Mar 15
Did you know that volunteering can have a real impact on your personal development and career?
Have you ever thought about giving something back to the community and sharing your skills & expertise, but not known where to start?
This Birmingham Future event: ‘Exploring Volunteering’ will answer these questions and show you how to help give back to the city whilst helping your career.
Hear from the charasmatic and interesting Nick Venning (Birmingham Forward Board Member and PricewaterhouseCoopers Director) about his experiences and the ups & downs during his long career in the voluntary sector for organisations such as Prince’s Trust and St Basils.
Find out about:
- what volunteering organisations do
- the type of skills & expertise they are looking for
- the time commitments required
Hilary Allen, BYPY winner 2011 [Birmingham Young Professional of the Year] became involved with UpRising through Future in the Community and was left in no doubt about the positive effect that volunteering has had on her career. "The people I’ve met, the networks it accesses and the real challenges presented have all contributed to making me more effective…as well as being a better person helping to make a difference.”
This event is FREE, so book your place
now contacting the events team on 0121 200 0911 or alternatively email
events.team@birminghamforward.co.uk
Feb 18
If you’re looking to buy a contemporary new-build property, in a desirable city centre location, then we might just have the thing for you! In an effort to help Birmingham’s first-time buyers get onto the property ladder we’ve got six lovely apartments at the luxury Brindley House development, available as part of the ‘HomeBuy’ scheme.
Under the Government-led First Time Buyer’s Initiative, the new ‘HomeBuy’ scheme aims to make homes more affordable to first-time buyers who currently may be priced out of the housing market. The scheme is ideal for Graduates, those just starting in the workplace and first-time buyers of any age as they take out a mortgage of up to 50% and then the Government funds the remaining amount. As a further bonus, repayments on the Government contribution are interest free for the first three years.
This fabulous offer is only available until the end of March so if you’re interested pop along to our offices at The Mailbox and we’ll see what we can do
Feb 14
It probably won’t have escaped your notice that today is Valentine’s Day, and whilst most people are focusing on their love for each other, we thought we’d highlight the current love for renting!
With mortgage markets continuing to stagnate, rental properties are being snapped up in a heartbeat, and Estate Agency News today reported that the average property is let within fifteen days of going on the market, five days quicker than last year.
Birmingham’s rental market has continued to grow as more and more people fall in love with the idea of ‘renting in the city’. During 2010, we saw the number of new enquiries from tenants increase by 65% with November demonstrating a record 283% year-on-year increase in lets secured.
The increased rental demand is however not matched by a higher supply of properties, and an average of 4.4 tenants are now vying for each available property across the UK. At FleetMilne, we understand the importance of creating lasting relationships, and last November alone we saw a 60% increase in the number of tenants extending their tenancies.
So if you’re still looking for ‘the one’, why not come along to our offices today and we’ll see if we can find you your perfect property.
Feb 10
Drugs production in rental premises is a common problem for police, but it was a bit too close to home for one Scotland Yard police chief.
When Rod Jarman, a deputy assistant commissioner, rented out his four bedroom property through an online letting agent, he didn’t expect criminals to turn his property into a cannabis factory, but that’s exactly what they did. Worried neighbours tipped off Mr Jarman who later discovered equipment and ‘skunk’ plants growing the Class B drug.
Unfortunately, the issue of drug production within the rental sector is not uncommon, and police warn that organised gangs, particularly those involved in drug production use rental premises such as houses, garages and factory units for their growing operations.
Here at FleetMilne, we carry out regular checks on all of our properties, but if you’re concerned about unusual activity at your neighbours, such as blacked-out windows or regular exchanges of money, then contact your local police or letting agency.
Feb 7
We all know that the cost of city living can be expensive, which is why the lovely people at Brindleyplace are running a special parking offer for the Canalside Car Park.
For a limited period only customers can buy a parking space in the safe and secure Canalside Car Park for just £1.65 a day. This is based on purchasing a pre-paid annual pass with access to the car park 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
This offer is available to the first twenty people to claim the prepaid ticket allowing them to pay just £50 for one month’s secure parking.
This is one ticket you don’t want to miss so if you need further information see the attached flyer or call Caroline Harvey on 0121 643 7799.
Feb 3
Chop sticks at the ready because today is the start of the Chinese New Year, and according to the Chinese Zodiac 2011 is the year of the rabbit. If like us you didn’t know much about this year in Chinese astrology then read on…
• The Rabbit is the fourth sign in the Chinese Zodiac cycle and follows the year of the Tiger.
• People who were born in the year of the rabbit are generally sophisticated, expressive, well-mannered and stylish.
• People born in this year often become diplomats or politicians.
• Rabbits are most comfortable being at home and their homes are always neat and organised with conservative decorating.
• Rabbits get on well with everyone.
So we invite you all to raise a glass of Tsingtao Beer to bring in the new month and the Chinese New Year!
*We must stress that these are general traits described under the sign and not representative of any one person.
Jan 28
With the New Year often comes a new start and whilst for many this may mean hitting the gym, for a large majority it signifies a renewed attempt at selling or renting their properties. As the current mortgage market continues to stagnate, the call for rental properties is at an all time high. If you’re struggling to rent out your property despite this demand then we’ve put five top tips below to give you a helping hand.
1. Don’t underestimate the importance of first impressions, a tidy property or a fresh lick of paint could work wonders.
2. Define each area clearly, so that the eating, sleeping, working and relaxing areas are all easily identifiable as this will make it easy for viewers to picture themselves living in the property.
3. Don’t over exaggerate the property in its write up, this may well persuade extra people to view the property but if they are disappointed they are very unlikely to rent it.
4. Consider being flexible about negotiating the price, it might be worth both of your whiles.
5. Finally, come to us!!
Jan 17
A large majority of young people believe they will never be able to afford to own a property in this current climate.
In a recent poll conducted by discount website MyVoucherCodes, many voiced concerns about getting on the property ladder due to the increasingly large deposits that are now required.
Of the 1,721 people approached, 58% believed they would not be able to afford a deposit despite currently living with their parents to save money.
77% of these people hoped to rent privately, although the group was split between people who were only renting out of complete necessity and people who actually preferred this option as it allowed them more flexibility.
It certainly seems that January is indeed a month of counting the pounds; both those we hope to lose after indulging over Christmas and those we are hoping to save.
Jan 13
With mortgage lenders requiring deposits of up to 20 per cent, we’re seeing many first-time home buyers turning to the bank of Mum and Dad to try and help them get their first step on the property ladder. The problem is that many parents simply cannot afford the financial support required by their children without resorting to drastic measures such as remortgaging their homes. Over the last few months we’ve seen several banks offering parental loan schemes in an attempt to bring back first-time buyers, but the most innovative so far has been by Japanese financial services group, Hitachi Capital. Hitachi Capital is set to offer loans of up to £50,000 to the parents of first-time buyers. It will offer 12-year unsecured loans for parents to use as part of the deposit for their child’s new home. Initially, this scheme will only be offered on new Barratt homes. Don’t despair however, if you’re struggling to get on the property ladder and find the bank of Mum and Dad is closed for business, renting is still an incredibly popular option. Plus, as you’ll see from our last post – we’ve got plenty of lovely rental properties with your name on.
Jan 12
Following recent reports that mortgage lending remained at a low level throughout 2012, the call for rental properties is now at an all time high.
Demand for home loans is expected to fall in the coming months as the mortgage market continues to stagnate. This has resulted in a growing number of people making the decision to rent as opposed to buy their properties.
This increase in rental demand unfortunately is not matched by a higher quantity of letting properties, meaning demand is currently outweighing supply across the county.
We’re pleased to announce however, that Birmingham’s rental market is growing and FleetMilne now occupies a large percentage of this. Indeed, figures from the end of 2010 show that we offered more available choices to rent than many of our competitors.
Lenders believe mortgage availability could pick up later this year, but in the meantime feel free to pop in and check out what we have to offer.
