Author: Robert Carroll

Home Reports: Where a ‘2’ Feels Like a Kick in the N*ts!

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Aaaaargh!!! The last time I sold a property, Home Reports didn’t exist. Since 1 December 2008, by law every property marketed for sale in Scotland must have a Home Report, prior to going on the market.

I wasn’t the biggest fan of Home Reports, I’ll be honest, when they came out. However, they seem to have had a fairly positive impact on an otherwise terminally rubbish property market in the past (almost a whole) year. So I’m not against them now quite as much as I was before. My attitude, however, does remain that they are actually a great marketing tool and therefore it should be optional for the seller to get one. Most sellers would get them but some who perhaps weren’t so committed to selling wouldn’t bother because of the risk of wasting their money if they decided not to proceed with their sale.Your Read More Link Text

What Does ‘Offers Around’ or ‘Offers in the Region of’ Actually Mean?

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I have had a lot of people asking this question recently, so here is a bit of an email that I just sent to a property buyer to try and explain what it means.

‘Offers in the Region of’ and ‘Offers Around’ is a bit of a moveable feast depending on the prevailing property market conditions. The last 12 months saw relentless downward pressure on property prices. ‘Offers Around’ therefore usually translated as ‘Offers Slight Below’ the asking price.Your Read More Link Text

Bringing a Little Science to Self-Development – ’59 Seconds: Think a Little, Change a Lot’ – Prof. Richard Wiseman (Author) – Short Review

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For a couple of years, I read pretty much nothing else apart from business-related or so-called self-development books. Then I started my own company a couple of years back and stopped reading. Fortunately, I rediscovered my passion for this kind of reading recently and bought ’59 Seconds’ from Borders at Fort Kinnaird. Total impulse buy, but I’m really glad I did.Your Read More Link Text

How Do You Decide What to Bid at a Closing Date?

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The last couple of months have seen a bit of a spike in buying activity and, sadly for buyers, a return to the days of Closing Dates and blind bidding.  Closing Dates and blind bidding have been confusing buyers since I started working in this field so hopefully this will be useful to any of you thinking of buying a home at the moment.

So the question is: how do you, as a buyer, decide what your bid should be at a Closing Date?Your Read More Link Text

September 2009 – Edinburgh and Lothians Property Market Update

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What is Happening in the Property Market in Edinburgh and the Lothians and the Moment?

In terms of getting a feel for what is happening in the marketplace, I am in the fortunate position that not only do I oversee the estate agency side of our business but I also act for purchasing conveyancing clients.  I can say therefore that, without any doubt, the last couple of months have seen an increase in competition between buyers interested in houses and flats in Edinburgh and the Lothians.Your Read More Link Text