Stamp duty keeps pensioners sitting tight as housebuilding giant calls for tax exemption August 28, 2018 More than a fifth of pensioners would consider moving house if stamp duty was abolished, according to new research which suggests the property tax is hampering housing market activity. In a YouGov poll out today, 22 per cent of adults over 65 said they would be more likely to move if there was a stamp [...]
The Zone Two slump: Prime property prices tumble in London’s fringes August 28, 2018 Expensive homes on the outskirts of central London have suffered significant price drops over the last 12 months, as buyers and sellers decide to stay put amid growing political uncertainty. House prices for prime properties in Zone Two areas such as Fulham and Putney have tumbled 5.3 per cent and 3.9 per cent respectively in the [...]
Countrywide rescue bid approved as share price slides lower August 28, 2018 Shares in Countrywide plunged more than seven per cent this morning, as the flagging estate agent received the green light for an emergency £140m shareholder cash-call. Countrywide led the market’s fallers in early morning trading, with shares dropping to 13.96p, having fallen dramatically from their 130p value one year ago. Read more: Rising cost pressures [...]
Relocation, relocation, relocation: Cheaper houses lure record number of Londoners north August 27, 2018 The rate at which Londoners are quitting the capital’s housing market to relocate up north has more than tripled in the last decade, according to research from estate agent Hamptons International. Around 21 per cent of Londoners who left the capital in the first six months of the year moved to the Midlands and north [...]
Yopa raises £20m as boss hails ‘disruption’ to traditional high street agencies August 27, 2018 One of the UK’s fastest growing estate agencies has secured £20m in new funding today, underlining the threats that traditional brands face as new online rivals look to expand. Hybrid estate agency Yopa has now raised more than £70m since its launch in early 2016, with the latest cash injections coming from the Daily Mail’s venture [...]
Don’t be daft, foreign buyers keep housing supply alive August 24, 2018 New Zealand has been facing a familiar crisis to us here in the UK. Rising house prices, declining home ownership, and an influx of interest from foreign buyers. Less familiar, however, is the New Zealand government’s recent decision to ban foreign buyers from purchasing property in the country. It’s a decision that has come amid growing [...]
Property of the Week: Find out how much it is to have former prime ministers and BBC presenters as neighbours in Connaught Village August 24, 2018 Most London villages are affluent places that aim to be the best of both worlds. Leafy streets and indie retailers take the beauty and community of rural life, but the school run can be done on foot and the office is half an hour away on the Tube. Albion Street, Hyde Park, £5m Connaught Village [...]
New homes: All the new developments going on sale this weekend, including Help to Buy and Shared Ownership August 24, 2018 New developments on the market this week The Quarry, Bexley From £167,500 for a 50 per cent share of a £335,000 home Part-buy, part-rent 27 new homes in Erith on the border of London and Kent. Around 600 Shared Ownership and Help to Buy homes have been built on the site of a disused quarry [...]
Mortgage approvals drop as housing activity slump shows little sign of picking up August 24, 2018 Mortgage lending dipped in July, despite an uptick in homeowners seeking cheaper interest rates ahead of the Bank of England rate rise earlier this month. Approvals for mortgages fell 4.3 per cent year-on-year in July, having risen to a nine-month high in June, in a fresh sign that housing activity in the UK's property market [...]
Tech titans bed down in London: Why Brexit won’t be bringing about a ‘techxodus’ any time soon August 24, 2018 Brexit has generated investment uncertainty for many companies, but not – it would seem – for the US tech giants opening the throttle and splashing out on multi-million long-term property deals in London and creating thousands of jobs. Facebook, Google, Snap and Apple have firmly quashed the notion that the UK’s exit from the EU [...]