My House: Kristian Robson, the man behind Chelsea tailoring brand Oliver Brown tells us how he built his Notting Hill house on top of a duck pond January 7, 2019 The owner of men’s tailor Oliver Brown on his charming mews house in Notting Hill. As told to Melissa York. "When I first moved into my house, one of the neighbours told me it was built on top of a duck pond that was filled in with concrete in the 1960s. So that was interesting [...]
How McCarthy & Stone’s new boss plans to turn around the fortunes of Britain’s largest retirement housebuilder January 7, 2019 As the boss of a FTSE 250 housebuilder which has just passed through a year to forget, John Tonkiss is surprisingly upbeat. For the new chief executive of McCarthy & Stone is a man with a plan, and he thinks it will turn around the fortunes of Britain’s biggest provider of retirement homes. It concerns [...]
Taylor Wimpey results in the City spotlight as market jitters linger January 6, 2019 Housebuilding giant Taylor Wimpey is set to reveal its future outlook later this week against a backdrop of lower activity and growing uncertainty across many parts of the UK’s property market. Traders will be turning their attention towards the blue-chip constituent, which is releasing its full-year trading statement on Wednesday, as City caution looms large [...]
Mortgage approvals decline in November as Brexit uncertainty impacts housing market January 4, 2019 The number of mortgage approvals fell to a seven-month low in November as Brexit concerns continued to rattle the housing market. Mortgage approvals fell to 63,728 in November, down from 66,709 the previous month, according to new figures from the Bank of England (BoE) released today. Mortgage lending rose by £3.5bn in the same month, lower than the [...]
UK house prices fall in December on Brexit uncertainty as annual growth rate hits six-year low January 4, 2019 UK house prices fell by 0.7 per cent in December, as prices’ annual growth rate dropped to its lowest level in almost six years. Prices grew by just 0.5 per cent year on year, compared to 2.6 per cent growth in 2017, but fell compared to November. London recorded a 0.8 per cent decline in house [...]
Apsley and Oxshott top London’s commuter town rankings after today’s rail fare price hike January 2, 2019 Hertfordshire's Apsley has been named London's cheapest town for City commuters, after the UK today hiked up rail fares by 3.1 per cent and hit the capital's train riders the hardest. In an analysis of house prices, mortgage payments, the cost of a rail season ticket and journey duration, Apsley won out in costing the [...]
First-time buyer mortgage approvals hit 10-year high despite higher UK house prices January 2, 2019 First-time buyer mortgage approvals hit their highest level in more than 10 years in 2018, the latest data shows. An estimated 367,038 first-time buyers took out mortgages last year, up from 362,800 in 2017, according to analysis from Yorkshire Building Society using UK Finance figures. The number exceeded 2007 levels, when 359,000 first-time buyers secured mortgages, [...]
UK house prices 2019: What experts say will happen after Brexit December 31, 2018 Has there ever been a more difficult time to predict the future of UK house prices? Political uncertainty looms large over the UK’s property market, but experts have nonetheless given their expectations for the year to come. Bank of England governor Mark Carney showed how dangerous the numbers game can be in November, when he had [...]
Londoners flock to the country, snapping up £30bn of property outside the capital in 2018 December 26, 2018 Londoners left the capital in their droves this year, buying £30bn worth of property outside the city as they sought to sidestep expensive house prices. The value of property bought outside the capital by Londoners was at its highest level since 2007 when the figure was £37bn, the highest on record. This year, 74,350 Londoners bought [...]
Chinese city leads global house price growth as Europe lags behind December 20, 2018 The Chinese city of Xi’an recorded the highest level of house price growth this year as Asia pulls ahead of a sluggish European market. House prices in Xi’an, which is the capital of Shaanxi Province in central China, grew 20 per cent in the year to September, according to Knight Frank’s Global Residential Cities Index. [...]