Have you been busy scouring the market for a new home? You may have relocated due to work or family so are on the lookout for a new perfect family home. You might also be looking to make your first steps on the property ladder and buy your first home. There are lots of things to consider when buying a home. The guide below should help you overcome some of the hurdles. 

Know Your Budget

When you are thinking of buying a new home you need to know where you stand in terms of your budget and funds available. You need to work out how much deposit or down payment you can make. The higher the deposit, the lower your monthly mortgage payments will be. Of course, you may have been saving up for some time but around 20% is the ideal number to work towards. 

You will need to work out your incomings and outgoings in order to find out how much monthly payment you can afford for your mortgage. Once you have this number in mind you can start thinking about the other necessities when buying a home. You will also need to cater to the cost of moving from your other property. It may be helpful to hire a self storage unit to help with storing the stuff in between moving. 

Location 

So you have worked out your budget, now it’s time to look around different areas and find where you want to call home. You might already have a location in mind due to living there previously, or through work. When you are looking around different areas you should keep in mind that you want to have all local amenities close by. This should include a doctor’s surgery, a grocery store, and schools. 

If you have children then you will need to make sure there are spaces available for your children within the local vicinity. You don’t want to move to an area only to find that you have to travel extra miles to get your children an education. You also need to make sure that the educational setting is a good one. You could join a parents page in that area and ask the questions needed, such as good schools and any activity venues to keep the little ones entertained. 

Type of Home 

Finally, now it’s time to work out which type of home you want to live in. There are a couple of options here including brand new and old. Of course, brand new homes will set you back a little more cash as they have never been lived in. The benefit of this is that you can put your own personal stamp on it and make it a home. Old houses may have had plenty of previous owners so it can be more difficult to make it feel like your own. 

Weigh up your opinions, one thing to remember is that older houses may come with their fair share of problems due to their age. However, they are much better at withstanding the brunt of daily living including noise. Old houses have much better soundproofing than newer ones. 

Disclosure: This is a collaborative post.

The lovelies at Orderella invited me along to their #OrderellaXmas meet up last Wednesday evening in Covent Garden.

Orderella is a cashless app that let’s users beat the queue in bars and clubs by ordering and paying for drinks on their mobile, and is currently available in over 150 venues nationwide.

With the Christmas party season in full swing we all know what it’s like in a packed bar when it’s your turn to get the round in – we Brits spend on average 19 minutes queuing on a night out; I don’t now about you but I’d rather spend that time catching up with friends rather than jostling for attention at the bar, which lets face it when you’re 5ft4 like me, is pretty hard! Check out our drinking habits which when it comes to favourite drinks I must say is spot on for me!

Orderella is simple to use with these 4 easy ‘how to steps’

1. Browse the menu, select your favourite drinks and go to check out.

2. The venue receives and manages the order directly on their system and prepares your drinks in the good old fashioned way.

3. Users will be informed on the progress and receive a unique Order ID when the order is ready for collection (or delivered by a waiter which is available at certain locations).

4. All you then have to do is go and pick up your drinks at the designated Orderella pick up area and avoid all the queuing hassle.

I’m super lucky that I already know about Orderella as it’s available at my (very) local, The Woodman – I love how the app lets you get on with what’s important on a night out- having fun! I also like how it can be used when you’re out with children: how many times have you tried to work out whether it’s table service or you need to order at the bar, and if so you can bet you’ll need a table number which you need to hunt down first. Trying doing this with a one, two or even three children and what was a quick lunch out soon turns into a nightmare – Orderalla takes the hassle out of lunching with kids.

I had a lovely evening with Oderella and it was great to catch up with some of the blogging gang, what more can a girl ask for than G&Ts, champagne and not having to queue once! Oh and 10/10 for the fantastic morning after the night before survival kit – Thanks Guys!

“Boo’s got a temperature” is something I unfortunately utter quite regularly; however like most people I couldn’t be 100% certain when a high temperature became dangerous.

Braun have long been making in ear digital thermometers so as parents we are use to the accuracy that these provide, so when I was invited to the launch of the new Braun Thermoscan 7, I was intrigued to see how they could have improved on the previous model.

We had a lovely afternoon with fellow bloggers at St Martins Lane Hotel and I think you’ll agree that’s the most amazing children’s buffet I ever seen, definitely a hit with Boo!

Boo loved meeting Dr Ranj and was even more delighted when we discovered that he does indeed know one of Boo’s consultants! It was a great opportunity to sit down with him and ask any questions we had about fevers in children, really reassuring.

Dr Ranj was on hand to explain how a temperature is different for a 3 month old as it is for a 2 year old, and all depends on the age as what action to take. Now I’ve always know that a temperature isn’t an illness, merely a sign that the body is doing it’s job and trying to fight something; that’s all well and good but when it’s the middle of the night and you have a poorly child who’s crying and has a high fever you can’t help but react more emotionally, that’s after all what we’re here for.

The new Braun Thermoscan allows you to select the age range of the child and will indicate with a traffic light colour system whether they have a temperature and at what stage it’s a cause for concern. Boo enjoys trying to guess what colour her ear will make the thermometer which is a great way to get the kids involved and feeling comfortable with having their temperature taken.

Boo unfortunately has only just recovered from yet another bout of pneumonia and the Braun Thermoscan 7 was a great tool to have, when we eventually ended up in A & E in the middle of the night, the memory function – storing up to 9 previous readings – was an easy way of showing the medical team that her temperature had indeed been topping 40 degrees for more than 4 hours; it’s the little things like this that make a big difference in helping parents when your children are unwell. Braun’s new precision Thermoscan 7 is the obvious choice for parents who want a thermometer that is reliable and a from a brand we all know and trust.

Disclosure: We received a Braun Thermoscan 7 for the purpose of this review, all opinions are our own.

The lovely Bonnie and Emma at Be Beautiful launched their second salon in nearby Cheam Village recently and I popped along to the opening party. Be Beautiful is already such an established beauty salon nestled in Surrey, although don’t let the suburban surroundings deceive you – they’re list of treatments on offer is really comprehensive and they also offer specialist services such as sports massage, semi-permanent make-up, Reiki and teeth whitening.

Be Beautiful’s Carshalton Village salon has been open for nearly nine years, so Bonnie and Emma thought it was the perfect opportunity to expand offering clients the option of the two salons and increasing appointment availability – which is great news for someone like me who always ring at the last minute as I’ve forgotten the grooming ‘essentials’ before a party, holiday or work!

The new salon is slightly smaller than Carshalton however its central location in Cheam Village makes it perfect for busy mums and they offer the majority of existing treatments familiar to clients.

The salon itself is absolutely gorgeous, a really relaxed and pampered environment, perfect for grabbing some well deserved me time in the lead up to Christmas.

The now famous Be Beautiful cupcakes made an appearance – I seriously am in love with them!! The Launch party was brilliant and I’m sure the Bonnie, Emma and all the team at the new salon will continue to do a fantastic job – well done Ladies!

D D D D Dora – if like me you know what that means, then I’ve got news for you… Dora’s all grown up and sets off on her new adventure in the brand new series, Dora and Friends: Into the City! which premieres today at 5pm on Nick Jr.

We were invited to an exclusive screening of the premiere episode yesterday at Empire, Leicester Square. Boo had a great time with lots of fun beforehand and she loved the new look to Dora, who’s joined with her friends from school as they embark on real-life and magical adventures helped by her magical charm bracelet and Map App on her phone – a little nod to the original series.

The new series may show Dora older and looking noticeably different, yet the children at the screening immediately recognised her and were soon joining in with the singing and Spanish phrases.

Dora’s new group of friends – Kate, Naiya, Emma, Alana and Pablo – all have unique interests but share Dora’s passion for exploring, adventures and helping out in their community. Kate loves acting, Naiya enjoys science and maths, Emma’s musical, Alana loves playing football and looking after animals and Pablo loves sports and adventures.

Children and their parents can head over to Nick Jr. online to learn more about Dora’s new friends and get access to exclusive e-books which really helps with the Spanish language.

Whilst there is no longer a D D D D D D at the beginning, there’s not mistaking that Dora is back and if Boo’s singing on the way home from the premiere is anything to go by it won’t be long before there’re new Dora classics.

Dora and Friends: Into the City premieres on Nick Jr. on Monday 3rd November at 5pm.