Market challenges take their toll on estate agent Countrywide’s profits February 13, 2019 Beleaguered estate agent Countrywide’s profits halved last year, as the property group battled to keep its debt pile under control in the wake of housing market uncertainty and disruption from online rivals. Subdued activity in parts of the UK’s housing market in the last year has dented profits for the group, which has also struggled [...]
Viventi in £100m UK build-to-rent investment after appointing FirstPort at partner February 12, 2019 US investor Viventi has said today that it is planning to inject £100m into the UK’s growing build-to-rent (BTR) market. In a bid to cash in on the rising demand for homes built specifically with a view to being rented out and professionally managed, Viventi Capital Management is moving into the UK properry market with [...]
You can now trade London skyscrapers on a real estate stock exchange – here’s how it works February 12, 2019 Down the years, through booms and busts, investment in property has always meant one thing – buying buildings. And whether it be a corner shop or a skyscraper, the principle has always been the same – it’s the whole building that you buy. We take that for granted. Read more: Sharp rise in property values [...]
London house prices: Prime postcodes dip as Brexit uncertainty weighs on market February 12, 2019 House prices in London’s most expensive neighbourhoods tumbled in the run-up to Christmas, continuing on a downward trend in the wake of uncertainty from both buyers and sellers. According to new data from Lon Res, prime property prices in the fourth quarter of 2018 fell 5.7 per cent when compared with the same period in [...]
Telford Homes to develop £160m Stratford project February 11, 2019 London developer Telford Homes has ramped up its investment in East London this morning after announcing plans for a £160m housing site in Stratford. The housebuilder, which specialises in non-prime London property, has snapped up the 1.2 acre development for £20m as it looks to tap into recent regeneration following the arrival of Westfield shopping [...]
Focus On the City of London: How much does it cost to live in the shiny new developments in the Square Mile? February 11, 2019 Have you ever thought about living in the Square Mile? Fair enough if you haven’t because you’re certainly in the majority, With an eye-watering average second-hand sale price of £840,053 – for context, the London average is £497,452, according to Savills Research using the Land Registry – and an outmoded reputation for being suits central, [...]
Interiors: Laura Ivill explains why companies and five star hotels are splashing out on experts of the ancient Chinese art form February 11, 2019 The year of the pig has arrived in the City of London. There was a time when only Chinese brokerages celebrated the tradition in the Square Mile, but now it’s a lively fixture across the City. At Asian restaurant Mei Ume, stationed at the Four Seasons Ten Trinity Square hotel near Tower Bridge, which is [...]
Government housing targets under fire from UK watchdog February 8, 2019 The government’s method used to assess the number of homes needed to fix Britain’s housing crisis is "flawed", according to the UK's public spending watchdog. In a damning new report published today, the National Audit Office (NAO) has said that the government’s planning system “is underperforming and cannot demonstrate that it is meeting housing demand [...]
New homes: Our pick of the new builds going on sale in London this weekend February 8, 2019 New developments on the market this week Kidbrooke Village, Greenwich From £567,500 for a two bed with two bathrooms First time buyers can get on the ladder – and be part of a £1bn regeneration project – on the outskirts of Blackheath with the launch of these new Help to Buy homes. The interior design [...]
Revive that entrepreneurial spirit and get Britain building again February 8, 2019 Politicians have recently become fond of talking about how to tackle our alarming housing crisis. Yet little is delivered – and what is achieved focuses on inflating demand, with schemes like Help to Buy which do nothing to address the underlying supply shortage. In the third quarter of 2018, building on 46,930 new homes began [...]