“BUY A FLAT, get a scooter free” offers may be commonplace among developers these days, but now canny sellers are getting in on the freebie act too. The lucky buyer who bags The Wheatcroft in Norfolk can recover from the stress of moving by spending a week at the owner’s Italian farmhouse in Montegiorgio for free. Malcolm Duffey, of Belton Duffey, the estate agent handling the sale, says: “Promotions and giveaways are not normally a marketing tool estate agents use, but this is such a generous offer from the owners that we felt we had to pass it on to our customers.” The five-bedroom house, which is in Weasenham All Saints, near Fakenham, is on the market for £395,000. Contact: Belton Duffey, 01328 710666, www.belton-duffey.co.uk
ON THE SUBJECT of stress, it appears that more than nine in ten landlords are finding buy-to-let a strain. According to a survey of landlords, finding the appropriate tenants and property maintenance are the top causes of lost sleep. However, landlords probably shouldn’t bother turning to would-be first-time buyers for a shoulder to cry on, as they have their own worries. The survey was conducted by The Homebuyer Show, which will take place March 17-19 at ExCel in London. www.homebuyer.co.uk
IF YOU ARE are in the lamentable position of being a highly paid professional who just cannot find a good enough mortgage deal on the high street, fear not because help is at hand. MyMortgageDirect has a new deal from the Clydesdale Bank which is available to members of selected professions such as doctors, barristers and accountants. It is catchily entitled the Professional Offset Lifetime Tracker and its benefits include automatically underwriting you for the maximum possible borrowing. It also offers an offset facility so that your sizeable savings can help to reduce your monthly mortgage repayments, and no redemption penalties at any time — so you won’t be charged for using huge chunks of your bonus to pay off your mortgage. The interest rate is 0.4 per cent above the Bank of England base rate for the length of the loan. MyMortgageDirect: 0800 9530606, www.mymortgagedirect.co.uk
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IF YOUR dinner parties are wanting in the dialogue department, why not get yourself a conversation piece? Bonhams & Butterfields are holding a sale in Los Angeles on March 27 of Sam Maloof’s furniture: Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton both had versions of the Maloof rocking chair. The highlight of the sale is an American walnut table where you could sit with your guests and speculate on what really went on in the Oval Office. www.bonhams.com/us
LUCIA ADAMS
lucia.adams@thetimes.co.uk