Are you thinking of selling your home but there are lots of similar properties in your area? Are you wondering what you can do to improve the chances of selling your home?
Add style and value to your home with a name
If you are preparing to put your house on the market you are no doubt doing all the usual things like decluttering, tidying the garden, and staging your home ready for valuation by the estate agents.
But you may be missing a trick that could potentially add thousands to the asking price.
Giving your house a name.
Would 91 Church Lane or Lavender Cottage, 91 Church Lane seem more appealing to a buyer? The name evokes an image before you even look at the sales details. You imagine an old, cosy, quaint cottage, the garden filled with the scent of lavender, which you know may be more expensive than similar properties, but it already fits your ideal image of living in a country cottage.
Adding a name to your home instantly raises its profile and makes it stand out from the crowd.
Choosing the right name is critical, and if you choose wisely the right name can add thousands of pounds to the value of your home for virtually no outlay.
Or perhaps you are buying a new house and would like to add a little extra style and individuality to it?
Moving into a new home is an exciting time and no doubt you want to put your stamp on your home as soon as possible. What better way than to give your new home a name?
So don’t forget to add ‘Think of a House Name’ to the things to do in your home moving checklist. You will have to send out the change of address notices anyway, so what better time to choose a house name than when you move into your new home?
In this week’s home moving blog we will explore the topic of choosing a good name for your home, and how to change or add a house name.
If your property has a number then you do not have to advise anybody, although it is recommended that you contact your local council and let them know.
You must keep the number of your home clearly displayed as that is the official address of your home and is used to identify it by Royal Mail and the emergency services.
The name you choose must not be the same or similar to any other in your area.
If your home currently has no number, only a name, then you must put the request to change it in writing to your local council, clearly stating the current address and the requested name change. Your local council will advise Royal Mail and the emergency services before advising you of the date when you can change the name of your home.
Some councils charge up to £40 to add a name to your address but check with your local council.
Can I name my house if it has a number?
Yes, but you must keep the number clearly displayed. You may also choose to display a name plaque as well, but the number must always be clearly visible.
Can I name my house what I want?
As long as there are no similar names within your area it should not be a problem what you name it, although obscene names or those names likely to cause offence are unlikely to be approved by the council.
Does a house name add value?
According to Phil Spencer of Location, Location, Location fame, in an interview with www.thisismoney.co.uk, said that naming your home can add up to £5,000 to the asking price. Whilst some reports suggest that it could even add as much as 40% to the asking price.
However, an ill-chosen name could detract from the value of your home, reducing the price by up to 20%, so go for traditional names that evoke a feeling of nostalgia or that reflect the home location for example.
Is it unlucky to change the name of a house?
Some people believe that changing the name of a house brings bad luck, but if the name just does not suit you or the home, and you are superstitious, then maybe you could perform a name-changing ritual as they do for boats?
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The history or a feature of the home may give you inspiration for a great house name
When you are thinking of a name for your home you may want to consider these things so that the name reflects a characteristic, the position, or the history of the property.
What was the building before it became a home, was it a post office, school, or rectory?
Are there animals that are regularly seen locally such as owls or deer?
Is there a fine tree or display of plants nearby, such as an elm tree or rose bushes?
Where is the home situated, in a valley or on the crest of a hill?
Is there a quirky feature of the house like a gargoyle or crooked chimney?
Where is the home positioned, in a sunny glade or by a babbling brook?
Avoid using inappropriate names, like cottage for a new build, or castle for a semi-detached house.
Another way to find a suitable name for your home could be to research its history. You may uncover that it was once a coaching inn or a hideout for Robin Hood, thereby giving you some inspiration and a very interesting name for your home.
You may like to discover How to Research the History of Your Home– In this guide, we take you through the process of finding out about the history of your home, who previously lived there, what the land was once used for, and how to research your neighbourhood history. You may just discover something that enables you to give your home a unique but apt name.
You may already have a botanical name in mind for your home but as yet there is no connection between that name and your home. For example you love the name ‘Magnolia Cottage’, there is no reason why you cannot plant a magnolia tree in your garden to justify the use of the name.
Popular House Names and Their Origins
The original buildings use makes an ideal house name
Houses in the UK were given numbers following an act of Parliament in 1765. Before that homes were given names, usually by the gentry and based on the home’s location or the family name. It then became popular for tradespeople to name their home with a name associated with the homeowners’ profession.
It is no wonder therefore that we associate houses with names as having a history, of the home having character.
11 Popular Historical House Names
These are some the most popular house names that originate from the use of the original property.
The Coach House
The Old Rectory
The Old School House
The Old Vicarage
The Old Forge
Mill House
The Grange
The Granary
The Old Post Office
The Barn
Forge Cottage
10 Most Popular House Names in the UK
Here are the top 10 most popular house names and their origins, in the UK. www.housenameplate.co.uk has a comprehensive list of 40 popular house names and their origins that you may like to check out too.
#1 Orchard House – It may be the location of this home that gave it its name, but it may be that the name nods towards the novel Little Women, whose family home was Orchard House. The name could therefore be used to suggest the home of a close, loving family.
#2 Meadow View – Another location-inspired house name that conjures up the image of wildflowers swaying in a summer breeze in acres of open meadows.
#3 Rose Cottage – The quintessential English country cottage name evoking the image of a quaint cottage with a garden filled with the colours and scents of roses.
#4 The Hollies – Another house name associated with the local trees and being situated in beautiful countryside.
#5 Oak Barn – Many old barns have been converted into homes, but the addition of the word oak adds a sense of not only history but longevity.
#6 School House – Historically, schooling was held within school houses rather than the huge complexes we see today.
#7 Sunnyside – A name dating back from the divison of land in pre-Nordic times, the name Sunnyside also gives you a feeling of warmth and happiness.
#8 Springfield – Another name that makes you think of wonderful summer days in the countryside.
#9 Highfield – This may refer to the position of the home or more likely to infer the importance of the property which may look out over everyone else’s home.
#10 Primrose Cottage – Wild primroses filling a country cottage garden or spreading across the floor of the local woodlands. What could be more idyllic or typically English.
You may also like to read How to Prepare Your Home For a Sale – Some reminders of things that you should do to help make your home more desirable to prospective buyers.
House Names That Add Value and Increase Desirability
Historically some house names were chosen as status symbols, names that included Hall, Castle, or Manor for example.
Does a posh house name affect the price of a house?
Houses that are actually halls or manors command big price tags, and just by calling your terraced home Oak Hall, is unlikely to increase its value, in fact, that may have the opposite effect.
So you should choose a name that is in keeping with your home and its location.
If you live in, or are moving into, a country cottage then names such as Rose Cottage, Honeysuckle Cottage, or Ivy Cottage would be most suitable and will add to the desirability of your home.
There is some interesting analysis that has been done by www.floraltiles.co.uk into the effect that different house names have on sales prices, for example:
The most popular name for a cottage in the UK is ‘The Cottage’ but when compared with adding a plant or flower name to prefix ‘The Cottage’ such as ‘Magnolia Cottage’ the average sale price increased by an incredible 43.1%.
The same was found when naming a barn. Named ‘Willow Barn’ the average price was 20.1% higher than those simply called ‘The Barn’.
It is worth noting another interesting point that the survey highlighted, adding ‘The’, so for example ‘The Willow Barn’, meant that the property actually sold for a lower price than those homes without ‘The’ in the house name.
How Do You Create a Unique House Name?
‘Old Thatch Gardens‘ suits this home perfectly
If you are thinking of using a unique house name for your property choose carefully.
Using your name, a pun, or play-on-words can actually devalue your home and put off prospective buyers.
Instead, you should have a house name that reflects what the house was previously used as, the view from the windows, trees, and flowers that are found in the garden, a nearby landmark that you can see, where your home is situated – in a valley, for example, the colour of your home, or animals that you may see wild in the garden.
There is a useful house name generator tool at www.name-generator.org.uk that, after answering some simple questions about your home, generates a number of suggestions for your house name.
If you are moving to a new place you will find lots of useful advice to help you settle into your new home in How to Make a New Place Feel Like Your Home. From researching your new area to settling into your new community, lots of tips to help you feel right at home in your new place.
Ideas and Suggestions for House Names
A stunning plant or tree gives you the ideal start of a house name
Here is a list of house names that we have collated that you may find useful.
A – Appletree Lodge
B – Bay Lodge, Beech Tree Cottage, Birch Cottage, Birchwood House, Blackberry Cottage, Blue Bell Cottage, Bridgelands, Brookvale
C – Cedars Creek, Cherry Wood, Chestnut House, Chestnut Lodge, Chestnuts, Church View, Corner Cottage, Corner House, Court Lodge, Crow’s Nest .
D – Daisy Cottage, Dreamwood
E – Elm Tree Wood, Elmsgate
F – Fairlawn, Fairview, Fox Corner
G – Garden Cottage, Greenacres, Greenhills, Grey Barn
H – Hazel Copse, Hedgerows, High Trees, Highfield, Hillcrest, Hillside, Holly Cottage, Honeysuckle Cottage, Hunters Wood
I -Ivy Cottage, Ivy Lodge, Ivy Barn
J – Jackdaws, Jasmine Cottage
K – Kingfisher Cottage, Kites Farm
L – Laurel Place, Lealands, Lilac Cottage, Little Acorn, Little Copse, Little Oaks, Little Wood, Long View
O – Oak Cottage, Oak View, Oak Hall Cottage, Oaklands, Oakridge, Old Cottage, Old Oak, Orchard Cottage, Orchard House
P – Paddock House, Paddock View, Park View, Pine View, Poppy Cottage, Primrose Cottage
Q – Quince Cottage
R – Red Kites Farm, Riverside, Robins Hedge, Rose Cottage, Rosemary House
S – School House, Silverwood, Silverbirch Cottage, Snowdrops Cottage, South Bank, Springfields, Sunny Fields, Sunnyside, Swallow Cottage, Swift Lodge
T – The Acorns, The Barn, The Beeches, The Bungalow, The Burrow, The Cedars, The Cherries The Coach House, The Cottage, The Croft, The Cuckoo’s Nest, The Firs, The Gables, The Glade, The Granary, The Hollies, The Laurels, The Lodge, The Meadows, The Nook, The Old Parsonage, The Old Post Office, The Old Rectory, The Old School, The Old School House, The Olde Vicarage, The Olde Post House, The Orchard, The Stables, The White House, The Willows, Treetops, Tythe Barn
W – Walnut Tree Farm, Wayside, Wheelwright Cottage, White Cottage, Wild Meadow Cottage, Willow Barn, Willow Cottage, Windy Ridge, Wisteria Cottages, Woodhouse Barn, Woodlands, Woodside, Woodview, Wren House
Y – Yew Tree Cottage
How to Display Your House Name
How you display your house name also conveys the image and feeling of the home
Having chosen the name for your home you will want to display it nicely.
Choosing the right house sign, the font, colour, materials, and design is important so that it reflects not only the name, but the period and style of the home.
For example, you may live in an art deco designed home, which would look strange with a wooden plaque in a plain font. You would want to reflect the rest of the homes design in the font and materials used.
There are numerous house sign designs sites which will let you mix and match materials, styles, and colours to fit in with your home perfectly.
Where you display your house name sign is also important. If you have Ivy around your front door the sign may be obscured so you might want to put it on your front gate.
You may decide you want to illuminate the house name sign, or include the number along with the house name.
Here are some websites that will help you choose your design of house name sign and also have further suggestions as to what you may choose to call your home.
We hope you have lots of fun choosing the name for your home.
If you are about to move into a new home then don’t forget to visit our home moving blog where you will find lots of useful guides to make your home move cheaper and easier.
You can also get a free, no-obligation price estimate for your home move from reputable removal companies quickly and easily using the quote form.
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