Author: Holdsworths

Latest data from the Land Registry has shown that house prices in Yorkshire are faring well compared to the previous year. House prices increased by an average of 2.9 per cent across the county between May 2017 and May 2018.

Richmondshire, towards the north of the county, saw the largest increase with values in the area increasing 8.6 per cent with an average property price from £192,715 to £209,368. The area, which includes the market towns of Richmond and Leyburn, was already abundant with attraction with large parts of the Yorkshire Dales National Park straying within its borders. It is its transport links however, that can be attributed to the boost thanks to the upgraded A1 which allows quicker access to Leeds and Newcastle thanks to its extension to three lanes.

The district of Ryedale also saw a value boost from £211,294 to £229,399 thanks to growing popularity. The beautiful countryside’s of the nearby North York Moors and access to the coast already acted favourably but links to York and Leeds by train and car help it attract commuters.

A surprise increase was Rotherham in South Yorkshire which saw a 7.6 per cent rise which was attributed to higher value homes hitting the market, especially in surrounding suburbs. There are also good increases in Barnsley (5.5 per cent), Calderdale (5.1 per cent), Leeds (4.3 per cent) Scarborough (5.7 per cent), Selby (5.7 per cent) and Sheffield 6.6 per cent).

The only district that lost value was surprisingly York with a reduction of 2.1 per cent. This is a surprise for a city named as the Best Place to Live in Britain by The Sunday Times. But this has been explained as a balance off following a particularly strong 2017.

The most expensive place to by in Yorkshire is Harrogate with an average price of £280,334 and the cheapest is Hull where the average price is at £106,918. The latter could throw up opportunity for buyers looking build upon Hull’s success as UK City of Culture in 2017.

The UK is in the midst of its warmest summer in years and with the heatwave rolling on, it Brits are already proclaiming it “too warm”! High temperatures are unfortunately affiliated with loss of life with the hot summer of 2006 showing an estimated 75 extra deaths per week for each degree of temperature increase.

June proved to be one of the hottest since records began in 1910 and July is set to follow that trend but it is in our homes where we can make a real difference. Public Health England suggests that one in five homes are prone to overheating with some properties more vulnerable than others. Top floor 1960s flats are most prone to overheating with research suggesting they can become six times hotter than ground floor flats, and nine times warmer a Victorian terrace.

Here are our handy quick hints for cooling your home down.

Shade

Research suggests that we can block out 30% of unwanted heats by blocking out sunlight through our windows. Don’t be afraid to close blinds or curtains during the day to block out this light as an easy way of reducing the temperature. Remember that dark fabrics absorb heat so using light-coloured curtains is better.

Move the Air Effectively

Opening windows when the air cools down outside is a great way of recycling air but ensure that your property is secure. Fans can just as easily make things worse by rotating warm air around the room. One method is direct fans towards the window rather than yourself to move the hot air away from you. Another hint is putting ice in front of the fan to create cool air.

Avoid Creating Heat

Keep lights off during the day to stop bulbs creating heat and also avoid long periods of cooking with ovens or slow cookers as they create more heat. Consider more summer friendly food such as salads.

Insulate

Insulation is often seen as a long term solution to keeping your house warm during the winter and reducing heating bills. But good insulation can also work by keeping heat out once you have a cool room.

Yourself

Remember to concentrate on keeping yourself cool and hydrated as well as the rooms in your home. Hot weather can cause a variety of changes to the human body and ensuring your body keeps at a cool temperature is the main battle. Also make sure you keep your food safely secured in fridges and out of sunlight.

Twelve months ago, the Holdsworth’s Removals blog covered the effects of the summer period on the removal industry as a whole and, more importantly, each individual move. The summer period continues to be the busiest for removal companies and 2018 is likely to prove no different. Previously we suggested that being organised in advance to your move, being prepared for hot conditions on the day of the removal and plans for students should be a forefront of thinking. This is still advice that we would adhere to.

But despite being nearly a century old as a removal company, Holdsworth’s still continue to learn, and here are some more hints and tips if you are planning a move this summer.

Declutter

Whether it’s to save money or simply to get rid of some unused belongings, a removal is the perfect time for a clear out. The summer months are the ideal time to move some things on to a new home as the car boot sales and garage sales all kick in across the local area. It is a fun way of shifting some belongings that you no longer need, might raise some spare cash and will save on time or money on packing.

Watch the Weather

Previously, hot weather was key to the discussion as the UK was in the middle of a heatwave. This means that our removal crews often opt for shorts in the hotter weather and may require more frequent hydration breaks. But in the summer of 2018 we have already experienced hot and humid weather which has led to flash flooding and aggressive storms across the UK. No summer in Leeds, Yorkshire or the UK is ever predictable so keep an eye on the forecast so you can plan for whatever the weather throws your way.

Plan Plan Plan

Despite saying it last year, it is as relevant as ever this year. It may be possible to book your removal days in advance for the majority of the year but the summer rush makes this unlikely. Getting a quote for your removal as early as possible will give you the best chance to move on the day that you want / need. Then stay in touch with your removal company and solicitors to ensure availability and also factor in any surprise changes to your move day.

Throughout our near 100 year history here at Holdsworth’s Removals, royal events have come and gone. And while we are fans of the royals in our removals office and some of our team are avidly looking forward to tomorrow’s wedding of Prince Harry & Meghan Markle, we appreciate that it isn’t for everyone. The wedding has dominated the week’s coverage across the television, radio and social media so its tough to get away if you aren’t looking forward to the royal event of the year.

But if you are looking for something or somewhere to hide away completely then here are our best suggests in the West Yorkshire area. And as an added bonus, they are completely free!

National Science & Media Museum

The once impressive National Media Museum which boasted some mind-blowing exhibitions of film, television and photography, now showcases a superb science section. You will walk away wondering why this museum available for free. The museum, located in Bradford city centre, was also home to the UK’s first IMAX cinema (which is chargeable).

Roundhay Park

One of Europe’s largest urban parks is the ideal getaway when the sun is out. There are huge spaces of grass to sit down for a picnic as well as two lakes to stroll around. The park is ideally located in North Leeds for anyone looking for some peace and quiet.

Kirkstall Abbey

If you live in Leeds then it is likely that you have seen Kirkstall Abbey from the A65. One of Leeds’ most impressive and historic landmarks is completely free to stroll around the intact ruins. The parkland and riverside area that surround are ideal for a wander.

There is also the Abbey House Museum (which is chargeable) across the road for an added extra. It houses a replica Victorian street to explore.

The Hepworth

This modern gallery is as eye-catching as you will find anywhere. Located in the heart of Wakefield, The Hepworth was named as Museum of the Year in 2017. It is the largest purpose built gallery outside of London and showcases many works from contemporary artists from across the world, but most notably rare pieces from Barbara Hepworth, where the museum gets its name.

Everyone at Holdsworth’s Removals are big fans of the Tour de Yorkshire. It could be the action on the roads in amongst the peloton, the climbs and the sprints that grabs the interest but we think the fact that it snakes the streets of God’s Own County that really stokes the interest and love for the event. The Tour de Yorkshire has become a huge event in the region on the back of the incredible success and crowds on show for the Grand Depart of the Tour de France which drew out thousands upon thousands to line Yorkshire’s streets. Since then, the sights , sounds and colours of this event have become an annual celebration with some of the best cyclists in the world coming along – this year Mark Cavendish will experience the event.

Here are some of our favourite locations that the Tour de Yorkshire visits this year.

Stage One: Beverley to Doncaster.

The first stage crosses three different parts of the region, starting in Humberside and finishing in South Yorkshire via the East Riding of Yorkshire. Along the way, the peloton samples some of the fresh sea air by circling around Hornsea on the East Coast before heading towards Pocklington, Goole before its finish in Doncaster town centre.

Stage Two: Barnsley to Ilkley

After leaving Barnsley, the peloton attacks the “Cote de Penistone” before snaking through the highest market town in the country. It circles back south past Barnsley before heading north towards West Yorkshire. The peloton rides straight through some of West Yorkshire’s most recognised market downs such as Pontefract, Castleford, Kippax and Garforth before reaching the rural areas of North Leeds. As the stages reaches its closing stages they pass through cycling mad Otley and Ilkley before reaching the final climb towards the finish line at the Cote de Cow & Calf.

Stage Three: Richmond to Scarborough

Starting in North Yorkshire, the peloton takes in some of the best rural towns that Yorkshire has to offer – Leyburn, Bedale, Northallerton, Thirsk. As they leave Thirsk, all eyes and minds will be on the climb to come, the fearsome Cote de Sutton Bank. After conquering Sutton Bank, there is a an easterly run towards the coast. The cyclists will call in at Filey before turning back north towards the finish on Scarborough’s sea front.

Stage Four: Halifax to Leeds

The stage that starts and finishes in West Yorkshire via North Yorkshire. After leaving Halifax, the peloton heads through Haworth and Bronte Country before reaching the gate to the Yorkshire Dales – Skipton. They will loop around North Yorkshire through Burnsall, Kettlewell,  Masham and Pateley Bridge and then head back south towards more urban surroundings. The tour reaches its final stages in our home town of Leeds, revisiting Otley before working through Horsforth and Kirkstall into Leeds city centre and the finish line.

The first quarter of 2018 delivered promising news for Yorkshire as the region maintained growth and bucked national trends in home ownership. The latest Nationwide index suggested that the UK house price growth remained steady at 2.1%.

On a regional level, the North of England recorded stronger price growth than in the south. Yorkshire especially exceeded the national trend with prices up by 4.8%. This puts house prices in Yorkshire back to their levels in 2007 prior to the recession and is up on the 1.8% growth on the previous year.

In terms of home ownership rates, this has declined consistently over the past decade with many seeing rentals as the ideal option. Despite this, Yorkshire records a strong level of home ownership with 63% of people owning their own home. This in comparison to London which dropped to 47% this March.

Robert Gardner, Nationwide’s Chief Economist said: “On the surface, the relatively subdued pace of house price growth appears at odds with recent healthy rates of employment growth, a modest pick-up in wage growth and historically low borrowing costs. However, consumer confidence has remained subdued, due to the ongoing squeeze on household finances as wage growth continues to lag behind increases in the cost of living.

“Looking ahead, much will depend on how broader economic conditions evolve, especially in the labour market, but also with respect to interest rates. Subdued economic activity and the ongoing squeeze on household budgets is likely to continue to exert a modest drag on housing market activity and house price growth this year.

“But historically low unemployment and mortgage interest rates together with the lack of properties on the market is likely to provide some support for house prices. Overall, we expect house prices to be broadly flat, with a marginal gain of around one per cent over the course of 2018.”

Read more on the Yorkshire Post.

Visit England is exactly what it says on the tin. It is the official tourist board for England and acts as the first sample of Englishness for potential visitors. Each year it awards the best tourist attractions in the country with five different categories – Welcome, Gold, Hidden Gem, Quality Food & Drink or Best Told Story. There are 86 attractions in the country highlighted by Visit England under these categories and a big chunk of them sit in Yorkshire. Thirteen in total are listed in God’s Own County which makes up an impressive 15% of the list. Here are some of our highlights:

York

Understandably, the North Yorkshire city of York features frequently. Home owners and regular visitors to York will always tell you that the city centre is constantly thriving with tourists wanting to sample some of York’s narrow streets and historic attractions.

But Visit England celebrates three of York’s museums in its Top Attraction’s list. The Jorvik Viking Centre and York Dungeon both feature in the Best Told Story category and rightly so. Both celebrate the history of the city and some of the most famous stories in the area which has recently included a “Return of the Vikings” exhibition at Jorvik and an exhibition on one of York’s most well-known sons, Guy Fawkes, at York Dungeon.

In the Hidden Gem category is the Richard III & Henry VII experience at Micklegate Bar which again looks to capture the story of medieval York under these monarchs.

Harrogate

Harrogate always features prominently in these lists but the two names mentioned aren’t the usual attractions that spring to mind when thinking of the North Yorkshire town but they are worthy entries. First, again in the Best Told Story category, is Ripley Castle and Gardens. Sitting north of Harrogate, Ripley Castle is much loved and really is a “remarkable piece of history”.

Second in Harrogate is RHS Harlow Carr Gardens. Another attraction that is much loved locally, Harlow Carr triumphs in the Gold category for all-round excellence. And as one of only four major Royal Horticultural Society gardens in England, Harlow Carr is a great visit – enough to convince the infamous Betty’s to open a tearoom there.

West Yorkshire

The city of Leeds features once on the list with the imposing and impressive ruins at Kirsktall Abbey included in the Welcome category. Kirkstall Abbey is free to explore and situated just outside the city centre means that it is easily accessible. It is also more than just abbey ruins with the gardens situated on the banks of the River Aire, the Abbey House Museum just across the road, a café and acting as the halfway point on the Kirkstall Abbey 10k Dash.

The National Children’s Museum – Eureka! – in Halifax also features on the list in the Welcome category.

Best of the Rest

Other Yorkshire attractions on the list and the category they featured for were:

Wilberforce House, Hull – Welcome

Captain Cook Memorial Museum, Whitby – Gold

Richmondshire Museum, Richmond – Hidden Gem

Green Howards Museum, Richmond – Hidden Gem

Spirit of Yorkshire Distillery, Hunmanby – Welcome

Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Doncaster – Welcome

Part of Leeds’ bid to become the European Capital of Culture for 2023 included many schemes to celebrate what makes Leeds such a great city. And despite the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union rendering Leeds ineligible to bid for the title of European Capital of Culture, Leeds Council has agreed to stage an independent Leeds 2023 series of events instead.

Amongst the plans for Leeds 2023 was quite a bizarre suggestion. This was to build a lighthouse in the South Bank area of Leeds to celebrate the city’s connections with the arts. This week, the Leeds Lighthouse plans were approved with the local council confirming that an agreement was in place to get the project started with funding coming from local businesses.

The South Bank area of the city is receiving large investment and this will surely become a beacon of that. Many have, understandably, asked the question – “Why does the city of Leeds, a city near enough as far away from the sea as you could wish to be in the UK, need a lighthouse?”. But local businesses seem behind the idea with one supporter saying to the Yorkshire Post.

“The Leeds Lighthouse was one of most eye-catching ideas put forward by the people of Leeds, originally in support of our bid to be European Capital of Culture 2023. It has caught the imagination of a local business leader who is talking to us about funding the entire installation. There has have never been any discussion about council funding being used for this project.

“It will celebrate the iconic designs of the great Leeds Civic Engineer John Smeaton, and incorporate an international programme of light, sound and design commissions. It is just one highlight of a six year cultural programme culminating in 2023.”

It led to the team at Holdsworth’s Removals listing some of our favourite “weird but wonderful” buildings in the city of Leeds which included the following:

• Leeds Corn Exchange
• Leeds City Library
• Broadcasting Place at Leeds Beckett University.
• Roundhay Castle
• Bridgewater Place

The West Yorkshire Urban area is something Holdsworth’s Removals are very familiar with. Throughout the 98 year history of the removal company, the region has grown to become one of the largest and thriving areas of the UK. The urban area refers to the conurbation of Leeds, Bradford, Wakefield, Huddersfield and Halifax. The 2011 census put the population at almost two million and with the business sector still growing in the area, the transport system is key to its success.

But investment in West Yorkshire’s transport is afoot with large scale projects set to benefit the whole West Yorkshire area.

HS2

Leeds railway station is already one of the country’s busiest railway terminals and is the busiest in the north of England. There is little surprise that the city was chosen as one of the hubs for the High Speed Rail 2 network. The main aim of the scheme is to improve the links of northern cities to London therefore making it easier for business to thrive between the north and south. The Yorkshire link will continue with slower tracks linking to York and Sheffield.

This is exciting news for not only businesses in Leeds but also for home owners as the city expects to continue its boom on the back of HS2’s construction.

Northern Powerhouse Rail Link

Transport for the North has been planning on improving its railways for some time and it was only this week that it made its latest announcement on the scheme. The improvements dubbed the Northern Powerhouse Rail (NPR) line, has the main aim of establishing a new railway link between all of the main economic centres in the north of England. This would link the West Yorkshire cities of Leeds and Bradford to other major cities such as Manchester, Liverpool, Hull, Sheffield and Newcastle.

Station Improvements

As a result of this ongoing investment, a number of stations in the area will be subject to investment. Leeds station has already seen its brand new southern entrance open in 2017 and it will receive further investment as it prepares for the aforementioned developments. The impressive plans will transform Leeds station into the modern hub that will soon be required of it.

The NPR line will also bring to question the development of railway stations in Bradford with the city reliant on two relatively small stations at Forster Square and Bradford Interchange. The decision will be made as to whether to redevelop on of the existing stations or introduce and out of town parkway station.

As we enter 2018, and as Holdsworth’s approaches its 98th birthday as a removals company, we have taken a look at some noticeable trends throughout the past few months in the removals industry. Our team has provided some advice on how we, as a removals company, and our customers can try and move with these trends to make the removal an easier process, as well as looking at some wider developments.

The Short Notice Move

Research across the removals and property industry has sprung a noticeable trend which is being dubbed the short notice move. It was something noticeable at Holdsworth’s Removals as 2017 progressed, despite house sales being secured, it can take some time for the chain to kick in and suddenly a move date agreed and a removal needs to be booked in. Despite Holdsworth’s having the removals expertise to deal with this where they can, during some peak periods it can be difficult to please everyone. In this respect, Holdsworth’s have a few pieces of advice to try and make this an easier process:

• Be as prepared for your removal as you can be. As soon as you know that you will be moving house, gather quotes for the move. Following this, ensure that you are in constant contact with your removal company, estate agent and solicitors. Get as much notice as possible.
  • Extra hint: Ensure that you are moving with a BAR verified company for extra protection.
• Explore any covering waiver options. Holdsworth’s for example, offer a cancellation or postponement waiver to cover you in the unfortunate even that something goes wrong. These waivers are intended to protect you, and your wallet, if the move can’t go ahead.
• Consider storage options. Most removals companies, including Holdsworth’s, have their own storage facilities to keep your items safe during any hiccups.
• Avoid busy periods where possible. If you end up in a lengthy chain that is prone to collapse, insisting on an end of week removal in the summer months can cause further problems. The more flexible you can be with your move, the easier the process will be.

Brexit Impact?

With Brexit negotiations being well underway, there is ongoing uncertainty which might affect the housing market. Despite this, there are positive signs. The abolishment of stamp duty for first time buyers in the 2017 Autumn Budget and the protection of Help-to-Buy ISA’s were a positive step. There was an increase of first-time buyers in 2017. There is further good news for the Yorkshire region which is anticipated to fare better than many other parts of the UK.

Continued Holdsworth’s Removals Expertise

One thing that Holdsworth’s can guarantee is a continued effort to grow and deliver our removals expertise for removals across Leeds, Yorkshire and the UK. The removals industry continues to develop and our aim is the develop with that while also calling upon the 98 years of removals expertise. We will adhere to the regulations of our BAR accreditations and aim to pass our annual inspection as usual.