Western Mail

'Reluctant Landlords' Quit Rental Market As Prices Rise ; Number of Homes Available to Let Falls As Landlords Take Advantage of Rising Prices to Sell Properties

TURBULENT times are ahead for the rental market, following the news that the number of flats and houses available to let plunged by 10% in the last month. Rental experts say this is down to the decision by a growing number of reluctant landlords to sell up as the market improves, dramatically reducing rental stock, as well as the return of university students to rented accommodation.

First-Time Buyers Returning to Housing Market

DEMAND from first-time buyers is rising, while buy to let investors are now gravitating towards houses rather than flats, new research from the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors has found. Surveyors reported that 13% of new inquiries derived from first- time buyers and that numbers were increasing.

The Property Doctor

Q I live in a terraced house close to the centre of Cardiff which has had its front garden completely paved over for parking. I don't have a car and am thinking of renting out the two parking spaces to a local business for its staff. Am I legally entitled to do this? I have a mortgage. A There are many aspects to this scenario that require your careful consideration. The first is that as your property is the subject of a mortgage you would need to obtain the consent of your lender. The second...

Hopes for Recovery in New Homes Market

DESPITE a slight decline in the asking price of new homes in September there are growing signs of confidence returning to the market. Figures from smartnewhomes.

Shared Equity Bringing the Price of a New Home Within Reach of the First-Time Buyer

A NEW collaboration between Valleys to Coast Housing, Bridgend County Borough Council and local affordable housing developer Lovell is set to bring houses within reach of local buyers. The scheme, launched at Cwrt Pant yr Awel in Lewistown, near Blackmill, Bridgend, uses Welsh Assembly Government funding secured by Bridgend County Borough Council, to allow homebuyers the opportunity to acquire a property through the Homes within Reach shared equity scheme. Aimed at first time buyers and peopl...

Splash Out and Find Contentment in the Heart of the Country ; with Ponds, Gardens and Great Views, Is Coed in the Vale of Glamorgan Is On the Market for a Cool Pounds 1.15m

IF you're looking for a home in the heart of a country village, then Is Coed might be just the place for you. Tucked away at the end of a private lane which it shares with just one other property, leading from the northern edge of Graig Penllyn in the Vale of Glamorgan, the fourbedroom house has views over its imaginatively stocked gardens and a wide panorama beyond.

Bring Some Gruesome Glamour Into Your Home

Q Where can I find tasteful home accessories following the trend sparked by Damien Hirst's diamond skull design last year? A You are certainly hot on the heels of one of the latest trends whereby world famous artist Damien Hirst has once again managed to cause a stir in the fashion and interiors markets, but this time with something quite different to the now famous dots painting whose influence has since been seen on mugs, doormats and wall decals. Yes, this time it's the turn of the skull w...

Turning Chaos Into Order ; Interiors

TONIGHT is Halloween. For weeks now the greengrocers have been stocking pumpkins galore, so we can expect to see a multitude of carved lanterns making an appearance this evening. Halloween has its origins in the Celtic festival of Samhain, celebrating the transition from the light period of the year to the dark.

'When It Came to the Kitchen, I Was Determined to Go to Town'

LOVE brought recruitment consultant Duncan Powell to Cardiff five years ago, but now he says he's staying for the food. Well, that and the fact that the keen amateur chef is marrying his fiancee Rachel - once they've set a date that is.

Celebrate Christmas in Your New Home

HOMEBUYERS are being tempted with the prospect of moving into their new home before Christmas at David Wilson's Newport development, The Square. The housebuilder also offers part-exchange to existing homeowners and shared equity products which help first time buyers onto the housing ladder at a discounted up-front cost.

What Can You Get for Your Money Across Wales Right Now? We've Found Three Properties From Different Price Ranges Which May Suit Your Pocket

WHERE? Sunnymead Close, Townhill, Swansea WHAT? A detached property located in a cul-de-sac, it has four bedrooms, including an en-suite to the master bedroom, two reception rooms, cloakroom and kitchen/breakfast room. Externally, it has front and rear landscaped gardens, with a timber-decked patio, as well as a detached garage. WHY? The house is in a great state of repair with small but perfectly-formed gardens.

Contemporary Take On Country Living

HOUSEBUILDER Morris is opening the doors to a new look showhome at its Penley development. The four-bedroom detached house at Penmere Park, near Wrexham has been styled by interior designers Marren in a luxurious palette of natural and green shades, drawing inspiration from the local area.Marren design director Sian Woodfine said: "We were very keen to reflect the landscape - bringing the outside inside. The idea was to create a feeling of a real family home out in the country with a contempo...

Seek Out These Antiques That Are Worth Their Salt

THERE are many collectors for the sort of salt dishes shown here, sometimes known as "pen salts". Few comestibles have as long or significant a history as salt. Archaeologists believe humans have been consuming salt since at least 10,000 BC, having obtained all the sodium they needed before that from their diet.

Toys Are Us As Doll Goes for Pounds 5,200, and It's Ready, Teddy, Go for Rare Bear

TOYS and collectables put in a strong showing at an auction by Brightwells. "This sale attracted a high level of interest as both trade and public appreciate fresh on the market antique toys," commented Constance King of the Leominster auctioneers.

She's Back

Thefirstword Hannahjones

HE last time we did a Magazine cover on Shirley Bassey it was August 2006. TNot that we interviewed her for what was being billed as her "homecoming" set of shows in Cardiff.

Contents

Beyond the Berlin Wall ; Twenty Years After the Berlin Wall Fell, a Tv Documentary Looks at Its Impact From Welsh and German Perspectives. Emily Lambert Talks Reunification with Filmmaker Ifor Ap Glyn

ON November 9, 1989, the world looked on in amazement as the Berlin Wall came down before our eyes. Almost 20 years on, an S4C documentary, Wal Berlin, retells the history of the wall - the symbol of the differences between two political ideologies - seen through Welsh and German eyes. Presenter and documentary maker Ifor ap Glyn recounts the story of the wall from the end of the Second World War right up to present day Berlin, restored capital of a unified Germany.

Take Two ; Carey Mulligan Educates Us On the Paparazzi and Beating On-Set Nerves

Q: What's your new film, An Education, all about? A: I play Jenny in the film adaptation of journalist Lynn Barber's memoirs. Jenny's a 16-year-old school girl, who is swept into a glamorous world of concerts and supper clubs after she embarks on a relationship with David, a witty and suave 30-something man, played by Peter Sarsgaard. Q: So it's a coming-of-age story. Right? A: Yes it is, and it's set in the dull and monotone London of 1961-before the pill, The Beatles and mini-skirts kicked ...

Don't Mind Your Ps& Qs Take One ; Actress Mirain Haf Talks Hair Dye, Bacon Sarnies, People Watching and Picking Up a Bargain or Two

Q: You're starring in the new light drama series Ista'nbwl. Has it got anything to do with the Turkish city? A: No, it's a play on words. In Welsh, it means "sitting in The Bull". My character Heather - when she has time off from looking after her four kids - spends time at the fictional watering hole somewhere in North Wales. Viewers can meet her and the rest of the gang during the pub's happy hour on Friday nights. Heather can't be missed - I've just had to dye my hair flaming-red for the r...