Property podcast: Advice is on right wavelength
We’ll also be tackling some hot domestic topics, such as sustainability, reducing household bills, and ways to add value to a home now you can no longer rely on the year-on-year gains of the recent past.
We’ll examine previous cycles of boom and bust, and look to the future with expert predictions on what is next likely to affect the market.
And we’ll be discussing design trends for interiors, gardens, and the latest in-home gadgets.
The first edition of the podcast is now available, hosted by The Scotsman’s property editor Kirsty McLuckie.
Her guests in the initial programme include David Alexander, chief executive of DJ Alexander, whose career spans five decades in the lettings industry.
His company, which now manages 10,000 properties and is the largest private letting agent in Scotland, started with just one property, as David explains.
The discussion takes us through the historic changes in lettings legislation which led to today’s busy market, examines the improvements in standards and safety for tenants and, more topically, answers questions on whether current conditions are driving out amateur landlords – and what this means for tenants and first-time buyers.
The podcast then turns to the sales market and, amid UK-wide predictions of a fall in house prices and a drop in activity, we ask if it is a more optimistic picture in Scotland.
Kirsty speaks to Paul Hilton, chief executive of property portal ESPC, to get a better understanding of how the market is performing in different geographical areas in Scotland, and seeks his expert advice for those hoping to sell at the moment.
Paul’s expert take is that, while the last three years have been something of an unprecedented frenzy after the lifting of Covid restrictions, the market is now more settled and there are good opportunities for buyers and sellers. He takes us through some property hotspots, both well-established and up-and-coming.
Of the wider market, Paul believes that while the number of transactions has dipped, there is still an imbalance of supply and demand in Scotland which is sustaining sales’ prices in most areas, with figures over home report values being surprisingly resilient.
With a lettings and a sales expert on the podcast, we discuss what advice both would give to a potential first-time buyer in 2023.
We ask, is it a good time to make the leap onto the housing ladder, despite current comparable high interest rates, or would it be wise to hold off until the market bottoms out?
And we ask the perennial question, can anyone predict what the market is likely to do next?
The last three years have seen a huge rise in homeowners investing in their gardens, with everything from eating areas, outdoor kitchens and stand-alone garden offices becoming sought-after features of any property with outside space.
A full makeover is seen as one of the best ways to invest in your home and now is estimated to net a better return than a new kitchen project, an extension or a loft conversion.
So, with summer in full bloom, Kirsty speaks to Edinburgh-based garden designer Lisa Lempsink about these outdoor trends and the process involved in a garden redesign.
Lisa breaks down the costs involved and describes how this year’s price rises have affected everything from labour to hard landscaping and planting, and the resulting added expense for a redesign.
While the average landscaping project easily runs into the tens of thousands, Lisa hands out some expert advice on how those with a more modest budget for their garden dream can save money and still achieve their goal – whether that is to add value to their home, or to their quality of life.
The Scotsman Property Podcast was made in partnership with DJ Alexander