I’ll let you into a secret: Those things you put in the bath to make them into jacuzzis are rubbish.

They don’t work, they get in the way and you’ll use them once before you get bored. So if you’re going to do something, do it right. Here are some properties that’ll add a little bit of luxury to your bathtime.

London

This one-bedroom flat is not only in a great part of south London (Crystal Palace), it’s in a lovely property too.

And for £149,950 you could certainly do a lot worse.

It’s even got oak floors. But most importantly, it’s got a jacuzzi bath.

I’m tempted by this one myself. I can’t see it sticking around for very long so move quickly if you want to take a look.

Nottingham

This place is pretty spectacular. I know we’re meant to be looking for jacuzzis, and this five-bedroom home in Nottingham has one of those, but it’s also got a swimming pool as well! Hooray!

Sure, it’s not exactly budget friendly, but £300,000 for a five-bed home with all of the fancy trimmings is a very good price indeed. Need anymore convincing? Take a look at that garden.

Bristol

This Georgian styled property is great. It’s not a huge home, so if you were looking for a two-bed place with space for an office or studio, this would work very well.

It’s pretty, in a good area and on the market for £199,950. And that jacuzzi looks lovely too. Brilliant.

Manchester

If you’re looking for a one-bedroom flat that’s perfect for commuting into the city, this Manchester pad could be perfect.

As the flat is part of a complex, you get access to a gym and swimming pool.

You don’t have a jacuzzi in the flat itself, but there is one in the swanky fitness centre. I guess for £137,000 you have to pick your battles.

If you weren’t convinced of Britain becoming more eco friendly, the “I Own Britain’s Best Home” award has gone to an eco friendly home near Attleborough, Norfolk.

The owner of Woods End, Amanda Barrington, can say that she officially owns the best home in the country. Impressive.

On the market: click pic for full details

What’s more impressive is the house itself. It only costs £500 a year to heat! Imagine that! Granted, building your own house to save on heating costs is a tad extreme, but this house isn’t huge or ostentatious and showy.

It fits its riverside location, it works with its surroundings, and without sounding too much like Kevin McCloud, it’s been designed with integrity.

The 3000 sq ft property is set in two acres of woodland. It’s built with Douglas fir and clad with redwood cedar. It’s got four bedrooms split over three levels. And, well, it’s beautiful.

Without a doubt, the eco credentials helped Amanda get the award, but it’s a great house. I can’t wait to see what she’s going to build next. She’s selling Wood End and starting another project.

With more properties like this being built, there’s an awareness that eco friendly solutions are not only possible when building a property, they’re practical and aesthetically pleasing as well.

Sure, this is an extreme house, but the elements of this property could soon become the norm in property building.

Woods End is currently for sale through Chesterton Humberts. Call 01603 661199 for details.

I was having a nose about on Lifehacker today and saw an interesting post about how to take photos of your home. Now, if you’re selling, the estate agent is likely to do this for you so you don’t have to worry, but if you’re renting your home out, it doesn’t hurt for you to get a few good photos. You don’t have to pay a professional to do it, you just have to know what you’re doing. Whilst I don’t really understand things about exposure and shutter speed, it seems that Lifehacker commenters do know what they’re doing. They’re a pretty clever bunch. Here are some simple tips:

>> Try candles, they’ll make a room look warmer

>> Move furniture around! Even if it’s not the way you would choose to arrange a room, if it looks better in a photo, do it.

>> Keep the flash on, even if it’s sunny. It makes for a bright picture.

>> Stand in corners and try not to get more than two walls in a shot.

>> Tidy up! Sounds simple, but you’d be surprised how many people don’t.

>> Remove anything personal from the fridge like photos, and make everything look like a blank canvas.  It’ll still have your style, just without your stuff everywhere.

>> Put some flowers in the shot. They work!

>> Take a picture of the room – not just details. People want to see what the whole space looks like.

Of course, these are just basic ideas. If you know anyone who is nifty with a camera, bribe them with tea and biscuits. Good images will get people calling about your house. The more people who view it, the better.

Brighton really has the best of both worlds. It’s got a beach for starters. A beach! Hooray! But, it’s also just an hour away from London. It’s basically a commuter’s haven and people lap up the seaside lifestyle alongside their busy London lives. More and more Londoners succumb to the lure of the (pebbly) beach and fish and chips each month. You’ve also got some great little boutique shops around the place as well. Brighton is cool. It’s London cool. But the rents are cheaper and those little shops thrive under it. Very clever indeed. And if you’re thinking that Brighton will be a little seaside oasis of calm, then you’re in the wrong city. The lively music venues and gay clubs mean that this isn’t a sleepy place. It’s a student town as well don’t forget. That’s not to say you can’t find somewhere away from the main drag of the pier, but lively seasidey atmosphere is what this place does best. It would be a shame to ignore it.

It seems that there’s nothing that Brighton can’t offer you. Sure, I’d rather a sandy beach than a pebbly one, but let’s face it. It’s kinda perfect, if you can drag yourself out of the hustle and bustle of the city.

So what are you looking at if you move to Brighton? Let’s have a look at some properties!

Saltdean

This property in Saltdean is a bit of a find. Not only do you get a great sea view (it would frankly be rude not to, don’t you think?), you also get yourself a great garden. That’s a pretty good mix in such a sought after area. It’s also detached and double glazed. And best of all it’s just under £400k.  For a four bedroom property, that’s very impressive indeed. I wouldn’t expect this one to be around for very long.

Regency Square

This flat is stunning. If you’re looking for a swanky, dare I say it ‘batchelor pad’ this place would suit you perfectly. It’s a stunning property, with a sea view that would get you bounding out of bed in the morning, and has just about everything you could ask for. Even if you weren’t looking for a somewhere to commute into London this place would be perfect to set up home. And as you’re out of the capital, this stunning flat is just £249,950. I’m tempted to put an offer in myself.

The whimsical idea of living a stone’s throw from London and still being able to eat fish and chips on the pier for my tea is appealing, and with the lovely properties around I can understand why people do it. That one in Regency Square might just convince me. Or maybe I’ll just book a holiday instead.

There are a lot of things that people search for when they buy a house. And it’s never as simple as having three bedrooms and a garden. There’s got to be something unique about the property, but there’s also a pretty standard checklist that people look for. And it’s stuff like this that can make or break a house viewing for someone. So let’s have a look at a few points you should consider:

Storage. The amount of storage in a house is important to people. Because people collect stuff. They tend to be hoarders. Especially if they have children. The minimalist look is great for some, but if you need space, you need space and it’s not something that you can magic out of thin air. So if you have corners of rooms with nothing but junk in them, put some shelves up. It takes next to no time and it’ll make a huge difference to the overall look of your home.

Electrical issues: Your house should be in working order. If there’s a problem with the boiler, or the electrics, make sure they’re at least safe. If something does need repairing, get a quote so you can tell people how much they’d have to shell out to get it fixed. They need to add this to the cost of the house, and if you’re at the top of their budget, it could be a dealbreaker. It’s easier to get it out of the way first.

Do they fit? Do you have a spare room that you use as an office? If you can, put a bed in there as well, even if it’s a small sofa bed. This will make a huge difference. If people can see a room with dual function, it’ll help them picture it as part of their lives. If they can imagine using the room, then this is a good sign.

Blank canvas. There’s a reason why everyone suggests you paint walls a pale colour. It allows people to imagine living in a home. If you have a whole load of brightly coloured walls, it might not be to someone’s taste and they won’t be able to imagine their life there. If your home is neutral, people can put their own stamp on it. that’s not to say it has to be devoid of personality, but it should be adaptable.

Are you happy? The best homes are the ones that people are happy in. So if you’re stressed out in your home, it’ll show. So those little notions of baking bread and making fresh coffee might seem cliched, but isn’t that the kind of thing you do when you feel at home? Think about what makes you happy about your home. Those are the things that you need to sell your home.

Remember buyers aren’t always practical, and everyone will be looking for something different. Seeing a happy home that’s been loved, is half the battle. Throw in a little bit of luck and you might find yourself a buyer.

After watching Kirstie’s Homemade Home last week, I realised that a lot of the crafts she learns appear to be pretty inaccessible. But they’re not! The show is only meant to inspire you – you’re not meant to go out every single week and take up pottery and glass blowing.  Once you’ve spotted something on the show that you think can really get into, it can make a huge difference to your home. But let’s be honest here, you’re not going to pop down to your local community centre and start a glass blowing class. So here are a few places you should look when you’re ready to take the plunge into the crafty world!

If you’re London-based, the choice of courses is huge. The Make Lounge is a great place to start. They do day courses in everything from cushion making, to vintage soy tea cup candles. Everything is really simple, the tutors are fun and you come away with skills that you can use. You can also try The Studio London, and brand new Papered Parlour are worth a look as well.

For those of you a little further afield, The Liquid Glass Centre in South West England might well be the perfect place for you to start your own glassware collection! London Glassblowing will cover those of you who are capital-bound.

Pottery classes are much easier to cater for. You’ll actually find that most evening class centres have a pottery class. It’s surprisingly cheap to learn so it’s well worth looking at a ten week course instead of a one-off. Make your own crockery set! Take a look at Hot Courses and you’ll find all sorts of crafty classes. Try your local community centre too.

If Kirstie knitting a draught excluder got you inspired to pick up some knitting needles, your local craft shop will have details of knitting classes in your area (in fact, you’ll probably find that they hold some themselves. You’ll find that most of them are pretty informal. If they’re anything like Stitch and Bitch in London you’ll find yourself knitting and pearling with people in a pub! great fun. Check out the Stitch and Bitch website for more details on UK knitting networks. There’s nothing bitchy about them, I promise.

There are loads of different things that you can try yourself. Check out Crafty Crafty for more ideas. Being crafty isn’t meant to be difficult and once you’ve got started with something that you enjoy, you’ll soon find ways to transform your home. It might not be as grand as the one Kirstie is doing up, but it’s yours.

There’s a lot of aspects of city living that are brilliant. There’s no doubting the fun, vibrant atmosphere. And being able to get Chinese food at practically any time of the day will always be a bonus as far as I’m concerned. But if you’re living in the centre, you’re probably going to have to miss out on a garden. But there’s got to be some green-fingered options out there, hasn’t there?

Edinburgh

Edinburgh is a stunning city and it’s got a great whack of pretty scenery all on it’s own. But it’s an old town, so the properties in the centre are often listed building. If you’re lucky enough to find a garden property like this one, I’d snap it up, there won’t be many of them in the city centre. Offers are in excess of £395,000, so for a central flat, that’s not too bad.

 
Newcastle

Would you consider a communal garden? Newcastle isn’t very abundant with green space in the city, but if you lived here, I’m pretty sure you’d be able to cope. Stunning isn’t it? Granted you might not be able to grow your own veg, but think of the garden parties you’ll have. It’s got three bedrooms and it’s on the market for £750,000. A bargain, I think.

London

Finding secret green spaces in London isn’t as hard as you’d think. But finding one that’s actually more then two foot square is another matter. So have a look at this place. Yes, that is a hot tub you can see just in the corner. The koi pond is just out of view. Extravagant? Moi? A tad. But it’s central, and £1.15 million isn’t so bad for such a swanky pad in Baker Street. Honestly.

Manchester

It rains rather a lot in Manchester, but at least that’ll give all of your pretty flowers a chance to grow (hey, I’m looking at the upside here, OK?) I’ve been assured that not only does this central Manchester penthouse has a roof garden, it’s also got a hot tub. And, it’s also got that view, which makes it all worth while.

I’m tempted to get the gardening gloves out now.

Uh-oh. There is one seriously cranky semi-retiree in Cambridgeshire this week.

Ian Parrott, 62, apparently came home last Thursday to find his locks changed, his letterbox boarded up, and a reposession notice telling him he had seven days to reclaim his belongings. According to the article, the next day ‘Mr Parrott was finally given a key but found bailiffs had emptied his fridge and freezer, drained his radiators and turned off his gas, electricity and water.’

Pretty rough, considering the poor old guy had no debt or mortgage to speak of.

Turns out the silly old bailiffs were supposed to repossess a property with the same house number (47, if you’re curious) a few streets over. Whoopsy daisy!

Thoughts? Tutting? Outrage? Evil chuckles? By all means, take the stage and express yourself.