Liverpool Echo

Midweek Homes: Homeowners Borrow More Cash

BRITONS withdrew a record amount of equity from their homes during the final quarter of the year as their confidence in the housing market remained high. The Bank of England said people took pounds 16.19bnout of their properties during the three months to the end of December.

Midweek Homes: Rooms with a View ; Townhouse Living Is a Stylish Alternative

THE townhouses in Turners View in Neston have already won over TV interior designer John Amabile and Better Homes presenter Carol Vorderman is rumoured to be dropping in soon. But the home buying experts are not the only ones captivated by Crosby Homes' latest development in Wirral. Since their release in autumn last year properties at Turners View have been proving very popular -with 14 being snapped up immediately.

Midweek Homes: You Can Cut 15% Off Price of House

HARD-NOSED buyers are managing to knock up to 15% off the price of a property, saving nearly pounds 25,000 on an average home costing pounds 163,000. A third of people buying a property negotiate the price down by between 6% and 15%, with5% managing to knock the full 15% off the asking price,according to The Woolwich.

Midweek Homes: Dealing with an Unexpected Buying Problem

WE are in the process of buying a house. When we visited it last night we were told by the neighbour that the seller,an elderly man, had just died. How does this affect our position? It depends on whether contracts have been exchanged.

Midweek Homes: Focus: Irby

LOCATION: Nine miles from Liverpool. AMENITIES: Range of shops, primary schools,pubs, Chinese restaurant,Post Office.

Midweek Homes: Propertyladder

Dream home THIS restored five bedroom Grade II Listed farmhouse is in the centre of Irby village.

Midweek Homes: Equity Withdrawal Hits All- Time High As Prices Rocket ; Mortgage Watch

GOOD news for home buyers came last week when the Bank of England decided to keep its base rate on hold at 4%. However,it is extremely likely it will increase the base rate next month,probably by 0.25%.

Midweek Homes: Borrow Through Top Deal Liistings

FIND all the most competitive offers for borrowing with our Best Buys table listing the best of what's on offer for mortgages, loans and credit cards. Powered by our web site icLiverpool the table features a selection of offers and exclusive deals so you don't have to scour the High Street to find all the bargains.

Midweek Homes: It's the New Brit Pack ; Celebrity News

SHE'Sbeen spouting on endlessly how -like new pal Madonna -she is in love with everything British. But now Britney Spears is reported to be snapping up her own country mansion. Britney is said to have set her heart on Frith Hill House, a sprawling 10- bedroom home in Northchapel.

Midweek Homes: Down by the Waterside

FANCY the idea of living by the waterside, watching the boats roll by and taking strolls along the banks? That is what is on offer at the Village, Morris Homes'new development on Waddicar Lane,Melling. Morris has just released two-bedroom apartments situated canal side which at pounds 118,500 a reperfect for first-time buyers.

Midweek Homes: Slight Dip in Prices

HOUSE prices in the UK fell by 1% during February as the market suffered its traditional quiet period. According to government figures, the average property cost pounds 160,937 during the month,down from pounds 162,559in January.

Happy Birthday

Echoes of the Echo

1994: Postal workers inLiverpool vow to continue striking -in an apprent row over a tea break -despite stern warnings that their union faces unlimited fines and having assets seized. 1979: The two year battle over the future of Liverpool's Albany is finally over with conservationists celebrating victory after the owners withdrew their appeal for the right to demolish the 120 year old building in Old Hall Street.

Your Poem: Grandnationalpassionfor Fashion

Mersey Memory

JAMES McPartland sends in this snap of himself and some pals baking in the desert heat in Aden,in the Persian Gulf,in 1950. James says back then he lived at Warwick Gardens, but these days he lives in the Old Swan area.

Look!: Attack Brought Us Much Closer ; Road Rage Victims Win Our Sunshine Honeymoon Prize

MOST couples with marriage in mind pledge their lives to each other -but Karl Roberts went one step further ...he laid his on the line for his sweetheart. As innocent victims of a road rage attack,Jenny Clarke could only stand and watch as Karl was brutally beaten by a gang of thugs.

Look!: Jordan Should Slow Love Life Down

IT'S BEEN barely two months since glamour girl Jordan announced she was hooking up with her I'mA Celebrity co-star Peter Andre. But she seems to be wasting no time in involving her new love in all aspects of her life.

Look!: Check Out

Prescriptives -Traceless skin responsive tint -pounds 22 A FAIRLY watery liquid it smoothes easily onto the skin, with a deceptively good coverage. Fairly techy explanations of using invisible colorwaves existing inside light to neutralise imperfections and even out complexions goes over most heads -and yet the results speak for themselves. A light flawless finish with a subtle sheen.

Look!: The Girls Who Just Want to Have Fun ; Jane Woodhead Finds Out Whether Working Abroad Is All the Pleasure It's Cracked Up to Be

IT IS almost every young person's dream to spend half of the year sunning themselves and earning money at the same time. The idea of doing this as part of an 18 to 30s holiday package would appear too good to be true.

Look! Health: Weight's Over for Party Girl ; Dawn Collinson Finds Out How Rebecca Got Her New Look

WHEN Rebecca Mountford celebrated her 21st birthday at the weekend,for once she had no problems deciding what to wear. "I was determined it was going to be the shortest skirt I could possibly find!" she laughs.