Two years after opening a High Street estate agency in Tredegar, Louvain Properties is expanding into selling homes in nearby Abertillery, Brynmawr, Nantyglo, and Blaina.

Louvain Properties was formed as a letting agency in 2005 by Steve McPherson, after providing maintenance support for landlords and tenants across Blaenau Gwent for several years.

His extensive property maintenance experience meant he was able to pre-vet all the properties and advise on issues such as EPCs, gas certificates, and electrical checks, along with advice on fixtures, fittings and décor. Properties were therefore let quickly and achieved the highest possible return for landlords.

When a competitor relocated in 2017, Steve moved his business into Commercial Street, Tredegar, and built up his successful sales operation.

Now, Louvain Properties has the second biggest market share for sales and lettings in Blaenau Gwent and Steve’s reputation for achieving sales for his clients has meant his business is growing fast.

“Our experience and depth of knowledge of the area over decades mean we can give our clients the advice they need to achieve the sales our customers need,” Steve said.

“People have begun to know our reputation, particularly over the past six months, and they are now actively looking for us.

“Our understanding of the area is deep because this is where I come from and I understand it and the marketplace for sales and lettings. We also ensure our properties are on all the available portals, including Zoopla, Right Move, On The Market, and Prime Location, and have an active social media presence.

Now covering the whole of Blaenau Gwent, including Tredegar and Ebbw Vale, Steve is actively looking for more properties to Sell or Let in and around Abertillery, Nantyglo, Blaina, and Brynmawr.

“We offer competitive fees, excellent advice for landlords and sellers, and a flexible, professional attitude to viewings,” Steve said.

“We give a full service from dealing with energy and gas certificates and our trusted partners can offer mortgages and insurance.”

Landlords can find out about Louvain Properties’ services including tenant finding and vetting, full management, and property maintenance here.

See the latest homes for sale here.

Can we help you sell or let your property in Abertillery, Brynmawr, Nantyglo, or Blaina? Call us today on 01495 619811.

Halloween is fast approaching and it’s got us thinking about the things potential buyers see as horrors.

So, we’ve drawn up our top 10 turn-offs for people during property viewings – so you can avoid them and sell your home:

1. Pets – their fur, their smells, and their…well, leavings! Clean your property thoroughly before viewings, keep pets out of the house when potential buyers are looking around, banish the litter tray or the dog bone, and don’t leave bowls of pet food in the kitchen. It’s the number one turn-off for house buyers. Don’t forget that some would-be buyers might be allergic to animals or be frightened of them.
2. Bright walls – you may love that bright orange paint, but your potential buyers may not! If you want to sell, it’s time to take some of your personality out of your home. Make it more neutral to appeal to more people. While you’re selling, you could add colour to your home with soft furnishings such as throws and cushions, or rugs. These are things you can take with you to your next property.
3. Rooms strewn with toys – although creating a family feel is good, a cluttered room looks smaller and people need to be able to imagine themselves living there. Help them do that by clearing toys away.
4. Cooking smells – think liver and fish as some of the main offenders. Lingering smells don’t help your cause. On the other hand, the smell of freshly baking bread and coffee tend to have the opposite effect. So, make sure your home is properly aired for viewings if you enjoyed a curry the night before.
5. Cigarette smoke – a big no no. If you smoke inside, your viewers will smell it even if you open all the windows. Many people smell cigarette smoke and assume they will have to throw out carpets and repaint the whole house because they don’t want to live in it. Smoke outside while you’re selling and have your house thoroughly cleaned. You may well also decide to paint to cover any smoke stains.
6. Messy bathrooms – a clean and tidy bathroom is huge selling point. Clutter it with make-up, toiletries, and cleaning products, and you’re not helping your agent during viewings.
7. Unfinished DIY – it will make your buyers think they can knock you down on price because more work needs to be done than they had anticipated. Complete it!
8. A shabby porch or front door – kerb appeal is hugely important. Get that repainted and tidied up as it’s your first chance to make a good impression.
9. Dirty windows or curtains – sparkling windows say a home has been well maintained. Dirty windows say the opposite. It’s also such an easy thing to fix.
10. Too much furniture – if your rooms are crammed with furniture, they will look small and poky. Put some of it in storage to free up space while you’re selling.

Can we help you sell your home? Call our local property experts on 01495 619811.

If you’re looking for the best estate agent for your house sale, there are some key questions to ask:

1. What advice can you give us to help our home sell for the best price?

The best agents will be full of useful information about staging your home, the local marketplace, and what the latest moves are.

It’s important that you don’t fear asking for advice. If they advise you to de-clutter, repaint some rooms, or get some maintenance done, don’t take it personally.

They have your interests at heart. They want to help you sell for the best price and in a short time. They understand that potential buyers need to imagine themselves living in your home, so all the advice they give is geared to helping that happen.

2. What price should we ask for our home?

Understanding the market in your town and knowing the ceiling price in your street is key to getting the price right the first time you put it on the market.

Put it on for too high a price, you’ll put off many potential buyers. Then, you may have to discount it multiple times, meaning would-be buyers will be left asking why. They may fear there is something amiss – even if your home is an excellent buy.

Put it on for too low a price for a quick sale, and you could be kicking yourselves in a few months’ time. If you’re buying a new home, you need the best price possible to get the best options for you and your family.

3. How will our home be marketed?

The best agents will market your home across all the available platforms. They will advertise it in their window, online in several locations including aggregator sites such as RightMove and on social media, by emailing their list of potential buyers, and in local property sections.

Good agents will also have a plan for that marketing. They will be able to tell you how many times they advertise it online weekly,

When it comes to their list of potential buyers, it’s all about how detailed their information is – for example, will they know if would-be buyers need a home within walking distance of a local school, or a home with potential for refurbishment or redevelopment to add value?

4. How will viewings be conducted?

This is a key time for picking up information about potential buyers as well as showing off your home to its best advantage.

Most agents will know how to show people around, to focus on the key rooms such as the kitchen and lounge. The best will be asking questions like: “Where do you live at the moment? Are you renting or selling your own home?”, “Have you got your mortgage deal in place?”, and “Where do you work?”

This will give you an idea of whether these are serious potential buyers with the finances to complete on a deal, whether they are ready to move quickly, and whether there may be a chain involved in the purchase.

5. On average, how long does a home stay on your books – and how close to the asking price is your average sale?

This gives you a good indication that your agent is actively marketing the homes on their books and giving good advice about prices.

Can we help you sell your home in Blaenau Gwent in 2018? Call us today on 01495 619811 to start the conversation.

It’s vital that maintenance is carried out to keep your rental property in excellent condition for your tenants – and to protect your substantial investment.

If routine maintenance is left undone, small problems will escalate and become costly to fix.

Here are the top 5 ways your rental investment could turn into a money pit:

1. Damaged or leaking guttering causing damp – Your property could end up suffering from damp walls and black mould unless guttering is cleared and maintained properly. If you want to attract and keep good tenants, dealing with damp issues promptly is a must.

2. Missing roof slates leading to rotting roof timbers – One insurer has recently been advertising about the danger from missing roof slates or tiles. Not only could it cost you tens of thousands of pounds to replace rotten roof timbers if it’s left unfixed, it could even affect whether your insurance pays out. Get your roof checked annually to ensure it’s sound.

3. Electrical problems causing a fire risk – A socket which shorts appliances, circuits which trip, light fittings which don’t work properly. All are signs there may be something wrong with the electrics in your rental property. It’s so important that these are investigated immediately. If they’re left unfixed, your property and your tenants could be at risk from an electrical fire.

4. Leaking, broken, or rotten windows letting in the rain and wind – This could damage your walls, carpets, and curtains or blinds. It could also make your property insecure, attracting burglars and vandals.

5. Leaking or burst pipes or joints flooding your property – A small leak can so easily get worse. It’s tempting to put a bucket under it while you juggle your priorities, but unless it’s properly investigated there could be more water getting out of your pipes causing costly damage to ceilings, floors, and walls. Don’t leave it, get a plumber in as soon as you can.

Every landlord needs to carry out routine checks to keep on top of their property’s maintenance.

One way of doing this without eating into your time is to engage a property manager who offers in-house maintenance, as we do at Louvain Properties.

That way, not only will checks be carried out and reported to you, routine maintenance will be carried out without the need for you to find contractors you can trust.

Our experts can carry out all the maintenance you require, from replacing damaged sockets to rewiring a whole house.

You’ll also have the peace of mind of knowing all the relevant safety checks and certificates for the electrics and heating systems are up to date.

Find out more about our maintenance work here.

Looking for a property manager for your rental house or flat? Call us today on 01495 619811.

At this time of year setting up a student HMO is popular, property owners may be considering creating student lets which will be available when the new term starts in the autumn.

If you’re one of them, it’s worth knowing the rules and regulations relating to houses of multiple occupation (HMOs).

What is an HMO?

An HMO is a property split into different households. In other words, rented by several people who are not living as one household unit.

Typically, this could be a house where different households rent rooms or parts of the building.

In Wales, there is a C4 planning use classification of an HMO which defines it as: “tenanted living occupation by 3 to 6 people, who are not related and who share one or more basic amenities, as their only or main residence.”

For larger HMOs with seven or more tenants, landlords may have to apply for “HMO sui generis” planning permission – meaning ‘of its own class’. Whether this needs to happen depends on how the tenants live and whether they are single household.

The HMO definition does not include blocks of flats.

Why choose an HMO?

It allows you to rent parts of your building separately and ensure maximum occupation of your property.

In a single household rental, all rooms would become available at once. In an HMO, you could stagger rentals to ensure your property doesn’t lie empty.

While some students will wish to rent as a group, others will want to rent singly or in couples.

Will you need planning permission to switch to an HMO?

Yes. Welsh councils can require landlords to get planning consent to turn their single households with no more than six residents into an HMO.

There will need to be an application for a change of use with a fee of around £380.

If you’re switching back from an HMO with up to six tenants to a single home, you may not need planning consent.

Do you need to register under Rent Smart Wales?

Yes. The Housing (Wales) Act 2014 runs alongside the Housing Act 2004 so you have to comply with both.

You must register with Rent Smart Wales, declare the address of the HMO and any other rental properties you have in Wales. For each of them, you must declare who is the agent responsible for managing and letting them.

This could be you or it could be a licensed property manager. If you’re doing it yourself, you must be licensed.

You only need one licence to manage all your Welsh properties.

Find out more about Rent Smart Wales here.

Looking for a licensed property manager in South Wales? We’re registered with Rent Smart Wales and have experienced staff who can help a landlord with an HMO. Call us today on 01495 619811.