The race is on to beat Hips at Blagdon Village

30 Apr 2007

Interest in properties at the area’s first dedicated village for the over 60’s has been unprecedented - and some of this could be due to the impending Home information packs (Hips), according to developer Retirement Villages.

“Our village in Taunton coincides with the imminent introduction of the Hips and I think many people are racing to get their house on the market rather than get tied up in the extra cost and paperwork which Hips may involve,” explained Retirement Villages’ property sales and marketing director Sarah Burgess.

From June 1, anyone who puts their property on the market will have to provide a home information pack for potential purchasers. While the process may benefit the UK’s housing property market in the long term, it has received masses of negative press so far and, according to research, the majority of homeowners still do not understand it or are wary of it.

At Taunton’s retirement development, Blagdon Village, there has been a marked upturn in visitor levels.

“The introduction of Hips is something else for house sellers to have to think about - for the older generation, who may find house moving quite an ordeal anyway, it is another issue to worry about,” added Sarah. “This could be one reason why people have decided to act now before June 1. Our own visitor levels over recent weeks certainly reinforce this theory.”

Blagdon Village will comprise 85 privately-owned properties set within landscaped grounds along Middleway in the Haines Hill area. Blagdon Lodge clubhouse will
provide the central focal point and will be home to the residents’ own bar, restaurant, function room and library.

For more details of this or the properties currently available, call into the marketing suite which is open seven days a week from 10.30am until 5pm, tel: 01823 336192 or visit: www.retirementvillages.co.uk
Property prices at Blagdon Village currently range from £194,000 to £310,000.

Hips fact file:

• Seven out of 10 house sellers are still confused about Hips. According to property sales website houseweb.com 72 per cent of people selling their property said they did not know what a home information pack was or whether they needed one.

• Homeowners selling after June 1 will be required to offer buyers a Hip. The seller must pay to have the pack put together and it must be available from the first day the home is marketed.

• Sellers who already have their properties on the market on June 1 have until December 31 to sell - after that they must have a Hip.

• The pack must contain an energy performance certificate, provided by a qualified inspector, giving a property rating based upon features such as cavity wall insulation, double glazing and loft insulation. The packs also include searches, leasehold or commonhold information, a statement of everything included in the sale and evidence of the property’s title deeds.

• It is expected that Hips will cost between £400 and £650.

• The aim of Hips is to improve the home buying process by increasing transparency for buyers and reducing the number of sales that fall through.

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