Edinburgh Relocations

Finding a beautiful 4 bedroom family home in Stockbridge, Edinburgh

Kate Browne — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 13:27:15 +0000

Whilst showing a client round Edinburgh the other day I was reminded about what a beautiful area Stockbridge is. Due to the recent credit crunch, there are many more properties at the upper end of the market available to rent as the owners failed to sell them for the price they wanted. My client was extremely lucky to secure the tenancy of a fabulous 4 bedroom family home in Stockbridge overlooking the Water of Leith with a wonderful secluded garden, two reception rooms and a fantastic, recently renovated kitchen/dining room. They were delighted with the house and the area has many attractions including local shops, a supermarket, the Botanic gardens, Inverleith Park and many pubs and restaurants.

3 Advantages of Using a Relocation Agent

Kate Browne — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:51:04 +0000

Edinburgh Relocation Services will save you TIME, MONEY AND HASSLE!

1. TIME

There are many agents and web sites advertising accommodation and this can be extremely daunting and time-consuming if you are not ‘in the know’. I know the most reputable agents to use and will save you lots of time by searching for appropriate properties in suitable areas, sending you details, previewing your selected properties before making a final short-list to view with you at a convenient time. Many hours can be wasted viewing what appeared to be good properties on the web but in reality are less than inviting. Also my knowledge of Edinburgh saves you time looking at good properties in less than desirable areas.

2. MONEY

The main money saver is enabling you to take as little time off work as possible. Usually a suitable property can be acquired within a day thus also saving the cost of overnight accommodation. Furthermore, as I deal regularly with reputable agents, we are often able to negotiate a discount on the advertised rent.

3. HASSLE

Last but certainly not least – hassle. With my knowledge of Edinburgh and the surrounding areas I will provide you with information about nurseries, schools, doctors, dentists etc in your chosen area. I will also meet you on the day of entry and can pick up keys from the agent/owner if you are not going to arrive during their opening hours. I will pick you up and take you to the property and check everything is in order. I aim to make your move as enjoyable and stress-free as possible.

Finding a modern, city centre flat in Edinburgh

Kate Browne — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 09:39:29 +0000

Recently I met with a client looking for a modern, city centre flat in Edinburgh. He had heard about the Old Town and thought this would be an ideal area; close to both his work, the University for his girlfriend and a good fun area to live in. Whilst looking, I rediscovered part of the Old Town near Holyrood that I had not visited for a few months. There are now some lovely converted buildings with some very attractive mews homes and apartments etc. The whole of the Old Town was still bustling with tourists and full of history. One end is closed by the castle and the main artery, the Royal Mile, is actually made up of four distinct streets named Castlehill, the Lawnmarket, the High Street and the Canongate, leads away from it, down to the now-ruined Holyrood Abbey. Narrow closes (alleyways), often no more than a few feet wide, lead downhill on either side of the main spine in a herringbone pattern. Large squares mark the location of markets or surround major public buildings such as St Giles Cathedral and the supreme courts. After viewing a couple of properties in the Canongate and surveying the area, we went to the West End where, after much consideration, decided on a beautifully refurbished, modern open-plan apartment in Moray Place. We managed to negotiate a reduction of £50 a month on the rent so an enjoyable and successful day out. Thankfully Paul’s girlfriend, who was unable to visit Edinburgh and preveiwe properties at that time, also loved it when she saw it – it is always a slight worry when only one partner can view the properties.

Can’t Rent Without Viewing?

Kate Browne — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 10:35:51 +0000

I have had an increasing amount of enquiries from people wanting to secure rental on a property they have seen the particulars of on the internet but the agents will not allow them to secure a rental without having someone view the property on their behalf. I can understand the agent’s point of view completely but also the frustration for the potential tenant. As time is of the essence as the rental market in Edinburgh has an extremely rapid turnover, Edinburgh Relocations has now added “One Off Viewings” to their services at a set fee of £100 (without a registration fee). You will be given verbal comments on the property immediately after viewing and written comments shortly afterwards if desired.

Getting around in Edinburgh

Kate Browne — Fri, 22 Jul 2011 13:55:43 +0000

Scotland‘s capital, Edinburgh, is a beautiful city, full of history and brimming with great places for expats and visitors to visit and explore. The city itself is quite compact, so it is easy to get around on foot or bike. However, bear in mind it is quite hilly and many of the streets in the city centre have cobbles which make cycling rather challenging!

If you do make the effort to tackle the gradients you will be rewarded with magnificent views all around you. The city centre, aside from the rugged cobbled terrain, is certainly cycle friendly – at peak times, cyclists are allowed to share the buses‘ green lanes, which means you can keep moving. Otherwise, bus and train services make getting around Edinburgh and surrounds easy and efficient.

Getting around Edinburgh by bus

Edinburgh has a network of local bus services allowing frequent and cost effective travel. Lothian buses do a DayTicket, which allows you daily unlimited travel in and around Edinburgh and First buses also operate numerous services throughout the Edinburgh area.

Nigh buses run between midnight and 4am, and while they maintain largely similar routes, timetables do change.

A great way to take in the sights of the city is on one of the many Edinburgh bus tours. Tickets can be bought in person at the Edinburgh and Scotland Information Centre, 3 Princes Street or on Waverley Bridge, which is where the tours start.

Edinburgh International Airport is 8 miles (12km) west of the city centre and there is an airport link bus, Airlink 100, that runs every 10 minutes to the city centre with designated stops en route. The journey is about 25 minutes and tickets are £3.50 for a single journey and £6 for return. Please note the journey may take twice as long in rush hour traffic.

Getting around Edinburgh by taxi

Edinburgh has hundreds of black cabs that can be hailed on the street or phoned for in advance. Travelling by taxi is quite expensive and probably not necessary if you are in the city centre surrounded by a network of buses. Please note, taxi drivers expect to be tipped, but it is not obligatory!

Expats who wish to take a taxi to the airport can expect a £15 fare and 25 minutes of travel time.

Getting around Edinburgh by rail

Travelling to and from Edinburgh to all around Scotland can be done by train – all timetables and fares UK wide can be found at: National Rail Enquiries, (0845 748 4950) or Traveline.

Edinburgh proves capital choice for lifestyle

Kate Browne — Fri, 10 Jun 2011 13:42:57 +0000

Edinburgh’s historic architecture and thriving cultural and academic reputation have earned it the moniker Athens of the North. Now it has been named the best city in the United Kingdom for quality of life.

The Scottish capital, with a population of just 400,000, has been voted the most desirable place to live by company executives in a survey of 33 of Europe’s leading business cities.

One of the fastest growing cities in Europe, “Auld Reekie” (Old Smoky), as it was known, is also considered top for freedom from pollution, providing an ideal environment to bring up a family and enjoy life.

“We have always known that the quality of life is terrific in Edinburgh and that it has an extremely attractive city centre, so we are not surprised that it has scored well in this category,” said David Davidson of Cushman & Wakefield, the global property firm that published the report.

“The beautiful architecture coupled with major international events such as the Edinburgh Festival and the new year celebrations keep Edinburgh on the map.”

However the survey, which has been published for the first time as part of a wider European Cities Monitor, assessing the views of senior managers and board directors from 201 UK companies, found that Edinburgh still has some drawbacks.

The city was ranked as the most expensive place in which to park a car, faring even worse than London in the poll. It is also considered less desirable than its arch-rival Glasgow when it comes to being the best city to locate a business today. Glasgow was also ranked first choice of destination if setting up a new call centre, and first for relocating a new back-office function, beating Leeds and Manchester.

“Glasgow markets itself on the European stage and attracts a lot of positive publicity. For example by attempting to win the 2014 Commonwealth Games and trying to attract a supercasino to the city. Edinburgh, on the other hand, could be accused of being a bit complacent,” said Mr Davidson, who claimed that some businesses were put off relocating to Edinburgh because of high property and staff costs.

Amanda Kremer, managing director of Thrive for Business, one of Scotland’s leading networking organisations, said: “Edinburgh has been criticised in the past for being too parochial, but it isn’t any more. Things have changed in recent years and are still changing. Edinburgh is a great place to start a business or relocate an existing one to. There has been huge investment poured into the city in recent years and many big names have moved here.

“Edinburgh is now almost universally recognised as a central location for businesses to flourish.”

10 best cities

* The best UK cities in terms of quality of life for employees:

(1) Edinburgh, (2) Bristol, (3) Leeds, (4) Manchester, (5) London, (6) Cardiff, (7) Newcastle, (8) Glasgow, (9) Nottingham, (10) Sheffield

By Paul Kelbie, Scotland Correspondent – The Independent

Sell, rent then buy your perfect home in Edinburgh and Lothians

Kate Browne — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 15:30:58 +0000

With the continuting recession it has become the trend to sell your home before buying your new one. Edinburgh Relocations can help you find the perfect temporary, rented accommodation giving you time to buy your new home without a panic. While renting for a short period Kate is able to help you with your homsearch of the perfect home to buy. Kate Browne’s homesearch and relocation service saves you time and money and takes the stress out of finding the right accommodation, be it a fully furnished house or an unfurnished flat.

Edinburgh Relocations

Kate Browne — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 15:14:35 +0000

Edinburgh Relocations are committed to finding you the perfect rented accommodation in Edinburgh and Lothians! Our tailor-made relocation packages are guaranteed to save you time, money and hassle.

Edinburgh Relocations

Kate Browne — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:04:16 +0000

Edinburgh Relocations is a professional and friendly homesearch and relocation service for rented accommodation in Edinburgh and Lothians. Kate’s commitment to you is that she will save you TIME, MONEY AND HASSLE finding the perfect home in Edinburgh and surrounding areas; making your moving experience as stress-free as possible. Email: kate@edinburgh-relocations.co.uk

Viewed Flats on Wednesday, Moved in on Monday!

Kate Browne — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 13:44:23 +0000

I was not sure that we would be able to live up to my client’s wish to relocate from Spain to Edinburgh and move into a flat within a week of landing in Edinburgh but…..

Last week I collected a Spannish gentleman at the airport on Tuesday evening and gave him a lift to the guesthouse we had arranged in the centre of town. This in itself had been difficult to arrange as it is the height of the tourist industry in Edinburgh and my client had only booked his flights to Edinburgh the week before. However, it turned out his accommodation was very nice and he hoped only to stay there one-two weeks before moving into long-term accommodation.

We had liaised by email for a few weeks and drawn up a short-list of properties for us to view the following day. However, at this time of year the market for rented accommodation changes daily so our short-list had to be altered at the last minute to take out properties that had been leased or went under offer the day before and add new ones. I had already previewed some of the properties and, as I thought Cesar chose a modern one bedroom flat in the Newtown. The added advantage of this particular property was that it was ready for someone to move into, so the lease was signed that evening, references were handed over and entry agreed the minute the international transfer of funds was received by the landlord. This happened within a few days and I spoke to my client yesterday who was happy in his new abode.