simple as de-cluttering and changing the light bulbs and feeling comfortable and warm. It's really about adding value to your property as well."

Many would-be first-time buyers are now being tempted into rental accommodation, however, as the housing market continues to fall.

Britain's second-largest lettings agent, Your Move, recently reported a 50 per cent rise in demand for rental property between September 2007 and the same month this year.

The flexibility or wide range of choice associated with renting may be responsible for the surge in interest, as well as the falling fortunes of the property market.ADNFCR-1219-ID-18839602-ADNFCR

Related Articles
Bank could further reduce rates
The Bank of England could reduce base rates yet again this week, perhaps...

House prices reliant on banks' confidence
With many analysts making predictions for the housing market in 2009 there...

Isle of Man bucking house price falls
The Isle of Man saw house prices rise four per cent throughout 2008, one...

Lib Dem Cable talks of record house price slump
Liberal Democrat treasury spokesman Vince Cable has attributed a mix of...

House prices past halfway point
House prices have passed the halfway mark in their fall from their 2007...