Blog

NAEA Propertymark Board member and Branch Manager at Watsons of Norwich, Ian Harris provides some handy tips and guidance on making an offer for your dream property: Putting an offer forward to purchase your dream home is a big thing. Here are some tips and guidance to make the process as smooth as possible. Alternatively, you can watch the NAEA YouTube video here. Preparation Firstly, the more...

So what exactly is a Section 20 Notice, and what are they for? As a managing agent, we find there is often confusion by our clients as to why remedial works are sometimes delayed, and what may appear as a simple solution, seems to be taking time. The reason for this could be the implementation of a Section 20 procedure. Section 20 of the Landlord & Tenant Act 1985 (as amended by the Commonhold &...

Estate agent boards have proved a great marketing tool for a very long time, with some arguing they are an essential to sell or let your property; while others disagree. With the increase of online marketing, is there still a place for these traditional estate agent boards in the digital age? With the saturation of social media, and more users than ever before searching for properties online, there must...

On the 12 October 2017, Watsons will be exhibiting at the Norfolk Chamber of Commerce B2B Exhibition taking place at Norwich City Football Club, Norwich (open between 10am – 4pm). This networking event is the region’s premier business to business exhibition and attracts over 750 attendees to the event. Helping to develop Norfolk businesses year on the year the B2B Exhibtion is an unmissable event in...

Surveyors are never off duty, whether stamping on floors or tapping walls when visiting a friend’s house or sitting in the garden sipping a glass of wine and looking longingly at the chimney on the neighbour’s house (wanting to tell them the pots are cracked and the flaunching probably needs replacing). Or the gutters are mis-aligned and will cause dampness to the external walls which will eventually...

There is currently a market for Ground Rent investments, with specialist institutions buying freeholds of blocks of residential flats in order to receive the Ground Rent Income. The combined knowledge of Watsons and our specialist advisors enables us to transact with landlords, developers and other investors during the acquisition of residential ground rents with efficiency, quality and...

In the past it was very difficult to obtain mortgages that ran past a client’s normal State Retirement Age. We are now living in an aging population with many people now working past their 65th birthday. The government has moved people’s State Retirement’s Age back due to the rise in the cost of pensions, caused by longer life expectancy and the increasing ratio of pensioners to workers. There is...

When renting out a property Watsons advise all landlords to take a deposit from the tenant prior to the tenancy starting. With our full management service we protect the deposit on behalf of the landlord and therefore would deal with any dilapidations at the end of the tenancy, The deposit offers a level of protection to landlords and means that should the tenant breach the terms of the tenancy...

The external appearance of any building is the first thing everyone sees. If you appoint Watsons as your managing agent, to take care of your property, then it is our role to ensure that grounds and gardens are well maintained and those weeds are kept at bay. Whether it’s a small private courtyard or extensive grounds many of the properties we manage have some outside space that needs to be...

A valuation should not be used as a survey. If you're trying to buy a property with a mortgage, your mortgage company will conduct a basic valuation of the property to assess whether the property is worth the money you are paying. More often than not, Watsons will be asked to complete these assessments on behalf of your bank or financial institution. You may receive a copy of the mortgage valuation from...