Hogmanay Events in Edinburgh

During the Hogmanay celebrations, Edinburgh is the place to be for live gigs, bands and crowds, and the three-day party is well known for being one of the best celebrations in the world.

Some of the most fun ways to celebrate must be experienced if you live in or around the city - for example the Hogmanay Torchlight Procession on 30th. It’s popular – you’re looking at around 30,000 people carrying torches across the George VI Bridge and through the city to a spectacular fireworks display, but it’s a real family event and so much fun!

The New Year fireworks are not to be missed – but like the Torchlight Procession, they are incredibly popular, so get there early and be prepared for a crowd. If you’re out for a night of merry making on New Year’s Eve, you’ll know that the street party is a ticketed event and some of the bars in Edinburgh charge for admission after the fireworks, but there are also some that will issue tickets for free. A ticketed bar means that you can avoid a mad rush for that first drink of 2016.

Christmas Markets

In the lead up to Christmas, Edinburgh is full of Christmas markets, but if you want to try something a little different, Cowgate's own alternative Christmas Market is on at The Three Sisters every Friday & Saturday from the end of November to 19 December. Food stalls and craft ales are joined by drag queens singing Mariah Carey classics and festive films showing in an open air cinema.  For the kids, there’s a free Children’s Market until 4th January at Santaland, complete with face painting, crafts and gifts for little ones.

Dancing and Celebrating

A ceilidh is a great way to work off some of the Christmas excesses and have a lot of fun, but the main Hogmanay Ceilidh is like most of the events in Edinburgh –very popular! If you fancy a bit of a dance with a difference, there’s always the Abandoman bass drop ceilidh in St Andrew’s Square that mixes hip hop with traditional sounds to create a “Ceilidh Rave.”

Also in St Andrew’s Square and with a family feel is the super-cute Baby Loves disco. Don your kilts and Christmas jumpers and head off for a mid-day boogie to some 2015 hits and nostalgic floor fillers, for kids and grown-ups alike. There’s even a family ceilidh, and on 30th December there’ll be an Auld Lang Syne practise run. There will be bubbles, balloons and face painting for the kids and a bar for the adults, so they’ve got everything covered! If you have an EH postcode get a 20 per cent discount, too.

A new home for 2016?

We’re gearing up for Christmas with some great properties you might want to view before the festivities. If you’re looking to move in the New Year, have you considered the highly desirable Colinton district? We have a lovely three bedroom mid terrace home in an attractive courtyard setting on Bonaly Rise, and if you’re looking for a project to get your teeth into next year, we have a delightful family villa on Cammo Grove in the Barnton area, which is well-looked after but could do with some modernising. To view these properties, contact the office and speak to one of our friendly team.

Merry Christmas and happy Hogmanay!

How to make the most out of your tenement garden

It’s quite easy to let a tenement garden go over the winter months, after all, you’re not likely to want to spend as much time in it once the last shards of summer sunshine have gone, and so what’s the point of making it look nice?

Well, quite apart from the fact that the garden is overlooked if not shared by the other residents (you never know, there might be someone in your scheme who loves gardening and you can bond over next year’s begonias) you’ll be glad you made the effort when things start growing again in spring.

The truth is that not only is it rewarding to get your hands dirty and start the upkeep of the
communal spaces before it gets too cold, but it’s actually the ideal time to do so. This time of year is great for garden maintenance because you can start getting stuck into all those jobs that need doing, like pruning the garden plants back (now they’ve stopped growing for a while) and moving  them around if you feel like it, without damaging them.

Another bonus of getting stuck in with garden maintenance in autumn is that a small effort in one area of the garden can have a snowball effect on the rest of it. Think about tidying up your borders; this will allow you to move the plants around before the soil gets too cold and also lets some areas breathe a bit. Don’t forget to compost over any plants you’ve moved so they’ll bed in nicely.

If you have a nice lawn area, keep it looking that way with a bit of effort before the frosts set in. Get rid of any leaves and mess, give the whole area a good rake over and sprinkle lawn feed on it so that it will be revitalised come spring.

If you really want to win brownie points with the other residents you can brighten up the winter outlook with some well-chosen evergreens that fill gaps in border and give a dull winter garden a little bit of colour. Have a chat with your local garden centre for pointers on which shrubs and plants last the winter and suit a garden like yours.

If you’re looking for a stylish terrace – have a look at our newly added flat on Woodhall Terrace, Edinburgh. It’s a beautiful property with a charming roof terrace that boasts some stunning views, and the décor is immaculate.

Or for a real room with a view, 5 Mall Avenue, Musselburgh is a charming one bedroom flat with a shared garden area that’s perfect for a gardening enthusiast and also has some lovely view of the River Esk to enjoy.

For more information and advice on finding your new home, visit Sturrock Armstrong and
Thomson.

Commute or Live Locally – what’s the best option?

It’s the classic dilemma – move house to be closer to your job, or spend time and money on commuting into the city, eating into your working day as well as your pocket.

With the opening of the Borders Railway, new housing developments are springing up to make the decision less difficult, offering easy access to the new railway line without the cost of living in the city. One example, Shawfair, on the outskirts of Edinburgh, is expected to become a development of 4,000 new homes over the next few years. The railway will be at the heart of the new town, which offers a tantalising opportunity for regeneration of an area that used to be dominated by slag heaps and old mining buildings.

The new developments which promise to spring up along the railway line may be a Godsend for those who live in the Borders but want to work in Edinburgh – commuting will now be possible and less time consuming with a regular train service that will take workers directly into the city on a regular and hopefully reliable route. Given the soaring costs of property in Edinburgh, both to rent and purchase, this can only be a positive thing.

Even as far back as 2012, it was reported by the Bank of Scotland that while people who worked in Glasgow or Motherwell could save money by living in their city of work, Edinburgh was considered too expensive for average earners, while commuting, expensive and inconvenient as it can sometimes be, could save enough money for it to be worth doing. Even before the hikes in house prices that have been reported in the past year, people who lived in towns around 30 minutes away from Edinburgh, like Dunbar, Falkirk and Livingston, would have paid an average of £1,500 a year in rail fares, but saved on buying a home because house prices were 34 per cent lower than in the capital.

Of course, not everybody agrees with the Borders Railway. Tory MSP, John Lamont, complained that the project cost too much and that the money should have been spent on better roads instead. The majority of the local community seems to disagree with him, though. Campaigners such as Richard Crockett, a retired mining expert, believe that the railway isn’t just going to be good for commuting, but that it will exceed everyone’s expectations. Others can see that it’s not just Edinburgh’s working population that will benefit, but tourists can also make the most of the new line. It can only be a bonus for home buyers if more properties are built along the line that make getting into the city easier for all, taking congestion off the roads and hopefully keeping the housing market moving.

What do you think – is it better to live where you work, or is commuting the only way for you?

Buying to Let in Edinburgh is gaining in popularity

Although the expected boom in house prices in general doesn’t seem to have materialised since the No vote last year, there’s certainly been an upturn in the Scottish buy-to-let market, with both Glasgow and Edinburgh being named as buy-to-let hotspots for aspiring landlords recently, according to recent research carried out by Barclays Mortgages.

The UK has experienced a rise in property prices in recent years, due in part money coming in from countries with weaker financial institutions and fewer property rights, where investors consider their money to be ‘safer’. Investors and institutions are also buying up residential properties because the rental market is definitely booming, and in Scotland the number of people renting properties more than doubled between 2001 and 2011 alone.

Around 54,000 households in Edinburgh are privately rented, and 27 per cent of Edinburgh residents are currently living in rented properties. Some predictions suggest that the demand for decent rental properties is going to increase drastically in the next couple of decades -  predictions are that Edinburgh’s population is likely to increase by up to 30 per cent by 2037, leading to another 39 per cent more households. There’s likely to be a great deal of pressure on housing availability if these predictions come true.

Average private sector rents are increasing in line with demand and although this is great news for landlords on the face of it, there are moves afoot to slow down the increases and introduce some form of rent controls to the city. Recently published figures showed that the average monthly rent for a two-bedroom property in Edinburgh in the second quarter of 2015 was £850 – up from £781 last year. The rise, which took the average rent to £53 a month higher than the same in Glasgow, was the biggest in any of Scotland’s major cities. Average rents across the whole of Scotland have increased by 5.4 per cent from last year to £762 per month.

If you are looking to rent a property in Edinburgh, it shouldn’t be empty for very long – a survey carried out by an agent found that three out of four rental properties in Edinburgh were let within a month of going onto the market.

So, it would appear that things are certainly looking up for anyone who wants to buy-to-let in the city – but if you would like professional advice tailored to you, why not visit our offices and talk to our friendly advisors?

Fringe Benefits

If you thought that the Fringe Festival was just a pleasant way to spend some time in the City over the summer time, or an excuse for drinking more than strictly necessary, you’d be mistaken. Edinburgh’s famous festival has a massive impact on the area, in some ways that you might not have
thought about.

The economy and tourism are very thankful for the influx of people wanting to be a part of the celebrations, and with that comes a boost to our national identity and a pride in being able to put on an event that’s so well-loved by many.

The Festivals are also good news for local buy-to-let landlords as they take the opportunity to rent out their properties to visitors to this and other local festivals, again contributing to the local economy.

The effects of the Fringe – and other festivals – can be felt in all sectors of Edinburgh society, young, old, business and government. Research has even shown a benefit to the environment – even more reason to support the event.

Research (first published in 2011) into the twelve main Edinburgh festivals, identified Edinburgh as the world’s top  Festival City but also put into words the vital contribution that the fringe and other festivals make to the whole country.

Facts and Figures

As a whole, the Edinburgh Festivals generated more than a quarter of a billion pounds worth of extra tourism revenue for Scotland (£261m) in 2010. The Fringe alone was responsible for £142m of this extra revenue!

It goes without saying that the Festivals encourage access to the arts, with 7 per cent of people agreeing that the Fringe and other festivals had given them the chance to discover new talent and genres. It’s a great way for audiences to widen their horizons; almost two-thirds of people said that attending the Festivals encouraged them to investigate less well-known performances, events or films.

The Festivals are synonymous with Edinburgh as a city, especially The Fringe, and visitors agree - a massive 93 per cent of visitors to the city said that they thought the Festivals made Edinburgh special as a city. The spectacle and reputation of the festivals keep tourists coming back year on year; 82 per cent said that Festivals made them more likely to revisit Edinburgh in the future and 82 per cent even said that they were the main or only reason for visiting Scotland in the first place. 85 per cent of all respondents to the year-long survey said that they thought the Festivals promoted a confident, positive Scottish national identity; and 89 per cent of local respondents felt that they also increased local pride in their city.

This year’s Fringe Festival takes place from 7-31 August – we’re sure you’ll all make the most of it!

New Builds –vs- Older Properties

The traditional way to buy a new home is usually to find somewhere that you like the look of, have a look around, decide that you like it and take it from there. It’s the way most houses are bought and it works well – you know what you’re getting, you can see yourself in the house, and before you even own it you can imagine what it will be like with your sofa and dining table in it.

You could be looking around an older-style property like the detached bungalow on Durham Square, Duddingston, and your imagination could go wild as you envision yourself inviting friends over for a dinner party and preparing it all in the fantastic Poggenpohl fitted kitchen.

If something a bit newer appeals, you could opt for a gorgeous ready-to-move-into stylish modern town house at Kimmerghame Drive, Fettes. It includes all fitted carpets, curtains, blinds, cooker, automatic washer/dryer, American style fridge freezer and dishwasher, together with ‘Amtico’ flooring in hall, dining kitchen and cloakroom.

If it’s an absolutely brand new property you’ve set your heart on, you could always buy ‘off plan’. With a buoyant housing market it’s something that many homebuyers and property investors are doing to ensure that they get a great deal on a new property.

 It can be a bit of a gamble, but it works in your favour if the housing market is on the up. You buy your intended property in advance, at the current market price, and then by the time the development is completed it’s likely that with capital appreciation it will be worth more than you paid for it before you even move in. It’s possible to make a profit of 10 to 20 per cent from an initial 10 per cent deposit. From a purely practical point of view, buying a brand new home means that everything in it is new and built as you specified, it’s ready to move straight into and won’t need any repairs or decorating for a while.

The down side is that if repairs are needed, you might have to argue with the builder as to who should pay for them, and depending on how early in the development your property is ready, you might end up living in a building site for a while. If you’re really unlucky, you might even find that the house you’ve bought isn’t anything like the one you saw on the plan or the show home…and you could lose money if house prices drop.

The opportunity to buy off-plan is offered to investment companies first, and they tend to buy a number of them before a new development is launched.  Whichever properties are left then get offered to individual investors. The agent will have all of the relevant off-plan marketing material and potential buyers are given an opportunity to have a look around a show home, which should be available in each property specification, before they decide to invest.

So – older property, newer property or buying off-plan?  If you’re not sure, we’d be delighted to give you more advice on your options.

Getting your property ready for market

So, you’ve decided to put your property up for sale – but how can you sell it faster and for the best possible price? Here are a few expert tips to help you once you’ve decided to sell.

How not to show your house!

Keep it personal – but not cluttered

It’s easy to say that in order to sell you should just declutter to the point where your house looks like a show home, but potential buyers might find it harder to connect with a property that doesn’t look lived in.

Get rid of the mess and clutter, but leave personal items like nice pictures, rugs, attractive ornaments and cushions around so that people can imagine how their own items would look in your home.

Give buyers a glimpse into the lifestyle they could have if they lived in your home – fling open the patio doors on a sunny day, show them your nicest furnishings and hide the kids’ toys and the dog bed when you’re having the photos taken – and when you have people viewing.

Spruce it up

It’s a cliché but only because it’s true, if you give the walls a fresh paint, in a nice neutral shade, you make the rooms look bigger as well as giving potential buyers the opportunity to put their own stamp on the décor once you’ve moved out.

It’s also good for first time buyers or busy people who just want to be able to move straight in; if the walls are painted a colour that they hate or the whole place looks grubby, it will put people off who just want to move their stuff in and live with it for a while. You could consider giving the front door a coat of brightly coloured paint though, as this gives a first impression that the house has been well looked-after.

Fix and clean

Sort out all the minor things that you’ve been living with for ages; other people might not want to! If your home has any threadbare patches in the carpets, holes in walls, broken light fittings or nagging little repairs that need doing, get them done before the first viewing.

Make sure you clean the place within an inch of its life too, roll up your sleeves and scrub away any lime scale, repair old grouting in tiles and redo it where necessary and before anyone visits, hang out new towels and freshen the place up – bathrooms and kitchens especially.

Clean all of your windows inside and out, and replace any broken light bulbs.

Make sure that of you have a garden it’s tidy too – hire a gardener if necessary but make sure it looks perfect.

Update the kitchen

If the kitchen is looking a little tired you might want to consider having a make-over as this can be a decider for a lot of families. You don’t have to go all out – if you’re strapped for cash you could paint cupboard doors and add new handles to give it a new look. Declutter all the kitchen surfaces when people view - apart from maybe a strategically placed coffee machine and a fruit bowl for show.

Once you have everything ready to go – arrange your viewings!

Musselburgh & Portobello

The pretty town of Musselburgh is just five miles away from Edinburgh and is thought to be one of the oldest towns in Scotland. The town was first lived in during Roman times, and these days it’s known mostly for its sport, boasting a well-known Musselburgh racecourse and Links golf course.

The market town lies right on the point where the River Esk meets the sea, and was developed as a rival town to Edinburgh in the 12th century. The world famous Musselburgh Links golf course is said to be the oldest in Scotland and was even alleged to have been used by James IV, in 1504.

Modern Musselburgh is a busy town which has certainly seen the benefits of the recent economic boom in Edinburgh. It’s an attractive town that has plenty of interesting buildings, a harbour, and some really spectacular views across the River Forth, not forgetting the Newhailes stately home and the Inveresk Lodge Garden. The harbour is used mostly for pleasure boating and fishing.

The town is now something of an education hub, since 2007,when all of Edinburgh's Queen Margaret University schools were relocated from Edinburgh to Musselburgh. The new QMU campus was officially opened by HM The Queen in July 2008.

Nearby Portobello is a suburb to the east of the city of Edinburgh that’s popular for its amazing long sandy beach which looks out across the beautiful Firth of Forth. One of the focal points of the town is the busy high street which runs almost parallel with the coastline, just a little way inland. Portobello has two town hall buildings; the most recent of which dates back to 1912, and is directly opposite its predecessor, the original town hall which was constructed in 1877 and is now used as the police station. It also has it's own monthly market with local craft and food stalls.


Although it has an urban feel, Portobello still keeps its seaside charm, with the help of its Blue Flag beach, complete with old- fashioned sweet shops, arcades, ice cream stalls and everything else you’d expect from a popular seaside town. You’ll also find a handy selection of cafes, pubs and restaurants along with a sailing club and an indoor swimming pool for those cooler days when the water in the Firth of Forth isn’t so enticing.

Compact living, space vs location when house buying

When you’re looking for a home, it can be really hard to get the balance right. You want the perfect location, so you look around your desired area…but find that all you are faced with is houses that are too small, or too big.

The problem is that in most cases the perfect solution doesn’t exist and you will find yourself having to make a difficult choice – the home you love, at the size you need or a home in the right part of town.

When budget is a factor (and it usually is) you often have to trade off a place in the popular part of the city for a bigger property further away from the best area. Popular postcodes often come with a price tag to match, so you’ll get better value for money if you accept a place that’s not in the popular area. When it comes down to it, though, in most cases – what’s more important? An extra bedroom and a decent sized garden for the kids, or being able to say you live in the nice part of town?

It’s been suggested that men and women see things differently, with men wanting to spend their cash on getting a bigger property and therefore more for their money, while women often tend to put more value on the location of a house, because they see a wider picture – they want everything close by, amenities for children (or potential children), good schools and a nice neighbourhood.

If you can’t find a property you can afford in the area you really want, you might need to consider whether you’re being realistic about the whole thing. You could hold out for a place that ticks every single box…and still be waiting in two years’ time. Or you could decide to compromise on your list of criteria and then find a gem of a place that you wouldn’t have noticed if you were still holding out for that non-existent affordable property with three bedrooms and a garage in your favoured area.

If you need extra room for a growing family, it’s probably wise to expand your search to include areas you might not have considered too. Just because it’s not the fashionable post code doesn’t mean the area is going to be awful; check out a few neighbourhoods and find areas that you would consider. Research schools and transport links and see if you can’t find somewhere that appeals just as much.

If you don’t have a growing family to consider, you can be pickier about location and opt for a smaller home that uses space cleverly. Be flexible on the number of rooms you need and see how the current owners have used available space; older properties may have potential for expansion, and are often bigger than new builds to start with, making a one or two bedroom flat much bigger than it sounds.

The key is to be realistic. If you’re looking for advice on finding the right home for you, contact us at Sturrock Armstrong & Thomson and we’ll be delighted to help.

Meet and Greet at Sturrock Armstrong & Thomson

We want to make the latest updates in the world of conveyancing more accessible to all – so if you are thinking about moving home or buying property in 2015, and you’d like to find out a bit more about our fees and our team, we’re offering meet and greet sessions in our Dundas Street office throughout February.

Expert advice on stamp duty rules

From 1st April 2015 the Land & Building Transactions Tax (Scotland) Act 2013 comes into force, which will replace the existing Stamp Duty with the Land and Building Transactions Tax (LBTT). This change in the law means that properties which sell for more than £333,000 after 1st April will pay more tax than they currently do through the Stamp Duty system. If this is you – now could be a very good time to think about selling your property.

To help things along a little, we are also offering reduced estate agency commission fees to anyone who advertises their property with us by the 16th March 2015. Find out more about how the new rules will affect you, and how you can take advantage of our reduced fees promotion, while meeting our partners and the estate agency team in a relaxed and informal setting. You can also enjoy complementary drinks and nibbles on us.

We hope you can make it along on one of the following evenings from 6pm-7.30pm:

• 11th February 

• 18th February

• 5th February

Call us on 0131 225 4082 if you'd like to attend. We hope to see you there.

A brief history of Leith

Leith was Scotland’s premier port for many centuries and the town has played a prominent role in Scottish history. You could say that Leith has provided the stage for many significant events.

In 1560, Scotland was ruled from Leith by Mary of Guise, who was acting as Regent for her daughter, Mary, Queen of Scots, while she was in France. While in charge, Mary of Guise moved the Scottish Court to Leith, and established a palace on Rotten Row, which is now Water Street.

When the large French garrison stationed in Leith was attacked by Scottish Protestant lords, reinforced by troops and artillery sent from England, Mary of Guise hid away in Edinburgh Castle.She died in June of 1560 and the Siege of Leith ended after the French troops signed the Treaty of Leith, also known as the Treaty of Edinburgh.

The “Wars between Edinburgh and Leith” took place from 1571-73 following Mary Queen of Scots’ abdication in 1567. This civil war saw supporters of James VI of Scotland fighting his mother's supporters while basing themselves in the town.

Later, during the American War of Independence, John Paul Jones set sail with a squadron of seven ships, planning to destroy British commerce in the North Sea. He had planned to capture Leith port and hold it to ransom, but the Scottish weather put paid to his plans when a storm kept him at the mouth the Firth of Forth. The attempt to capture the port led Leith Fort being built, presumably to stop any more attempts.

Leith Docks became known as the port for Edinburgh, and the shipbuilding and repair industries started to grow there. In May 1806, the new wet dock opened with a grand procession of the Lord Provost of Edinburgh, Baillies, and Council, plus well titled ladies and gentlemen.

The foundation stone for the second wet dock was laid in March 1811, and completed and opened in 1817 by Lord Provost Arbuthnot. Marking the town’s prosperity, the Trinity House in Kirkgate was built the same year at great expense.

Leith Docks went into decline following the-Second World War, and the town gained something of an unsavoury reputation. In recent years, however, things have improved greatly, with investment into regeneration.

The 'Leith Project' gave the town a welcome economic boost, turning the old shore into an attractive area with a range of upmarket pubs and restaurants. In 2003, Leith even hosted the MTV Europe Music Awards, in a temporary venue next to Ocean Terminal.

The town is now a busy port which entertains visitors from cruise liners and is also the
residence of the Royal Yacht Britannia, Ocean Terminal, and administrative offices for
several departments of the Scottish Government.