IT’S the great Hips countdown – again. Homeowners could be excused for feeling a tad confused about what it will mean for them – if so, turn to page 4 for the lowdown. If you are about to sell a property that has four bedrooms or more, you will need to find a pack provider without further delay. Enter thehipexchange.com: a website that matches sellers with domestic energy assessors, home inspectors and pack providers, free of charge. More than 200 domestic energy assessors across England and Wales are registered on the HiP Exchange – they bid for your custom based on the size and location of your home. The website’s creator, Henry Pryor, must be confident that there will be no U-turns on this beleaguered initiative. But if the plug is pulled at the last minute, he admits: “I’d be joining a long queue of people outside Communities and Local Government with flour and egg.”

One website for homeowners and nosy neighbours alike is propertypriceadvice.co.uk , which provides online valuation reports. Answer questions about your property – how many bedrooms you have, whether you have river views or special features such as electric gates – and the website will give you upper and lower “estimates” of what you might get for it. Good fun – but, as with any of these sorts of sites, not to be taken literally.

If you have ever wondered how to make a lamp out of a fire extinguisher or how to rustle up a homemade solar panel, go to instructables.com. All guides are written by users, a fair proportion of which come with “do not try this at home” warnings.

lucia.adams@timesonline.co.uk

Property clinic: for Q&As on buying, selling, home improvement and legal issues, go to: www.timesonline.co.uk/propertyexperts

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