20 QUESTIONS
Laura Gaskell is the Property Sales Manager at Snugg Homes (part of the Jigsaw Homes Group). She has worked in housing for 11 years and joined the Jigsaw Homes Group Development team in 2016, before becoming the Property Sales manager for Snugg Homes in 2019. Laura loves working with the Snugg Homes Team and particularly enjoys the diverse nature of her role, which includes updating stakeholders, working closely with partner organisations, monitoring targets and performance and ensuring that they put customer focus at the heart of everything they do
What room at home is your favourite? My extension is definitely my favourite; I made it into an art room, complete with a sink for washing all my paint brushes and easel! What’s your favourite gadget or technology at home? I have to be honest, I’m not really that interested in gadgets, but I do love my Hive app, I love being able to turn on the heating from my bed on cold mornings! What colour do you think everyone should have in their home? Whatever colour you love! Don’t be afraid to be brave and bold with colours and don’t worry about trends – be true to yourself. Which three people would you invite over for a housewarming party if you could have any guests? I would invite the late Terry Pratchett, as he was my favourite author, Ru Paul as I am a massive fan of RuPaul's Drag Race and Sandi Toksvig, because I think she is simply wonderful and I could listen to her for hours. What’s your favourite memory from your childhood home? Watching movies while inside doing colouring with my mum on a rainy day. What is your favourite song and why? Roses Are Falling by Orville Peck was the top of my Spotify most played last year; I love the lyrics and sing it loudly in my car! Would you rather have a garden or a balcony? A garden, my children love to be outside, as do my pets, a border collie called Brienne and cat named Mitties. Do you prefer modern homes or period properties? Period properties, I love the history in older homes. Would you rather have a library room or media room at home? A library! I was always so envious of the library the beast gifted to Belle in Beauty and the Beast ! Would you prefer to have a luxurious bathtub or a sumptuous shower at home? A sumptuous shower. Would you rather live in the bustling city or in the country? I would rather live in the countryside, in a little witchy cottage with lots of flowers and lovely walks to take my dog Brienne on. If you were buying a property overseas, in what country would you buy a home? I would buy a home in Sweden if I could! 20 QUESTIONS Laura Gaskell
Would you rather have a bigger property or a better location? A better location. What is one thing you couldn’t live without at home? My first answer is my children (and fur children!) but that goes without saying, so in the interest of not stating the obvious, I would say my books. What’s your favourite way to unwind at home after work? With three children, a dog and a cat, what is unwinding? But when I do get time, I relax in the art room, paining or doing something creative, or I simply read one of my books curled up with a hot cup of tea. What’s your favourite thing about your home? That it was my grandparents’ home and now it is my family home and my children get to make their childhood memories here and love it as much as I did. Where did you buy your first home? In the North West, near Manchester. What advice would you give a first time buyer? To ignore what you see on social media about people with picture perfect homes.You don’t need to buy all the newest things immediately to make your house a home, it just needs you in it and to be loved. What are your views on shared ownership? It is an affordable way for people to get on to the property ladder; it requires a much smaller deposit, and the rent can be no more than 3% of the share the landlord owns (typically 2.75%), so much less than current interest rates. Data shows that in general, a shared ownership mortgage plus rent is still cheaper than renting privately. What are your views on the property market? The national housing shortage makes homebuying/renting a constant media presence. Headlines about higher interest rates affecting mortgages, rising rent costs, using greyfield land to build more homes – these headlines all affect the market as much as the costs and the shortage. But, one size does not fit all, this is true of the market, the homes and way we rent or buy them.We adjust our expectations according to our means; we look at different areas, different property types, and different methods of buying/renting.
snugghomes.co.uk
110 First Time Buyer February/March 2025
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