Knight Frank partners share £73m bonus pool October 23, 2011 PARTNERS in the upmarket estate agent Knight Frank have landed a £73m payout after profits rose by 10 per cent in the last financial year, buoyed by foreign investors flocking to London’s luxury property market. The firm, which advises on both residential and commercial property deals, saw pre-tax profits rise to £101.9m in the year [...]
First step onto property ladder eludes UK renters October 23, 2011 AS THE COST of rental accommodation creeps upwards, a survey released this morning reveals that over half the UK’s renters would like to buy their own home but can not afford to make the jump. “Trapped renters” amount to 55 per cent of the rental market, the Rightmove study shows. Over a quarter (27 per [...]
Opening up a new vista in air travel October 23, 2011 THE Nina J is bobbing up and down in the clear sparkling Riviera water, flanked by other super yachts that occasionally eject bevies of python and white linen-clad babes ready to take Monaco by storm. Around the pier, portly perma-tanned sugar daddies squeeze the waists of their young Ivankas as they ponder how to blow [...]
Washington DC October 23, 2011 Food DC’s West End lies within an easy stroll of the White House, so there are plenty of opportunities for “power dining” among the area’s officials, lobbyists – and visitors alike. The Old Ebbitt Grill’s Oyster Bar is rightfully renowned, has an authentic Victorian interior, and being two blocks from the White House was a [...]
Finding a place for a new arrival October 20, 2011 BUYING a baby-friendly property is just one of hundreds of things soon-to-be mums have to consider before they give birth. It’s no easy task considering you haven’t yet met your bundle of joy and you’re not exactly feeling top notch carrying them around. If you’re looking to buy a home for your new family to [...]
FOCUS ON: WINDSOR, BERKSHIRE October 20, 2011 ST LEONARD’S DALE Price: £2.1m This Georgian residence was designed by Anthony du Gard Pasley. It is grade II-listed and approached through wrought iron gates and a classic carriage driveway. The property is screened on all sides by mature trees and hedges. Contact: Knight Frank on 01344 840 020 or go to www.knightfrank.com SHEET STREET [...]
RENT October 20, 2011 HEAD OF RENTALS AT AYLESFORD INTERNATIONAL Q. My property is being advertised by two reputable agents, but nobody has taken it up. Should I instruct more agents? A. Don’t instruct more agents as this can have a negative effect on the marketing of your property. Ask your agents whether they think there is anything you [...]
PROPERTY NEWS October 20, 2011 MIRROR CRACK’D HOUSE TO RENT Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson and Tony Curtis are just some of the stars featured in Agatha Christie’s “The Mirror Crack’d”. So too is the Thatched House in Smarden, Kent, which was used as a setting for the 1980 film version. That very house is currently available to let through Savills [...]
A-listers die in quick succession as Contagion’s terrifying virus spreads October 20, 2011 Film CONTAGION Cert: 12A IT’S unusual to watch an A-lister die from violent convulsions in the opening five minutes of a film, but director Steven Soderbergh promised ultra-realism and on the whole, Contagion does the job admirably. Set in the present, as the world is wracked by a killer virus, there are no exploding heads [...]
SOMETHING FOR THE WEEKEND October 20, 2011 PRIVATE EYE FIRST 50 YEARS EXHIBITION The V&A is hosting an exhibition to celebrate the first 50 years of the satirical magazine. Two rooms are packed with works from its most famous cartoonists, such as caricaturist Gerald Scarfe. Free, until 8 January, www.vam.ac.uk BANG BANG BANG, ROYAL COURT THEATRE A new play from Stella Feehily. [...]