Blog

You’re used to tightening your belt after Christmas and during the gloomy days of the new year where all you want to do is hibernate at home, but as the days get warmer and Summer seems just around the corner, it becomes more and more tempting to loosen a few notches and get out there to enjoy the sunshine. With the cost-of-living crisis still looming over us, here are some tips on keeping costs down so...

New tax rules for Swindon buy-to-let landlords from 2026 We at Richard James want to make you aware of some important changes that are coming into effect from April 2026. The UK Government is introducing Making Tax Digital (MTD) for Income Tax, which will affect how landlords report their income tax to HMRC. The original plan was for Landlords’ income of £10,000 or more from their properties must file...

With mortgage rates tripling over the last 12 months, one could be forgiven for thinking buying a Swindon home as a first-time buyer would out of the question.Yet, what if I told you, it is £622 a year cheaper to buy a Swindon home as a first-time buyer than renting, would you be surprised? The average 2-bed home in Swindon is worth £202,879. The monthly homeownership cost of such a Swindon home...

Insights from the 2021 Census The property market is one of the most important economic indicators, as it can significantly impact the prosperity of both the local and national economy.Recently, new data from the Census 2021 has become available that sheds light on seldom discussed areas of property, such as the types of properties Swindon has, together with how we live in and use our homes.This data...

While the winter comes with lots of happy things, like sparkly frosty mornings, hot chocolates, and, plenty of festivities, it can also come with extra clutter, extra mess (generally caused by more time inside) and the realisation that you have far too much stuff lying around. Like us, you probably try to forget about it before Christmas, thinking you'll have plenty of time to deal with it after Christmas,...

Traditionally, the first four months of the year are usually an estate agents’ busiest time for house sales. However, if the last three years have taught us anything, nothing is 'normal' and 'usual' anymore.The Swindon property market is finding that with the friction of higher mortgage rates and the effects of inflation on household budgets; things are slightly different in 2023 compared to recent...

As the British and Swindon property market navigates the ongoing economic turmoil, many Swindon homeowners and landlords may feel uncertain about the future.However, up-to-date data suggests that the 2023 property crash predicted by the many newspapers and the usual clickbait doom-mongers in the lead-up to Christmas on social media, may not be as bad as initially thought, and there are reasons to be...

Swindon Homeowners - Do you know how big your Swindon home is? What is the square footage of your Swindon home? Don’t worry, most of us don't - yet it could be fundamental as Swindon home buyers search for new homes. Us Brits are obsessed with our homes, yet most Swindon homeowners need to learn the square footage (those born after the mid-1970s) or square metre(age) of their homes. As an agent, I find...

Given the current market conditions, downsizing is becoming more popular. The cost of living crisis has meant people are looking for ways to free up money, and the backlash of covid (sorry to mention it) has meant people are switching up bigger houses and double garages for more holidays, more time outside, and maybe a new hobby or two. Whilst the decision to downsize can be a difficult one, there are...

The share of Brits moving each year has been declining since the late 1980s (when at one stage, people moved every eight years), yet since the pandemic's beginning, something has appeared to upset that trend.Newspaper stories and social media posts painted a picture of homeowners moving from the city centres to its suburbs, from the suburbs to the towns and countryside around the UK. Areas like the...