Turning up to work on a cold and frosty morning, 8am on 2nd January, a friend was made redundant and was back home by 9am, searching for another job.
The most annoying thing was that six weeks earlier, she had been approached by another company. She checked with her manager that her job was safe for the foreseeable future and, being assured that it was, she turned down the new offer. You could argue that her boss might not have been aware of budget cuts which would result in two redundancies but his role was Financial Controller!
I flicked through the news today, the following caught my eye.
A newspaper headline today suggested that the housing boom may be over and property prices may begin to slide.
Housing boom? The housing market has been mostly stagnant since lockdown, almost five years ago. Our apartment was valued at the end of 2019 (but not sold, obviously) and has been revalued since, at a similar price (but, again, not sold) and we are planning to re-value this spring. We'd love to be able to sell the apartment and will consider dropping to the price we paid for it (almost ten years ago) if we can buy somewhere we like for the same price.
On this subject, here's another news headline "Chelsea FC co-owner pays £56mn for London penthouse" - he could have bought our rural countryside penthouse apartment for about 1% of that!
FT headlines: "UK long-term borrowing costs hit highest level since 1998" - how does this affect the 'black hole'?
"UK businesses plan price increases as Budget drives up costs. Tax and wage rises have caused confidence to ‘slump’, warns British Chambers of Commerce"
"UK school budgets eroded by spiralling special needs costs, report shows. SEN spending and higher wages leave headteachers facing ‘very tight’ accounts in 2025, says IFS" - you could argue that these jobs are vocational but, hey, people gotta eat!
The next headline should make people think carefully about gambling: "Bet365 boss Denise Coates’ pay nearly halved to £150mn last year. Head of betting firm remains one of the UK’s wealthiest executives".
BUT IT'S NOT ALL GLOOM AND DOOM:
"The FT ViewThe editorial board
Britain’s economic gloom is overdone
The government can tackle bad vibes with a positive vision for growth"
In The Times, there was an interesting article about climate change. It is predicted that global warming will mean that, by 2030, not only will your home need heating for the winter but also air-conditioning during the summer - this will increase the cost of household bills. However, it points out that insulation works both ways, and goes on to suggest that externally-fitted French-style slatted shutters are a great way to stop the sun from heating rooms via the masses amounts of glass that modern homes.
There's a snag, however. A number of years back, we wanted to fit these but they are designed to be opened from the inside, having first opened your doors or windows inwards. I tried in vain to find replacement windows in the UK that would accommodate these shutters but there were none, so we had to go without. Still, the newer-style external roller blinds are available in the UK (though not yet popular) and can be raised and lowered electrically from inside.
The article was mostly highlighting the overheating problem (over 26C) that attributed to an average of 3000 additional deaths during the 2022 heatwave.
P.S. Pleased to note that the journalist from The Times uses "compared with" unlike the BBC's "compared to" due to deteriorating standards over recent decades.
Unique homes are often snapped up but, when the market is slow, even the best properties can feel out of reach for home hunters.
There are some homes in leafy Hertfordshire, listed by abcproperties.co.uk, that are very interesting. If you can afford over £1m, there is a 4-bedroomed house near Codicote but if your price is around £0.5m a spacious 2-bedoomed penthouse apartment may be your dream home. Or there are one-bedroomed apartments for under £0.25m, in Datchworth and Knebworth.
The most interesting of these properties is the penthouse apartment, a private apartment that takes the entire top floor of the east wing of the manor. Approached via a long driveway and surrounded by acres of parkland, the Manor has private parking as well as en-bloc garages. The solid entrance door leads to a vestibule with a second solid door that is accessed by key or, for visitors, a doorbell-comms system. Walking towards the communal conservatory with south facing terrace, the corridor splits towards the east or west wings.
In the east wing, there is a quiet area at the foot of the stairs, a single apartment on the first floor and the penthouse apartment on the second floor. There is an internal balcony with views through the large window onto parkland and countryside. Entering the apartment through the solid wooden door, there are storage areas, a utility room and a w.c. before the inner corridor offers a choice of drawing/dining room, fully fitted kitchen and two bedrooms, each with en-suite.
Executive Rental
The Manor's proximity to rail connections into London makes it an ideal getaway for commuters as well as visitors temporarily contracted to UK offices in London, Stevenage, Hatfield, etc.. As such, corporate entities may wish to enter into a sale or rental agreement.
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Some photographs are below but full details can be found on the local agent's website. The agent is willing to negotiate on price or discuss rental options.
