Birmingham Mail

Home in On a Bargain

HOME hunters are being urged to get down to their local building sites to see some of the offers now available on new builds. The message comes as the industry prepares to stage New Homes Week between September 12-20.

Political Link to Semi-Detached ; Dealof Theday

AS EARLY as 1218, Flaxleye Farmhouse was recorded, near a ford across Styche brook, a River Cole tributary. Fields still surrounded it by 1900. Then the railway came and both history and spellings were befuddled. Railway signwriters painted Stechford on the local station sign. Flaxleye became Flaxley and Flaxleye Farmhouse, rebuilt in the 17th century, was altered many times to become 143 Flaxley Road.

Spacious - and Lovely Location ; Hot Property

PLENTY of space and a pleasant location make this four-bedroom traditional family semi in Kings Heath well worth the updating touches required to turn it into a stunning fashionable home. The house, in Brandwood Road, Kings Heath, is on sale through the local office of Oulsnam at pounds 275,000, with no upward chain.

Finding a Way to the Best Deals ; Finance Doctor

YOU would think that a mortgage should be a fairly simple thing to understand and that comparing different mortgages would be pretty easy because they must all be pretty much the same, right? That would be great if it were the case but lenders seem to go out of their way to make things complicated, although they would claim that they are providing customers with more choice. Sometimes too much choice is as bad as not enough as it just muddies the waters and makes realistic comparisons more di...

Exclusive Mortgage Deals Prove Popular with First Time Buyers

AN EXCLUSIVE mortgage product available through Dixons offices that is designed to help first time buyers onto the property market has become one of the most popular mortgage products for the UK's largest mortgage broker, Countrywide Mortgage Services (CMS). As mortgage approvals continue to rise across the UK, the demand for fixed rate mortgage products is high and CMS launched two exclusive mortgage products in July for first time buyers and remortgage customers sold through a network of 80...

Homebuyer's Report Is As Easy As 1,2,3 ; Asktheteamexpert with Derek Abbott, Frics, Chartered Surveyor and Partner Hollier Browne, Part of Team, an Independent Group of Estate Agents Throughout the Country

Chic Move with Period Revamp ; Dream Home

CONVERSION of one of Charlotte Road's elegant period mansions into three luxurious apartments offers a chic move up the prestige ladder for upwardly mobile Midlanders aspiring to live in one of Edgbaston premier roads. Totalling 1,500 sq ft, with many period features still intact, one of the three apartments, converted by C.W. Properties, inside 16 Charlotte Road has direct access to the large, mature, communal rear garden.

Fly Off to Europe for Festive Fun

YOU will be hard pushed to find many people who do not love the festive season and with our European cousins really knowing how to make the Christmas season magical, 2009 is the year to jet away for that quick Christmas fix before the December 25. To help choose the ultimate yuletide destination, easyJet has sourced and compiled the top five destinations where the lead up to Christmas is truly celebrated in style.

Whales Are Out in Force in Australia

THE 2009 whale watching season is gearing up to be a big one in Western Australia. And you can combine a trip to see these majestic giants and their newborn calves with a luxury package that won't cost the earth. Every year humpback and southern right whales make their way from rich feeding grounds in Antarctica to calf and raise their young in warmer waters, off the Kimberley coast in Western Australia.

Wine Trail Is a Grape Place to Get Away From It All ; Andy Coleman Tours Some of Germany's Vineyads

AS A keen gardener and the owner of a couple of grapevines that have yielded many pounds of delicious fruit during the past few years I jumped at the chance to see how professional growers cultivate their crops and turn their bounty into wine. The launch of Ryanair's budget service from Birmingham to Germany's low-cost Frankfurt-Hahn airport, in the West Central region in Rhineland-Palatinate, has opened a convenient gateway to the Moselle Valley, one of Europe's leading wine producing areas,...

Caravan at the Summit

THE Zero Carbon Caravan, a movement of individuals carrying the climate change message, will stop at Garden Organic Ryton this Saturday, on route to the Copenhagen climate summit. It's making its way to the United Nations climate conference in Denmark without using fossil fuel transportation, and along the way will connect with other organisations whose work is positively helping to reduce climate change.

Top Hotel in Prize 999 Call

THE Royal Lacaster Hotel overlookig Hyde Park is chagig its ame to the Lacaster Lodo ad is creatig "999 offers" as part of the celebratios. These will be available from 9.09hrs o September 9, 2009.

Travelodge Rooms for Pounds 12

THE Travelodge spring sale starts at 6am tomorrow. Up for grabs are 50,000 rooms for pounds 12 and 100,000 rooms for pounds 19 - for stay dates from January 1 until April 11, 2010. Dates available include the half-term break and Easter holidays.

Fairmount in Property Upgrade

THIS year a number of Fairmont's upgraded and updated properties are ready to show off their new looks. The Fairmont Chicago, Millennium Park, for example, recently put the finishing touches on pounds 31 million renovation, reinvigorating this premier luxury hotel with a new, contemporary look. Fairmont Tremblant in Quebec completed a pounds 676,000 restaurant renovation in July 2009 that showcases the talent of the resort's culinary team.

Visit Island of Contrast

AN ISLAND of contrast, with sandy beaches, majestic mountains, picturesque villages and ancient sites, Cyprus is year-round destination with warm climates, even in the winter. The north and south of the island are still divided although EU nationals are now freely able cross between the two.

Win a Luxury Trip for Two to Cyprus

WE'VE teamed up with award-winning travel group Monarch to offer one lucky reader the chance to win a week long holiday for two to Cyprus, the beautiful island of Aphrodite! The winner will receive seven nights bed and breakfast accommodation at the four diamond rated Atlantica Oasis in the resort of Limassol, including return flights with Monarch to Larnaca from Birmingham airport.

Luxury in a Beach Hut

DUKES Walk Beach Hut Resort at Whitley Bay, North Tyneside, is to be the first luxury beach hut development in the UK offering 24 hour overnight accommodation with full service facilities, 11 months of the year. The major scheme will see 21 huts built at Northern Promenade in Whitley Bay offering direct access to one of England's most beautiful beaches.

Festive Holidays in Russia

IF YOU can't face another British Christmas, then head east with some seasonal alternatives from Beetroot Backpackers. The company - part of Trans-Siberian railway specialists The Russia Experience - has been running festive trips to Moscow, St Petersburg and the medieval capital Novgorod for over a decade. The emphasis is on a blend of history and culture, socialising and activities all delivered within a budget geared towards the young, cost-conscious traveller.

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Holiday Deals

Lake Garda, camping 10 nights, From pounds 215 A 10 night holiday at Camping Eden, Lake Garda, Italy for arrivals on site on September 8 costs from pounds 215 per family based on two adults and up to three children with accommodation in a Maxi tent. Price includes a return midweek Dover to Calais P&O ferry crossing for a car and passengers. Camping Eden is a lakeside campsite with stunning views over the beautiful Lake Garda and direct beach access with great possibilities to swim, windsurf a...