Signs that your home is not as safe as it could be

If you’re concerned that your home is not as safe or as secure as it could be, then you’re not alone. Many people are in the same situation, but there are many things that you can do to try to improve the situation. Instead of installing new security measures, it’s helpful for you to address the security flaws that you have right now, to ensure that you’re not compromising your and your family’s safety.

A hidden spare key

If you have a spare key under the doormat or underneath a plant pot outside then this may sound like a good idea, especially if you lose your keys or find that you have a bit of an emergency situation on your hands. If you have a spare key outside then you may find that burglars have free access to your home and this is the last thing you need. You may think that your key is very hidden too, but experienced burglars tend to know all of the possible places where a home-owner may end up hiding their key, and if you aren’t careful, you could end up handing them your possessions. Your home insurance probably won’t cover you for things like this either, so be mindful of this and make sure that you’re not compromising your home’s safety through not being aware of how obvious your spare key location is.

No alarm

Alarm systems are usually visible at the front of a house, and this alone can be a great deterrent to criminals. If you want to further safeguard your home, then you should invest in a wireless burglar alarm. If you do this, you’ll discover that it can lower your home insurance premiums and lessens the chance of your property being targeted by burglars.

Second entryways

Do you have a second entry point to your home? If the answer is yes, then you remember to close and secure it whenever you go out. When you exit your home, you may automatically think about locking your front door, but you need to remember that your back door provides just as much access. Criminals can easily gain entry to your home through an unlocked back door when you’re out, not to mention that it gives them more privacy too. If you want to do something about this, then make sure that you lock the back door before you leave the house. If you can do this, then you’ll find that things end up working in your favour, and that your home is more secure as a result.

Signs your home is unoccupied

Your house may sometimes be unoccupied for long periods of time, such as if you go on holiday for a week or two. On such occasions, you should make sure that it’s not too obvious. The signs of a vacant home can often be obvious, and if this is the case with your property, then you have to make sure that you take steps to avoid this. It may be that you have a ton of junk mail piling up outside the front door. Lights off in the evening can also be a sign that you’re away from home, so you need to be proactive. Pause your postal subscriptions if you know that you’re going to be away when they’re to be delivered and put a couple of lamps on an automatic timer so that they come on at dusk and off again at dawn each day.

Poorly lit areas

Do you have any outdoor lighting on your property? Are your front and rear entrances properly illuminated? If not, then this can provide an opportunity for criminals to try to enter under the cloak of darkness.

If you want to secure your home, then you need to make sure that you are not making it an easy target for criminals to break and enter.

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Property spotlight: The Cairngorms

Do you watch Springwatch and Autumnwatch on the BBC and iPlayer? Well, back in 2019, it was broadcast live from the Dell of Abernethy in the Cairngorms. While watching it, we completely fell in love with the wildlife and, indeed, the landscape. The snow-capped peaks, the swathes of pine forest and purple heather, the majestic stags and the croaking rock ptarmigan.

Of course, at the time, we looked into what kind of budget we’d need if we wanted to live there. If we hadn’t come to Mid-Wales, the Cairngorms was on our short-list. Below, we’ve picked out three properties in the area ranging in price from £140,000 to over £800,000.

£140,000 – Auchnarrow, Ballindalloch, Banffshire AB37 9JN

Detached cottage with attached barn within a 0.25 acre area of ground enjoying a beautiful rural situation within the heart of Speyside, a well known designated an area of natural beauty.
Whilst the cottage requires some upgrading, it nonetheless has a wonderful charm and offers huge potential to the discerning buyer. There is plenty of room for extension but also superb scope for an amazing barn conversion.

• Cottage with attached barn
• 1 bedroom
• Lounge
• Kitchen
• Bathroom
• Box room
• 2 attic rooms
• Garage
• ¼ acre grounds
• Sought after rural situation
• Wonderful views

Offers over £235,000 – Ardessie, Spey Street, Kingussie PH21 1HL

• A corner terraced house in popular Highland village
• 3 bedrooms, 3 reception rooms
• Well laid out accommodation
• In need of some modernisation
• Enclosed, sheltered garden with parking
• Double garage and greenhouse
• Walking distance of the village centre and the River Spey
• In the Cairngorms National Park

Offers over £800,000 – The Old Minister’s House, Inverdruie, Aviemore PH22 1QH

Built circa 1895 for the local parish minister, The Old Minister’s House is a stone-built residence offering almost 3,500 sq. ft. of light-filled flexible accommodation arranged over two floors, nestled in the heart of the Cairngorms National Park on the historic Rothiemurchus Estate.

• 5 en suite bedrooms
• 2 reception rooms
• Kitchen/breakfast room
• Riverside suite with kitchen, living room, bedroom, dressing area and 2 shower rooms
• In all, 3,481 sq ft
• Hot tub, BBQ & outside dining area

How to transform your new build home

There’s a common misconception that buying a new build means that you’re destined to live in a characterless home. However, this is completely untrue, not only can new builds be a wise decision financially, but they’re also easy to completely personalise to your tastes. So, whether you’re currently looking into new homes for sale, or you’ve just received your keys, here are some of the things that you can do to transform your new build home into your dream place to live.

Enquire about personalisation

For many people, the biggest appeal of buying a new build home is the ability to personalise it during the building phase. When you begin looking at new homes and different developers, enquire into whether there’s any scope for you to make interior choices throughout the process of the build. Often, if you reserve a home early enough, developers will allow you to choose options such as your worktops and flooring. This means that from the offset of moving in, the house is to your taste and won’t need to be changed further down the line.

Add in character

It’s often assumed that only old houses can have character, but this isn’t the case at all. Although older homes do benefit from in-built character, there are plenty of ways that this can be injected into new homes to give them a very similar feel. Browse sites like Pinterest to gain inspiration for how you’d like your home to look. It can be useful to create a mood board featuring images of different styles that appeal to you. Once you’ve done this, search for common themes and begin implementing these in your own home. This could be anything from installing coving and picture rails to adding panelling in some rooms. These features are really effective at adding both character and a personal feel to your home.

Don’t be afraid of colour

Most new build homes are painted in very neutral colours and tones to ensure they appeal to a wide range of prospective buyers. Despite this, there’s no need to shy away from colour in your home. Adding in colour is a fantastic way to transform your home and make it truly feel like your own. This doesn’t just apply to the colour of your walls but is also relevant to interior features such as furniture. If you aren’t ready to commit to an orange sofa or a green headboard, try incorporating colour through decorative features such as soft furnishings and other accessories. It’s common interior design practice to use a range of textures to create a homely feel too, use this in your own new build home.

Prioritise lighting

It’s likely that your new build home will only come with basic overhead lighting in each room. Installing and using alternative lighting can completely transform a home. Consider investing in some table and floor lamps, under-cupboard lighting and LED strips to create more atmosphere and cosiness.

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Property Spotlight: Yorkshire Dales

When we lived in Yorkshire, one of our favourite trips out was to Skipton. It’s great for charity shopping, there’s a fab farm shop, antique centre, a regular outdoor market and some lovely cafés, coffee shops and fish & chip shop overlooking the Leeds & Liverpool canal. We often thought that we’d be happy moving to the town.

Skipton is considered the Gateway to the Yorkshire Dales National Park, the locality that we’ve chosen to be this week’s Property Spotlight. Once again, we’ve picked three properties in the area – the cheapest is £220,000 and the most expensive requires a budget of £1.6 million.

£220,000 – Buttercup Cottage, Millthrop, Sedbergh LA10 5SP

Buttercup Cottage is a charming characterful one bedroom stone built cottage situated in the popular hamlet of Millthrop, a stone’s throw from Sedbergh, an old market town within the Yorkshire Dales.

Good sized double bedroom
Bright spacious bathroom
Lounge with stove
Fitted kitchen
Enclosed rear yard
Designated parking for one car
View over field and beyond

£465,000 – Yeoman’s Barn, Bridge Croft, Kirkby Malham, Skipton BD23 4BL

A detached former Dales barn
4 bedrooms: Double en suite bedroom to ground floor, 2 further double en suites bedrooms, 1 large single / smaller double
Living-dining room with wood-burner
Breakfast-kitchen with AGA
Cloakroom / WC and utility / pantry
Manageable rear enclosed patio garden
On-lane parking to the front
Pub and church in the village

£1.6 million – Home Farm, Starbotton, Skipton, North Yorkshire BD23

Home Farm is a splendid Grade II Listed stone-built farmhouse that dates originally from 1621. With five bedrooms and four bathrooms, the property has 0.84 acres of land. It features magnificent original details, including exposed timber beams and stonework, flagstone flooring, ornate, decorative wooden panelling and grand open fireplaces.

H is for Home Harbinger

Tag: property