+ ? o 34. Xntheroe Advertiser&TImes, Thursday, November 6th, 2008 < ^ ~ « 2 ! 3 2 4 (EdHorta),01282478111 |Ad«nBing), 012S2 422331 (CtosHled) Agents Oh the move


MOVING on up is athertons property and land special­ ists as the company relocates its head office to Clitheroe’s Market Place. : Athertons has taken over the former tourist informa­


tion centre premises adding a vibrant new-look to the bottom of the town’s main thoroughfare.


• - For the past nine years, the estate agency has occu­ pied premises in King Street which are now to become home to Eden Insurance. “The TIC premises were a great opportunity,’^ said - director Martin McShane. “We are absolutely delighted., . We have much more space over the two, floors, more


' room to showcase our properties and already, within days of opening, traffic through the office has increased.”- The Market Place premises have more than twice the


floorspace'of the previous offices and, as a conse­ quence, athertons has mowed ,its head office from King Street WhaHey to Clitheroe. . Some of the Whalley stsdi have relocated and the let-,


tings department is now based in Clitheroe. In January this year, athertons opened its rural


department at Clitheroe Auction Mart, with five employ­ ees working there. “It was an opportunity to get closer to the farming community,” said Mr McShane, adding that it had proved a great success. The company has- also taken over Northern Rural Training, which was based at the auction mart.


r


More first-time buyers ba^ in house market


9 ^


A SLOW but steady re-emer­ gence of first time-buyefs into the property market could be the first sign that recent Gov­ ernment intervention is begin­ ning to work.


Latest figures showing an . ^


increasing have been wel­ comed as a positive sign by the National Association of Estate Agents (NAEA). Its members reported that the housing mar­ ket in September still provided challenging times for its mem­ bers, but that the re-emer­ gence of first- time buyers was . encouraging and suggested recent measures such as the “stamp duty holiday” for cheap­ er properties could be work- ing.The NAEA research also showed that the number of sale's per agent rose for the


.first time since January from an average of five sales in August to six in September. Chris Brown, president of the


NAEA, gave the news a cau­ tious welcome, but warned ' that more action was needed to restore full confidence. “It is clear that certain fac­


tors are in motion within the : property market, with a deci­ sion being made on stamp


' duty,' but this is still not enough,” said Mr Brown. “As property prices continue


: put in their homes and waiting ; for some stability to be,


to drop the Government needs - to take action and make some drastic changes to restore con­ fidence. Those who are not desperate to move are staying


. restored across ail sections of T the market.First time buyers i


: however, seem to be returning. ' This is most likely due to the - Government’s decision oh


; UK; it might have had an affect. .on this'market group.’.’ ---------


.stamp duty last month. Whilst^; the announcement is not appii- • cable to all regions across the.


. , , Help for older people


ITS the phrase in every headline,- at the top,of every news bulletin and on everyone’s lips - “credit crunch”.


Some will feel its effects worse-


than others and here, in the latest of a series of articles, local mort­ gage expert Jan Bull, pictured, looks at how the credit crunch might affect the older generation; ■ Most of today’s pensioners don’t easily associate with the word “ credif.


• Fifty years ago a trip to the shops


meant coppering up. You simply didn’t borrow. Many pensioners have worked hard to buy their home and no longer worry about mortgage payments, but other con­ cerns have arrived.


. ■ •


. Your family might struggle to raise a deposit on a house, or have ' other urgent needs. In addition the. weekly pension doesn’t go as far as it did five years or even a year ago. With increasing costs of food and basic utilities, many pensioners are concerned. Older people just approaching pensionable age, fac-; ing redundancy or early retirement, may want to clear credit card debts and their outstanding mortgage, as well as topping up their pension fund. What are your options? More


pensioners are realising capital from their home by using equity release. This unlocks capital with-


- not all are yet members of SHIP, the' long established “Safe Homes Income Protection” organisation of main equity release lenders. A SHIP equity release scheme guar­ antees that you (or your estate) will never owe more than the value of your house, and also guarantees you will stay in your home for life. Loans are usually repaid if you go into long-term care, or on death. Terms can be flexible.The range of schemes continues to grow. The FSA only allow a professionally qualified equity release broker to


. advise you, and the advice of such an independent broker is essential in this rapidly expanding market.


out having to move house in a stat­ ic market, and no repayments are


- necessary in your lifetime. Credit checks are rarely necessary. You get a tax free lump sum and/or a regular income for absolutely any purpose you want. ■ It’s vital to note that properly reg­ ulated equity release is not a sale , and rent back scam. All equity


. release schemes are closely regu­ lated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA). With certain main types of scheme your property’s title stays with you, which gives extra security. How to do it? There are large financial institutions in the field, but


• Jan Bull is an independent


mortgage adviser and director of locally-based company Mortgage Salad, which specialises in equity release. She can be contacted by phoning 0800 9883377 or by e- rhail on the following: ]an@mort- gagesalad.com0800 9883377 ' Mortgage Salad and Clitheroe- based estate agent and solicitors Chenery Maher will be holding a joint talk on “helping the elderly dur­ ing the credit crisis” on Thursday, November 20th. It takes place at 3- 30 p.m. at Chenery Maher’s offices at 21 Church St, Clitheroe. Anyone wishing to attend should contact Mortgage Salad on 0800 9883377 to book, as places are limited.


Extra aid measures welcomed


EXTRA measures to protect home- owners facing repossession have been welcomed by the National Association of Estate‘ Agents; (NAEA).,


' . . It is pleased with the recent Govr,.


erriment’s announcement of new court protocols which will help make. repossessions a last resort. Peter-: Boltori King,- Chief Execu-:;


five of the:NAEA, said: T h is will come as a welcome relief to many : homeowners-throughout the coun- 1


♦ ♦ try, especially in the current climate.


. However, following this announce- ,ment it is now more crucial then wer’toensurethat.the'correctpro-


■ cedures areTollowed, allowing repossession to be seen truly as the last resort. - ' .


-“u,


.•alsbproposedtha'tcompanies;' I ehgaged'in.sale and .rent:back%


fully support this idea,'as recently


• the NAEA has been receiving an increasing number of inquiries from


: homeowners who are worried about the decisions;■ they;make- and


.: whether the company they, are deal­ ing with is genuine r „ •


/ schemes,'which may target vulne?- ;; . able home owners, should b e ,. brought under FSA. regulationr.We.-:;


i; :‘ * j rh e National Association of Estate;Agents"is the residential


. sales arm of the National- Federal .ition of:Property.Professionals;,s:'?i


: .“Additionally,!the:Government 4; G.See the story on the right for : advice on avoiding repossession. - .


CIU 1(31 lU ) . 1 7 ■ ;iW vvv.a tri(?fio n 5 'U k.com i f l


Ten tips to you


avoid losing your home


If you have slippetJ into arrears, you will not necessarily lose your home. Here are 10 steps that you can take to stay in your property and clear - your debt.


,


• Contact your lender • Understand the new rules Under the new rules announced in


October, lenders should be more willing to lower your monthly costs temporarily or to increase the length of the loan . term, which would also shrink the monthly payment. : ; 2


. . • • Cut expenses and increase


income If you can prove that you will cut


costs or increase your income, your lender is more likely to be flexible. You


should cut out unnecessary expenses, such as satellite TV- subscriptions or. club memberships. . • - '


:r ■


• Contact fre e debt advisers Debt charities, such as the Con­


sumer Credit Counselling Service., . (CCCS) or the National Debtline, can help with a budget plan to use when renegotiating the terms of your mort-


. gage.


• Prioritise your debts The most important thing is to stay in


' , - -bank


your home, so your mortgage repay-. . ments should be paid before other - unsecured debt, including personal ".;; loans or credit cards. If you need to stop paying these debts temporarily, write to the loan or credit card company and explain your financial situation. • bo not be bullied by your , T-


. '■ ■ If you have missed one or two mort­


gage payments, it is likely that your lender will have been in touch to talk . about your financial situation. Lenders can apply pressure on borrowers to pay arrears quickly — and the failure to do so has been used as grounds for repossession. Beccy Boden Wilks, of National Debtline, says that you will not be evicted if you can demonstrate that you can afford to make monthly repay­ ments and a small amount of the arrears each month. She adds; “Your lender might push you to clear arrears in 12 months, but ask if you can spread the cost over the term of your loan.” You could also ask about adding missed ■


“


payments to the loan, which is known- as capitalising your arrears. - • Be wary of sale-and-lease-


back Speak to a debt charity or financial


adviser before considering sale-and-: • leaseback schemes,.which are unregu­


lated. This would involve the sale of : your property to a company that would then keep you on as a tenant. ' • Attend all hearings ' " '


' • Request time to sell your property yourself ’ , ■ - ' If there is no way that you will be able to afford your monthly repayments,. ;


■ request that you are given time to sell - the,property yourself. • Share your problem with


- family and friends This could unlock useful help and. ; advice, and reduce the pressure toi.


: V keep up appearances. For example/ • friends in the knbw'are less likely toi •suggest expensive nights out. , ;


-r m o m jsm ' 4* London


December 6,2 days . from £99


Includes: ^ • Return coach travel • One night’s accommodation • 4* Russell Hotel, Bloomsbury • Full English breakfast • Free time for shopping & -^ sightseeing


• Services of a tour manager Organised by


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December 13,1 day frorri £329.95


Includes: • Return flights from Manchester • In flight catering. • A hot buffet lunch' • Snowmobile & toboggan rides , • Husky dog drive • Reinderr sleigh rides • And much more.......;.. :


Christmas in the


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Includes: • Return coach travel. • Channel crossings


r • German buffet breakfasts . • Christmas Lunch & Turkey dinner • Visit to Freiburg


• Services of a tour manager. • '■ Organised by


New Year at


DisneylancFResort Paris December 30,3 days


from Adults £159, Child £105 Includes: • Return coach travel • Channel crossings • Two night bed and breakfast • Cne day’s admission to Disneyland® Park ■


• Services of a tour manager ; _ • .


Organised by -


Friday 28th November iiiijaffoB


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Pupils raise cash for a cow


YOUNGSTERS from Brookside Prima­ ry School in Clitheroe embarked on a •welly walk entitled “Miles for Moos” to raise funds for poor African families. •Just over £1,200 was raised by the


event for the Send-a-Cow charity, which aims to send farmyard animals and plants to poor African families. I t also provides professional training for vil­ lagers to enable them to become more self-sufficient. The children were asked to collect


sponsorship and also paid 50p to design and wear their own cow mask and/or costume. They were then allowed to walk a


maximum of 20 laps around the school, the equivalent of approximately seven miles; and given a card to show how many they had managed to do. All the funds raised were placed in a


rubber-boot in the children’s indmdual classrooms and these were then present­ ed at the school’s annual Harvest Festi­ val. - ■ More traditional gifts, such as fruit,


vegetables and flowers, were also pre­ sented at the festival. This was then dis­ tributed between the local elderly and infirm with any extra tinned food donat­ ed to the Clitheroe branch of the Salva­ tion Army.


-C ete-lflraE e in s d ^ , .a r s fie Kefcfete A l le y ’s ts e w e s s . visauw e.


WORKS, 0]OTCE OR PRIVATE PARTIES


live AvaHafjfe date* f t i B i


Please c all i: 0 1 2 5 4 FUIXCHBC5X3UAS BBOCHCiBE


T f ie E ^ g te sa Ekmrmv„ C l i t fe e ro e B d , Barr&w^ M r C S t fa e ro e fes Our picture shows pupils at Brookside


Primary School all dressed up .to. take part in the welly walk. (B171008/2)


Clitheroe 422324 (Editorial), 01282 478111 (Advertising), 01282 422331 (Classified) -. www.cIitheroeadvertiser.co.uk


Hospital patient admits assault


A PATIENT at Calderstones Hospital, in Whalley, assaulted a fellow resident and a member of staff who tried to inter­ vene. Claire Everett (28), of Mitton


-Road, Whalley, pleaded guilty to two charges of assault. She was given a con­ ditional discharge for 12 months and ordered to pay £100 in compensation to the member of staff. Mr Stephen Barker (defending).said


there had been a degree of provocation by the other patient, but his client under­ stood that she could not lash out.


Failed hotel burglary


THIEVES attempted to break into a Simonstone hotel over the weekend. ■The intruders tried to make their way


into the Stork Hotel, in Whalley Road, by scaling a 6ft. roof and ■via a small ■win­ dow, but failed to do so. The incident occurred between midnight and 8 a.m. on Monday. *


Clitheroe Advertiser & Times, Thursday, November 6th, 2008 35


• ANYONE planning to attend the East Lancashire Hos­ pice “Light Up-A Life” service at Blackburn Cathedral: should note that the date has been changed from Thursday, December 11th, to the following Tuesday, December 16th, at 7-30 pm. Organisers apologise for any inconvenience caused by this unavoidable change and anyone with further queries should phone 01254 342810.


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