Blog

A kitchen view- tomatoes, bread, and a knife on top of a chopping board surrounded with other cooking materials

Time to prepare

Standing in my kitchen at home on a Sunday morning, peeling potatoes one-handed, generic smartphone in the other, I’m being subjected to a courteously-phrased but stinging tirade. My crime? I’m “not letting” a bu... Read more
A bedroom with two white beds with an orange throw design, each bed has white with wooden top design nightstand and has a green lamp on it. A white door with colorful door curtains.

Cheating at bootcamp? Not me!

I recently attended a month-long fitness ‘boot camp’; you know the kind of thing: lots of exercise, clean eating plan and a very scary instructor (thanks Jo!) to keep you on your plan. Halfway through the month, I ha... Read more
A wooden table with matching wooden chairs, an open magazine, and a houseplant plant above the table.

The price is right!

It is probably safe to assume that if you have ever sold a property you will have considered dropping your asking price. Some of you may have been asked by your agent to think about a price cut, others may have been advi... Read more
A kitchen with a classic wooden design, some kitchenware and spices at the cabinet.

Mystery shopping – the results

Complaints about estate agents have soared this year. The property ombudsman, Christopher Hamer, in his 2010 annual report, published this month seems to be baffled by the increase, saying “A significantly reduced numb... Read more
A backyard with outdoor rattan furniture with a glass top, a violet flowering plant, and a glass pitcher of lemonade with two glasses of it.

Are you a secret lemonade drinker?

So many times our clients tell us they don’t have a For Sale board outside their home; why? we ask incredulously.  In this difficult market, if you are serious about selling your home, why would you not utilise a ... Read more
A house with a beautiful flowery front garden.

What does your front garden say about you?

Just seconds into a first meeting we form an impression of people based on their appearance and how they’re dressed, and it’s much the same with the first sight of a front garden. If you’re selling your house the p... Read more
A magazine and a candle glass on top of a table

Hard copy brochures? It’s the 21st Century!

I don’t know about you, but still I get excited about the post arriving. The satisfying thud it makes when it hits the doormat is a very welcome sound, and I often stop whatever it is that I’m doing and go to investi... Read more
A purple themed bedroom, a white bed with a yellow and purple gingham blanket, a wooden nightstand with purple drawers on the side, and a deer figurine and a lamp above.

Ireland’s ghost developments

Ireland has certainly enjoyed a property boom in recent years, but now, sadly, it’s paying the price.  On our trip last week, my husband and I drove across from Dublin to Achill on the west coast, and the same sad... Read more
An bedroom with a white bed, a wooden nightstand, an alarm clock and a white lamp over it.

Cuts? Not on my watch.

Estate agents have it bad these days, (you ask them). Not enough houses coming to the market; not enough buyers registering; over-optimistic sellers; over-cautious buyers. They’re competing for the best properties,... Read more