Camden house update

3d modeling to explore the massing and cladding possibilities.

Watford Chamber of commerce Event

YOOP Architects attended a breakfast event on the 17 April at the new Jury Inn Hotel in Watford. Organized by the Watford Chamber of Commerce, the guest speaker was Mindy Gibbins-Klein. Mindy Gibbins-Klein is an international speaker, consultant and trainer who helps top business leaders get their wisdom into the market by refining their unique message and planning, writing and publishing excellent books articles, blogs, video and keynotes. Her clients have published over 100 books and hundreds of articles. She is a popular speaker who consistently gets superb feedback from audiences that enjoy her warm yet no-nonsense approach.
Mindy presented, "How to Be a REAL Thought Leader" How entrepreneurs can position themselves to stand out in an increasingly competitive market.

Mindy presented a four point approach based around the easy to remember R (reach), E (engage), A (authority), L (longevity). This was a good boost for confidence and also to focus on the common sense things to do that we sometimes forget. Also how book publishing can be a good way to become an 'authority' in your sector. We like Mindy's company name of 'bookmidwife' (www.bookmidwife.com) We also met some new business contacts and were able to discuss opportunities in the current market. Support and swapping contacts and ideas was great. We look forward to attending future Watford Chamber of commerce events and catch up with the good people we have met and meet more people in our business community.

Yoop
http://www.jurysinns.com/Watfordnowopen

chick inn

A new chicken grill restaurant in Wandsworth, South London.

Net Curtain House

A new house, traditional but contemporary. Traditional net curtains protect privacy while affording views and light, this is manifested in a contemporary way by using custom water cut screens to put the net curtains on the outside of the house as cladding.

Mortgage approvals up 4%

Forecasts remain unchanged as February figures show no increase in total loan value despite increase in approvals

The number of mortgages approved by lenders in February was 4% higher than the previous month at 24,300, according to the Council of Mortgage Lenders.
However the total value of all the loans approved - £3.1bn - was exactly the same as in January, and the number of loans approved was still only at just over half the level of February the previous year.
The CML said that despite the small rise, activity level remained very weak, with the 24,300 figure less than one third the historical average of 76,000 between 2002 and 2007.
February saw 9,400 loans for first-time buyers, an increase of 7% on January but a 46% fall since February 2008.
The CML said that for those able to get home loans, housing was now more affordable than at any time since 2004, with mortgage interest payments now consuming an average of 15.4% of a first-time buyer's income. This is down from a peak of 20.1% in February 2008.
Michael Coogan, CML director general, said that despite the growth, he was not convinced that underlying trends had shifted sufficiently to change the CML's forecasts for mortgage market activity in 2009, despite positive signs for later in the year. “We need further market measures to be introduced by the government to encourage a mortgage market where all types of lenders - banks, building societies and specialist lenders, and large and small businesses - are encouraged, and enabled, to commit more funds to the mortgage market."

14 April, 2009
By Joey Gardiner
http://www.building.co.uk

Ten tips for would-be landlords (clickable link)

If your house won't sell, how easy is it to rent?

You need to move but do not want to put your home on the market: after all, there could scarcely be a worse time to sell. The obvious solution is to let your home. If you are about to join the influx of reluctant landlords with unrealistic expectations and no idea about tenants' rights, follow this guide:

1 Study the local market
2 Talk to your lender
3 Do your sums ..
4 ...and try to be realistic
5 Head must rule the heart
6 Think about your tenants
7 Spend some money on it
8 Follow the rules
9 Pick tenants with care...
10 ... or pay a lettings agent

From The Times

July 25, 2008 Paula Hawkins

Always vet and get references for tenants.
Don't let tenants pay rent late.
Don't use agents (unless they can get a higher rent).
Expect to be inconvenienced.
Don't get personal about the property, it's a business.
Don't forget what you're doing it all for, eventually you'll own the place.

New Build House in Caribbean

For UK client with plot in Caribbean,
with special help from Yoop friend and
architect in Barbados.