Ann Maurice House DoctorTM Network
Why should people visit your stand?
They can get completely free advice from professional House Doctor™ Consultants! Suzanne and I have been personally trained by Ann Maurice of Channel Five fame (TV’s House Doctor™) and can help you to get the highest price and the quickest sale for your property.
We specialise in transforming properties to achieve the best price for selling or rental. We also offer an affordable re-design service to update your home if you are not thinking of moving. We are offering completely free interior styling advice at Talking Property.
What sort of people do you help?
We speak to all kinds of people with all types of homes and properties. We regularly give advice at the Earl’s Court Ideal Home Show and this is very popular. Some people come along with photos or hand drawings of rooms, even sample fabric swatches. Others just chat through what they are trying to achieve. If you are trying to make the best of any property interior we can help you.
How can you increase the potential of someone's property?
Preparing a property for sale professionally can increase the value of a property by as much as 15% and result in a much quicker sale. We offer a professional, impartial and objective second opinion on your property which is not available elsewhere and we provide flexible services that maximise your biggest asset.
Applewood of Newbury
Why should people visit your stand?
We specialise in interior design, especially for kitchens and bathrooms. We can offer you creative ideas and expert advice on how to enhance your home.
Why should people improve their kitchens?
As well as giving you what you need from your personal space, you will find that rethinking your kitchen is more likely to add value to your property than any other home improvement. It’s a sensible investment.
What do people want from a kitchen, typically?
No two people want exactly the same thing from a kitchen. Some people want lots of space for preparing food, while others are keen to make use of the latest kitchen technology. Some want functional and minimalist design, while others want a multipurpose communal area.
How do you address that?
We take a holistic view and design rooms to do exactly what you want them to do. We make the style and décor reflect who you are as an individual. For example, when designing a kitchen, we can look at your other rooms to make sure that the style fits with the rest of your home.
What is included in your service?
Everything: assessing and designing your room, and then supplying and fitting the materials, kitchen cabinets, worktops, lighting, appliances and so on. If your plans require structural alterations or, perhaps, an extension, we work very closely with Inspiration Architects: we believe that interior design and architecture should be planned and implemented together to achieve the best possible results.
Is there anything else that makes you different?
We take a sustainable approach to design. We look for ways to reuse waste wherever possible, especially when replacing a kitchen.
Do you have any special offers for stand visitors?
Yes. We’ll give a 10% discount to everyone who books a consultation at our stand during the show, and you’ll also be entered in a draw to win a mixed half case of superb, premium quality wines to toast your new kitchen with!
Bang & Olufsen and Beyond
Why should people visit your stand?
Audiovisual aficionados might like to find out how our award-winning products can enhance their homes. We also offer the chance to win a Bang & Olufsen BeoSound 6 MP3 player.
Can you tell us about the recent changes at Bang & Olufsen of Newbury?
The dealership is in new hands. We have undergone a complete refurbishment that allows the showroom to carry a full range of audiovisual products. Having outlets in both Newbury and Reading has allowed us to streamline and improve our service, and make it more flexible.
Do you offer anything that you didn’t before?
Yes. Our range of home cinema systems, televisions, music systems, loudspeakers and telephones has expanded to include MP3 players, stylish earphones, dedicated DVD players and sophisticated electronic integration systems. We now have the most exciting line-up of products there has ever been.
What products do customers find the most interesting?
They are increasingly asking for whole-house solutions and integrated systems, rather than stand-alone televisions or music systems.
How do you help them with that?
Our teams at both Newbury and Reading are experts at dealing with complex installations. We can advise on Bang & Olufsen’s unique BeoLink system, which allows you to move from room to room, taking the sound with you instead of having to have separate music systems in each room. We also offer excellent after-care and customer service so that our customers have the full Bang & Olufsen experience.
Do you have anything special lined up for the coming months?
Yes. We are introducing a host of other new products. Customers can look forward to some very tempting innovations.
Dream Gardens
Why should people visit your stand?
Dream Gardens is an award-winning full service design/construction company. The partners are PhD graduates from Reading University with both having extensive knowledge and technical skills in design, construction, planting and nursery production. They have built a great reputation locally, a fact endorsed by the many testimonials. We maintain good relationships with key plant and landscape suppliers and as a result we are able to provide trade prices to clients. In addition to our domestic projects, we have designed and constructed the landscape for many well-respected international hotel groups, as well as schools and business parks; we have also collaborated with BBC TV programmes.
What services can you provide to them?
As well as garden design services we implement projects at any size. We have one of the biggest teams of skilled craftsmen. After confirmation of the project, our clients never wait more than few weeks before we start the project.
How can you increase the potential of someone's property?
Gardens are one of the three selling points for every property. A well-designed and built garden creates added value as well as a brilliant outdoor space.
How much do your services cost?
Despite high standards and highly architectural designs, our prices are extremely competitive. Our lower prices are due to very efficient costs on labour, trade discount on all materials and our policy to have lower profit in favour of a bigger market.
Do you have any special offers for stand visitors?
We offer an exclusive free no-obligation garden survey and design at the exhibition. This service normally costs £500.
Everest
Why should people visit your stand?
It can be difficult to determine which double-glazing is most suitable for enhancing your property. In addition to this, visitors will see that we can offer much more than just double glazed windows. Everest also offers conservatories, orangeries, kitchens, driveways, security systems, entrance doors and garage doors. Experts at our stand can give you help and advice.
Aren’t all windows the same?
No – there are different types to cater for different needs. To keep your property warm, we offer sealed units that insulate twice as well as ordinary domestic double-glazing. Security is an issue for many people, so we build windows that are 50% more secure than standards set by the British Standards Institute. We have also found some clever ways to cut noise pollution.
Can you help people to look after the environment?
Absolutely. Our timber windows come from renewable resources, and the energy performance of our award-winning uPVC casement windows can be upgraded to ‘A’ rating.
What does your service include?
After suggesting what options might be most suitable for your home, we will assign one person to manage your contract through to completion. Our surveyors measure everything, whether it be for a replacement window, a conservatory or a kitchen, so that our dedicated installers can fit your tailor-made product to the highest standards. We respect your property and try to minimise disruptions.
Who have you helped in the past?
We have improved nearly two million homes throughout the UK. In the commercial market, we have enhanced some of Britain’s most visible and prestigious buildings. Our satisfied customers include BT, the RAF, Blackpool Tower, Legal & General, the National Physics Laboratories, ICI, the Ritz Hotel and the Savoy Hotel.
How can people tell if their windows are good enough?
Awards and industry standards are a sign of quality. We were the first ever British double-glazing manufacturer and installer to win a British Board of Agrément (BBA) Certificate. We have won another five since then. Our products have been awarded nine BSI Kitemarks and a BS 9001:2000 registration. We even helped establish the test criteria for the BSI’s improved security windows standards.
Will you have any special offers for visitors to your stand?
Yes. Special offers will be available to anyone booking an appointment on the stand.
Gardner Leader
What can you help people achieve at Talking Property?
We will be focusing on the legal aspects of moving home. Moving home is not just about getting through the front door. You will need practical and independent advice about many things – e.g. tax liabilities, insurance, legal implications of joint ownership and whether you should make or update your will.
We know that moving house can be a stressful and frustrating experience – we have all done it ourselves! Your choice of solicitor is therefore extremely important. Come along and get to know us at the show.
Can you reduce the stress involved in moving home?
Clear communication between everyone involved in your move is very important and helps to reduce stress. We will liaise with estate agents and other solicitors involved in the transaction and will keep you informed either by phone, letter or e-mail.
We forward copies of documents we receive and explain what they mean in clear language, and the steps you should take.
But aren’t solicitors always impossible to get hold of?
At Gardner Leader, you can instruct a solicitor of your choice or we will assign one of our team who will deal with your move personally. We give you the direct line numbers and e-mail addresses for your solicitor and his or her assistants.
When you call you will receive an instant update from someone who has personal knowledge of your file. We aim to reply to all correspondence within 48 hours and to reply to all e-mails the same day.
How much does your legal advice cost?
Understanding the cost of your move is very important. We can provide immediate quotations for any transaction and confirm these either by e-mail or in writing. You can also use our e-quote system at www.gardner-leader.co.uk, which will provide you with an itemised quotation for our services.
Our role is to help you with a service which is fast, efficient and cost-effective. We are both understanding and approachable. Because we are independent of any financial institution involved in your house move it makes sense to talk to us as soon as you start thinking about buying or selling your home.
Gill Vaughan Garden Design
How important is the garden when it comes to adding value to a property?
If done well, a professionally designed garden can definitely improve the saleability of your property, and beyond that a beautiful garden enhances your home as a place for you and your family to live and enjoy. My clients are often interested in how they can make the best use of their outside space and I always consider how the garden will relate to the architecture of the house and the surrounding environment.
What services do you offer?
I offer an initial consultation to understand what you want to achieve with your garden and discuss initial ideas, and then a full garden design service. This includes a survey for size and soil conditions, outline plans that we agree and then final plans that include a detailed planting plan. You then have the choice of building the garden yourselves, or I can recommend contractors to do it for you. I usually oversee the contractor’s work and can source the plants for you if required.
Do you need a large garden to benefit from professional design advice?
Absolutely not! If you have a small garden it’s even more important that you make the best use of the space that you have, and professional design advice is key to achieving your objectives.
Where’s the best place to start with a garden design?
It’s a good idea to collect pictures from books or magazines of gardens that you like. Think about the mood and style you want to create. Also who will use the garden and what it will be used for. Choice of materials and plants is vital in meeting your needs and you should consider how the garden will look throughout the changing seasons. Why not start by coming along to Talking Property to talk about gardens?
GL Wood Creations
How important is the garden when it comes to adding value to a property?
If done well, a professionally designed garden can definitely improve the saleability of your property, and beyond that a beautiful garden enhances your home as a place for you and your family to live and enjoy. My clients are often interested in how they can make the best use of their outside space and I always consider how the garden will relate to the architecture of the house and the surrounding environment.
What services do you offer?
I offer an initial consultation to understand what you want to achieve with your garden and discuss initial ideas, and then a full garden design service. This includes a survey for size and soil conditions, outline plans that we agree and then final plans that include a detailed planting plan. You then have the choice of building the garden yourselves, or I can recommend contractors to do it for you. I usually oversee the contractor’s work and can source the plants for you if required.
Do you need a large garden to benefit from professional design advice?
Absolutely not! If you have a small garden it’s even more important that you make the best use of the space that you have, and professional design advice is key to achieving your objectives.
Where’s the best place to start with a garden design?
It’s a good idea to collect pictures from books or magazines of gardens that you like. Think about the mood and style you want to create. Also who will use the garden and what it will be used for. Choice of materials and plants is vital in meeting your needs and you should consider how the garden will look throughout the changing seasons. Why not start by coming along to Talking Property to talk about gardens?
Griffins
Why are you taking part in Talking Property?
For many people in West Berkshire, their house is their single most valuable asset. As independent financial advisers within the Griffins Accountancy practice, we provide services that help people make the most of their assets. We expect to meet those people at the show.
How do you help people manage their assets, including property?
Of course, we can offer advice and recommendations on a range of mortgages, but often we help people with broader aspects of their personal finances. For example, more and more people are counting on their property as part of their retirement planning and need help to understand how that equity can be used to fund their pensions. We can help you to:
- build and protect your wealth through our Retirement Planning programme
- increase the rewards of your investments through regular reviews and active investment management that takes into account your attitude to different levels of risk
- reduce potential tax liabilities through advice on tax efficient investments and tax planning
- protect yourself against unforeseen events with advice on life assurance and critical illness plans.
How much do your services cost?
Our exact charges depend on exactly what you need. When we work with you we prioritise your objectives and give you jargon-free help at an agreed price, with no hidden extras.
Who uses your services?
Many of our clients are people who run their own businesses and take advantage of Griffins’ business accountancy services, but we also look after many other individual clients. It’s fair to say that our services are more appropriate for people with higher incomes and who generally own larger properties.
What do people like best about your financial services?
We take the hassle out of financial planning, giving you peace of mind and more spare time to spend on the things that you care about. Our highly experienced and skilled staff work to provide you with sound financial advice that will work for your particular circumstances.
Why should people visit your stand?
If you think your money should be working harder for you, drop by for an informal chat and we’ll let you know how we can help you.
Hartwood Oak Buildings
Do your oak buildings enhance the value of your customers’ properties?
Yes. Any structure that adds space to a property adds value, but one of ours can increase demand further still and lift your property into a higher price bracket. Estate agents know this: in your sales particulars they will mention explicitly that your garden room is by Hartwood Oak Buildings – doing so makes the property more appealing.
What is special about your buildings?
Oak itself is a special building material that gives any structure a unique and exciting appearance. We use traditional techniques to hand-build the frames entirely from oak. We don’t use any softwood – even the exterior cladding is sawn oak weatherboard, which we secure with stainless steel fixings. The result is a strong and durable living space superbly finished to the highest quality standards.
What do you do besides providing the oak frames?
Our complete service for your building begins with helping you decide what you need. Then we put a design and plan together and take care of everything from groundworks and brickwork to roofing and finishing. We want all of our customers to be completely happy with their buildings, so we follow up with them regularly to make sure things like doors and windows continue to fit perfectly as the oak matures.
What types of building do you make, and how much do they cost?
Because oak is strong and durable, its scope is limited only by your imagination and budget! We make frames for garden rooms, home offices and studios, playrooms, garden structures, bridges, garages and extensions. You can own a beautiful hand-built porch for just a few thousand pounds; a complete garden room typically costs between £20,000 and £40,000, depending on size.
Homelodge
What can visitors learn from you at the Talking Property event?
We will give visitors something to think about if they are considering the addition of living or working space to their properties. Our presentation compares traditional brick-built extensions and loft conversions with the use of garden buildings. We will talk about use of the room, issues around planning consent, appearance, sustainability and value for money.
What is a Homelodge building?
It is a timber lodge for your garden, which provides permanent extra space for living or working.
Can people use them all year round?
Yes, absolutely. Our timber lodges have double-glazing and insulation as standard and meet building regulations for residential and commercial use. Timber is a resilient material which people use to build houses all over the world in all climates, and its appearance fits in well with a garden environment. We even build timber lodges with kitchens and bathrooms so that you can provide permanent accommodation for parents or cater for overnight guests.
How much is one of your timber lodges?
Prices start at around £12,300 including VAT. Our prices include design, delivery of the building and installation, double glazing, decoration inside and out, electric fittings, and even electric heating. The only extra costs are for foundations and providing mains services to the building, which we would be pleased to organise. Our website has more detailed pricing information.
Expert presentation
www.homelodge.co.uk
Horsey Lightly
Why should people visit your stand?
For advice. Our experienced solicitors are the foremost experts in the field. We make sure we understand new legislation so we can give you the very best advice, whether you are seeking to protect your property for future generations or minimise the tax liabilities from the sale of a house.
What sort of advice can you give, specifically?
Members of our tax and succession department will be at the show. We expect to have lots of people asking about the forthcoming changes to Capital Gains Tax, which will come into effect from 6th April 2008. It is a complex area.
We can also help with Inheritance Tax planning to preserve your property or pass it to the next generation while reducing the tax consequences and using equity release schemes, which can be effective, but receiving the right advice is paramount.
And we can help with civil partnerships; people do not always realise that the changes in the law to give such partnerships similar rights to marriage have also meant the couple can only have one main residence and if they own a home each they need to think about tax planning.
Restrictive covenants are another important area. All too often people will build extensions without checking if they have such a restriction – this creates major problems when they come to sell.
Can you give advice about flooding, following what happened in July 2007?
Yes. We are expecting quite a few questions about homes on flood plains. It is already impacting on insurance costs, and we can advise what checks can be carried out before a property is purchased.
What can you do to protect people’s property?
When different parties put in different amounts of money into buying a property, it is often done without any consideration for what will happen if things go wrong. People’s expectations often change in the course of a relationship – we can consider the options and help them protect their investment.
Will you be launching any new services to coincide with the show?
Yes. Our new 24/7 fast-track conveyancing service will allow our clients to track the progress of their property in real time online.
Humphries Stonemasons
Why should people visit your stand?
To talk about what you want to achieve with your property and get a feel for the materials we work with.
How can you increase the potential of someone's property?
Hand-crafted stone exudes a timeless quality that mass-produced, machined stone simply cannot match. The skilled hands of Master Mason Barry Humphries and his team painstakingly hone a piece of stone into a unique masterpiece that will enhance and add value to any home.
What do you make for your customers?
Fireplaces
We can produce fireplaces and chimneypieces – whether you want a grand baronial style, a simple minimalistic design, something suitable for a small flat, or an ultra modern shape in which you are more likely to insert a TV set than a live fire. Nobody will have a fireplace quite like yours.
Kitchen worktops
Our solid granite worktops add an individual touch of quality and style to any kitchen. The distinctive and beautiful mirror-like finish will also provide a durable and exceptionally heatproof surface.
Bathrooms
We can make your bathroom even more inviting with flooring, wall tiles, basins, worktops, vanity units, shower trays and full wetrooms in almost any size and shape and in endless colour variations.
Flooring
Our range of stone tiles and flagstones – ideal for many interior and exterior uses – includes limestone, travertine, slate, marble, granite, basalt and sandstone.
Monumental and architectural
We also do monumental masonry and architectural stonework, and give extensive advice to architects and specifiers on the use of natural stone in buildings. If you are involved in a new build or restoration, or a project at the early planning stages, we can make a big difference.
How long have you been in the area?
We have been based in Hungerford for more than 40 years. We are a small, family-run, independent company and pride ourselves on our personal and friendly approach to any project.
Do you have any special offers for stand visitors?
Yes. Drop by for a no-obligation consultation.
www.humphries-stonemasons.co.uk/
Inspiration Architects
Why should people visit your stand?
You can get free advice from RIBA chartered architects and interior designers. We can help you to create a design for your home that reflects your individual style and suits your specific needs. We can also help you to increase the long-term value of your property.
How can you help people to enhance the potential of their homes?
Good design is the key to making the most of where you live. The more time someone spends on design, the better the result will be. People recognise us for our innovation, for our creative ideas and ability to get great results at any budget level.
Can you give us an example?
While extending a semi-detached house, we found that something as simple as moving the bottom of a staircase around transformed the potential of the home and created far more space than its owners had previously imagined. The process itself might seem simple, but it takes knowledge and experience to recognise that potential in the first place.
That sounds impressive. Does your work win awards?
Yes, regularly. Our work won several five-star awards for design at the International Property Awards in 2006 as well as in 2007. Perhaps the most exciting was the overall global award for Best International Property won for Villa Caesar – a zero carbon luxury villa in southern Turkey.
Is your work varied?
Yes. We have worked in a number of sectors. Apart from private residential clients, developers and housing associations commission us to develop 'flagship' projects that rethink their brand offering that they can use as prototypes for forthcoming developments. We have also been involved with a number of high-quality non residential developments both locally and internationally.
Do you consider environmental issues in your designs?
Yes. Sustainability is very important to us and to many of our clients, not just as a consideration in our designs but also in the way that we run our business.
www.inspiration-architects.co.uk
J Finance
Why should people visit your stand?
To get unbiased and honest financial advice in understandable, jargon free terms.
How can you increase the potential of someone's property?
We offer a mortgage service that includes free initial consultations.
We can help you to refinance your home and release equity if you want to extend your property or otherwise increase the amount of space you have. We can also help with buy to let purchases.
What makes you different from other companies in your field?
We offer you real choice. As independent financial advisers, we have access to all mortgages from all lenders and all related insurances. We also take care of the complete administration process, from the initial application right through to completion.
How much do your services cost?
We agree on this in advance. We accept payment by commission or fee, depending on what the customer wants. We will discuss this prior to starting work and the initial consultation is always free.
Newbury Building Society
Why should people visit your stand?
Our experienced, qualified mortgage advisers will be on hand to talk through the lending process if you want to improve your home or get it ready for a sale. By remortgaging to us, we may be able to save you money that you can then use to improve the home. We can also give you advice on savings accounts if you are saving up for home improvements.
What makes you special?
We are a truly local building society, with four branches in the area and another five within 30 miles. Our advisers are local people who know the area and the market. You speak to a local person when you phone us or come in to our branches. We don’t believe in having call centres in different countries.
We score highly in all the mystery shopper exercises we undertake to ensure that our staff give you the service you deserve. We hold events so our members can give us feedback. Invariably they tell us that our staff are wonderful – and we agree!
How does your local knowledge help your customers?
When we saw house price rises outstripping salary increases we knew that local people would need more help to own a home of their own. Our shared ownership initiative has already helped over 450 people purchase a home.
We recently introduced a members' loyalty card that gives discounts with local businesses such as the Corn Exchange, Camp Hopson and Gordon's Wine Bar.
What services can you provide?
Mortgages and savings give us our national reputation. What Mortgage magazine has honoured us in each of the last six years while recently the Guardian, Daily Mail and Financial Times’ Mortgage Adviser have commended our innovative Square Deal mortgage.
Our members can also benefit from life assurance, pensions, savings bonds and home insurance through our partner companies.
How much do your services cost?
They are free, although an application or valuation fee may apply to our mortgage products.
Newbury Flooring
How can you help increase the potential of someone’s property?
Flooring makes a big impression, and it can have a big effect on the value of a property. As specialists in both contract and domestic flooring projects, we can give expert advice to anyone who wants to transform or refresh the appearance of their property. We can help you to make the right choice and find the exact flooring you want.
Expert advice? How much experience do you have?
Over 25 years at our established Reading retail outlet. Now we also have a showroom in Newbury – we were getting so many enquiries that it made sense to open a local showroom.
What kinds of flooring do you deal with?
We can give you advice on flooring of any size and flooring type, including carpets and underlays, vinyls and wood flooring. We deal with all the highest quality carpet brands and our specialist wood division is unrivalled in West Berkshire, with a wide range of products including bespoke American walnut, Canadian maple, merbau, jatoba, classic French oaks and bamboo.
How can people tell whether a flooring specialist is any good?
From the quality of their work and service. Our professional flooring fitters are fully employed by the company, so they deliver the service standards that we set. They also belong to the National Institute of Carpet Fitters and the Contract Flooring Association.
Do you have any special offers for stand visitors?
Yes. We offer a free no-obligation quotation service during the hours you need us. We strive to exceed expectations and can tailor each and every commitment to suit your needs. And the winner of our prize draw will get a £1000 voucher towards new flooring.
www.newburyflooringcentre.co.uk
The Property Search Group/HIP Alliance
Why should people visit your stand?
To find out about home information packs (HIPs), which the Government has now made compulsory for all homes on the property market. And to get a £20 voucher towards the price of a local PSG HIP commissioned during February 2008.
What do people need them for?
To speed up property sales by providing up-front information to reduce the risk of expensive problems emerging later on. The documents are not radically different to the components of the previous conveyancing process – it’s just that the seller now has to put this information together when the property goes on the market, rather than the buyer’s solicitor getting the same information later on.
What is in a HIP?
A contents list, energy performance certificate (EPC), sale statement, evidence of title, standard searches, and – for leasehold properties – a copy of the lease.
What do the searches reveal?
Entries registered on your property, including financial charges, enforcement notices, tree preservation orders, planning charges, the status of abutting highways and planning applications. There is also a drainage and water report.
What is an EPC?
A Government-approved scheme to tell buyers and sellers about the energy efficiency of a residential property and to recommend improvements for cutting fuel bills and carbon emissions. To assess thermal performance it looks at construction type, home size and age, water, heating and lighting systems, and thermal insulation levels.
What are your credentials?
The Property Search Group (PSG) now provides searches for one in four property transactions. We are members of the Association of HIP Providers (AHIPP), the Communities and Local Government (CLG) Working Party, associate members of the Council of Mortgage Lenders and signatories to the HIP Providers Code, the Search Code, and the Property Code Compliance Board. We also carry Professional Indemnity Insurance of £10 million.
What makes you different from other HIP providers?
PSG has been providing a wide range of search products for the house-buying public through local solicitors since 1997. The format was so successful that the company expanded nationwide. In 2001 we opened our local franchise office in Kingsclere, covering West Berkshire and North Hampshire. As a local search provider, we can produce the contents of your HIP quickly and efficiently, unlike others who rely on buying the content from search providers.
Raintec
Renaissance
Why should people visit your stand?
Renaissance specialises in unlocking the hidden development value of land and houses. Our innovative approach to urban infill development, site assembly and obtaining planning permission has produced in excess of £7m of value for house owners in West Berkshire, at no cost to them – we fund the entire process.
How can you help people to enhance the potential of their homes?
By exploiting the development potential of either part or all of a property, some house owners can achieve a significant premium over what their house is worth on the open market. Renaissance has specific expertise in bringing together parts of neighbouring gardens to produce thousands of pounds of extra value for the house holder.
How can I find out if my home has potential?
Renaissance will provide a free no obligation appraisal of your property.
Would I have to sell my home to unlock development value?
No. In many cases development potential can be realised by using part of a garden, perhaps in conjunction with neighbouring land.
Would a development reduce the value of my home?
Renaissance has an internal architectural practice so we can design schemes that have an acceptable impact on existing and neighbouring properties. Clearly, you would only exploit development potential if and when you’re satisfied with our design and layout.
Is Renaissance a member of any trade organisations?
Yes. Renaissance is approved by NHBC and Premier Guarantee and is a member of the Home Builders Federation.
Do you consider environmental issues in your developments?
Yes. Renaissance is committed to ecological sustainability; all our developments are subject to strict local and national sustainability standards.
Rivar
Why should people visit your stand?
We can give you advice and explain various approaches that can help you afford a new home in the £400,000 to £1,000,000 price range.
How many houses do you build each year?
Together with our sister company we build between 25 and 50 each year. We are relatively small, which gives us more time for individual consultation with prospective buyers and to consider design and use of materials both internal and external.
What sort of homes do you develop?
We specialise in developments with a high architectural design content. We concentrate on developments with one to five plots, usually in the Newbury area, but we develop houses in all price ranges and use individual designs to suit specific needs. The market responds favourably to this – we don’t use standardised designs.
What sort of expertise can you offer?
The planning process is becoming increasingly complex and expensive, but we have considerable experience and can make a financial commitment to help landowners obtain planning permission. Our development capabilities also include marketing, site appraisal, cost analysis and construction control. Our staff includes surveyors and accountants – prospective purchasers often welcome having professionals at their side.
Do you have a sustainability policy?
Our property developments, where possible, endeavour to reflect the local surroundings and environment. Conservation stewardship is an integral part of the company's on-going land management.
Jones Robinson
Talking Property is your baby – what’s the big idea?
The concept is simple. As estate agents we talk to a lot of people around Newbury who own high-value houses. Very often, people ask us how they can enhance the value of their property. If you are getting your property ready for sale, sometimes quite simple changes can increase its appeal, creating more demand which ups the sale price. It may be that you just want to make your home a nicer place to live. Whether you want to move or improve, Talking Property brings together the expertise that will help you decide.
Everybody knows what estate agents do – do you have any surprises for people at the show?
Absolutely! If you are intending to sell your house, come and register with us at the show because one lucky vendor will get to sell their property for free!* You can also have some fun by guessing the selling prices of a range of local properties – test your valuation skills against the professionals. Or simply come and talk to us if you want to know what you get for your money when you instruct Jones Robinson to sell your house.
You get a chance to find out about some of the properties that we are marketing on behalf of our clients, including several exciting new developments. You can also talk to us about buy to let, or quiz us about the local good causes we will support during 2008.
Why is 2008 a special year for Jones Robinson?
We are celebrating our 10th year in business in Newbury. Talking Property is one of the events we are holding to mark the anniversary. We now employ over 50 people in our offices in Newbury, Lambourn, Didcot and Wantage and according to an independent market research company we’re the market leader in all those regions. We have recently opened a new office in Oxford.
Finally, why should people come to Talking Property?
For one thing, it’s not often you can get free informal advice from local property professionals, and we have over 25 companies available to you. You are sure to come away with number of ideas that can help you to enhance your home and primary investment. We look forward to seeing you at the Corn Exchange.
*Conditions apply to our commission-free house sale promotion. Please ask us for details on the day.
If your company would like to exhibit, call Talking Property on 01635 521224, or email info@talking-property.co.uk