Recession rarely brings good news, whatever line of work you are in. However, for burglars – who tend to have a rather contrary take on the economy’s peaks and troughs – it can be boom time. A rise in burglaries accompanied the recession of 2008-9, and this year there have already been warnings from police that we could be seeing a rise in burglaries linked to the continuing economic downturn.

And with many of us tempted to get away to avoid the twin gloom of economic woes and the onset of winter, there could be ...

In the middle of France’s Poitou-Charentes region lies Mouterre-sur-Blourde, a quiet, rural hamlet with a mystery hiding in its woods: a Madonna with an unknown past.

For over a century, she has sat between the trees, waiting within a secluded shrine for someone to find her.

Where is she from?

“We’ve heard conflicting stories…” local resident Cilla West tells me. “We know it’s dated 1897.”

Cilla and her partner, Steve Carter, moved to the hamlet in 2004, buying The Logis de Roche, an old seven-bedroom mansion. Believed to have been built before the ...

As news reports reveal the UK is floundering under rising levels of debt, it’s not surprising that more homeowners are looking to sell their property quickly so they can deal with debilitating debts.

There are many reasons why homeowners are looking for fast house sales. If you’re asking ‘Sell my house fast!’ Here are a few scenarios that may chime with you:

Facing Repossession

Repossession and eviction orders increased dramatically as a result of the recession. Homeowners who bought property at the peak of the market have found themselves weighed down with negative equity and debt. And for some, repossession is a very real threat. You ...

When it comes to looking at homes for sale it can be difficult to pick the right one for you and your family. For many people there are a number of important decisions to make when looking at houses, the main one of these being the location of the house. When looking at homes for sale the wide field can be narrowed down by choosing areas that you want to live in. It can be difficult to pick areas that are right for you if you are new to an area so it is important to look around and speak ...

Each month, almost 120,000 online searchers are hunting for a way to sell their property online.

International property markets may be in the doldrums, but research from SellMyProperty.org reckons that the same apathy is not affecting sellers. The study shows Google receives 117,982 searches per month related to selling property, with more than 120,000 additional people searching for homes on sale by owner. This suggests that the actual number of interested sellers could be close to a quarter of a million people per month.

Who?

Private individuals are the main set of people searching. “Your” and “my” are the most common words used in conjunction with ...

When Home Insurance is required, a person might be unsure about whether they can take a policy out when they are claiming for any damage which has been caused to their property. They might also want to be aware about whether they can ask for claiming back any repair bills which have been caused to their personal possessions. So, when wanting to choose Home Insurance, there are many factors which must be taken into consideration.

Home Insurance covers the property which a person lives at. Such situations which Home Insurance can be taken out for includes when flood or fire has happened, as well as when ...

Online estate agents do as the name suggests, they are estate agents, but unlike traditional estate agents that have high street offices to conduct their business in, online estate agents conduct their business online. Today ninety percent of house hunters find their properties online so it is hardly surprising that in the last 5 years there has been an increase in the popularity of online estate agents. So how do they work and the different between them and traditional estate agents?

Like a high street estate agent, online estate agents will advertise your property for sale or to let on all the main property portals such ...

One of the most exciting things that most people can think of is doing is to visit a foreign country. Being able to go and see other people where they live their lives and see the way they interact with you as well as their compatriots is a very unique experience to be highly cherished. However, when most people go to see another country they are only going on holiday. Very few actually decide that they would like to move to the place they are visiting.

For the most part, people who move overseas or to another country are not moving there because they necessarily want ...

Buying a home under current market conditions in the UK is no easy feat. Mortgages are extremely hard to come by as lenders are reluctant to part with money at a time when the economy is at such a low point. In fact, any lender still writing home mortgages is likely to require double or triple the deposit which had been required even a few short years ago.

The average homebuyer will need a sizable deposit, often greater and the typical 80/20 LTV ratio. No longer are UK families looking for homes with extra rooms to accommodate future growth of family but rather are looking for ...

First time buyers might be able to find extra assistance in securing that first property thanks to a number of innovative new ideas from a number of banks.

It is not easy to get on the property ladder and when the recession hit the UK things really took a turn for the worse in this area. Lenders closed up like clams and it became almost impossible to get a mortgage, despite house prices falling. This situation has thankfully improved somewhat and mortgage lenders are granting loans again, but substantial deposits are now required. According to recent property news a number of banks have been implementing steps ...