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Valerie is hunting for a fox loving family

Former library secretary Valerie Patchett is hunting for a particular breed of buyer for her Coventry home.

Valerie (72) lives in a three-bedroom home in Lincroft Crescent

- which backs onto the nature reserve in Lake View Park , and has been feeding the foxes there for over 20 years.

But having lived in the area her entire life, the retired Coventry University library secretary is moving to Cambridgeshire to be closer to her family - and is using her agent Shortland Horne to look for a buyer who will continue to care for the animals.

She said: “I would like whoever gets the house to look after the foxes and their cubs.

“I just want them to have a safe place to eat, so they don’t have to be afraid. They have never been aggressive to me, so people needn’t be afraid of them.

“People are always interested when I tell them, but it is a big responsibility which requires a lot of commitment.”

Clearly, this is a responsibility Valerie takes seriously, venturing to the foot of her garden each evening with everything from chicken to eggs for the foxes - even treating when they are ill or injured.

And the foxes appear to be very grateful.

“One fox, Wendy, who eventually turned out to be male, came right into my garden every day for five years”, she said. “He even brought his cub to see me when it was born.

“I was devastated when Wendy suddenly stopped visiting, he must have been killed or driven out of the area. But his cub still comes round and always walks right up to my patio doors to have a look inside.”

Valerie will begin looking for a dog when she finally moves, to fill the void left by the foxes. But for now she is focused on working agents Shortland Horne to find a suitable buyer for her attractive end house.

Located off Grayswood Avenue, the property is on the market for £153,000, and with front and rear gardens, it is expected to attract a lot of interest. Fitted with double glazing and gas central heating as well as potential garage space, Shortland Horne are convinced the home can provide a new buyer with a place to call home and perhaps raise their own cubs.

Martin Davies, of Shortland Horne, said: “Valerie has done a wonderful job looking after these animals and the birds, so we are doing our best to find a person who will continue her great work.

“It is a lovely house, in a nice area with far-reaching views to the rear, so we are confident we will be able to find someone who fits the bill.”

New boards are all white

Shortland Horne believes it has made the ‘white’ decision to change its ‘sold’ and ‘for sale’ boards.

The company has simplified its boards which now feature its company logo on a plain white background. The firm has also updated its advertising and office signage to reflect the change.

Andrew Moss, director of Shortland Horne, said the change of style had seen the residential team double its new instructions on everything from first-time buyer homes to Premier & County properties.

He said: “We have had no end of positive comments on the new boards – they are simple but effective and are certainly catching the eye of people who want to buy and those looking to sell.

“We have doubled instructions in the past four weeks and that is due mainly to the fact that the market is beginning to move again.

“More mortgage deals are available and the scrapping of HIPs means the ‘wait and see’ period for a lot of people looking to move home is over.

“They want to get on the market now and those who are being realistic about pricing are finding that there is a good stream of interest.

“And, as an agent, we have to do everything we can to market properties in different ways. It means our boards play a big part alongside traditional advertising but we also have to utilise web-based marketing, such as Twitter and Facebook, to get the most for our clients.

“We are very pleased with the impact the new boards are having and that is all part of our overall strategy to help sell homes for people in Coventry .”

A spellbinding Kenilworth home

The tales of King Arthur, his knights and their search for the Holy Grail have spellbound generations of historical fans.

And one Kenilworth couple are preparing to swap their own Camelot for a smaller home which is currently under construction.

Mavis and Len Whitehouse have lived at Camelot in Wilson Grove, Kenilworth , since 1987.

The four-bedroom detached property is located within a cul-de-sac in an excellent residential location and has well maintained gardens which are not overlooked along with a detached double garage.

The house, which is on the market for £429,950, features a cloakroom, large lounge, dining room, kitchen/breakfast room and utility room along with four bedrooms and a family bathroom on the first floor. The master bedroom has an ensuite bathroom and the property has gas central heating and double glazing.

Mr and Mrs Whitehouse are now downsizing by moving into a new bungalow in Binley Woods.

Five detached, two-bedroom bungalows in Oakdale Road are being developed by Court (Warwickshire) Ltd and are on sale through new homes specialists Shortland Horne.

Mavis said they were looking forward to a new chapter in their lives starting in the autumn when the bungalows are completed.

“We called our home Camelot as it was built on Knights Meadow where tales are told of Tournaments and Duels of honour as in the film Camelot so it just felt right,” she said.

“We have a lot of happy memories of living here and it will be a wrench to go but we’re excited as well because it is a new venture.

“We are both in our early 70s and we want to downsize while we are both fit enough as well as wanting to enjoy the benefits of living in a bungalow.”

She said they had spotted the properties being built during one of their regular trips to Binley Woods.

“We go to Binley Woods a lot to the village hall and use the library,” Mavis said. “We also have a lot of friends living in the village.

“We happened to be passing and saw the sign advertising the bungalows. It was a lucky day.

“We will be moving into a two-bedroom detached bungalow and it will be ready about September.”

The bungalows are available at £249,950 and each has a ten year NHBC guarantee.

Each home has gas central heating throughout with an energy efficient condensing boiler and has double glazed windows while there are landscaped front gardens and lawns to the rear.

Each kitchen includes an integrated stainless steel cooker with an extractor, fully integrated fridge-freezer, washing machine and dishwasher.

The fully-tiled bathroom has a modern white finish while the master bedroom has built-in wardrobes and some plots have an en-suite shower-room.

Laura Shortland, director of Shortland Horne, said bungalows were popular with those wanting to downsize.

She said: “Three of the five bungalows, including Mr and Mrs Whitehouse’s, were snapped up within weeks of going on sale which is really encouraging.

“The attention to detail of the finishing by the developers is of a very high standard and that, together with the location, has proved to be a winning combination.

“Bungalows usually have big plots and they also hold their value well when it comes to re-selling and I am sure Mr and Mrs Whitehouse will find their new home provides them with plenty of new happy memories.”