Help to Buy Valuation in Blisland

A Help to Buy valuation is needed when you want to repay your equity loan, staircase, remortgage, or sell your property. Homes England, the government body that runs the Help to Buy scheme, asks for this valuation to be completed by a RICS-registered surveyor working to Red Book standards. The figure sets the current market value, which is then used to work out exactly how much is owed on the equity loan.

Blisland has seen a strong run of growth, with prices 46% higher than a decade ago in some postcode areas, so an accurate valuation really matters. In the PL30 4QL postcode area, properties have reached around £731,000, which can make the equity loan figure substantial. Our RICS-registered surveyors know the Blisland market well, including the premium that historic granite cottages and homes in the conservation area can attract.

The report has to be addressed to Homes England and must include at least three comparable property sales from within a two-mile radius of your Blisland property. Those comparables need to be like-for-like in property type, size, age, and construction method. Blisland has its own character, with 16th and 17th century granite buildings and 94 listed structures, and our local surveyors are used to weighing that up carefully. The old china clay mining activity east of the village and around Temple, which faded by the 1950s, may also matter where ground stability is concerned.

Our surveyors look at the full picture for a Blisland property, including how close it is to local names such as Lanhydrock House and Gardens, the Camel Trail, and Bodmin Jail, all of which can feed into values in this part of Cornwall.

• Repaying your equity loan in full
• Staircasing (buying back a portion of the equity)
• Remortgaging to a new lender
• Selling your Blisland property

When you repay your Help to Buy equity loan in Blisland, the sum is worked out as a percentage of the current market value, not the original purchase price. So, if you bought your Blisland home for £350,000 with a 20% equity loan (£70,000), and the property is now worth £500,000, the repayment would be £100,000, which is 20% of the current value. That is why a precise RICS valuation matters so much.

The Blisland property market has posted notable growth, with prices in the PL30 4JF postcode area rising by 46.2% over the past decade and 24% over the last five years. Some homes in the PL30 4QL area have gone beyond £730,000. Although the PL30 4JF and PL30 4LB postcodes saw slight falls of 0.6% in the past year, they are still well above where they were five years ago. Rising values mean your property has probably gained worth, but the equity loan repayment will also be higher than first expected.

Our surveyors understand those local market shifts and will give a fair, accurate valuation based on current conditions in Blisland and the surrounding Bodmin area. They will look at details specific to the property, such as whether it is a historic granite cottage in the conservation area, a modern detached house on a private estate, or a home with views over Bodmin Moor. Properties in the conservation area around the village green, especially those with unspoilt rural views, may still command a premium in the current market.

The Blisland Neighbourhood Development Plan 2021-2035 looks to allow space for approximately 8 dwellings by redefining the development boundary. That limited new-build supply, set against the village's rural character and the strong demand for homes here, helps explain why values have stayed firm despite a few recent minor fluctuations.

Blisland has a very distinct property mix, and our surveyors take that into account when handling Help to Buy valuations. The village contains 94 listed buildings and structures, among them the Grade I listed Church of St Protus and St Hyacinth and four Grade II* buildings such as Mansion House and Lavethan Manor. Homes in the conservation area, particularly those around the village green, may carry extra considerations that influence market value.

Granite is the main building material in Blisland, with historic walls often built from rubblestone granite and finished with distinctive quoins and lintels. Some homes, including Pope's Cottage and the Blisland Inn, use more expensive ashlar granite blocks. A number of older properties have massive boulders in the lower courses, while others have rendered or painted walls. That range of construction can have a real effect on value, and our surveyors know the local distinctions well.

Blisland's housing stock also covers a wide spread of ages. Many homes around the village green date from the 16th and 17th centuries, while modern infill schemes and residential estates were built during the 1980s and more recently. A former garage site has also been redeveloped with large detached houses. With such a mix of historic and newer property, every Help to Buy valuation needs an individual approach.

When we value older granite properties in Blisland, our surveyors look for defects often seen in historic buildings, including damp linked to older construction methods, timber defects such as rot or woodworm in structural elements, and issues with historic roofing materials. The condition of rainwater goods and any cracking or movement connected to foundation problems are checked too. Homes in areas affected by historical china clay mining to the east of the village may need extra attention for ground stability.