Eco Friendly House And Garden

With the recent bad weather across most of the northern hemisphere – should we stay home?

I haven’t left my place apart from to go for a great walk through the woods and a walk to the local store – so what did you do – and could it have caused problems for others?

There is an argument for both sides really, but which is more eco friendly?

The Case For Staying Home:
For a start, you will be one less car on the road in the way of other important people or vehicles that need to use the roads.  Many people like doctors, vets, firemen, police, grit lorry drivers, petrol tankers, grocery vans and ambulances that need to use the roads all day and at any time. 

So what would you do if you had got stuck on ice on a slip road and were now holding up one or more of the above people?  Stopping valuable staff from doing their job when you were only off out to do a bit of shopping or to visit a friend?

You would also be one more person that local services would have to worry about.  For example on 1 road in the UK earlier this week, there was a reported 25 mile tailback in the snow.  All those people were stranded in the freezing cold and the emergency services, local hotels and recovery drivers were now having to work overtime and through the night to help them all – and I bet all 25 miles wasn’t filled with doctors and food supplies?

And talking of medical care – if you went out and injured yourself on ice or through a car accident – you are adding to the pressures that emergency services are already facing.  If you can’t get to town in the bad conditions – what makes you think that nurses can either?  So more injuries and less nurses is really only going to mean longer waits and over-worked staff. 

The same goes for any other business as well.  Just because you managed to get yourself to a store, it doesn’t mean they will be able to offer you their best service, as they may also be short-staffed or have deliveries that cannot make it to the store due to accidents etc.

The Case For Going Out:
If you are one of the services that keep everyone else going then yes, you should try to get to work.  Hopefully all the non-essential journeys have ceased and so the roads should be clearer and safer for people like yourself to get through.

Also, many small businesses couldn’t function without their staff, and so struggling in to work could be the only option for some people. 

Imagine if everyone stopped going to work on the same day – countries would come to a standstill as no energy would be available, no need food would arrive in stores - and if it did, there would be noone there to sell it.  No gas, no gritters, no ambulances……….

People need to go to work in these terrible conditions – but think about who you are before deciding, as it’s not about how important you think your journey is, it’s about how important you know your job is.

Many eco friendly people will live near to where they work anyway – so a walk to work in the cold is going to be a million times better than a drive anywhere – and less of a drain on society during these hard times!

The Answer:
Stretched resources or reduced services? Neither is better than the other if you have to get to work – but there is a clear winner if you are not needed anywhere.

People not working, on a day off or who can work from home are the ones that can make a real difference in this whole thing.  By limiting their impact on the outside world during this stressful and very cold time, they can make all the difference to those who don’t have a choice.

So wrap up warm and go visit your elderly neighbours today – or snuggle up in front of the TV and watch a good movie instead.

In our new digital world, we can buy anything online – so why not make your home one of them?

If you are planning to move to a new home – either to rent or buy – then do all the groundwork from the comfort of your own home rather than out in the cold or in traffic!

We are quite happy to choose clothes and toys over the internet – so why not use that same tool to narrow down your property search – and save paper and petrol!

Why Online?
Well, we know that most estate agents create a printed sheet for each property detailing the size of the rooms and having at least 1 picture – as well as their logo and all their other sales and legal pitch – but what a waste when you compare it to what your computer can offer.

Firstly, you don’t need to print details that you don’t want, and estate agents don’t need to keep piles of sales literature in their filing cabinets – saving them money to spend on other services.

You can scan the properties online – and this means more pictures and even videos.  Rather than 1 simple picture of the outside of the house – which isn’t really of any use other than so you can find it when you drive past – you can see multiple images of each room, inside and outside, back and front.  Basically you can decide whether you like a place without a wasted journey to the property itself.

Save Your Time!
There is nothing worse than getting off work early to drive out of town to see a property to find that it is a complete mess inside, with totally the wrong layout for your needs.  Whereas, by looking online first you can narrow down you list of properties without leaving your own home!

You are free to view them at any time of day, and you don’t have to have the owners listening to what you say about their choice of decor either!

And, if you are the one selling your home – there is nothing worse than having to keep it uber tidy all the time incase someone wants to visit when you are out – only to find that they aren’t interested at all.  Needless visits to your home on your time just because they only had an external picture and a list of measurements to go by before arriving.

The agent is the key to a quick, efficient and time-saving sale.  So whether you are after Liverpool Lettings or York Estate Agents - check their credentials out first to see that they are going to do a good job for you.

Make It Easy On Yourself.
So whether you are in the market for a move or you are desperate to sell – make sure you choose your agent with care – helping to reduce the wasted viewings that don’t go anywhere – but take up your time!

1) Make sure that they take multiple images of all the important features and angles that buyers are looking for. 

2) Make sure that they offer a plan-o-gram of the property so potential buyers can get a feel of the layout before they arrive. 

3) Make sure that they have a great website that is easy to search on – try it out for yourself first to see if people will be able to find your home when it is on there.

4) Speak to the team to make sure that they are friendly, approachable and eager to promote properties that suit your needs rather than just what is on their books!

Following these simple rules can make sure that you find or sell your property as easily as possible, which is great news for everyone really!