PROPERTY NEWS: Prices slashed to stimulate new homes sales

PROPERTY prices in a new development on Minehead’s North Hill have been slashed in a bid to stimulate house sales in the otherwise current gloomy economic situation.
Housebuilder Barratt is offering a ‘Buy of the week’ at its Clanville Grange development (pictured) which is 25 per cent less than the original asking price.
Using the company’s Dream Start scheme, plot 37, a Lytham-style apartment with two bedrooms, carpets, curtains, and parking, is available for £128,962 instead of its original price of £171,950.
Barratt Exeter managing director Tim Larner said: “Barratt is committed to getting first-time buyers onto the property ladder.
“Using our Dream Start scheme, they can buy a new home at 75 per cent of the price, with the other 25 per cent being deferred for up to 10 years.”
Mr Larner said in the past four weeks Barratt had reserved more 30 homes throughout the South West using the scheme.
He said: “We are still selling homes at a good level, and we have schemes in place to help everybody move to the home of their dreams.”
Further details about Clanville Grange are available from the sales office, which is open daily from 11 am to 6 pm, by calling 01643 709738 or logging on to www.barratthomes.co.uk.

New website helps people search for an ‘affordable home’

SOCIAL housing organisation Somer Housing Group, which has properties in West Somerset and Taunton Deane, has launched a new website aimed at people looking for affordable housing options.
The site, www.somerhomes.co.uk, has details of all the properties on offer from the group’s members through the ‘New Build HomeBuy’ scheme.
It allows people to move in to a new home which they part-buy, part-rent - buying a percentage of the home and paying rent on the rest of it.
As people’s circumstances change, they can buy further shares until they own the whole of their home.
Some developments have homes available through ‘rent to buy’.
The new scheme is aimed at people who cannot afford or cannot obtain a mortgage, or who have simply been put off purchasing in the current economic climate.
They receive the best of both worlds, renting a home at 80 per cent of the local market rate and at a later date they will be given the first chance to buy the property through ‘New Build HomeBuy’.
The website currently has properties available in parts of Somerset, Bristol, Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and the Cotswolds.
Somer sales and marketing manager Sarah Turton said: “This is a very difficult time for people who are frustrated because they want to find a home, but are still having difficulty finding somewhere they can afford or getting a mortgage.
“We have some great homes for sale and rent and these schemes give you lots of flexibility about how you commit yourself now, with the possibility that one day you will own all of your home, without ever having to move.”
The group includes Somer Community Housing Trust, which is the largest social landlord in the Westcountry, Bristol-based Redland Housing Association, young people and homeless charity Shape Housing Association, and Lantern Homes.

PROPERTY NEWS: Buy all of a new Minehead home for three-quarters of the price

BARRATT has unveiled an offer for anybody who wants to buy a new home in Minehead.
House hunters could pick-up the keys to a property on the new Clanville Grange development immediately, for just 75 per cent of the price.
Barratt would then pay the other 25 per cent through a deferred loan.
Some lenders will even accept Barratt’s 25 per cent share as the purchaser’s deposit - meaning they might not need a deposit of their own.
Barratt sales manager Louise Terry said: “This is a terrific offer, which can make a dramatic difference to the move-in price of a new home.
“Paying only a 75 per cent mortgage makes buying very affordable.
“And you may not have to find a deposit either.
“This is not shared ownership - it is your home, and you own 100 per cent of it, but you only pay 75 per cent of the purchase price now.
“There is no interest or rent to pay on the other 25 per cent for up to 10 years or until you sell the property, whichever is sooner.
“We can only offer it on selected plots for a limited period.
“We will operate on a first come, first served basis so I would advise anybody who wants to move to pick up the telephone or visit our website now.”
Homes currently available to move into for 75 per cent of the price at Barratt’s Clanville Grange include one and two-bedroom apartments from £125,000 to £191,950.
For further details call Clanville Grange, which is open daily from 11 am to 6 pm, on 01643 709738, or log on to www.barratthomes.co.uk.

• Our photographs show some of the recently completed Clanville Grange homes in Minehead (TOP) and a typical living room (BELOW). Photos submitted.

PROPERTY: Clanville Grange developer offers free estate agency service

HOUSING developer Barratt is offering to act as a free ‘estate agent’ for anybody who wants to buy one of its newly-finished homes in Minehead.
The firm will sell a buyer’s existing property to ‘save them time, money, and hassle’ if they want to move to the new Clanville Grange estate, on Minehead’s North Hill.
Barratt sales director Caroline Hill said: “Appointing Barratt as your ‘estate agent’ to sell your house when you want to buy a brand new Barratt property may seem unusual - but more and more people are discovering it can be a smart way to buy and sell in one easy move.”
The housebuilder’s completely free agency selling service includes obtaining full market value for the buyer’s old home, and Barratt will also arrange and pay for a Home Information Pack and legal fees.
With the Clanville Grange development, Barratt is offering the service on a range of contemporary one and two-bedroom apartments.
Barratt arranges for an independent professional valuation of an existing house and agrees a realistic asking price before marketing it professionally, preparing sales literature, arranging advertising, and putting up a ‘For Sale’ board.
Once a buyer has been found, the sale is smoothly progressed, and when the new home is ready, the move goes ahead.
Mrs Hill said: “Our agency selling service has been popular for many years as buyers can secure the new Barratt home they want, on the plot of their choice, while we get on with selling their old one.”
Current availability at Clanville Grange includes one-bedroom apartments from £155,000.
More information on the agency selling service is available by calling 01643 709738 or logging on to http://www.barratthomes.co.uk/.

• Our photographs show (TOP) some of the Clanville Grange homes recently completed by Barratt and (BELOW) a typical bedroom on the estate. Photos submitted.

New homes go on show in picturesque Stogursey

SPECIALIST developer Strongvox has opened a show home and a view home in a picturesque rural development in West Somerset.
The development in Stogursey has been named Lonlay Meadow and comprises 59 two, three, and four-bedroom homes in detached, semi-detached and terrace styles.
The houses have been carefully designed to create attractive homes which complement similar properties in the ancient village.
The detached, four-bedroom show home features light wooden and painted furniture and stylish accessories to create the look and appeal of a traditional English cottage. Another property, a three-bedroom house, has been fitted out with all floor coverings and lighting and is available to see as a view home.
Sales adviser Francis Hedicker said: “The show and view homes are attracting considerable interest as they provide a tangible example of both the style and quality of the properties being built at this development.
“Lonlay Meadow benefits from its rural setting and its position within this attractive and friendly village.
“Many potential purchasers have been impressed with the development’s open layout and the inclusion, when completed, of a number of green spaces and play equipment.”
A variety of four-bedroom homes are available to purchase on the current release. These include the Taw, a three-storey, four-bedroom detached house which offers two family bathrooms plus a study and a garage.
Another house type, the Isla, includes a kitchen and breakfast area, plus a separate dining room, as well as a study and garage.
Prices for the four-bedroom properties start from £249,950.
Also for sale are a number of three-bedroom properties known as the Helford.
These are available as either a detached or semi-detached house with a ground floor cloakroom, an en-suite to the master bedroom, and a garage.
Prices start from £211,950.
Strongvox is committed to building high quality homes and, in keeping with the company’s ethos, each property is finished to a high specification.
Design touches include wooden double glazed windows, Porcelanosa ceramic tiles in the kitchen and bathroom, chrome plated taps, and kitchens by Moores Furniture Group.
For more information on Lonlay Meadow contact Francis Hedicker on 01278 734779, or visit the sales information centre, which is open Thursday to Monday from 10 am to 5 pm, or log on to http://www.strongvox.co.uk/.

• Our computer-generated images show (TOP) a Swift four-bedroom house which is being used as a show home, and (BELOW) a three-bedroom Helford which is a view home. Images submitted.
  

Cloud of gas escapes from housing site

A LARGE cloud of gas drifted over homes and businesses on Saturday afternoon, January 12, after escaping from pipes on the former Taunton Cider factory site, in Norton Fitzwarren.
However, there was not said to be any danger to the public.
More than 300 homes are currently being built on the nine-and-a-half-acre site.
The leak was dealt with by engineers from Transco, which maintains the country’s gas distribution network and which is now owned by National Grid.
Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said it had received numerous reports of ‘a strong smell of gas in the Taunton area’ but it reassured residents there was ‘no immediate danger’ to them.
Anybody who smells gas or who is worried about gas safety can call the free helpline 0800 111 999 at any time of the day or night.

Grant scheme aids homeowners on low incomes

HOMEOWNERS in West Somerset who need essential home improvements but who are on low incomes and/or benefits are being urged to apply for low-cost loans from a district council-backed scheme.
The scheme’s interest rate is fixed at three per cent, and monthly repayments are low and will not rise for the entire lifetime of the loan.
West Somerset Council’s health and well-being portfolio holder, Councillor Kate Kravis, said: “Homeowners of all ages can borrow up to £15,000 for essential home improvements, and all applications are treated in confidence.
“The cost of borrowing is far less than you will find from high street lenders and I cannot recommend the scheme highly enough.
“Projects we can consider include repairs to leaky roofs, replacing boilers and radiators, installing central heating, replacing rotten windows or doors, and updating bathrooms or kitchens over 20 years old.
“In fact, we will consider any improvements that help local homes meet the decent homes standard.”
Trustworthy, experienced advisers ensure that homeowners receive the right financial package for their circumstances.
Council environmental health manager Ian Timms said: “The adviser will support applicants throughout the whole application process and the council will inspect the work to make sure it has been completed to a good standard.
“We work with the Wessex Reinvestment Trust, who co-ordinate the scheme and remove as much of the worry as possible from applicants.
“We have invested funds to offer people this great opportunity to improve their homes, and we sincerely hope they will make use of it.”
For more information, contact Julie Payne at West Somerset Council on 01643 703704 or log on to the Wessex Home Improvement Loans website at www.wessexrt.co.uk.

Grants available to put empty homes back into housing market

RESIDENTS in West Somerset are being asked to keep an eye open for any homes which appear not to be lived in.
West Somerset Council has dedicated December to encouraging people to report homes which have been empty for six months or more.
The council can help owners bring such properties back into use so they can be leased to local people.
The council’s housing portfolio holder, Councillor Peter Humber, said: “West Somerset has a real shortage of affordable homes to rent and we have grants available to help bring houses onto the market.
“We have recently brought one home back into use and a further eight have schedules of work planned, but we have the capacity to bring more back into use with local people’s help.
“Sometimes, homes are inherited and have new owners who are not in the area, or they have fallen into disrepair because owners either do not have the interest or money to bring them up to a decent standard.
“Owners of redundant commercial buildings can also be helped where there is potential to convert buildings into dwellings for local people.”
The council is offering grants of up to £10,000 to bring empty homes up to the Government’s decent homes standard.
It can also help owners lease properties to people nominated from housing waiting lists or to sell them to local housing associations so they can be let.
Grants of up to £5,000 are available to owner-occupiers who cannot currently live in homes because they do not meet the decent homes standard.
Council environmental health manager Ian Timms said: “If the public knows of empty houses in their area, they can contact the council in confidence and we will track down the owners and do our best to get the house back into use.
“Even derelict properties can be returned to use, so we would encourage anybody who knows of an empty property to contact us.”
Grants are not available for second homes which may stand empty for many months.
Anybody who wants to report an empty home in West Somerset should call 01643 703704, or email customerservices@westsomerset.gov.uk.